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| Categories | Action & Adventure |
| Author | Brandon Sanderson |
| Publisher | Tor Books (February 14, 2023) |
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 576 pages |
| Item Weight | 1.2 pounds |
| Dimensions |
6.25 x 1 x 9.25 inches |
I. Book introduction
Mistborn: The Final Empire, also known simply as Mistborn or The Final Empire, is a fantasy novel written by American author Brandon Sanderson. It was published on July 17, 2006, by Tor Books and is the first novel in the Mistborn trilogy, followed by The Well of Ascension in 2007 and The Hero of Ages in 2008.
Now with over 10 million copies sold, The Mistborn Series has the thrills of a heist story, the twistiness of political intrigue, and the epic scale of a landmark fantasy saga.
Once, a hero arose to save the world. He failed.
Ever since, the world has been a wasteland of ash and mist controlled by the immortal emperor known as the Lord Ruler.
But hope survives. A new uprising is forming, one built around the ultimate caper, the cunning of a brilliant criminal mastermind, and the determination of an unlikely heroine: a street urchin who must learn to master the power of a Mistborn.
Plot
Three years prior to the start of the novel, a half-skaa thief named Kelsier discovered that he was Mistborn and escapes the Pits of Hathsin, a brutal prison camp of the Lord Ruler. He returned to Luthadel, the capital city of the Final Empire, where he rounded up his old thieving crew for a new job: to overthrow the Final Empire by stealing its treasury and collapsing its economy.
At the beginning of the novel, Vin, a wary and abused street urchin, is recruited by Kelsier’s crew after Kelsier is notified by his brother, Marsh, that she is a Mistborn. Vin is trained by Kelsier’s crew to develop her Allomantic powers, which include burning pewter to strengthen the body, burning tin to enhance the senses, and burning steel and iron to gain a limited form of telekinesis over metal. She is also given the duty of spying on the nobility by attending opulent balls in Luthadel (the capital and center of the final empire), where she poses as Valette Renoux, niece to Lord Renoux, a nobleman working with Kelsier’s crew. During these balls, she meets and falls in love with Elend Venture, heir to House Venture, the most powerful of the Luthadel noble houses. Elend flouts the rules of nobility culture and secretly plans to build a better society with his noble friends when they ascend to their respective house titles.
Kelsier hopes to conquer the city by destabilizing it with a house war between the nobility and then invading with a skaa army. Once in control, he hopes to overthrow the Final Empire by stealing the Lord Ruler’s hoard of atium, a precious metal which is the cornerstone of the Final Empire’s economy. The crew succeeds in starting a house war by assassinating several powerful nobles and recruiting about seven thousand soldiers to join their cause. However, about three quarters of the soldiers are slaughtered when they foolishly attack an unimportant Final Empire garrison with the hopes of divine protection from Kelsier, who has spread rumors of his “supernatural” powers. The remaining soldiers are smuggled into Luthadel by Kelsier, who intends to continue the plan. However, Marsh is discovered and seemingly killed, and Lord Renoux and his estate are seized and he is brought to be executed by the Canton of Inquisition, the police arm of the Final Empire. This Canton is made up of Steel Inquisitors, seemingly indestructible Allomancers with steel spikes driven through their eyes. Though Kelsier’s crew manage to free most of Renoux’s group and kill an Inquisitor, Kelsier is killed by the Lord Ruler himself in a dramatic confrontation in Luthadel’s city square. Though these events appear to leave Kelsier’s plan in shambles, it is revealed that his real plan was to become a martyred symbol of hope for Luthadel’s superstitious skaa population. The skaa population reacts to his death by rising up and overthrowing the city with the help of Kelsier’s army.
Before his death, Kelsier had attempted to unlock the potential of the “Eleventh Metal” that he had acquired, which was rumored to be the Lord Ruler’s weakness. He was unable to do so before his death, and left it to Vin to finish the job. With the Eleventh Metal, Vin goes to the imperial palace to kill the Lord Ruler. She is captured by the Canton of Inquisition and left in a cell to be tortured, but Sazed, her faithful Terrisman servant, comes to her rescue. Using a magical discipline called Feruchemy, he helps Vin escape and recover her possessions. Marsh is revealed to be alive, having actually been made into a Steel Inquisitor; he betrays his fellow Inquisitors and slays them before being overpowered by the Lord Ruler. Vin fights the Lord Ruler, whom she recognizes as not the Hero of Ages, but his Terrisman advisor Rashek, who had killed the Hero and taken his place as an incredibly powerful Allomancer and a Feruchemist, the combination of which grants him incredible healing powers and eternal youth. Vin is almost destroyed by the Lord Ruler, but with hints from the Eleventh Metal and the unexpected magical aid of the mists, she manages to separate the Lord Ruler from his Feruchemical bracelets that provide him with constant youth, causing him to age rapidly. Vin uses a spear to execute the Lord Ruler, who with his last words ominously warns her of a great doom. The Final Empire collapses, though Elend is able to avoid total societal collapse by uniting Luthadel under a new system of democratic government.
