[Review] The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson

Contents Book 1

So again, as this is a series review and I don't want to spoil anyone, I will only give an insight into the plot of the first book in this trilogy which is 'The Final Empire'.

For a thousand years the Final Empire has been ruled by the Lord Ruler who is a tyrant. The people are seperated into two classes: the Skaa and the Noble, the Skaa being suppressed by the noble and often used as slaves to do the work in the fields.

Furthermore there are Inquisitors and Obligators who are some kind of government officials, contributing to the Lord Ruler's all-encompassing power.

Vin is a Skaa in Luthadel who tries to make a living by being part of a thieving crew but who at some point encounters Kelsier, an Allomancer.

Allomancy is one the unique aspects of this series, it is the ability to draw power out of burning metals. And with these powers Kelsier plans to overthrow the Lord Ruler.

My opinion

This trilogy is really, really good, I can already say this now but I will tell you why I loved it as much as I did.

First of all there is the plot which is very well-wrought, not at one point while reading the series did I find it unrealistic (if one can say that a fantasy book is realistic) especially regarding the actions of the characters. I always had the feeling that Brandon Sanderson knows exactly where he wants to take the story and I knew that I would like where he would take it.

But Sanderson not only knows how to create a great plot but also distinguished characters and a lot of them. I have some four or five favourite characters and their development troughout the books convinced me and was also unpredictable in some cases, at least for me.

The concept of Allomancy rather confused me at first as I always thought that it is really impractible to carry around metals and to make a fire and burn them when their powers are needed. When I finally understood that by 'burning' not the burning with fire is meant but burning them inside the body I felt quite silly as you can imagine.

But I also have to admit that I was not as enthusiastic about Allomancy as everyone else during the first two books. Of course, Allomancers can be badass with it and it is something totally new, but I just didn't like it that much. I can't really explain why though.

Then in the last book, it really could convince me and especially the other kinds of magic that can be used that are also linked to metals. It just made more sense to me when I could see the bigger picture.

That's why I think that 'The Hero of Ages' is my favourite book in this series although it is not as fast-paced in the beginning as the other two. The conclusions satisfied me and I liked that other characters play a bigger role.

In conclusion I can only say that this trilogy is outstanding for me, I can recommend it to anyone who doesn't hate fantasy and I will definitely read more by Brandon Sanderson in the future.