MISTBORN by Brandon Sanderson Review

MISTBORN by Brandon Sanderson Review

Title: Mistborn
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Publisher:
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Pages: 638
Source: Purchased

Brandon Sanderson, fantasy's newest master tale spinner, author of the acclaimed debut Elantris, dares to turn a genre on its head by asking a simple question: What if the hero of prophecy fails? What kind of world results when the Dark Lord is in charge? The answer will be found in the Mistborn Trilogy, a saga of surprises and magical martial-arts action that begins in Mistborn.

For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison. Kelsier "snapped" and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark.

Kelsier recruited the underworld's elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Only then does he reveal his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the divine despot.

But even with the best criminal crew ever assembled, Kel's plan looks more like the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into his life. Like him, she's a half-Skaa orphan, but she's lived a much harsher life. Vin has learned to expect betrayal from everyone she meets, and gotten it. She will have to learn to trust, if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed.

Sigh. 

Well, now I have to read everything this guy has ever written. 

Not since the "Kingkiller Chronicles" by Patrick Rothfuss, has an epic fantasy novel struck me so. I picked this book up because Mr. Rothfuss gave it five stars, so I figured It was worth a shot.

Wow. Seriously. Wow. First off, Sanderson's worldbuilding is far too good. It's scary how realistic his systems are: whether they be magical, political, or social. 


The system of magic is similar to that of Mr. Rothfuss, in the fact that it's very science based, but Sanderson's magic is unique. The two magics in MISTBORN are called Allomancy and Feruchamy and they are so well explained and utilized that I couldn't help but feel that somewhere in our universe these systems are being used. Somewhere.

The characters are also very well fleshed out. They're your friends (especially Vin) by the end of the novel. I'm wasting no time, and I'm off to go purchase the next installment in the trilogy, so I can hang with them some more.

It's rare that I come across a fantasy novel this good. It's been called "Oceans Eleven" meets "Lord of the Rings" and it's a good descriptions, but MISTBORN stands in a class all it's own. 

A very deserving 5/5