Mistborn: The Final Empire

After really enjoying the Stormlight Archives, I want to read all of Sanderson's work. This was an amazing next choice!

This book was incredible! It just might be my favorite book of all time! I am so excited to continue reading the trilogy as well as the rest of the Cosmere. - July 28, 2023

One of the best fantasy books I've ever read. The concept in this one is a fantasy world that is slightly different from our own with the inclusion of allomancers, people born with a special ability to manipulate the world (or themselves) in some way. These include things like being able to push/pull steel, refine your senses or incease your strength. “Mistborns” can use all of these abilities.

The characters and world drew me in with its mysteries and hints at epic problems rotating around our central players. The magical element for this world was the most memorable I can imagine, and I would highly recommend it. You could go with this one on your own, but books 2 & 3 expand on the world.

A slow paced beginning, but great book.

Utterly incredible

I'm not sure I'm surprised that this book is so incredible as this is the reason I chose to read it - the reviews, lists and articles all mentioned this book (and series) as a must for all fantasy fans.

This may well be one of my favourite magic systems in any book I've read so far. Any good magic system has logic and it's fallbacks and those are really felt within this book. On top of that we see the book constantly keep to these rules by telling us how the characters are performing each feat, rather than just expecting us to presume that's a form of a certain type of magic.

On top of the amazing magic system, there's a very solid group of characters who are very likeable. A main character who shows development, another protagonist who just keeps throwing surprises and a support character whom you can't help but love and feel is very similar to that of a certain large lovable Harry Potter character.

The story is typical of fantasy stories (there's a big baddy who rules the land and they want to kill him) but it throws in enough lore and interesting curve balls to keep you reading and want to understand more and find out the answers to questions.
All fantasy fans should read this book.

I first tried to read this book and was immediately put off by the complex world that the author has constructed. It felt daunting, and didn't feel like I was in the right mindset to let myself get into the story. I am SO glad I kept reading because after the first few chapters I could not put it down!

Wonderful characters, a bleak yet engaging world, political espionage, and Allomancy (a cool magic system based on ingesting and “burning” alloys in order to harness latent magical abilities). This book really has a lot going for it and I recommend it to anyone, especially fans of the fantasy genre.

Freaking fantastic!!

I guess there's nothing I can say that hasn't already been said about this masterpiece.

The only epic fantasy I knew about -but never read- was Lord Of The Rings. This was the first time I tried one. And damn, this is what reading is all about. The world that Sanderson has build here is just fantastic. He introduces a breath of fresh air in the fantasy genre, with the exclusion of typical magic. Sanderson gives birth to “Allomancy”, a power that let people “burn” metals after swallowing them. I won't go in detail here, just know that it's really fresh and awesome.

This first book is so big, complex and rounded in itself, that just the thought of it being just the beginning of a trilogy is stunning. You've been introduced to the world and its state, and been giving enough of open questions to peak the interest in reading it all.

I may be a bit biased because I've listened to the Graphic Audio audiobook version of this for the most part (which was really really awesome), but for me this book had it all.

4.25 ???

Wow! Brandon Sanderson really is as good as everybody says.

My full review can be found at SFF Book Review.

Brandon Sanderson is a star, there is no doubt about that. He knows how to write a story that is so gripping it will make you go “just one more chapter” until you're done. There are a few moments to catch your breath but when Vin's story isn't full of action and intrigue, the characters' growth and development makes it impossible to put the book down.

I devoured this chunky novel in a couple of days and started immediately with book 2. The world is fresh and original, if not exactly happy, the magic system - and you know there is a great one when Sanderson is involved - completely blew me away. It took a while to hit me but when you read that scene where Kelsier, the cocky master thief who stole my heart right away, uses Allomancy for the first time, you'll know why everybody raves about it.

