Review: Mistborn (Book 1) by Brandon Sanderson

Rating: 10/10

Synopsis

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.

This saga dares to ask a simple question: What if the hero of prophecy fails?

Review

Reading Mistborn, formerly known as The Final Empire or book one of the Mistborn series, felt like arriving late at a party when everyone’s drunk—like I had missed out on something special! I bought the Era one trilogy a few years back and never got to it until now, and man was I missing out on the kool-aid. This book took all my expectations, put them in a blender with a high dose of sugar and hit frappe. I haven’t been that much engaged in a book since I read the Harry Potter series.

Mistborn had the perfect mix of well-developed characters, a well-plotted story and twists and turns I didn’t see coming. Vin and Kelsier and their magnificent group of thieves were keeping me on my toes with the different settings and story elements throughout the story. I loved the double lives of thieving and high gown balls and the nuanced impact it had on Vin. A girl troubled with a corrupted past who’s learned to let go of her mistrust in people. Well-written characters and captivating us from beginning to end. 

If you’re looking for a story involving low road politics, super-fights, a well thought-out magic system, secret plans and an unpredictable plot, Mistborn will serve you a raw and powerful combination of all this. And to top it off, this book was built around a heist foundation and added the said politics, relationships, magic, monsters (human and creatures) and villains to make you scream go get them tiger to the heroes. If you get my drift, I loved this book.

Brandon Sanderson, the author of this amazing narrative locked us for the entire ride, closed all the major questions of the first book, finished with a moving and satisfying ending and yet kept it open for two more books I am dying to get into (Era 1 that is). And if, like foolish me, you haven’t read these novels, and love epic fantasy stories, get your hands on this fascinating series.