Brandon Sanderson is a an American Fantasy writer currently based in Utah. He has a degree in creative writing from Brigham Young University and is currently one of the most exciting science fiction writers around. Nominated for the prestigious John. W. Campbell Award for science fiction twice, he also served on the staff of Leading Edge, a semi-professional speculative fiction magazine. His first novel was Elantris was well received followed by the “Mistborn” series which propelled him to great heights. His has since then established himself with the Alcatraz series and many short stories. Harriet McDougall, the widow of Robert Jordan commissioned Brandon to complete his famed “Wheel of Time” series. At present Sanderson lives in Provo, Utah and is an instructor at the Brigham Young University.
Mistborn: the final empire is the first book of the trilogy by Bryan Sanderson. Here he creates a new world ruled by the evil Lord Ruler and his feudal aristocrats and a new magic Allomancy. Allomancy is the capability to ingest metals and use them to acquire superhuman abilities. This is inherent in the Mistborn's who then can manipulate any metal to propel themselves or use it as a weapon. The chief protagonist in this book itself is the evil Lord Ruler. He was the long awaited boy liberator who turns to the shadow to become the worse oppressor of the land of Skaa.
The brutal and absolute regime has gripped them in fear for thousand years with volcanic ash covering the city devoid of blooming flowers. The populace is ground under the thumb of oppression with executions for minor infractions being a norm. Food has become a scarcity and the slaves of Skaa loose their health and will to live.
Into this conundrum enters Keisher the ultimate revolutionary and Robin-hood rolled in to one. He was brutalized by the ruling class and had witnessed the killing of his wife by Lord Ruler. Thrown into the mines, Keisher is famous for being the only one to escape from the hell holes of the Lord. He seeks redemption for his people and revenge for his wife. He commands a rag tag army of small time crooks who have the confidence to infiltrate the palace of Lord Ruler himself seeking the means to kill him.
Vin is a thief off the streets who roams with her brother. Keisher soon finds her using Allomancy against an important official of the Lord Ruler and is fascinated by her talent and confidence. He takes her under his wings to tutor her to control her power. He teaches her the nuances of misting and in a Pygmalion like role helps her to move in the society. Vin learns to behave among the royals and feudal roles and soon infiltrates their rank as a lady. She soon enters the palace and stumbles upon the journals of the boy who would become Lord ruler. Vin also questions Keisher's belief that all aristocrats are evil killers especially as she falls for the young nobleman Elend. Vin grows taking along Keisher with her, as she develops her abilities to bring about the change of guard.
Mistborn is one of the most amazing book written by Sanderson. The pacing, characters and the idea itself is the most captivating. Sanderson does not indulge in time tested magic tricks, instead develops new capabilities, like Allomancy. Who else can imagine such innovative magical capabilities? Sanderson takes the story of a messiah and turns in on its head, with the corruption of the savior itself. There is no dull moment in the book as the action explodes right from page one. This book is definitely a captivating read and the only problem is keeping one's hands off it.
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