Book 1 of the Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson

“For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the “Sliver of Infinity,” reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible.”

The people of the Final Empire lived in fear of their Lord Ruler. Both those born of nobility and those who dwell in the slums (the Skaa people) were subject to his whims and cruelty. Those of noble blood mostly enjoy a life of relative luxury, so long as they don’t cause trouble. The Skaa cannot say the same. Skaa are enslaved by the nobles; beaten, starved and treated like trash. Most Skaa simply try to make it through the day without gaining the unwanted attention of their Masters.

A thousand years of misery has taken its toll on the Skaa mentality. Rebellions have dwindled and most Skaa have accepted and resigned to their fate as a slave. Until their Savior, Kelsier, begins to spark a fire of resistance. Kelsier emerged from the Lord Rulers prisons with a power that just might be able to save the Skaa and overthrow the Lord Ruler. With the help of the most skilled underground resistance workers, Kelsier begins to formulate a plan to rescue the Skaa and overthrow the government. It’s a huge quest, that even his crew begins to question, but follow because of their trust in Kelsier.

As Kel brings together this crew and builds his plan, he comes across a girl who just might become his heir. Vin, a Skaa orphan living in thieving crews and surviving in the Slums, does not realize her true potential or the power she may possess. Kelsier vows to rescue her from the slums, help train her in her powers and make her a part of his crew. Despite her reservations and uncertainty in the level of trust she should give this man, Vin reluctantly agrees. If only to see what kind of “power” he thinks she may possess and pure curiosity at his end goal.

Vin and Kelsier begin their journey to train, build an army and conquer the nation. Vin’s powers grow faster than Kelsier could believe and she quickly becomes one of the strongest Mistborn he has ever known. Potentially better than himself.

As the plan progresses, and the crew continues to move forward towards the final goal, Vin’s powers and role in the future become more and more apparent. We see her form relationships she never thought possible, build confidence and strength with her training and learn to trust and protect those she loves.

Vin and Kelsier’s relationship (not romantic in any way) form the backbone of this story. They have a master/apprentice or father/daughter type of relationship, that grows and strengthens through each chapter. Kelsier confides in Vin that his wife (now dead) always wanted a daughter, and that she would have loved Vin. Vin acknowledges that she never had someone in her life she could trust but Kelsier was quickly filling that void. Vin admits she is fearful that Kelsier will one day abandon her, just as everyone else in her life has done in the past. Kelsier tries to calm her fears but he can only say so much in that regard, because he knows how uncertain the future is for everybody involved.

Vin’s character is immediately likeable and memorable. Although she serves as your standard fantasy heroine of lonely orphan or abused child with little to no experience in battle but is expected to accept the responsibility of rescuing the world, she plays the role impeccably. The premise of the Mistborn Trilogy is your standard fantasy (good vs. evil; young inexperienced hero met with major challenges; unknown forces that will eventually destroy the realm; interesting use of magic, in this case known as Allomancy).

The Allomantic Principles added a bit of unique flare to The Mistborn Trilogy. The idea of burning metals for power is very unique to this realm. There is also the twist of this power in the people of Terris (who are known as Keepers and probably equally as powerful as Mistborn, although in different ways). One such Terrisman is one of my favorite characters through the entire Trilogy, Sazed. He serves as one of the most interesting characters, who actually has his own agenda and reasons for wanting to overthrow the Lord Ruler. His people have suffered tremendously at the hands of this government, in a much different manner than the Skaa. He serves the goals of his people, as well as the benefits of the entire nation. He is intelligent, a bit sarcastic and confident enough to show sparks of his personality even in situations when it might not be advisable to do so. Vin begins to rely on him tremendously, and they also build somewhat of a trainer/apprentice relationship.

Kelsier and Sazed also had a solid friendship and respect for one another. This seemed to be the case for many of those in Kelsier’s crew, he earned the respect of those around him and had a charisma to bring people together and lift their spirits. Kelsier made some very rash decisions throughout the progression of this novel and always brought a flare of adventure (or mischief) wherever he travelled and to anyone he encountered. His character went through the majority of his growth before the novel began, so we didn’t see a lot of development from him over the course of the novel. He was strong, somewhat arrogant and a bit eccentric with his ideals… but he remained this way through the entire book. The biggest change we see in him is after Vin is attacked by the Steel Inquisitors and his guilt made him reign in some of his flamboyant decisions.

However, I think this “constant” of his personality is important to the story, especially with the conclusion of the “Plan”. If he were to have changed too much throughout the plot, then the ending would have seemed out of place. So, for me, the ending fit perfectly with Kelsier’s personality.

The Mistborn was a strong start to an undeniably addictive trilogy. Brandon Sanderson’s descriptions of the realm, his explanations of the use of Allomancy and his detailed fight scenes were compelling and interesting. He brings us into this new world and shows us their struggles, their desires and their fears. I loved it and am already starting on Book #2!