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 by Brandon Sanderson
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1. JESSICA reviews Mistborn
wow. okay. this is probably the last book i thought would make me cry…
the first 80% of this was a pretty solid 4 star read for me. there are some really great characters, a plot i could totally get behind, some interesting court dynamics, and awesome world building. but then the last 20%. my gosh. the last 20%. there were watery eyes and some sniffles, feelings of pride and moments of excitement, some losses that shook me and some triumphs that gave me hope again. its phenomenal.
and its been such a long time since ive read a BS book that i forgot this kind of storytelling is totally his MO – a pretty steady-going narrative until an explosion of the ending.
and im actually surprised this ended up being a series because everything is wrapped up pretty nicely. but that makes this is a great book for readers who might be a bit intimidated by the length and content of these books/series, because you can pick up this one without any fear of a cliffhanger or sense of unfinished plot.
but im beyond obsessed with elend, so catch me picking up the sequel so i can spend more time with him. hehe.
↠ 4.5 stars
2. KOGIOPSIS reviews Mistborn
Note to self: You are no longer allowed to bring books this good on family road trips. It makes you antisocial. You ignore the great views outside the car. You resent being torn away from the book to spend time with family, and when you are you babble incessantly about how awesome it is and how everyone would like it and how cool the magic is and how great the characters and on and on and on until your family is probably sick of you. And then, even after an eight-mile hike in the desert when you’re covered in sweat and dirt, you let your sister have first shower so you’d have more reading time. You even considered skipping dinner to finish it! This is the kind of book that stays at home in future, where you can sit and read all day and not be bothered.
And now for the rest of you – all the above is true. For the few days I was reading it, this book did its level best to take over my life. It was addicting. I craved it like chocolate, and not being able to read was hard to deal with.
I would expect nothing less from the man chosen to finish the Wheel of Time, or from a contributor to Writing Excuses, the podcast that got me into podcasts. I went into Mistborn ready to be impressed, but that’s not what happened. I wasn’t impressed. I was wowed. Blown away. Astounded. Engrossed. Shocked. Thrilled. And filled with a sense of loss when it was over.
This is not a good book, my friends.
This is a great book.
This is what fantasy needs.
As far as the genre is concerned, this book – this series – this author – is the Hero of Ages.
Thank goodness for Brandon Sanderson. Thank goodness for a writer with such a depth of imagination; for the wildly creative systems of magic he creates; for his vivid and haunting settings; for his masterful plotting and artful twists which are, always, “surprising but inevitable”. Thank goodness for a male writer who makes his female main character strong, but not in a masculine way. Vin is seriously amazing. So is the rest of the cast – my one objection is that there aren’t any other women in significant roles, but maybe that’ll change in later books.
And the writing! I know from Writing Excuses that Sanderson has never wanted to be anything but an author, and that he spent years working as a hotel clerk so he had time to write, and that he had completed numerous novels before he managed to sell one. It shows. The language is almost entirely flowing and clear, suffering only occasionally from an over-use of commas. (One after every ‘but’ is a bit much.) More authors should learn to write like this. More authors should practice writing the way he has.
Normally I find more to say about books I like, but this time I’m too impressed. Sanderson has amazed me beyond anything I expected. I can’t wait to read The Well Of Ascension.
3. CHRIS HAUGHT reviews Mistborn
It reminds me of Ocean’s Eleven meets The Italian Job, but set in Mordor after Sauron has ruled for 1000 years or so. In many fantasy stories, a dark lord is rising and it is up to our heroes to defeat him before that happens. In this, the Dark Lord is already set in place as the status quo and the heroes have to motivate others to want a change…..Yet there is a noble class of The Lord Ruler’s flunkies who will need to be scammed and robbed along the way, to finance this big revolt…..I love it…
The pace, style, and grand-heist-scheme-in-a-fantasy-setting plot remind me of Michael J. Sullivan’s The Crown Conspiracy while the characters and rags-to-revolutionary story make me think of The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Certainly a great blending, as both of these were recent 5-star reviews for me….
