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| Categories | Action & Adventure |
| Author | Brandon Sanderson |
| Publisher | Tor Books (September 20, 2022) |
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 240 pages |
| Item Weight | 2.31 pounds |
| Dimensions |
4.45 x 0.85 x 6.95 inches |
I. Book introduction
Mistborn: Secret History is a fantasy novella by American author Brandon Sanderson, written as a companion story to the original trilogy of the Mistborn series.
The novella follows the story of Kelsier from Mistborn: The Final Empire and concludes with the events of the last book in the original trilogy, The Hero of Ages.
Conception
Sanderson published the novella, which was 12 years in the making, as an effort to tide fans over until the third book in The Stormlight Archive was published. The story was supposed to be a secret until published, but Amazon accidentally leaked the last few pages of The Bands of Mourning with the author’s comments about the story in the novel’s postscript. The author noted in a blog post that the novella contained huge spoilers for the original Mistborn trilogy as well as minor spoilers to The Bands of Mourning, warning readers that knowledge of the story’s existence was in itself, a spoiler.
Plot summary
After being killed by the Lord Ruler, Kelsier meets Preservation as he is about to pass on to the spiritual realm. Kelsier refuses to do so and races to the Well of Ascension at the heart of the Lord Ruler’s palace, touching its power and thus anchoring himself to the world. Whilst trapped at the Well, he discovers another entity trapped there: Ruin, the counterpart to Preservation, who intends to destroy the world.
When Vin accidentally frees Ruin when she gives up the power at the Well, Kelsier is also released. With the world now under direct threat from Ruin, a dying Preservation tasks Kelsier to find help. Following Preservation’s guidance, Kelsier meets two people from different worlds, Khriss and Nazh, who point him to a covert group known as the Ire (Eyree) as his only chance for aid.
Despite Ruin’s dissuasion, Kelsier travels to the Ire’s fortress. He discovers that they are planning to steal Preservation’s powers once he dies by using a strange artifact. Kelsier dupes the group by posing as Ruin and steals the artifact for himself. When he returns to his world, Preservation tells him that he cannot pass on his powers to Vin because she has been spiked by Ruin. When Preservation finally dies, Kelsier takes up the power using the stolen artifact. Trying and failing to contact Vin because of Ruin’s interference and his inexperience with Preservation’s powers, Kelsier decides to instead travel to Urteau and succeeds in freeing Spook from Ruin’s influence.
Under Kelsier’s command, Spook sends a message to Vin about her spike and Ruin’s influence on her. However, Ruin intercepts and kills the messenger using Marsh, Kelsier’s brother, who is now under Ruin’s control. They then witness Vin’s battle and subsequent defeat at the hands of Marsh and the other Steel Inquisitors. With Ruin’s rage loosening his control, Marsh manages to use the intercepted message as Kelsier secretly intended and removes Vin’s earring spike. Kelsier gives up Preservation’s power to Vin, who uses it to kill the other Steel Inquisitors – but she ascends before she can finish Marsh.
Kelsier realizes that Ruin’s power is incomplete until he finds the Lord Ruler’s hidden cache of atium. He watches the battle at the Pits of Hathsin and Elend Venture’s death at Marsh’s hands. With her husband’s death, Vin sacrifices herself to kill Ruin. Kelsier’s long-time friend, Sazed takes up the powers of both Preservation and Ruin, ascending as Harmony. Kelsier tearfully reunites with Vin and watches as she too chooses to pass on to the Afterlife with Elend. After Harmony remakes the world, Kelsier speaks to Spook and recruits his help in getting him a new “string” to the physical realm.
About the Author (Brandon Sanderson)
Brandon Sanderson (Brandon Winn Sanderson, born December 19, 1975) is an American author of high fantasy, science fiction, and young adult books. He is best known for the Cosmere fictional universe, in which most of his fantasy novels, most notably the Mistborn series and The Stormlight Archive, are set. Outside of the Cosmere, he has written several young adult and juvenile series including The Reckoners, the Skyward series, and the Alcatraz series. He is also known for finishing Robert Jordan’s high fantasy series The Wheel of Time. Sanderson has created two graphic novels, including White Sand and Dark One.
A New York Times best-selling author, Sanderson created Sanderson’s Laws of Magic and popularized the idea of “hard magic” and “soft magic” systems. In 2008, Sanderson started a podcast with author Dan Wells and cartoonist Howard Tayler called Writing Excuses, involving topics about creating genre writing and webcomics. In 2016, the American media company DMG Entertainment licensed the movie rights to Sanderson’s entire Cosmere universe, but the rights have since reverted back to Sanderson. Sanderson’s March 2022 Kickstarter campaign became the most successful in history, finishing with 185,341 backers pledging $41,754,153.
