Mistborn: The Final Empire

By Brandon Sanderson

Book Overview

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, the Mistborn series is a heist story of political intrigue and magical, martial-arts action.

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?

Other Tor books by Brandon Sanderson

The Cosmere

The Stormlight Archive
The Way of Kings
Words of Radiance
Edgedancer (Novella)
Oathbringer

The Mistborn trilogy
Mistborn: The Final Empire
The Well of Ascension
The Hero of Ages

Mistborn: The Wax and Wayne series
Alloy of Law
Shadows of Self
Bands of Mourning

Collection
Arcanum Unbounded

Other Cosmere novels
Elantris
Warbreaker

The Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series
Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians
The Scrivener's Bones
The Knights of Crystallia
The Shattered Lens
The Dark Talent

The Rithmatist series
The Rithmatist

Other books by Brandon Sanderson

The Reckoners
Steelheart
Firefight
Calamity

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765350386
• ISBN13: 9780765350381
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 655 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.4" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

As always, Brandon Sanderson knocks it out of the park

As with anything by Sanderson, the world he builds is absolutely consuming, and the characters more so. One of my favorite fantasy books of all time.

Great Book

Great Novel. Brandon Sanderson is a great choice for the author to finish Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time Series. Mistborn: The Final Empire is a well written and takes place in a well thought out world. The magic system that Brandon created for this wold is one of the best and most unique that I've seen. The sequel novel, Mistborn: The Well of Ascension is just as good, if not better.

Enthralling

Brandon Sanderson never disappoints. I have read "Elantris" several times. Also his unpublished "Warbreaker." His characters have depth and personality. As I read I feel as if I know each one. There are always surprising twists to his plots. I intend to buy and read everything he writes.

Best new fantasy author

I read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy and sometimes, with fantasy particularly, it gets a little old. The Mistborn series is a breath of fresh air and offers a new take on magic, races, etc. The great set of characters, mind blowing action and tight, flowing writing make this the best book I've ready all year.

great start to a series

I was a fan of Sanderson's first novel, Elantris, though the novel had some pretty clear flaws. I'm an even bigger fan of his follow-up, Mistborn, a book that has all the plusses of Elantris without the problems. Mistborn takes places in an ashen, devastated world where the "Skaa" are a brutally downtrodden majority who do all the work for the aristocratic minority of the Great Houses, who themselves are ruthlessly dominated (in differing ways) by the Lord Ruler, a religious godhead. Supposedly immortal--he's ruled for centuries via his magic power and his two competing bureaucracies--the "obligators" and the Inquisitors--a fearsome secret police who have steel rods impaling their eyes and who are near impossible to kill. There are also ominous hints that the Lord Ruler also has been protecting the people of Mistborn from some great evil known as the Darkness. The Skaa have seemingly lost any hope of rebellion over centuries of failed attempts but this all changes with the appearance of Kelsior--a Skaa/noble halfbreed who is a "Mistborn Allomancer", one who can "burn" swallowed metals that fuel magical/superhuman abilities, such as greater strength and endurance, greater use of the five senses, etc. This magical system, a rare stroke of originality in a genre that too often lazes along with the same old tropes (oral spells, wizard's runes, etc), is one of the true pleasures of the novel. It's also nice to see a system with some strong limitations to it--there are only ten metals that have the effect, one is limited by how much of the metal one has, and most allomancers have the ability to burn only one metal. Kelsior, though, and his young female apprentice Vin, are true Mistborn, able to burn all ten. The reader learns about the system sometimes through Kelsior's usage and sometimes through his tutelage of Vin, thus avoiding the clumsy early exposition of many fantasy novels as well as teasing out the explanation, adding a sense of suspense and mystery. The basic plot involves Kelsior's gathering of a group of Skaa thieves to do the unthinkable--overthrow the Great Houses and the Lord Ruler. The secondary (though equally important) plot is Vin's coming-of-age as she is tries to move from being an orphaned street thief Skaa who trusts nobody to a full-fledged mistborn who can also play the role of an aristocratic lady. As mentioned, there is a lot to like in Mistborn. The magical system. The focus on politics and economics as a means of rebellion (as opposed to "Dark lord bad. Do bad things with swords. We use swords and kill dark lord".) The character development of Vin throughout the novel. The character development of Kelsior. The suspense over the impending rebellion. The likeability of the side characters, who while not as fully developed as Vin or Kelsior, have their own distinctive and enjoyable personalities. The humor that shows up now and then. The quick pace of the action. The twists and turns of plot. Good a

If You Liked 'V For Vendetta..."

...then you're going to love this! The world this story takes place in is governed by a small martial force with a dictator in control. The oppressed people, here called 'skaa' instead of slaves, are treated poorly, and it falls to the efforts of a charismatic leader, Kelsier, (who is much like V in Vendetta) to right the wrongs that are being done. Kelsier takes on a female protege, Vin, who is able to master the same scientific/magical forces he can, and trains her in the ways of fighting and spreading dissension. There are some great action scenes throughout the book, as well as some marvelous Game of Throne moments. This book was a terrific read, and I had a hard time putting it down, staying up much later than I wanted to on successive nights so that I could find out what happened next. I highly recommend it!