Brandon Sanderson Says Cosmere’s Real Villain Was the 2-Star Review, Not the 1-Star Critic
Forget one-star rants—Brandon Sanderson says it’s the two-star shrug that really stings, the quiet cut readers use to hurt authors most, a point he lays out in a candid YouTube lecture.
If you want to hurt Brandon Sanderson, don’t waste your time with a 1-star review. Go for two. That’s his take, and honestly, he makes a compelling case.
The review that stings the most
In a writing lecture he posted on his YouTube channel, Sanderson broke down how reader star ratings hit from his side of the keyboard. The short version: 2-star reviews hurt more than 1-star reviews because they usually mean the book almost worked.
'The 2 stars are the worst. When you really want to get an author, you leave 2 stars, because the 1 star, they are just like, "I did not finish this. It was not for me." The 2 stars are like, "Oh, this could have been good, but it screwed up the ending." The 2 stars are always like, "I wanted to like this, but the author sucks."'
Translation: a 1-star is a clean break - not my thing, moving on. A 2-star says it almost landed and then face-planted, which, if you are the person who wrote it, stings way more.
He has been through the wringer - and stays classy
Sanderson has been publishing for over two decades, so he has seen every flavor of blowback, up to and including hate mail. Negative reviews are one thing; that notorious WIRED piece is another. The article took aim not just at his books, but at Sanderson himself. His response? A long Reddit post asking fans not to pile on the writer, speaking generously about the critic despite the shots in the piece, and thanking readers who rushed to defend him. Whatever people throw at him - low ratings, harsh write-ups - he consistently tries to look at it from the other person’s point of view.
So... are the Cosmere books for you?
Even Sanderson would probably tell you his Cosmere universe is not for everyone. Some folks bounce off it. For others, it is an acquired taste worth the time. If big, intricate world-building and knotty, layered storytelling are your thing, his two flagships are easy recommendations: Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive. If you want to get specific, 'Mistborn: The Final Empire' is the starting line for that series, and 'Mistborn: Secret History' is a later, fan-favorite side trip. He is also good about keeping fans in the loop on writing progress and upcoming releases, and he is active with the community. So when someone calls him lame or boring, it does not really track with how he actually operates - or the imagination on display in his work.
- Author: Brandon Sanderson - born December 19, 1975
- Genres: Fantasy, science fiction
- Notable works: Mistborn, The Stormlight Archive, the final three books of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time
- Where to start: Mistborn: The Final Empire; The Stormlight Archive; bonus for fans - Mistborn: Secret History
What do you make of Sanderson’s 2-star theory and the way he handles criticism? Drop your take below.