After enjoying The Gathering Storm, I wanted to try a Brandon Sanderson original. So I picked up a copy of Mistborn…and had trouble putting it down for the days that followed. Dystopia, politics, an oppressive immortal tyrant, intrigue, magical battles on the city’s rooftops – Mistborn has it all.

A thousand years ago a prophesied hero was meant to save the world from a terror called “The Deepness.” He failed. In the ash-filled wasteland that resulted, the Lord Ruler forged an empire that would never fall, an empire that would always be dominated by the one never-aging man: The Final Empire.

In the centuries that followed, every revolt failed miserably in the face of the armies and magic of their oppressor. Until now…

The part of the book that stands out the most is probably the unique and well-planned system of magic. The people who wield it are called “Allomancers,” as their powers come from metals. They ingest small quantities of various elements, and gain specific abilities from the metals. The most flashy of their powers is the ability to pull and push against any metal object in their vicinity. This enables them to leap over tall building by throwing coins to the ground and pushing against them, or to rip blades from their enemies’ hands. Anything metal becomes a potential weapon or means of transport when an Allomancer “burns” the right alloy.

Kelsier is one such Allomancer, one of the powerful and feared Mistborn, but he comes from the serf-like “skaa” class (who are forbidden such power) rather than the nobility. As the story unfolds, his grand plan to overthrow the Lord Ruler is slowly revealed.

The story is mainly shown through the perspective of Kelsier and Vin, a former thief with Allomantic powers that becomes an apprentice of sorts to Kelsier.

I don’t want to give away too much and spoil the story, so we’ll leave it at that. It’s an interesting and atypical fantasy novel, and is definitely worth a read.