Post — Aaron Ngo

Major Spoilers are included in this book review. Please read with caution.

First, do not read this novella until you have finished both trilogies (Era 1 and Era 2). There are major spoilers in this story that shows more of what was going on “behind the scenes”. Brandon Sanderson recommends that you finish The Bands of Mourning first before diving into this series, and while I do agree with him, I think you can—bare minimum—read the first trilogy (Final Empire, Well of Ascension, and Hero of Ages) and be fine. It’s my opinion though. Sanderson’s might be superior because he wrote all the stories.

I’m going to try not spoil a lot, so let’s go into what it actually is. A Cosmere backstory. For those who don’t know what that means, let me exposition it for you: Brandon Sanderson’s novels are all connected through the Cosmere Universe (think Marvel Cinematic Universe but in a book series). The connections, however, aren’t that obvious compared to that particular movie series. Everything’s more “behind the scenes”, and that’s what making me reconsider a reread on the original trilogy soon. I want to catch the hints and Vin’s story is that enjoyable.

I can talk about the writing itself. It was basically the style of the original trilogy, and revisiting old places / classic Mistborn characters made me wish I could wipe my mind and read it all for the first time again. The action scenes aren’t as great, but that’s because the plot couldn’t find a place for them. That sentence will not make sense unless you’ve read Mistborn: Secret History. Basically, you get loads of payoff for your investment in the Mistborn series.

Overall, I enjoyed the novella. I read it in Sanderson’s Arcanum Unbounded and plan to read the other short stories in the Cosmere Collection. I’m currently reading The Way Of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. His books are too good. I hope to read them all someday.

back to blog