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Thebookbella

A unique magic system with so many wonderful characters!

Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2019

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4.5*

So this book was really really enjoyable.

Our main character, 16-year-old Vin is working as a theif to a street criminal when she is recruited to work with the infamous mistborn, Kelsier. Keliser is wanted by the Empire as a fugitive who escaped their jail several years earlier. Vin, having known only heartless criminals, learns that sometimes people can be nice and trustworthy.

Kelsier, being the iconic crazy guy that he is, plans to overthrow the empire to free all the Skaa slaves from abuse and oppression. With many hiccups and problems along the way, the stakes are high as he takes on the immortal and godlike Lord Ruler.

The magic system in this world is wonderfully unique, as Allomancers eat metals and each metal gives an Allomancer a different ability. Most Allomancers are just Mistings (who only have the ability to use and burn one metal). Then you have the rare Mistborn who can use and burn all of the metals.

I loved all of Kelsier's crew and I have to say my favorite is Sazed because he is the scholar (and I always have a soft spot for the scholars). Sazed is not your typical Allomancer. He actually stores his abilities in metals so that he can draw upon them later. Sazed is also a kindhearted and loyal companion to Vin.

I love this whole book, however as I was reading the 4th section there was a lot of repetition of points that were being made about the way this world works that allowd me to predict the ending and all the details quite accurately. I would have liked for it to be less predictable, but I still really and truly enjoyed the ending. The whole book and the magic system were very well constructed and there were so many good characters to love. Also this book made me tear up, and for it to do that on top of everything else is quite as feat as I'm not a cryer.

Loved this book and plan to start the next one in the series very soon!

Amazon Customer

Missing 30+ pages

Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2019

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When you but the book, make sure you get all the pages! I waited too long to read it, can't return it now.

MereChristianTop Contributor: Manga

The Beginning of One of the Most Epic Fantasy Trilogies of Modern Times

Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2015

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Brandon Sanderson, the author chosen by the late Robert Jordan's widow to finish his *Wheel of Time* series, was chosen based on the fact that Jordan's widow took a liking to his previous work. One of those works is the *Mistborn Trilogy*. To be sure, calling it a “trilogy” is now misleading, as Sanderson is writing other books in an attempt to flesh out a “history” of his fictional world. I guess eventually it will be called the “Original Trilogy”, or something to that effect. I digress. The first book in this world is the first of the original *Mistborn Trilogy*, *Mistborn: The Final Empire*.

The series is set in a world where there are massive “ashfalls”, from volcanoes, and other ecological disasters. In the midst of this, the ruler and “deity” over the world, known as the “Lord Ruler” controls the massive caste system in his world-wide empire. The upper-crust, called the “nobility”, are those whose ancestors are said to have supported the Lord Ruler's rise to power as he fought against the evil forces destined to destroy the world before his “ascent” to “godhood”. The truth is that the Lord Ruler is *not* a god. He is a man who gained power upon doing the mighty deeds of legend, and in the intervening years grown more and more evil. He has destroyed all of the prophecies and religions in the world before his time. Thus all truth is removed from the world. Only a small underground network of scholars is left trying to use magic to preserve knowledge and seek out the truth.

The nobility rules over the under-class, called skaa. These people are shorter in stature, though arguably stronger physically, and lacking the traits which give them magical powers called “Allomancy”. Allomancy is the ability to take swallowed amounts of specifically mixed metal alloys of different varieties, that are then “burned” by the Allomancer's body to perform feats. These Allomancers are split into groups according to their ability. Either an Allomancer can burn only one metal granting them a specific power, or they can burn *all* metals to exercise all of the powers. Those that can do such are called “Mistings” and “Mistborn”, respectively.

The Lord Ruler, to prevent the existence of skaa Mistings and Mistborn, who could rebel against him, outlaws romantic relationships between the nobility and the skaa, only allowing such to take place if the nobleman kills the skaa before she can become pregnant, as well as trying to kill so-called “half-breeds”. Some such half-breeds escape alive and turn to crime to survive, or a few legitimate businesses while hiding their abilities. This is a world where the Lord Ruler uses magic, physical violence, and psychological warfare, to oppress the populace. This is about to change.

One of the “thieving crews” of skaa decide to attempt the impossible. They are to attempt to help the insignificant skaa rebellion to overthrow the Final Empire and kill the tyrannical Lord Ruler. Things seem to be impossible, and indeed, there are many setbacks. But in the end, it just might happen.

The best part of the story is that the author learned from such greats as Robert Jordan, and Robert Jordan's inspiration, J. R. R. Tolkien. What I mean by this is that Sanderson managed to infuse the story with the same sense of wonder and friendship that Tolkien used in *The Lord of the Rings*, as well as the same emphases on themes of friendship and sacrifice, and a detailed, well-though out mythology.

The systems of Allomancy and Feruchemy, the other major (also metal-based) magic system are very intricate. The author clearly spent quite some time thinking over his systems of magic, and the story certainly benefits from it. The various ecological, and geographical, aspects of the world and it's problems, are also described in *pain-staking* detail.

