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 |
| Cosmere-only, hunting Shard lore / Worldhoppers | **Skip for now.** This is a different universe |
| Heard “Songrise 4.0” and thought Skyward book four | **Wrong number.** Skyward book four is already out: *Defiant* |
| New to Sanderson and picking a first book | Do not start here. Start *Skyward* or a Cosmere entry point, not a sequel working title |
How it ties to the Cosmere (it does not)
Cytoverse and Cosmere are parallel Sanderson ecosystems. Skyward was once floated as Cosmere-adjacent in early planning, then moved out because the story needs Earth references that Cosmere continuity does not allow. Songrise inherits that split.
Practical rule:
Cosmere = Mistborn, Stormlight, Elantris, Warbreaker, Secret Projects, Emberdark, Hoid’s Travails, and related shared-universe books
Cytoverse = Defending Elysium backstory, the Skyward quartet, Skyward Flight novellas, then Riftwake (Blightfall, Songrise, book three)
If you came from Mistborn adaptation news, that lives on Cosmere rails. Our Mistborn Apple TV screenplay status is the right tab. Songrise will not unlock Scadrial Easter eggs.
Riftwake checklist: Blightfall, Songrise, book three
| Slot | Title | Status (as of SoTS 2025 / Weekly Updates) |
|---|---|---|
| Riftwake #1 | **Blightfall** | Named; scheduled **September 2026** |
| Riftwake #2 | **Songrise** (working title) | Drafting / revising; Sanderson has read it; Weekly Updates track % complete; expected **summer 2027** in fan timelines built from those updates |
| Riftwake #3 | Untitled | Outline in hand |
Series setup from Dragonsteel messaging: set shortly after Defiant, same wider cast, Skyward Flight shifting into special-forces / diplomatic work, with new threats among surviving human populations. Expect taynix to stick around. Exact POV lists can move; do not freeze fan wikis as scripture until the books ship.
Confirmed vs not confirmed
| Claim | Status |
|---|---|
| Songrise is Cosmere | **Not.** Cytoverse only |
| Songrise = Skyward #4 | **Not.** *Defiant* is Skyward #4 |
| Songrise = Riftwake #2 working title | **Confirmed** in Sanderson Weekly Updates |
| Blightfall September 2026 | **Confirmed** in State of the Sanderson 2025 |
| Final Songrise cover title and day-month date | **Not locked** publicly as of the cited updates |
| Must read Cosmere before Riftwake | **No.** Read *Skyward* through *Defiant* (plus novellas if you want Flight depth) |
Reading path if you only care about Songrise
Skyward
Starsight
Cytonic
Defiant (plus the Skyward Flight novellas if you want Arturo / FM / other POVs before the sequel trilogy)
Blightfall (Sept 2026)
Songrise when it lands
That is the whole dependency chain. No Stormlight homework required.
Primary sources: State of the Sanderson 2025 and Sanderson’s Weekly Update that tracks Songrise by name. Follow the Mistborn hub for Cosmere adaptation status, and treat Riftwake as its own Cytoverse runway when a subject hub lands.