Sanderson did pretty much everything right. He gives us epic fantasy with almost none of the tropes, he puts a spin on recognisable things but surprises us with new ideas every other chapter. The only negative point I could bring up is that - for my personal enjoyment - I could have used more descriptions of surroundings. And maybe less use of the word “maladroitly”. Seriously, Brandon, you seem to like that word. :)

As you can tell, excitement and general awe completely outweigh these minor qualms. Which is why I will put this book into the hands of anybody who calls himself a fantasy reader. Must read!

        I loved this book so much. This is my second attempt at reading it. The last time I tried it I got so bogged down with the magic using explanations. I just wasn't gripped by the characters as I expected so when I was confused by all of the explanations of how the magic works I just gave up.  But, this time around it was such a different experience. I'm much more familiar with Brandon's work and writing tendencies because I read more of the Cosmere since then. I was so overwhelmed on where to start the Cosmere and since I didn't vibe with Mistborn the first time around and it was the number 1 recommended place to start. So, I just chucked the reading order recommendations out the window and picked the books that called to me. So far my Cosmere journey is all over the place and honestly, I'm not mad about it. I'll probably have to reread to catch all of the minor crossovers but there are so many guides online that I'm not too bothered by it. It seems like it got to teh point in the Cosmere where you are required to have read more and more to read the new books so I decided to go back and read Mistborn. 


        Back to the Final Empire. If I were to pitch this book to anyone right now, all I would say is ‘found family'. While yes, Sanderson's elaborate and complex magic system is still his most unique skill as an author, I would say that the found family aspect of this book will stay with me the most. I don't usually highlight sections in my books, and I'm too scared to write or draw in my books so I hopped when I got my Kindle the process of highlighting would be so much easier and less nerve-racking but I still wasn't using it. This book changed that. I marked many lines and conversations that felt so real and touching. I loved Vin's development and constant struggles to move past her trauma. It was shoving up even on the last page of the book despite all of the development she went through. 
     I will say that even this time around I found that it still took me about 40% to get fully invested. It's understandable considering all of the things that had to be set up at the beginning but it all paid off in the end. The ending was a bit underwhelming but by that point of the book all I cared about was that they get out of there alive since I got so attached to the characters. 

       While there were definitely more things that I had issues with right after reading the book, I put it through Cassidy's rating scale it ended up as a 5-star read. And at the time, it didn't feel like it because all of the minor issues I had with it were so fresh in my mind. But, writing this review a couple of days later I can say that it definitely feels like a 5-star read. I was so stingy with my 5 star last year to the point where I wasn't even able to make a top 10. So this year, I still wanna be critical with my reads but I'm gonna try to convey that more in my reviews and use Cassidey's rating system that ways enjoyment a lot more which just works far better for me as a long-term scaling system. 

Love the world! So diffrent then other fantasy books, the writing is good. It's hard to explain, I dont think it's great writing but its, what, comforting and easy. Like a blanket it wraps around you easy and sucks you in. Wait maybe that is what makes it great. It's great but does not try. The story and world are also awsome and unique. Now on to the second book. Well worth it I recommend it.

Decided to try this out because it was heavily recommended in the Fantasy community. Anyways, here goes.

What I did like:
1. A majority of the cast. They're colorful and rather well-realized characters that I enjoyed reading about. Vin works extremely well as a protagonist that navigates into this new environment.
2. The Magic System. I had already known before getting into this that allomancy as a magic system is top-tier but I wasn't expecting it to be that good. Oftentimes when a magic system has established rules, it becomes pretty restricting in ways the characters can use them and sometimes when it does show that there's other ways to use it, it's usually in the climax or last seventy pages of the book and becomes some sort of “aha moment.” In Final Empire, the characters regularly use allomancy in creative ways. There's also a subversion of the “aha moment” in the final battle.
3. The worldbuilding. This one's pretty well-realized and while there's not that many of the places that's being explored, it does pretty well with the ones that it does.
4. That last 150 or so pages. The first two thirds of the book is normally paced which and then at a certain point, there's an event that turns the tables and the plot becomes fast-paced. A lot of things happen

