Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson – Review

This book was marvelous. It caught my interest from the very beginning with the author’s unique use of magic. The world created in Mistborn isn’t entirely original, as many fantasy books involve a land where there is an evil ruler who oppresses a lower class, but in Mistborn it’s the abilities the characters have and how they use these abilities to bring down their oppressor that brings a new twist to this formula. It also helps that Sanderson brings his characters to life in such a way that you can’t help but care what happens to them.

 For those of you who aren’t familiar with the author, Brandon Sanderson is the man who is working on the last couple of books in the Wheel of Time series. A man who has garnered the trust of Robert Jordan must be pretty awesome, right? Still, if that isn’t enough to catch your interest, maybe a synopsis of the book will reel you in.

Vin is a Skaa thief, raised by a brother who beat her and instilled in her the idea that everyone in your life will betray you. To solidify this notion, he betrays her himself, leaving her to fend for herself in a den of thieves until her inevitable demise. Vin spends her days blending into the shadows, trusting no one and trying not to call attention to herself. The one thing that keeps her alive is her luck, which she has the ability to use to influence those around her. The thief leader uses her ability to trick noblemen, running jobs that will inevitably work because of Vin’s luck.

 But noblemen are surrounded by Obligators, the leaders of the ministry, and Obligators are surrounded by Inquisitors, the enforcers of the lord ruler, and Vin’s “luck” has attracted their attention. Working class Skaa shouldn’t have this ability. They are the lower class, forced to work on plantations or die in the mines of Hathsin, while the noblemen attend balls and dinners and the Lord Ruler, who is an evil immortal god, pulls their strings.

 Luckily for Vin, she hasn’t only caught the attention of the Obligators, she’s also caught the attention of another thieving crew, a crew that is led by none other than Kelsier, “The Survivor of Hathsin.” Not only will Kelsier have his hands full teaching Vin the secrets of her “luck” and showing her that life can be better when you allow yourself to trust others, but he is also running the biggest job ever attempted:  overthrowing the Final Empire and killing the Lord Ruler.

 First, let’s talk about Vin’s luck. We learn very quickly into the book that her power isn’t luck, it’s called Allomancy, and it’s the ability to burn ingested metals to create certain abilities. There are ten metals, and each metal burned is a different ability. An allomancer can ingest these metals and burn them until they are out of their system. As the metals burn they imbue the allomancer with abilities such as intensified strength or the power to soothe or riot someone’s emotions. I’m not going to go into further detail on the metals and the abilities they confer, because I don’t think I will do it justice, and I’d rather you just read the book. I spent a lot of time while I was reading this book wondering how the author came up with such a unique idea. Not to gush or anything, but it was really cool.

Next, I’m going to talk about the characters. By the time we get to the heart of the job (over throwing the empire, remember?), you are so in love with the characters you can’t help but feel everything the characters feel. I have to say that is probably one of my biggest weaknesses. If I can read a book and feel betrayed or loved, then you’ve won me over. If I can read a book and it actually makes me hold back tears, (and I’m talking real tears here, not “well, duh, you’re reading a book about a cancer patient, of course you’re going to cry” tears) then you have done a spectacular job. I don’t get teary-eyed that often.

I’m obviously not going to reveal much more of the book for you. But, I will say this. The ending is superbly done. I kept thinking I’d figured something out in the plot, only to find out that I was close, but not quite right, and the twist was much bigger! It is the first in what appears to be a trilogy, but surprisingly enough, I don’t think I’ll read the other books. Well, that’s not quite true. I haven’t decided yet, is probably more appropriate. Even though this book ends with the concept that it can continue, I felt like the story was perfect for me just the way it was. Everything ended quite nicely and there weren’t very many loose ends to be tied. I’m wary of continuing when this end was so satisfying to me.

Whether or not you decide to read all three books, however, I implore you to pick this book up. It is wonderful.