Mistborn: The Final Empire

I was concerned when starting Mistborn that I’d picked the wrong book to rekindle a habit I’d let go out years ago. I’ve long craved being thoroughly engrossed by a story of this depth, but committing to a 700 page fantasy after 10+ years of very sporadic reading felt more and more like folly as I progressed through part one. Then came part two.

Sanderson has come highly recommended for many years. Folks would always tell me that “the magic system is really original.” I’d look at them blankly without any idea of what that meant. It’s magic in a high fantasy novel. How original could it get? Quite, it would seem. I get it now.

I love stories supported by logic. I’m a big speculative fiction guy who is easily wooed by fantasy. Allomancy being constrained by real world physics is the stuff of genius. It’s hard to remember what metal or alloy does what some times, but that’s all semantic sugar on top of what really matters: power with limits.

Mistborn is an excellent book. Any reservations I had about Sanderson’s writing style melted away as my intrigue with his characters and story grew. I look forward to crawling deeper into the Cosmere.