II. Reviewer: Mistborn Secret History by Brandon Sanderson
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1. CLACE reviews Mistborn: Secret History
5 stars!
“There’s always another secret.”
This is overall going to be a very short review with A LOT of quotes!! so there’s gonna be two sides
The spoiler free review:
Read it! its so worth it and its perfect. These 170 pages were everything that I could ever ask for and read it after book 3 not before because it’ll hit harder and it contains major spoilers, but it was brilliant.
Spoilery review:
OH MY GOD!! I knew it!! I refused to believe that the ending of the final empire was Kelsiers fate so I picked this up and I was in awe and I loved it so much, I think this had one of the highest cosmere connectivity, with shards being mentioned, with adonalsium being mentioned, with Kelsier trying to destroy with Ruin and bond with Preservation. I missed Kelsier and knowing he’s alive and gonna be in the next books gave me sm more hope, I loved it! Kelsier and Preservations bond was so cute and the wayh he called him Fuzz<3 it had so many moment that put a smile on my face and gave me the closure that I needed and broadened the picture so much more! it was definitely needed. Also it was so clever like the way Brandon wrote the og trilogy in a way where this book fits and when you read it and look back and say OHHH THATS WHAT HAPPENED?? and you’re holding your head ahh that feeling was perfect. No one does it like Brando Sando<33
Some quotes (also spoilery)
“Oh, hell,” Kelsier said. “There’s actually a God?”
“Yes.”
Kelsier decked him.
It was a good, clean punch, thrown from the shoulder while he brought his other arm up to block a counter strike.”“She embraced him, and he found himself weeping. The daughter he’d never had, the little child of the streets. Though she was still small, she’d outgrown him. And she loved him anyway. He held his daughter close against his own broken soul.” (MY HEARTTT)
“Ideas are never original,” Kelsier said. “Only one thing is.”
“And what is that?
“Style,” Kelsier said.
Then he punched Ruin across the face.” (Kelsier punching these shards will never not be funny)“Thievery was the most authentic form of flattery.”
“If there was one thing Kelsier was good at, it was lying to himself.”
“He doesn’t know as much as he thinks,” Preservation whispered. “That is his weakness. The . . . weakness . . . of all clever men”
“Kelsier would not back down. He would not let this thing intimidate him again. He’d already killed one god. The second murder was always easier than the first.”
“He wanted to go. He hurt so much. He wanted it all to end, to go away. Everything. He just wanted it to stop.”
Time to reread my favorite novella of all time and because I miss Kelsier sm +It’s always fun to listen to Hodas theories and push her towards the wrong direction 😝
•Buddy reading with Hoda
2. SEAN BARRS reviews Mistborn: Secret History
This is such an incredibly clever resurrection of storytelling. The Mistborn trilogy is driven by mysterious powers; it’s not until the end that we were given the full facts. Or were we? In this Sanderson reveals more of what happened beyond the mists.
Originally, when I picked this up I wasn’t expecting much. In fact, I’ve been putting off reading it ever since it was released. My expectations were low. Brandon Sanderson has written some truly awesome novels, but he also has released a few things that probably didn’t need to be published. Things like those little novellas he released in between books. They never add much to the series in question. Some of them are okay, but the majority seem to be for the purpose of creating hype and a bit of money. When I saw this, I thought it was pretty much the same thing. So, I didn’t read it for a very long time.
Big mistake.
Without a doubt, this is one of the best things Brandon Sanderson has written. The mechanisms behind what happened in the original Mistborn trilogy are complex and difficult to grasp at the best of times, but this complicates things even more. And this is, of course, a very good thing. There’s lots of secret magic behind what happens, and this book helps to explain where some of it came from. Its source is both familiar and unfamiliar. It is something readers know well but not in its current form.
When reading The Mistborn Trilogy, I was always surprised by a certain character’s lack of presence and when they reappeared towards the final moments of the last book, I was surprised to how it actually happened. The answers are in here. Well answers to these questions, but, of course, such things only raise more questions. Now that probably sounded all a bit cryptic, but I don’t want to give any spoilers away! All I really can say is that if you’re a fan of the original trilogy, you simply have to go and read this because it adds so much to the story.
Trust me, you won’t regret it. Part of me wishes all this material was in the final two books. It could have worked. They would have been considerably longer, but these chapters would have slotted perfectly into the main narrative. Perhaps Sanderson hadn’t figured it all out yet, perhaps his editor told him no, either way this is so important in understanding the ending of The Mistborn Trilogy. They need to be read alongside each other.
