Alright. Deep breath. The beginning of the Cosmere….. Well kind of, Elantris was actually published first, however most guides recommend starting with The Final Empire
The story follows Vin, a girl who has spent most of her life so far working for street gangs and using her hunches for petty cons. However it turns out her hunches are much more, she eventually discovers that she’s a Mistborn, meaning she can use all forms of Allomancy, one of the main magic systems in the world. I’m not going to go into the details of Allomancy as I could write a separate review about that alone. Needless to say it’s awesome.
Vin is taken under the wing of Kelsier, The Survivor, another Mistborn. Together with a group of thieves, conmen and various other misfits, they come up with what is basically an insane plan: overthrow the nigh on immortal Lord Ruler and bring down the entire regime.
No pressure.
Kelsier is a complex character. Not really a hero but definitely not a villain. He’s charismatic and confident, but he’s also ruthless and clearly very broken.
Vin’s story was probably the part I connected with most, though. Like Kelsier, she’s also incredibly broken. Initially she trusts no one and rightly so. She eventually comes to realise she needs people and perhaps wants more from her life.
The world itself also feels raw and authentic to the story. The city of Luthadel is bleak and it gives a real sense of societal differences between its two peoples, the Skaa and the nobles.
When you strip back all of the complexities and intricacies the story is effectively a giant heist
If you’re thinking about getting into the Cosmere, The Final Empire is a great place to start. Just be warned: if you enjoy it, you’re probably going to end up going down the Cosmere rabbit hole.
I’ve got absolutely zero regrets about doing exactly that.
The original Mistborn trilogy can also be read as its own story, so you don’t have to commit to the entire Cosmere straight away.
Side note: the Mistborn movie is currently in development, with Brandon Sanderson writing the screenplay for Apple. So if you’ve been thinking about giving Mistborn a go, now seems like a pretty good time.
5 out of 5 stars.
Leave a comment