*MISTBORN: The Final Empire* by Brandon Sanderson

MY EXPERIENCE

I know I’m super late to the Brandon Sanderson party. I’d never read any of his work before this, and I’d been meaning to ever since he was all over author newsfeeds going toe-to-toe with Audible. So I found it fitting when I was scrolling through my Kindle, looking for something to read, and I saw MISTBORN: THE FINAL EMPIRE available bundled together, ebook and audiobook.

I had yet to seriously dive into audiobooks properly before this, too. I had listened to several free ones via YouTube, but these were typically books I’d read before. I’ve also read David Hopkin’s amazing THE DRYAD’S CROWN in audiobook format and that was quite enjoyable but at the time I considered it an exception, not the rule. In my experience, Audiobooks just weren’t very well done. Every time I was tempted to pay $20+ for an audiobook on Audible, I’d listen to the sample and either hate the narrator on the project or decide I couldn’t afford the $20+.

So when I saw the ebook and audiobook bundled together for $14, making it $7 for the ebook and $7 for the audiobook—now that I could get behind. Plus, Kindle recently underwent an upgrade, allowing them to play the audiobook in sync with the ebook. Once I saw how long the book was, I was even more pleased with the price. Sorry to digress on that, but money’s tight EVERY-WHICH-WAY these days, and I appreciate it when I’m not getting dicked around.

I want to add that the narrator in this audiobook is outstandingly good. His characters all sound distinct from each other and maintain consistency throughout the book. He read at a good pace, was clear with crisp audio and had such good enunciation, I thought it was an A.I. voice for the first couple sentences. But no, Mr. Michael Kramer is simply a damn good narrator.

My last note on the audiobook is that I found it incredibly enjoyable and far more of an immersive experience to listen to the audiobook as I read along with the book. I found it much easier to sink into the story and not want to leave it. This was very hard to put down. I snatched up every spare minute available to read a little more. Kinda like crack.

This book is crack.

*Of all the variant covers, this is my favorite.*

SO, LET’S TALK ABOUT IT

I went into this completely blind. I knew there was a series of novels but not how many, who the main character was, what the world was like, or the plot—I didn’t know anything. And I’m so very glad I went in as blind as I did because this was such a ride. I never jabber to my wife about a book I’m reading, but I couldn’t shut up about this one. She’ll never have to read it, I told her everything because it’s so much fun to talk about.

I was shocked to see how many negative reviews are up on YouTube. What were y’all reading? I couldn’t put this down! I found it to be imaginative, layered, complex, relatable, accessible, and most importantly, entertaining.

I’m going to break down the book into parts for me to discuss. I won’t reveal important plot spoilers, but I will cover a little bit of the basics of each category in order to adequately discuss and review them. If you want to go into this book as blind as I did, then suffice it to say, the book is well worth picking up. I immediately bought book two, THE WELL OF ASCENSION, because if the series only gets better, and it started this strongly, then I cannot wait to see what happens next. Do yourself a favor and pick this book up. I’ve decided not to rate things on my site with a star-rating system. Instead, I’ll say I enjoyed it immensely. I couldn’t put it down, and it’s made me an instant fan of Mr. Sanderson. Spoiler-free folks, leave now.

WORLDBUILDING

Coming out the gate swinging for the fences. The Worldbuilding was a thing of beauty, and I immediately looked up videos of Brandon Sanderson talking about worldbuilding because his technique is on point.

Let’s set the scene: A red Sun rises instead of a yellow one. The grass is brown, and tree leaves are red, yellow, or orange. Dried up husks of what greenery once was. Black ash falls from the sky like snow, staining roofs, walls, and people’s clothing. The black stains create a gradient, creeping down like a deep darkness slowly consuming the world. And at night, the mists come…

That alone made my mind reel with images, questions, and theories. Why do the mists come at night? Why is the Sun red? Was it always red or did something happen to change it? Where does the ash come from? Where does it go when they shovel and haul it away? Why is there no green in the plant life?

It’s inherently a world of mystery, and I want all the answers! And, by the way, this is all information you receive on the first page! Worldbuilding broadens as you go and in unique ways. Even journal entries at the start of each chapter recounting events from a thousand years ago before the world changed.

But of course, it doesn’t end there. From the class differences between the Nobles and the Skaa to the monsters that roam the mists, the Obligators and the Inquisitors, to the Kandra that shapeshift after consuming a corpse… The world envelops you. It’s dark and strange and terrifying and wondrous!

STORY

I don’t want to say too much here for obvious reasons, as I don’t like spoiling people’s first reads. However, I will say that I loved having dual protagonists in Vin and Kelsier. I loved the information a certain character holds back throughout the whole book, so when the reveals are dropped, they hit that much harder. Also, after finishing the book, I reread the first few chapters. I was shocked to see so many clues about those reveals in the prologue and first chapter! Masterful work by Mr. Sanderson.

The story also does some fun things with genre. We start out thinking this is a heist story, and it is, but it’s also so much more, and when that other shoe drops about two-thirds in, I find myself cheering my heroes on. It’s bigger than the heist. Bigger than our heroes. Bigger than the Lord Ruler that subjugated them.

