If you typed Songrise, Songrise 4.0, or “Sanderson Cosmere book” into search and landed here, the useful answer is blunt: Songrise is not a Cosmere novel. It is the working title for book two of Riftwake, the Cytoverse sequel trilogy that continues Skyward after Defiant.
This page is the map Cosmere readers actually need: what Songrise is, who should care, and what it does not connect to.
What Songrise is
Songrise is Janci Patterson’s draft-in-progress for the second novel in Riftwake. Brandon Sanderson is in on edits and revisions, the same partnership pattern as the Skyward Flight novellas. It is not “Skyward 5” branded as 4.0, and it is not Mistborn or Stormlight continuity.
In State of the Sanderson 2025, Sanderson put the Cytoverse update this way:
Another great year for progress on the Cytoverse, with Janci officially naming our Skyward follow-up series Riftwake, with the first book (Blightfall) out next September. I’ve read the second one, and have the outline for the third and final one in hand!
That “second one” is Songrise. Weekly Updates later track Janci’s percentage progress on it by name. Titles can still change before typesetting. Treat Songrise as the working title until a final cover and ISBN show up.
Who it is for (and who should skip)
| Reader | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Finished *Skyward* → *Defiant* and want more Spensa-era Cytoverse | **Yes.** Start with *Blightfall* (Riftwake #1), then Songrise |