3. MELISSA reviews Mistborn: Secret History
4.5 stars
Okay – yes, Mistborn: Secret History is amazing. But what I want to know is: will there be a Secret History #2 and maybe even a Secret History #3? Because until I read this clever novella, I had no clue exactly how many secrets Mr. Sanderson had hidden in the world of Mistborn. And now I want MORE reveals.
Secret History takes us back to the first era of Mistborn. (Which means no more Wax and Wayne; we’re instead reunited with Kelsier and Vin.) Sanderson published it, however, shortly after the third Wax and Wayne book, The Bands of Mourning, with the intention that it not be read until the reader has made it through Bands.
And I can see why. Because this novella accomplishes three things:
1. It puts a whole new spin on nearly everything in the first era.
2. It fills in some gaps, albeit vaguely, in the years between the first and second eras.
3. It sheds light on the events of the second era.
So yeah, it does a lot.
And there’s a fourth accomplishment, at least for me. Most importantly, Secret History gives me peace. The ending of the first era of Mistborn crushed me when I read it, but now … I’m alright with it. I feel a new sense of contentment when I think of how Sanderson wrapped it all up.
Secret History is a definite, must-read for every Mistborn fan. Just don’t pick it up until you’ve at least finished Kelsier and Vin’s story. You’ll take some of the fun out of reading it, if you do.
4. BRYAN DESMOND reviews Mistborn: Secret History
There’s always another secret.
2022-10-16: There’s always another secret, and in this little surprise novella from 2016, many are revealed. Unanswered questions have surrounded Kelsier from the very first moment he appeared in Mistborn: Final Empire, and if you, like me, have had those questions nagging at you since your first reading of this book, then you should read Secret History.
It’s an extremely fun exploration of Kelsier’s character that recontextualizes the original Mistborn trilogy and that, at the time of its release (and maybe even still), was so meta within the cosmere that it felt like a cipher of some sorts. The type of release the cosmere nerd salivates over. And what’s more, it’s just a lot fun. Required reading? I’m inclined to say yes.
2016-02-03: This covertly released novella was a treat after reading The Bands of Mourning. If there are any other Mistborn fans out there like me, who loved the first trilogy, and enjoy the Wax and Wayne books but think they are missing that old flavor of the first.. pick this one up. It has the feeling of the original trilogy, and a whole heaping pile of Cosmere goodies throughout. Excellent addition to the Mistborn world.
5. DONALD T reviews Mistborn: Secret History
The book that finally (and properly) completes the original Mistborn trilogy. Fantastic.
Brandon Sanderson surprised many of us by recently releasing “Mistborn: Secret History. This book is a companion to the original Mistborn trilogy and follows the character of Kelsier after his death. It’s impossible to give much info about the storyline of this little book without giving things away, so I will say very little. But “The Survivor” was indeed a very busy man after his death, and through his experiences, Sanderson unveils many secrets about not just the original Mistborn story but also about the Sanderson universe. In the book, Sanderson is able to answer questions about Mistborn that you didn’t even know you had. And that’s part of what makes him such a genius.
Be warned, if you’ve not read all three of the original books in Mistborn, then this one is off limits to you. Not only will this book spoil things for you, it really won’t make a lot of sense without having all of the background information found in the trilogy. For those who have read the first three books and enjoyed them, this book is fantastic. It sweeps you back into the Mistborn world and is a real treat. I had forgotten just how much I loved those books until I read this one. I’m not really sure what to call it, because it’s longer than what I would consider a novella, but it’s not really long enough to call it a “book” either – especially not a Sanderson book. Regardless of what you call it, it’s another absolute must read from Sanderson.
6. RICHARD COLLETTE reviews Mistborn: Secret History
Another Sanderson success
I waited quite a while to review this book. There is a LOT to digest. This will contain light spoilers.
In order to quantify my feelings on this book, I feel knowing what kind of reader I am would help. The original Mistborn trilogy is probably my favorite book series. I’ve read it countless times. However, I’m not super excited about the Cosmere. I’ll read about things from time to time when I don’t understand something that’s happened. And I enjoy Wit/Hoid as a character and so he is often my driving force to learn about the greater Cosmere.
That all said, this is the deepest deep dive into the Cosmere to date. Sanderson has often said you can read his books and enjoy them on their own without understanding the Cosmere. So far, he’s held to that promise. This book sort of breaks that rule. If you aren’t familiar with the Cosmere, a lot of it sort of rolls off of you. I went and did some extensive forum’ing after finishing it and a lot was explained. If you want to do that, you can, and you’ll get a lot out of it, but…
It’s still an awesome book for fans of Mistborn. The simple fact that you are seeing the events of the original trilogy from another point of view is worth the price of admission. And then the end…. I could say something like “right in the feels” but that doesn’t adequately describe it. I honestly can’t remember another book (save Hero of Ages, let’s be honest) that’s affected me on an emotional level like this.
