Why You Should Read Mistborn (Era 1)

The Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson is often suggested to new readers of fantasy and fans of the genre alike. It always appears on my suggested reading lists, so this is why you should read Mistborn.

1. Originality

It is so hard to bring original ideas to the table, within all art forms, but especially with fantasy books. There are defined rules that should be followed, or fans of the genre might not even pick up the book, nevermind read it.

The Final Empire (Book 1 of the trilogy) begins at a time when the Dark Lord has won. This is using the trope of a Dark Lord but there are many differences.

Even his powers have a limit.
He won. This point 2 is the most original.

So many fantasy stories with a Dark Lord-type character borrow heavily from Tolkien’s work, where there is a shadow falling on the world and it’s up to the heroes to stop the darkness falling.

Brandon Sanderson took a different approach with the Mistborn trilogy and it really paid off.

2. It Only Gets Better

Many fantasy series go downhill after the first book, even if they’re not bad books. This series is certainly an exception.

I think the second book, The Well of Ascension, is the best in the series. It’s just as exciting as the first, The Final Empire, and it’s different in plot structure to the first book – and that’s rare!

The first book is a little like a heist story, but the second book is full of political strategy. I won’t go into any spoilers, but just know it works amazingly well.

3. The Trilogy is Part of a Larger World

If you have heard anything about Brandon Sanderson’s books, you will probably have heard about his Cosmere (the universe where all of his stories are set).

There are loads of easter eggs, and the more you read and deeper you go into his books, the more that is revealed.

This trilogy is the perfect introduction to the Cosmere and will make you want to continue to read his other books and series.

4. The Writing Style is SO Simple

His characters and world may be complex, deep, and wonderful to explore, but Brandon Sanderson’s writing style is the simplest in the fantasy genre right now.

There are no flowery paragraphs/pages to trawl through, like with Patrick Rothfuss‘ books, such as The Name of the Wind, to get to the action, and there are no complex explanations of stuff.

You are straight in there with dialogue and action and it’s great! Especially if you want to get through the book quickly, unlike my trawl through any book by George R.R. Martin! (although they are very good books!)

5. You Will See New Books Every Year

You may only be interested in this series right now, but if you want to keep reading book by Brandon Sanderson, don’t worry about running out of them!

He publishes at least one book a year, sometimes two, and they never lack in quality.

He currently three books into The Stormlight Archive which is going to be ten books in length, so there are lots of books to come and lots to look forward to.

Have you read the Mistborn trilogy, or are you just getting into the series? Let me know in the comments below!