Mistborn: Secret History

I read this as part of Arcanum Unbounded right after finishing Bands of Mourning.

This is a fun, weird, wild ride back through the original Mistborn trilogy, from a strange and surprising point of view. I think the original Mistborn trilogy stands fine on its own, but Secret History might be required reading to make sense of some parts of Bands of Mourning as well.

The main character is in fantastic form. I had almost forgotten how much I liked this character from the original trilogy.

On one hand I admit that it really didn't feel like Kelsier's story was done after the first book and I was kind of expecting some hints in later novels.

But this is it? This feels like a fan fiction written by the author himself! It completely reveals all the secrets about the Mistborn series and Scadriel in general. I would've prefered to be kept in the dark or at least to think that all of this was the work of Preservation and not Kelsier's.

The Cosmere connections I liked but gutting the original story and “revealing” that all those things Preservation supposedly had done were actually done by Kelsier broke all the magic and mysticism of the series.
I wanted to know more and if the story focused more on the elder ones (or whatever they're called), other travellers and the actual secrets of Cosmere I would've loved this novella. But it doesn't. Instead it focuses on the trilogy and reveals that every important act done to further the plot was actually done in secret by Kelsier and not by Preservation.

And so I can't accept it. I don't want to accept it because it ruins otherwise great and supremely original story and degrades it to the mediocre levels. Maybe I just pictured everything better in my head and this book shattered my image and now I can't accept the mediocrity of it.

However, I admit it got better towards the end but even that's mostly because Vin is probably my favourite female lead character.
Still, though, I wish I've never read this novella.

If Mistborn was a videogame, this novella would be infinite ammo and life cheats :/

The Mistborn trilogy, and the following Wax & Wayne series, are one of the most elaborate and interesting magic worlds I've ever read about. As a hardcore fan of the world, Secret History shows an alternate take from the end of Book 1 up until the end of Book 3. I appreciate that Sanderson had a bit more in mind than we were able to see in those books, but I didn't feel like this added as much to the world as I was hoping for.

I was expecting a sort of collection of short stories, but I was pleasantly surprised by the story of Kelsiers wacky adventures in the afterlife. Because of course he can't leave anything alone. The parts where he interacts with our beloved Vin and Eland definitely made me cry. It also made me very curious of the rest of the cosmere collection. 

Un court roman que l'on peut présenter comme un “compagnon” de la trilogie Mistborn que j'ai lue juste avant. Le récit s'intéresse à un personnage central du premier roman mais que l'on avait perdu de vue - à juste titre - dans les deux suivants. Nous assistons alors aux coulisses des événements relatés dans les deux derniers romans de la trilogie. C'est pas mal fait, même si j'ai trouvé que ça manquait un peu de rythme. Plaisant, mais pas franchement indispensable à mon avis.

The Mistborn trilogy, and the following Wax & Wayne series, are one of the most elaborate and interesting magic worlds I've ever read about. As a hardcore fan of the world, Secret History shows an alternate take from the end of Book 1 up until the end of Book 3. I appreciate that Sanderson had a bit more in mind than we were able to see in those books, but I didn't feel like this added as much to the world as I was hoping for.

It was really fascinating getting a different perspective to everything that was happening and getting answers a lot of the stuff that was puzzling the in events of the original books. I really enjoyed reading this and I hope Brandon manages to write secret history 2 and we learn more about the Cosmere.

It's worth the read to piece together all the little nuggets Sanderson dropped throughout the mistborn trilogy. He really starts bringing the different cosmere elements together in this novella as well. The story itself kinda jumps from one plot point to the next, so it's probably best to read it while the original trilogy (especially Hero of Ages) is still pretty fresh in your mind.

So so so so so good. We are back with Kelsier's perspective and from page 1, it is so refreshing and interesting as we actually witness some dark character questions and hope-inspiring growth. The novella sped by, touching upon certain events in the Mistborn trilogy whilst also deeply unravelling some Cosmere mysteries and connections. I particularly enjoyed the surprise crossover with Elantris, and appreciated how much emotion some of Secret History's sequences brought out in me. There were some longtime unanswered questions resolved, and many new ones opened up, but I felt this was a satisfying return for the beloved character and can't wait for future Mistborn installments.

Una clase de teoría realmática

Imprescindible para el quiera adentrarse de lleno en el Cosmere, y creo que aun así, alguna relectura es obligatoria.

Me acordaba de prácticamente todo de la primera vez que lo leí, pero me he dado cuenta de lo mucho que he aprendido sobre el Cosmere desde junio. También hay un montón de pistas importantes sobre personajes y organizaciones, por lo que creo necesario leerlo o releerlo una vez estés adelantado en las diferentes sagas de este universo.

¿Se lee después de “El Héroe de las Eras” o de “Brazales de Duelo”?
Pues yo lo leería (como he acabado haciendo) después de los dos. La primera lectura tendrá un gran impacto por lo reciente que tienes Era 1, y te ayudará a comprender mucho sobre el funcionamiento del Cosmere para mayor disfrute de las otras sagas. Además, el “spoiler menor” yo lo consideraría casi anecdótico. La segunda lectura, después de Brazales de Duelo, te dará una visión mucho más amplia, entenderás mucho mejor lo explicado en el relato y, sobre todo si para entonces has leído los cuatro primeros libros principales de El Archivo de las Tormentas, podrás entender el comportamiento de los personajes y organizaciones que comentaba antes. Información muy relevante sobre los entresijos del Cosmere.

En fin, otras 5 estrellas que se lleva. Relato estupendo, no por su narrativa sino por su importancia.

4.00/5.00

This is my first dive into the cosmere. I have always wondered what the hype about Sanderson is, now I see it. This book blows my mind with attention to detail. The complexity of the magic system is the certainly the best part. Some of the action sequences were pretty good. A very satisfying read for fantasy lovers. Vin's character is pretty well developed.

However, the writing was overly simple, the dialogue is okay. I've heard many people tell me that Brandon Sanderson‘s writing has improved in his later books, so I am, hoping the next one will be better.

There were no glorious character moments that I enjoyed. There is one character moment in the book, which could have been amazing but I thought it kind of fell flat. Most of the cast seemed one-dimensional. Kelsier and Vin are properly done. The magic system is thoughtful, creative and spectacular just as you would expect from Brandon Sanderson. Emotionally. It wasn't very impactful, but this is the first book so I'm gonna give the benefit of the doubt.

This is the capstone that the series deserved and thank Brandon we got it. I always felt that we deserved so much more of the person who started it all and boy did Kelsier come through or what. I think the best part about this book is that Kelsier is so Kelsier. The fact that he is always looking for an out has never come out better. So while in theory this book does answer many questions its not really the reason to read it. It's just your final ride with the Survivor and the lesson he teaches you are going to stay with you for life. Survive!