Okay, now I’ve finished it. All I can say is WOW. Why did I wait so long to read this? I must read the other two books in the series very soon…….
4. D reviews Mistborn
A Masterclass in Fantasy Storytelling
Mistborn: The Final Empire is that rare gem of a book that manages to be both intricately plotted and emotionally devastating. Brandon Sanderson has created something truly extraordinary here – a fantasy novel that breaks the mold while delivering everything you could want from the genre.
The story follows Vin, a street thief with hidden powers, as she becomes involved in an impossible heist turned revolution. What sets this apart is how Sanderson weaves together multiple elements – a unique magic system based on metals (Allomancy), complex political intrigue, and profound character development – into a seamless whole that keeps you turning pages well into the night.
The magic system is brilliantly conceived and executed, with clear rules that allow for creative applications. But what truly elevates this book is the character work. Vin’s journey from suspicious survivor to something more is beautifully crafted, feeling both natural and earned. The supporting cast is equally well-developed, each character bringing their own depth to the story.
The world-building is exceptional, painting a vivid picture of a dark empire where ash falls from the sky and mists rule the night. Sanderson’s prose strikes the perfect balance between descriptive and propulsive, keeping the story moving while still allowing moments of beauty and reflection.
The plot twists are masterfully executed – they shock you in the moment but feel inevitable in retrospect, the mark of truly great storytelling. The ending is both satisfying and heart-wrenching, closing this chapter while leaving you desperate for more.
This is more than just another fantasy novel – it’s a story about trust, hope, and the price of revolution. It will make you think, feel, and quite possibly cry. Absolutely worth every minute spent reading.
Highly recommended for fans of complex fantasy, unique magic systems, and stories that stay with you long after you turn the last page.
5. GAMERGUY reviews Mistborn
Brandon Sanderson is a Gem!!!
This was my entry novel into the Cosmere series by Brandon Sanderson. It took me a while to get into this book, and if I’m being honest, I imagined a normal world and not a red world, but this series is absolutely a gem. Not only this, but the whole cosmere is genuinely the best world building I have experienced in any series at all. This is a GREAT place to start the Cosmere and you really should. You are missing out if you’re not checking out the cosmere! This first trilogy of Mistborn sets up a lot of world building for the entire series and brings in a lot of very important characters. Era 2 Mistborn is even better, and its because of this first era trilogy that it is as good as it is.
Going through Mistborn: The Final Empire, Mistborn: The Well of Ascension, and Mistborn: The Hero of Ages is worth it. There are several great reading orders with graphs on Reddit, or even websites suggesting what books to read when and I can’t recommend these enough. I’ve convinced many of my friends to grab up all of these and listen to audio books or read them. The best thing about the cosmere is that the more you read, it only gets better. I’ve read 23 of these books so far, and it is still blowing my mind. People call the big lore bombs and surprises “Sandersavalanches” (combination of Sanderson and Avalanche) and I couldn’t agree more. There is so much excitement and interesting stuff going on that it really does feel overwhelmingly positive and exciting at times.
By far my favorite series in the Cosmere is the Stormlight Archive series, but Mistborn Era 2 comes right after that, and this book is the start of all of mistborn. Era 1 Book 1! This book has a sort of heist feel to it, and the next two that come after it only improve and expound upon everything in this book. It’s great, check it out.
I bought the kindle edition, so to rate the product as I received it, it was very easy to read. Kindle allows great customization so the experience was solid, and the book itself is fantastic. The start to the best series I’ve ever encountered anywhere, an easy 5 star for me.
6. BRANDON BEECH reviews Mistborn
Captivating and Creative
I have to say that I was captivated by this book. Incredibly, although it is said by many followers of Sanderson’s books and affirmed by Sanderson himself that “Elantris” was sort of a starter book or a not so polished storyline compared to the others, I liked it just as much as “Mistborn.” Actually, I liked it even more in some areas and, possibly less so in others. Regardless, Sanderson’s ability to us creative language, interweaving what seems to be a never-ending vocabulary (in a very accurate, not so pompous sense) and character development that draws you into the characters minds is truly captivating.