All in all, a great, quick read with a surprisingly powerful conclusion.
7. CRESCEDES reviews Mistborn: Secret History
More Layers Than an Onion in a Fantasy Sandwich!
Buckle up, buttercup! ‘Mistborn: Secret History’ takes our dear old Kelsier, who was supposed to be chillin’ six feet under, and brings him back like he’s auditioning for a zombie movie. Only, he’s less about the brain munching and more about the mind-bending plot twists. This book is the secret sauce that the Mistborn Trilogy burgers were missing!
You thought you knew everything about Kelsier, didn’t ya? Thought he was just another rebellious, rule-breaking, empire-shaking guy? Well, this ain’t your grandma’s fantasy tale! Kelsier’s back with more secrets than a celebrity’s Instagram. And the best part? Knowing about it is supposedly ‘heresy’ – so yeah, you’re basically reading forbidden fruit. Feel the thrill? That’s your sense of danger tingling. Now grab this book and dive into the heresy like the rebellious reader I know you are. Screw the system! After all, who doesn’t love a little bit of scandal with their morning coffee?
8. ANNA reviews Mistborn: Secret History
Re-read for The Lost Metal. Only two more days!! Review: 5 Sanderson-is-a-genius stars. Brandon recommends reading it after Mistborn book 6 as it contains spoilers for Bands of Mourning. (Technically also possible after Mistborn 3 , but not any sooner; involves major spoilers and you will be utterly lost if you read Secret History any sooner than that.)
!!!Spoiler below!!!
In a really deep delve into the Cosmere (for which this Cosmere girl is so here for), we get to see Kelsier help Vin (and friends) save their planet Scadriel “behind the scenes.” It was really mind-blowing to see a bigger picture, meet familiar characters (from other books/worlds) and realize how instrumental Kelsier is to the defeat of Ruin – knowledge we readers were not privy to in Mistborn Era 1.
I can’t wait till November 15, 2022! Lost Metal (Mistborn #7) here we come!
9. CHOKO reviews Mistborn: Secret History
*** 4.75 ***
“… The Shards,” Khriss said, drawing ____’s attention, “are not God, but they are pieces of God. Ruin, Preservation, Autonomy, Cultivation, Devotion . . . There are sixteen of them.”
“Sixteen,” ______ breathed. “There are fourteen more of these things running around?”
“The rest are on other planets.”
“Other . . .” _____ blinked. “Other planets.”
“Ah, see,” Nazh said. “You’ve broken him already, Khriss.” …”
With “Mistborn: Secret History” we are once again in a pivotal moment for the Mistborn Original Trilogy… I would not recommend to read it if you have not read the first three books already, or if you have not, but plan on reading them… It would spoil the series for you, so don’t do it!
“… “Oh, hell,” Kelsier said. “There’s actually a God?”
“Yes.”
Kelsier decked him.
It was a good, clean punch, thrown from the shoulder while he brought his other arm up to block a counter strike.” …”
This was a very poignant and very telling story of the spirit of the original Mistborn Trilogy. It is told from the POV of Kelsier and I would not want to say anything about it, except that it is very much Kelsier and his stubborn refusal to do what is expected of him… Loved visiting with this beloved character once again and was very intrigued and happy by the postscript to this story, promising us more:):):)
10. DEBORAH OBIDA reviews Mistborn: Secret History
Spoilers from the original Mistborn trilogy, You need to read those first before reading this.
Need I mention that this is as great as the Trilogy cause it is, The world building, plot and writing is well depicted. Not to mention the whole book is in Kelsier’s POV. Yea dead Kelsier who survived death somehow, can’t say its a secret.
“I killed you,” the Lord Ruler said. “Twice. Yet you live.”
“Yes. We’re all aware of how strikingly incompetent you are. I’m glad you’re beginning to see it for yourself. That’s the first step toward change.”
This book answered lots of questions from the trilogy, and yes there is an afterlife and of course Kelsier refused to move on, instead he stayed to help his friends to make sure that they defeat Ruin.
All those times that they got mysterious help and tips it was all Kelsier.
This broke my heart, It was sweet that they met in the after life and Kelsier was speechless because he thought he let her down.
She embraced him, and he found himself weeping. The daughter he’d never had, the little child of the streets. Though she was still small, she’d outgrown him. And she loved him anyway. He held his daughter close against his own broken soul.
