While any of the planets of the Cosmere with novels set on them can serve as good entry points to this mega-series, my personal recommendation is to start with Scadrial. This is because you can stop after the first book, after the Era 1 trilogy, after the Era 2 books, or after the novellas and short stories, and get a satisfying ending at whichever stopping point you choose. Or, you can read all of that, and then go on to explore the wider world of the Cosmere.
Mistborn, Era 1
What if the legendary Chosen One, the Hero of Ages, the person prophesied to save us all, decided instead to use their power to rule the world?
That is the question that the Mistborn trilogy asks.
Set in The Final Empire under the control of the immortal Lord Ruler, Mistborn takes many of the tropes we expect from fantasy and twists them.
The Lord Ruler was the Chosen One who defeated the world-consuming evil a thousand years ago, but ever since, he has ruled the world as a tyrant.
Now, a band of thieves and con artists is determined to steal the whole country from the Lord Ruler and his nobility. It will take all of their skill and cunning, and even then, they will probably all die.
In the first book, we follow Kelsier, the leader of this band of thieves, and Vin, the young urchin who is brought into the band and trained in Allomancy, the magic that is supposed to belong only to the nobility. We watch as they attempt to use their cunning and trickery to succeed where every rebellion for a thousand years has failed.
The first book in this trilogy, which was originally titled The Final Empire but is now simply published under the title Mistborn, is fantastic. It has a bit of a slow start, as many of Sanderson’s epic fantasies do, but it then picks up the pace and takes you on quite a ride. It is Ocean’s Eleven crossed with your more typical, “we are a plucky band of rebels who must overcome insurmountable odds and overthrow the evil empire” fantasy. The interwoven magics of Allomancy, Feruchemy, and Hemalurgy make up one of my favorite magic systems in all of fantasy, and my favorite of Sanderson’s.
The other two books in the trilogy, while also good, and absolutely worth the read, are not quite as tight in their storytelling as the first. Particularly, there is a character in the third book that is portrayed as having a severe extended bout of depression, and the way it is written causes the pace of the book to get thrown a bit when reading the chapters from his perspective. And some readers didn’t like the way that each book in the trilogy focused more on the metaphysical aspects of the world. But overall, I would consider the whole trilogy well worth the read.
Mistborn, Era 2: The Wax & Wayne series
Era 2 takes place about 300 years after Era 1, and time has changed Scadrial.
Technology has now progressed to be similar to that of the end of the nineteenth century. The cities still have a bit of the feel of Victorian England, but the towns and villages out in the country feel more like the Wild West.
In this series, we follow Waxillium Ladrian, a city noble turned country lawman forced to return and take up his place as the head of his family’s house upon his uncle’s death. But it turns out that the habits formed as a country lawman are hard ones to shake.
Mistborn Era 2, or the Wax & Wayne series, as it is sometimes called, is quite a bit different from Era 1. It is faster paced, the books are shorter, and it borrows from more pulpy genres, like westerns and mysteries. This transition can be a bit jarring if you are not expecting it.
Still, once you know what to expect, this series is a lot of fun. Wax is a solid protagonist, but it is the supporting cast, especially his partner, Wayne, who really make this series shine. It is lighter and funnier than your typical epic fantasy, while also having some well-earned emotional beats.
Era 2 manages to expand on both the lore and the magic of Scadrial. One of the most interesting pieces is how the magic of Scadrial can be used in innovative new ways when combined with new technology.
Mistborn Era 2 is not the most profound or impressive work Sanderson has ever written. Still, it is well-crafted and a lot of fun. And in the Cosmere, which is populated with weighty epic fantasy tomes, this lighter fare provides a nice break while still expanding on this fascinating universe.
One caveat is that Era 2 is not yet complete. There is still one more book in this series to be released, so if you don’t like reading series that are not yet finished, stop after you finish Era 1 and find other things to read. Still, Sanderson writes very quickly, and the final Era 2 book is the main project he is working on in 2020, so I would imagine that you probably will only have to wait until 2021 or maybe early 2022 for its release.
Novellas & Short Stories
The Eleventh Metal
The Eleventh Metal is a short story about Kelsier from before the events of Era 1.
In it, he is training with his still-new Allomantic powers, and begins to formulate his plans to overthrow the Lord Ruler.
While this is a fun little story, it provides nothing really new or essential to the Mistborn series. Originally written to be included in the core sourcebook of the Mistborn tabletop RPG, it was republished in Arcanum Unbounded, Sanderson’s collection of Cosmere-related short stories and novellas.
The biggest things you get from this story are a description of how Allomancy works and the beginnings of Kelsier’s plan. The description of how the powers work is useful for people playing the ttrpg, but who have never read the book; otherwise, all of that information is included in the first book as Vin learns to use Allomancy. And we learn about Kelsier’s plan and motivation in the first book as well, even if we don’t read about the moment he first got the idea.
On the one hand, this story can be safely skipped without really losing anything unless you are a completionist. On the other, it is a fun little story that doesn’t take very long to read, so you might want to check it out if you have the Mistborn ttrpg or Arcanum Unbounded anyway. But it is not really worth seeking out.
Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania
(Episodes Twenty-Eight through Thirty)
This is a strange piece. It is episodes 28, 29. and 30 of a pulp serial written and published in broadsheet newspapers within the world of Mistborn Era 2. Within the books of Era 2, there are occasional pictures of parts of broadsheet newspapers, including segments of Allomancer Jak episodes. Here, we have three full consecutive episodes for your reading enjoyment!
This pulpy series follows an Allomancer lawman on his adventures, the stories supposedly dictated by that self-same lawman to his steward. It is very different from anything else by Sanderson that I have read.
Still, I consider it to be quite enjoyable, especially the footnotes written in by Allomancer Jak’s steward. And it includes some interesting (but not particularly important) information about the koloss as they exist in Era 2.
Like The Eleventh Metal, this short story is far from essential to The Cosmere, and can easily be skipped. That being said, I found it to be a very fun read, and it does help explain how the koloss function in Era 2, so would recommend it.
Allomancer Jak was first published as part of the Allow of Law supplement for the Mistborn ttrpg, then included in Arcanum Unbounded.
It contains mild spoilers for Alloy of Law, the first book in Era 2.
Mistborn: A Secret History
I cannot talk about the specifics of this novella without giving away spoilers, but I will say what I can.
A Secret History gives another perspective on the events of Mistborn Era 1. It is far from Sanderson’s best work. The prose are a bit flatter than I’ve come to expect from the man.
That being said, if you have an interest in the interconnectedness of The Cosmere, it is essential reading. It gives the reader a window into how the worlds fit together, as well as some insight into several characters and factions who have vested interests in the fate and trajectory of The Cosmere.
Not only that, but it shines a light on certain things about Mistborn Era 2, as well.
So I would recommend this novella to anyone invested in understanding the full Mistborn saga or The Cosmere as a whole.
A Secret History is available as a standalone ebook or as part of Arcanum Unbounded.
It contains major spoilers for Mistborn Era 1 and minor spoilers for Mistborn Era 2 up through The Bands of Mourning.
So far, Scadrial is the most well-explored planet in The Cosmere, with six novels, two short stories, and a novella set there released.
Next we move on to Sel, the planet where Elantris, Brandon Sanderson’s first published book, is set.
Or you can click here to go back to the main Cosmere post.