Perhaps the best part of the book, in my opinion, was the earlier referenced focus on friendship. The ways that the characters love each other and look out for each other. Vin, one of the two main protagonists of the novel, is looked after and tutored by another half-skaa Mistborn, named Kelsier. It is Kelsier's vision and planning that results in the team's successful rebellion at the end of the book.

Vin starts out not trusting anyone, but slowly, over the course of the novel, Kelsier and his crew invited her into their midst. They slowly show her the true meaning of friendship and help her to learn that people, *can*, indeed, love and trust each other.

I can't really think of anything to dislike about the book, except that I wish that the “love story” was not so rushed. It made no real sense in the tale. We have Vin's point of view, but not her love interest's. That really made it hard to “root” for the characters. Or, at least, to root for the love interest. Only the passion of Vin makes the couple anything interesting. Oh, don't get me wrong. The love interest *is* interesting, but his thoughts are so limited on any subject, and most of the time he has a point of view, he spends hardly any time thinking about how he loves Vin, or “Vallette” as he knows her, as compared to other topics.

All together a fun novel, and a good introduction to the “Mistborn” world. I look forward to starting the second book, *Mistborn: The Well of Ascension* soon.

Highly Recommended.

Anne Pruitt

Brandon Sanderson is a Writing God

Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2019

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This book was so well-written. I knew going into it that it was detailed and well-thought out, but I don't think I had grasped the exact level of how great it was. I was constantly floored by the end of Mistborn that all the details came together in a way that I expected but also couldn't quite grasp until they happened. I was happy there were a few twists that I didn't suspect, and the details of the heist in this...oh my gosh they were phenomenal. So thought-out by both characters and author to make me wonder if Brandon Sanderson has tried this in real life before. XD

Major and minor characters alike were so well-developed. You understand their motivations, characteristics, parts of their pasts, and themselves as a person. Kelsier was amazing. His thoughts behind what he did, his motivations were all so phenomenally done.

All-in-all, I am beyond eager to continue reading this series and Brandon Sanderson's books.

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FallenGrace

Clever and unique magic system with great characters - Fantastic book!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 17, 2017

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I originally heard of this series through a friend of mine who was reading rules for a Mistborn adventure/board game and loved the magic system and said almost in passing it was based on a book series. My curiosity had me buy the books and I loved them. There are now more books in the series available so I am re-reading the original trilogy first before I delve into them and I forgot just how good the first three are.

This book focuses on a young street thief called Vin who despite beatings and mistreatments has continued to survive in the harsh realities of The Final Empire. Vin is a Skaa, a sort of peasant/serf class who are used and killed by the nobility and the Lord Ruler, an immortal god who rules over the empire. During a job with her thieving crew Vin is introduced to a world she doesn't realises existed and is shown there is more that can be done than merely survive.

My synopsis is pretty vague there but I don't want to spoil too much of the story. Brandon Sanderson has a great writing style and sense of pace, while there is a lot of great action scenes it's littered with quieter more character driven moments. Speaking of which, the characters in my opinion are excellent, well written, humorous, and easily rememerable thanks to their stand out personalities and abilities. Seeing Vin grow as the book goes on as she starts to trust people more is really well written and the world she inhabbits is equally both interesting and depressing in equal measure.

The magic system that my friend enjoyed reading game rules is no less fantastic in the actual novels. I say magic but it's more of a power or ability some people have where swallowing small amounts of metals and then burning them in their stomachs like a fuel will allow them to perform certain actions ( being kind of vague again XD ). Depending on the metal swallowed, depends on the ability it can do, there are a limited amount of metals that do anything and not everyone can use every type. The thing I like about it the most I never really felt like there was much of a Deus ex Machina type moment, the power is limiting and at the same time versatile. The reader knows the extend of what the characters can do yet Sanderson often manages to find new ways to use those abilities within those boundaries. It's very clever and feels really unique compared with any other fantasy book i've ever read.

The book is also surprisingly substantial at nearly 700 pages yet never seems to outlive it's welcome. All in all The Final Empire: Mistborn book one is a fantastic fantasy novel and I can't wait to get to the latter books I haven't read yet as well as some of his other works.

Recommended.

+ Characters are great.
+ Well written.
+ Magic/Power system is superb.
+ Interesting setting.

Interested Person

A refreshing take on the fantasy genre

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 31, 2017

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This was my first experience with a Sanderson novel, I came into it "by chance" rather than the usual route of his most famous series contribution. I was very pleased to have found it. The fantasy setting and "physics" behind magic in the world is dark, foreboding and very fresh. I spent much of the novel visualising the world: its dark mists, and its strange, metal consuming magic where "mistborn" can push towards or pull away from metal objects, either moving the object or themselves depending on which was heaviest. It would make a most unusual and thrilling computer game system.