What I didn't like:
1. Okay so I like the majority cast. I DID NOT like Elend. I really wish I did. I love characters who have a sense of compassion and justice, especially in a world that can be pretty bleak and hopeless and finds being morally gray or evil as the kind of norm, so I found it a shame that I could not connect to Elend as a character. He was pretty fine in his first few appearances but later on, reading him felt like the book wanted to hammer down that he's a morally good person and so it would go, “He's a compassionate character — QUICK, MAKE HIM SAY THIS AND DO THIS.”
2. A lot of actions being done behind the scenes. I suppose this was on me for expecting much since after all, most of the book is from Vin and Kelsier's POV, but there's a decent chunk of the heist plan that made me go, “Oh that's pretty difficult — it's gonna be interesting how it'll be pulled off” only for that to be done or resolved behind the scenes. This mostly the case for other members of the crew, so I probably should've seen that coming, but still, it was pretty disappointing the first few times when what could've been an interesting struggle to see play out just play out behind the scenes and end with someone saying, “Oh, has smoothed this one out.”
3. Romance. This portion could've done a bit more development to feel more natural. For me, at least. This can be pretty subjective from person to person.

Enjoyed this book a decent bit! The “magic” system is really cool and interesting, both Allomancy and Feruchemy. The world is interesting and the uncertainty of it all always has you guessing. Fun ride.

dire che mi è piaciuto è riduttivo. Un romanzo intenso e ricco..c'è poco da fare Sanderson ha talento.
- Trama: c'è tutta
- personaggi: i protagonisti sono ben caratterizzati, ma ci si affeziona anche a quelli secondari come il maggiordomo Sazed e il fratello di Kelsier. Su Kelsier vorrei aprire una parentesi: porc..... Brandon io t'ammazzo! Chiusa parentesi.
Coinvolgimento, azione: ci sono, in 700 pagine non ho mai trovato un momento morto o che mi annoiasse a morte. E soprattutto NON banale, per niente scontato.
E..si, ho pianto. Io non piango mai, non sempre mi affeziono cosi tanto ai personaggi oppure quasi mai muoiono, dipende dai punti di vista
Consigliato? Assolutamente sì! Agli appassionati del Fantasy dico: “lasciate stare gli Young Adult, soprattutto le ultime uscite che sono abbastanza deludenti e fatevi una bella lettura”. E soprattutto, ripeto, Sanderson è un bravissimo scrittore a parer mio.
Voto: 5 stelline e una lacrima (mannaggia a te Sandy!)

J'étais un peu inquiet en commençant ce livre : cela fait un moment que je n'avais pas lu de la fantasy, et malgré les critiques élogieuses, je craignais d'être déçu par ce roman, tant j'ai été souvent déçu par des oeuvres manquant trop souvent d'originalité.

Bizarrement, je suis un peu gêné au moment de tirer le bilan de cette lecture. L'histoire en elle-même n'est pas forcément très originale : une orpheline découvre qu'elle possède de grands pouvoirs - et de grandes responsabilités - et rejoint un groupe de rebelles qui veulent faire tomber l'Empereur maléfique et immortel qui domine leur peuple depuis des siècles. Pourtant, c'est fait avec une certaine intelligence, et ça fonctionne très bien. Il y a dans ce récit quelque chose que je ne parviens pas à définir mais qui dépasse les stéréotypes qu'il utilise pourtant habilement.

J'ai en tout cas pris beaucoup de plaisir à lire ce premier volume de ce qui se présente comme une trilogie, et je pense enchainer directement avec le deuxième roman de ce cycle, en espérant qu'il soit aussi plaisant et habile que celui-ci.

THIS. BOOK. IS. AMAZING.
The Universe.
The characters.
The World.
EVERYTHING!

I don't know why took me so long to finish it.

Estou digitando com os pés para poder bater palmas em paz!

This is an awesome take on traditional fantasy. I loved the magic, and the characters were all so well done.