“You did it,” he finally whispered. “What nobody else could have done. You gave yourself up.”
“Well,” she said, “I had such a good example, you see.”
III. Mistborn: Secret History Quotes by Brandon Sanderson
The best book quotes from Mistborn: Secret History by Brandon Sanderson
“The Shards,” Khriss said, drawing Kelsier’s attention, “are not God, but they are pieces of God. Ruin, Preservation, Autonomy, Cultivation, Devotion . . . There are sixteen of them.”
“Anyway, there was a God. Adonalsium. I don’t know if it was a force or a being, though I suspect the latter. Sixteen people, together, killed Adonalsium, ripping it apart and dividing its essence between them, becoming the first who Ascended.”
“It meant age, and he had a sudden impression of a strange symbol made from four dots and some lines that curved, like ripples in a river.”
“Abandoned objects were best. Ones that had been owned for a long while, so they had a strong Identity, but which currently had nobody in the Physical Realm to care for them.”
“Oh, hell,” Kelsier said. “There’s actually a God?”
“Yes.”
Kelsier decked him.
It was a good, clean punch, thrown from the shoulder while he brought his other arm up to block a counter strike.”“She embraced him, and he found himself weeping. The daughter he’d never had, the little child of the streets. Though she was still small, she’d outgrown him. And she loved him anyway. He held his daughter close against his own broken soul.”
“Ideas are never original,” Kelsier said. “Only one thing is.”
“And what is that?
“Style,” Kelsier said.
Then he punched Ruin across the face.”“Thievery was the most authentic form of flattery. What could be more satisfying than knowing the things you possessed were intriguing, captivating, or valuable enough to provoke another man to risk everything to obtain them? This was Kelsier’s purpose in life, to remind people of the value of the things they loved. By taking them away.”
“Spook, child. You want to be like me? Really like me? Then fight when you are beaten!”
“If there was one thing Kelsier was good at, it was lying to himself.”
“A good crewleader is always sure of himself, even when he isn’t. Especially when he isn’t.”
“He doesn’t know as much as he thinks,” Preservation whispered. “That is his weakness. The . . . weakness . . . of all clever men”
“Kelsier smiled. Gods, it appeared, could still fall for a classic misdirection con.”
“Kelsier would not back down. He would not let this thing intimidate him again. He’d already killed one god. The second murder was always easier than the first.”
“Huh, Kelsier thought. He holds the powers of creation in twain, a god among gods. And he’s still a terrible liar.”
“Kelsier watched after him, then did the only rational thing. He ate the bolt he’d taken from the bottom of the stool.”
“I?” the man said. “I am a drifter. A miscreant. The flame’s last breath, made of smoke at its passing.”
“There was more to all of this than he’d ever known, and because of that he had a reason to live.
Perhaps more importantly, he had a reason to stay sane.”“Do what you can,” Kelsier said. “I’ll seek these people to the west.”
“They won’t help.”
“I’m not going to ask for their help,” Kelsier said, then smiled. “I’m going to rob them.”“Now, it’s finally time to reveal some secrets.”
“Yes. Fortunately, before I died, I put a plan into motion. I can’t remember it, but I’m certain that it was brilliant.”
“You know, I’ve said something similar myself on occasion, after a night of drinking.” Kelsier rubbed his chin. “I’m free too.”“Oh, hell,” Kelsier said. “There’s actually a God?” “Yes.” Kelsier decked him.”
“It’s always a dangerous thing for a writer to resurrect a character. It threatens to undermine the consequences in a story, and minimizes the risks characters take. At the same time, I knew Kelsier’s story—in specific—was not yet finished. Readers sensed this. There was more to be told.”
“Metal. It was the key to everything.”
“What could be more satisfying than knowing the things you possessed were intriguing, captivating, or valuable enough to provoke another man to risk everything to obtain them?
This was Kelsier’s purpose in life, to remind people of the value of the things they loved.
By taking them away”“How much of what you’ve done was about love, and how much was about proving something?”
“He was running through mists again. Walls, people, buildings faded. Nothing but dark, swirling mists. But the mists had never been his enemy.”
“I named you, Spook,” Kelsier whispered. “You were my friend. Isn’t that enough?”
“He wanted to go. He hurt so much. He wanted it all to end, to go away. Everything. He just wanted it to stop.”
“But he was fatigued. Worn out like an old banner allowed to flap in the wind through too many rainstorms.”
“It’s always a dangerous thing for a writer to resurrect a character. It threatens to undermine the consequences in a story, and minimizes the risks characters take.”
Excerpted from Mistborn: Secret History by Brandon Sanderson
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