The plot element I was most impressed by was the idea of starting the story a thousand years after the Hero of Ages defeated the Deepness. What was the Deepness? We don’t know. It’s presumed to have been some world-ending powerful threat or monster the likes of which we would typically be reading about in a fantasy novel. But we’re reading what happened a millennia later. The hero who saved the world has ruled it ever since. And a thousand years of absolute power has corrupted him absolutely.

The story behind the story is brilliant and I’ll leave it at that.

MAGIC SYSTEM

I’ve never before read a magic system that made me feel like I was reading a sci-fi novel. But that’s the only way I can describe the magic systems (yes, PLURAL) that exist in the MISTBORN series. Allomancy, and Feruchemy are the two introduced in this first novel. The third is present here but left mysterious for now. I’m sure Sanderson will unveil more in the sequels. These magic systems are so technical, nuanced, and specific that if the powers existed in our world, this would read like an instruction manual.

I promised you I wouldn’t spoil the plot, but I’d like to talk about the central magic system, Allomancy. This is the art of consuming and “burning” metals to acquire or enhance abilities. There’s a lot that I love about this system.

Firstly, anyone seeing an allomancer in action would just see a superhero doing some superhero shit. They would appear to be flying, moving things with their minds, or exhibiting superhuman strength. But when we, the reader, are in the pov of an allomancer, the process is much more intricate and layered.

They’re not flying. They push on metal objects around them, propelling themselves through the air. They’re not landing safely after a flight. They’re pushing on a coin they dropped on the floor to slow their body’s descent through the air. They’re not super strong; they’re burning pewter, which grants them immense strength until it runs out.

This is the tip of the iceberg. I haven’t spoiled anything for you yet because, I assure you, there is so much to this magic system. It’s fantastic.

And that’s to say nothing about the lore behind where they get these powers and why. Absolutely top-notch stuff. Love it. READ IT!!! So good!

CHARACTERS

The characters were all great. I never ran into a POV I was disappointed to read. Vin is a wonderful protagonist, and Kelsier oozes charm with a brooding darkness just beneath the surface. Sazed was an unexpected favorite. I didn’t know what to make of him at first, but, bruddah, he grew on me. In fact, he may have outright stolen the show. More Sazed, please.

I loved the POV switches but also the freedom with which he utilized them. Sanderson really opened my eyes to the possibilities there as well.

I’ll admit to not being a huge fan of the Elend POV in this book. I found him a bit annoying at first. But by the end of the novel I came around because I finally understood why his character was important and worth following. Whenever I reread this series, I intend to pay special attention to the Elend POVs because now that I’ve started reading book two, I like him a lot and want to see what little seeds were planted in those early chapters I may have missed.

Vin and Kelsier as our MCs each evolve nicely in their character arcs. They have a big effect on each other as well as on the people around them and that’s so rewarding for the reader. Which is me.

The dialogue is so interesting because it has something very “old-timey fantasy” about it, yet the energy in it feels very modern, casual, and natural. The characters never sound ridiculous, which can sometimes happen in a fantasy. No. Here, they feel like real people and its delightful.

VILLAINS

The big baddie in this first novel is this mother fucker known simply as THE LORD RULER. We don’t know his real name but before he was The Lord Ruler, he was, supposedly, THE HERO OF AGES! What a concept! The chosen one hero from a thousand years ago is the villain? But wait? A thousand years? Does that mean...?

Oh yes. This bastard is immortal. He’s worshipped as a god.

How do you kill a god?

There’s an answer. But it isn’t easy. It’s going to require a lot of planning, moving pieces, strategy and more than a heaping dose of luck.

What a villain this dude is. Everytime he shows up, its as if the devil has arrived. He’s terrifying, ruthless, and immensely powerful. If only there was someone else even remotely like him out there in the world. Then, maybe, we’d have a chance…

Heheheh…

POLITICAL INTRIGUE

The Court, the Balls, the powerful Noble families and their back-stabby games. Ah! Epic fantasy. You’re always good for a little scheming and betrayal. Look there’s not much to say here. If you like Game of Thrones, you’ll love this aspect of the story. Thumbs up!

CLIMAX

I will not spoil the ending, I will not spoil the ending, I will not spoil the ending, I will not spoil the ending, I will not spoil the ending, I will not spoil the ending, I will not spoil the ending, I will not spoil the ending…

It’s badass man. I was riveted. Edge of my seat type stuff. I really don’t want to say anything here. It’s dope. Go read it.

ROMANCE

Arguably the weakest part of this novel is the romance subplot. It’s minimal so it didn’t bother me but it could’ve been a bit more layered and interesting. As it was, it was fairly average. That said, I’m about a third of the way through book two as I write this and I feel like, while its still not a huge part of what the story is, the story doesn’t need it to be any bigger. And as Sanderson explores romantic relationships going forward I have a feeling they’ll become very important and impactful before the end.

That’s my prediction, anyway.

DELIVERY/EXECUTION

Brandon Sanderson knows how to write a freakin’ book. The man weaves plot, drama, intrigue, mystery, thrill, and even humor, with a dexterous hand and a sharp wit. The dude’s the real deal. And I cannot wait to see where my journey through his works takes me. He sets up the pins, then bowls a strike, leaving you wondering how he did it. Oustanding.

REVIEW: MISTBORN - THE FINAL EMPIRE