One of my favorite books/series and has become one of my go-to book recommendations when people ask me about fantasy books. Action packed, characters the reader cares about and a tight consistent magic system. Sanderson is the man. If you haven't read this, get it now!

june 2020:
i love kelsier , thats all.

The Final Empire was the first Brandon Sanderson book I had read, and I read every Mistborn book published so far (through Bands of Mourning and Secret History) almost back-to-back. The series is exceptionally enjoyable, with a fun magic system and compelling characters and story.

If this first book had been the only Mistborn book ever written, I think it would have stood well on its own. For anyone daunted by the prospect of starting a new series with six books and counting so far, you could read this one and stop. But once you've read this one, you'll probably want to keep going.

This is a story about hope and trust. Vin starts off as a distrustful street urchin who forms a bond with the thieving crew led by Kelsier. Their mission is to overthrow the immortal ruler's empire. While the ending of the first book might seem quite disappointing in its execution with a cheap cop-out in overthrowing the emperor, the buildup was worthwhile, the journey even more so.

Overview: An epic fantasy that turns all the tropes on their heads, yet manages to still be epic, not grim or dark.. This story is told as a breathtakingly action packed tale about very human characters that grab you and pull you along as they develop. Great stuff.

On 1st Reading: Not what I was expecting at all. The story opens in a really depressing setting, basically Mordor (big fire mountains filling the sky with ash and turning the sun red). Pretty much everyone is a serf (aka. Skaa) and the few nobles are generally cruel masters, answering to the god-like and enigmatic “Lord Ruler”. OK, grimdark here we come I thought.

Oh not at all.

We are soon introduced to two characters, firstly Kelsier, a survivor of mine/death camp who is armed with hope and a plan, and Vin a young girl who is barely surviving on the streets of a sprawling city by Luck and by trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

Following these two we are taken on an epic adventure in which all our expectations are challenged, yes there is a lot of darkness in this story, but there is also defiance, hope and most of all there is that best of all story elements: characters you care about.

On 2nd Reading: I remembered that this was good. I forgot just how gripping it is. To be fair the start is rather slow. It's intriguing , but not much happens in the first few chapters except that we see that this world is dark, brutal and nasty. Then (when our main characters meet) things start getting interesting, and the excitement, character development and brilliant worldbuilding just keep getting better in some sort of exponential curve.

To put it another way:
Me at the end of Chapter 1: [Raised eyebrow] “Hmm, interesting.”
Me at 50%: “Wha..but that means...wow...clever!”
Me at 85%: [Clutching book with white knuckles] “Ohmygodohmygodohmygod....”
Me at 90%: [Making cat-like hissing noises at anyone who might possibly stop me reading]
Me at 100%: [Contented sigh] "Elend and Vin...awww"

Yes, great stuff!

4.5 stars

Well, this book had a perfect opening Prologue and Sanderson definitely drew me into the ash-covered world of Scadrial. While the dual-protagonists Kelsier and Vin drew me in, both on different sides of the same coin, it was the plot's sense of build-up and combination of many of my favourite things that excited me - the LOTR fellowship/ heist-style team, the metal-based magic system that is surprisingly and logically laid out early, the class-based system and the near-invincible scary villains. As the book went on, there were definitely twists and turns that forced some great emotional development, and I was surprised at how I barely noticed the characters were growing because it felt so natural during the plot's events. However, in addition I felt Sanderson's writing style become a bit simplistic and repetitive, and knowing that this was one of his early works I couldn't rate it as a perfect 5/5. I am definitely returning to the Cosmere however and will read the sequel soon, as this first book teased a lot more of the world than just Luthadel and I can't wait to explore it!

Wow! What an absolutely brilliant book! I loved the world, the characters and the brilliant allomancy. All woven together superbly from the perspective of an unwitting heroine.
It is quite a long book, but it kept me interested all the way through until the amazing climax.
Highly recommended. I would love to see a movie made of this!