I rated this 4/5 stars strictly due to personal enjoyment for me. As a fan of Sanderson’s work from the perspective of someone who does not typically read a lot of fiction, I will, of course, continue on my Sanderson journey. My hope is that as I read more of his works, I will realize that this is actually a 2.5 or 3 instead compared to what I encounter next. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the politics, characters, twists, turns, and creativity of Elantris and personally just didn’t feel as though this had the same zeal to me. However, some of the pros of Mistborn are that: 1. The magic system is very unique and well-developed, 2. The characters complement each other well and make sense (I favor Kelsier – quite typical maybe), 3. Although the ending seemed a bit more simplistic that I hoped for, it set the stage well for the continuation of the storyline.
Ready to continue on to the rest of my Brandon Sanderson journey.
7. J.L. SUTTON reviews Mistborn
Really enjoyed Final Empire! It will be a book I recommend to others. I liked the characters, including a strong female heroine, Vin (her trust issues and ultimately her heroism), and the world-building that was there from beginning to end. That the plot was intricately tied to how Sanderson created his world made the story more interesting as it unfolded. Some of world-building made the start a little slow and the battle scenes were sometimes long, and given how allomancers fight, they sometimes seemed very much like battles that had been fought in previous pages. That said, I’m looking forward to reading the second book in this series and going deeper in Sanderson’s world!
8. ANNA reviews Mistborn
Sixth read – still as magical as the first time! 😊 2020: This book is a fucking masterpiece! Or as Sanderson puts it, “a heist movie in a fantasy world mashed up with My Fair Lady.“ No matter how you frame it, I lived and breathed for every bit of it and did not want to stop – even when it broke my heart, threw me for a loop and had me in tears. The world Sanderson created here is so incredibly intricate and truthfully awe-inspiring; I am ecstatic there are five more books to experience. The story telling is amazing, introducing the reader into this complex dystopian world, showing the magic that is allomancy, establishing round characters and packing some serious plot punch. Thank the Lord Ruler for Sanderson’s literary genius.
As an aside, I also loved how Vin gave me mild Harry Potter-vibes – being discovered as someone with special abilities and being taught by a type of father figure (here: Kelsier), battling evil. (I‘m having trouble with the whole romantic aspect of My Fair Lady and it honestly never occurred to me.) Anyway, Harry Potter has been part of my happy place in the past two decades and, as of 2020, Mistborn has joined that illustrious place.
Question for you: Are you among those people who automatically make assumptions on a character’s personality based on the author’s name choices, i.e. telling names? You know, like Voldemort, Draco Malfoy etc.? Reading the name “Elend Venture”, I admit I fell into this (in)advertent (?) trap and was kind of expecting him to be a villain for a while, as “Elend” means “misery” in German. I’m wondering whether the author did this on purpose. (2022 addendum: no, he didn’t. When asked about his naming process during one of his live streams he mentioned he was not aware of that.)
If you haven’t read this yet, what’s stopping you?? I‘m already listening to the excellently narrated audiobook – just can’t get enough!
PS: All of my re-reads have recently been done via the brilliant GraphicAudio productions!
9. ADINA reviews Mistborn
Edit in 2025: in hindsight, I think I lowered my rating because of the humor, which is not on my alley. I am saying this because I DNfed the 2nd era.
I do not think a week passes without reading at least a review (almost always positive) for one of Brandon Sanderson’s books. A large number of my friends are fans so I could not resist the pressure and decided to see for myself what the fuss is about. I had a bit of a debate on which series to choose and Mistborn was the winner.
I had high expectations with The Final Empire and I was not disappointed. The book has everything you can wish for from an epic fantasy: great world building and magical system, interesting and lovable characters, an intricate and fast-paced plot.
Sanderson seems to have a particular talent to imagine unique worlds. There are no orcs and dragons but Allomancers, people who can burn metal to gain different abilities and mistwraiths, creatures that take the shape of the bones they eat.
I read quite a few reviews before starting this novel and my main concern was that some said that the series is actually YA while others said it was not the case. My opinion on this debate after I finished the novel is that it does feel YA but it did not bother me too much. I loved Vin, and her growth as a character. Still, I had a few problems with her romance with Elend and with the ending which made me lower my rating.
I was gripped from the first page and I did not realize how the 600+ pages flew. I will definitely continue with the series these months.
10. DORREH reviews Mistborn
I gave it 5 stars the first time, I give it five stars again!
New edited review to come soon!