But more importantly, the novel is filled with characters that have depth and meaning behind their actions, they drive the story rather than are driven by it. I don't mean to say that the characterization is always deep and perfect, because there are some of the peripheral characters that edge towards one-dimension, but the core is rich and satisfying. The main characters, a teenage girl street urchin called Vin and her violent yet principled mentor Kelsier, grow and change as events unfold and feel very convincing throughout. Their magic is limited by interesting, understandable "physics" that makes the difficulty of their task - ending a terrible caste system whereby most of the population are slaves, by defeating the god-like Lord Ruler and his powerful administration - feel plausibly hopeless and desperate. Finally, it is the story arc in this series that I like most. It does not feel like evil itself is the problem that is most difficult to overcome - but instead, making something good.

If you are considering reading this book, then you probably should.

Barry Mulvany

Fast paced set in a great world

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 26, 2020

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It's been a while since I read this book but it still holds up very well.

Mistborn is basically a heist book set on a world where the 'Dark One' has won and has been ruling for a thousand years. Certain people can burn metals which allows them to do certain things like become stronger, manipulate emotions or push/pull off of metal etc. In this world we are introduced to Vin, a young orphan working for a thieving crew of Skaa (lower class) whose path interacts with Kelsier and his crew to formulate a grand plan.

The book is mainly told from the POV of Vin with a few Kelsier POV sections thrown in as well. Vin is a great character, she starts off very distrustful and reticent but gradually comes out of her shell as she comes to terms with the crew and her new situation. Her joy in learning the Mistborn skills is palpable and I think is one of the main reasons this book was so successful. I do think she became too entranced too quickly with the noble lifestyle, you don't get over the years of what she went through that quickly but other than that I enjoyed her journey.

Kelsier is great and I actually I think I prefer him now than I did when I last read this over six years ago. Yes he can be vain and thinks far too much of himself but it is mostly justified and it is great seeing his plan come together. I remember disliking him somewhat due to his attitude to the nobility but honestly if you think about it it is entirely understandable. I'm not saying I condone wanton killings but if we lived in a world like they do I would understand the complete hatred that Kelsier and others have.

This is actually a really dark book by Sanderson standards. The world is awful but feels quite real and is a place you really wouldn't want to live in, especially for the Skaa. These themes of eugenics is somewhat touched on but only in a fairly superficial manner. Vin and Kelsier are done well but I feel the other characters we only get a very broad stroke picture of them. We get a few POV's of Elend towards the end and he really is very vanilla, and I hated the insta-love thing that was going on, particularly from Vin's perspective.

However the vast majority of the book is fun to read. The magic system is great as you expect from Sanderson (if you like the technical ones) and the world is amazing. The Lord Ruler is a great character and I would love to know more about those early years of his during the consolidation. The pace is fast and doesn't let up really at all. Okay maybe some people would find the ball scenes a little slow but I actually quite liked them apart from the Elend bits. Overall a great opener to a series and looking forward to the sequels.

4.5 stars rounded up.

S.J

A great place to start with Sanderson

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 11, 2020

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The actual book was as described with the nice cover. I wish I could get it in hardback though.

After loving the Wheel of Time I decided to give Brandon Sanderson's own works a go. The complex and creative magic systems, the fleshed-out characters, and vivid descriptions of the universe add up to an immersive reading experience.

One of the drawbacks for me was how long it took to actually get in to the story. A few chapters in and I didn't really feel invested in the story- this changed as soon as Vin really came onto the scene. This will make it good for a reread because I will digest and appreciate the beginning.

After just finishing the second book, I couldn't recommend this trilogy enough. I'm keeping it spoiler free, but I loved the second book so much- it felt like the first book was a set up to the second- which really undersells the first book because it has its own amazing story arc, character development and epic moments.

Mr J Mc Stravick

Awesome first book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 20, 2017

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This is a book that is very close to my heart as for a number of years I had stopped reading and very rarely picked up a book. Then a good friend recommended this book to me, so I thought I would give it a shot and see how good it was as, what I experienced in reading this book was nothing like I had ever felt before when reading.

From the start this book will draw you into its world, Brandon Sanderson’s world building here is second to none and it shows as I found it very easy to imagine the world that was being portrayed as well as being very detailed without being cumbersome.

As well as the world building the characterisation is exceptional, from the start you are drawn into Vin and Kelsier’s world and their minds. When a character grows you to grow with them as Brandon Sanderson makes you care for the characters and what they are going through.

The magic system in the book revolves around the digesting of certain metals to give you particular abilities and it shows that a lot of though went into the development of it. I enjoy the traditional trope of magic systems that quite a few books have but the one developed in the book is outstanding as it is very well constructed and you are always wanting to learn more about it and the properties each different metal has as well as strategies developed for them.

This book is a true page turner and without giving away any spoilers it will make you laugh, cry and angry due to how much you care about the world and its characters. All I can say is that are some truly brilliants shocks and twists in this book that once you finish it you will want to immediately pick up the sequel.

This book helped me re-find my love for books and it is for this reason I always highly recommend this book to anyone I know and it is a great book that everyone should read. Some people might not agree but I would put this on the same level of greatness as The Lord Of The Rings.

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