Book Review: Mistborn

Mistborn is the first book in The Final Empire Series written by Brandon Sanderson. Every once in a while, I pick up a book with minimal expectations and am more than pleasantly surprised. I didn't quite know what to think about this book when I first got my copy. I had heard a little about Mr. Sanderson. So many authors get tons of hype and then their actual work is a bit of a letdown. Before I read this book, I had actually met Mr. Sanderson at a book signing. I went to the book signing to get a signature from LE Modesitt, who is one of my favorite authors, and for whatever reason Mr. Sanderson kept interjecting into our conversation. I was not particularly impressed by him--but maybe in his defense he was trying to be friendly. But I gave the book a try, and I have to say, I was extremely impressed. It is one of the best, most original books to hit the Fantasy market in quite some time.

The book Mistborn is set in a world where all are under the Lord Ruler's hand. The Lord Ruler has controlled the world for 1000 years and the vast majority of the people live in squalor. A few, those who have Allomancy, are able to dominate the rest and theirs is the legacy of the Great Houses. Then along comes a man named Kelsier. He is a survivor and has the ability to not just practice one line of Allomancy but 10. His nearly superhuman skills allow him to challenge the Lord Ruler and so the story starts.

Vin, a street urchin thief who has the skills of Allomancy, is used by Kelsier to enact his plan to bring down the Great Houses and the Lord Ruler. She dresses up and "becomes" one of the elite. As she enters into their world of power and money, she begins to interact with Elend Venture--a young discontent within one of the Great Houses.

This fast paced book hits an absolute home run. Everything you would expect in a great fantasy book is here to be found. Violence, action, love, betrayal, and much much more. If you haven't tried one of Mr. Sanderson's books--Mistborn is a great place to start.

 Go out and get the book.  In fact, save yourself some time and just get the whole series.  You can download it to your Kindle today and start reading tonight.  Or, if you don't have the Kindle, order it from Amazon and have it delivered right to your door.  I rate Mistborn as a solid 9 out of 10.  Easily one of the best 20 books in the Fantasy Genre to come out in this decade.