Yes it took me a while to finish this book, but university just takes so much out of you! But enough about me, let’s talk about this gorgeous piece of work right here! I love love loved this book, like as in simply adored! Kelsier broke my heart one too many time when he died, but it was the good kind of heartbreak. The kind that makes you hold you chest and go like “wow that is some powerful stuff right there”, and everything else that goes along with that. I do admit that at the beginning the use of allomancy tended to confuse me at times, but as the book progressed the believable conscripts made it like the most natural thing ever, like blinking per say. This book deserves every single one of those stars, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel. Elend and vin better get their happily ever after…….. Fingers crossed.
III. Mistborn Quotes by Brandon Sanderson
The best book quotes from Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
“Belief isn’t simply a thing for fair times and bright days, I think. What is belief—what is faith—if you don’t continue in it after failure?”
“You don’t stop loving someone just because they hurt you,” he said. “It would certainly make things easier if you did.”
“The best liars are those who tell the truth most of the time.”
“You should try not to talk so much, friend. You’ll sound far less stupid that way. – Breeze”
“But you can’t kill me, Lord Tyrant. I represent that one thing you’ve never been able to kill, no matter how hard you try. I am hope.”
“Belief isn’t simply a thing for fair times and bright days…What is belief – what is faith – if you don’t continue in it after failure?…Anyone can believe in someone, or something that always succeeds…But failure…ah, now, that is hard to believe in, certainly and truly. Difficult enough to have value. Sometimes we just have to wait long enough…then we find out why exactly it was that we kept believing…There’s always another secret.”
“Our belief is often strongest when it should be weakest. That is the nature of hope.”
“I’ve always been very confident in my immaturity.”
“There’s always another secret.’ -Kelsier”
“I’m not really sure why. But… do you stop loving someone just because they betray you? I don’t think so. That’s what makes the betrayal hurt so much – pain, frustration, anger… and I still loved her. I still do.”
“My behavior is nonetheless, deplorable. Unfortunately, I’m quite prone to such bouts of deplorability–take for instance, my fondness for reading books at the dinner table.”
“Men rarely see their own actions as unjustified.”
“Belief?”
“Yes,” Sazed said. “Tell me, Mistress. What is it that you believe?”
Vin frowned. “What kind of question is that?”
“The most important kind, I think.”“The right belief is like a good cloak, I think. If it fits you well, it keeps you warm and safe. The wrong fit however, can suffocate.”
“Marsh: Our best efforts were never even a mild annoyance to the Lord Ruler.”
Kelsier: Ah, but being an annoyance is something that I am very good at. In fact, I’m far more than just a ‘mild’ annoyance–people tell me I can be downright frustrating. Might as well use this talent for the cause of good, eh?”“How do you ‘accidentally’ kill a noble man in his own mansion?”
“With a knife in the chest. Or, rather, a pair of knives in the chest…”“That’s the funny thing about arriving somewhere, Vin,” he said with a wink. “Once you’re there, the only thing you can really do is leave again.”
“What? Is that boy crazy?”
“Most young men his age are somewhat crazy, I think,” Sazed said with a smile. “However, this is hardly unexpected. Haven’t you noticed how he stares at you when you enter a room?”
“I thought he was just creepy.”“I bring you a message from a friend of ours,” she said quietly. “He wanted you to know that he’s not dead. He can’t be killed.”
“He is hope.”
The she raised the spear and rammed it directly into the Lord Ruler’s heart.”“Women? Women are like…thunderstorms. They’re beautiful to look at, and sometimes they’re nice to listen to-but most of the time they’re just plain inconvenient.”
“I think given the choice between loving Mare – betrayal included – and never knowing her, I’d chose love. I risked, and I lost, but the risk was still worth it.”
“And Vin liked solitude. When you’re alone, no one can betray you”
“That’s kind of what trust is, isn’t it? A willful self-delusion.”
“I am the one thing you can never kill. I am Hope.”
“Honestly, for an evil god of darkness, he certainly can be dull.”
“I strive for nothing if not consistency”
“He smiled despite the grief he felt at the deaths of his men; he smiled because that was what he did. That was how he proved to the Lord Ruler-and to himself-that he wasn’t beaten.”
“Plots behind plots, plans behind plans. There was always another secret.”
“Vin: I don’t know — and it’s all your fault, you know. I used to understand everything. Now it’s all confused.
Kelsier: Yes, we’ve messed you up right properly.”
Excerpted from Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
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