Series Review: Mistborn Saga

I was introduced to Brandon Sanderson’s writing only recently. He has been writing the last 3 books of the Wheel of Time series after its original author (Robert Jordan) died. It is quite a task to take up a popular series and try to complete it. You have too many expectations to meet. I was quite impressed with his writing and decided to read his other work as well.

The Mistborn series is listed in Goodreads.com as having a very original system of magic. This is one of the aspects you notice immediately. While the outline of the story is like most others (underdog fights evil), there are many aspects (including the system of magic) which are radically different from every other fantasy book I’ve read.

The premise of the story is that the entire world is being ruled over by a God. Society has stabilized and divided itself into two classesP: the noble and the poor (skaa). The skaa are labourers and workers and are physically and physiologically inferior to the nobles. Two half-breeds decide to try and change things and set their goals impossibly high: to kill the God that rules them.

The language used is good through out. The stories in all the books progress at a fast pace and keep you engrossed. The fights use the system of magic seamlessly and are both original and beautifully depicted. There is also an undercurrent of mystery and fatalism that runs through the books. In the first, as they fight their God, they also learn more and more about the man he had been before he became all-powerful from his diary. Will not disclose what the theme of the second and third books are - don’t want to spoil the surprise if you plan to read them :).

The climaxes of all three books were unexpected which is quite difficult to do in fantasy (underdog vs. evil - underdog always wins). Over all, a well-written series. Highly recommended