The Mistborn series can be broken apart into two eras.
Era One
- The Final Empire (2006) – sometimes just called “Mistborn”
- The Well of Ascension (2007)
- The Hero of Ages (2008)
Era Two
Short Stories and Novellas
Brandon Sanderson also wrote a couple of short stories and a novella as companion pieces to these novels. They are as follows:
- The Eleventh Metal (2011) – Short Story
- Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania (2014) – Short Story
- Mistborn: Secret History (2016) – Novella
Chronology
To read the entirety of the Mistborn books and short stories/novellas in chronological order, you would read them like this:
- The Eleventh Metal
- The Final Empire
- The Well of Ascension
- The Hero of Ages
- Mistborn: Secret History
- The Alloy of Law
- Allomancer Jake and the Pits of Eltania
- Shadows of Self
- The Bands of Mourning
Series Overview
The Mistborn novels can best be categorized as a cross between steelpunk and high fantasy genres, with elements of dystopia, romance, and heist plots mixed in. The first trilogy follows the efforts of a thieving crew to overthrow an oppressive empire, led by the all-powerful Lord Ruler, and the fallout from the successes and failure of those efforts.
The second trilogy, set 300 years after the first trilogy, is about the exploits of Waxillium Ladrian, a “wild-west” deputy forced to move into a big city to investigate kidnappings and robberies.
To get a better sense about what each novel, short story, and novella represents, read the following teasers below. WARNING: some of these teasers will have spoilers and have been marked as such.
The Eleventh Metal
This short story is as a prequel to the events of the first Mistborn novel, The Final Empire. It tells the story of the main character and master thief, Kelsier. It somewhat acts as a standalone in the series and is part of the first Mistborn era.
Mistborn: The Final Empire
Once, a hero arose to save the world.
He failed.
Ever since, the world has been a wasteland of ash and mist controlled by the immortal emperor known as the Lord Ruler.
But hope still survives. A new uprising is forming, one built around the ultimate caper, the cunning of a brilliant criminal mastermind, and the determination of an unlikely heroine: a street urchin who must learn to master the power of a Mistborn.
The Well of Ascension
[SPOILERS] They did the impossible, ending the thousand-year reign of the godlike Lord Ruler. Now Vin, the former street urchin turned powerful Mistborn, and Elend Venture, the idealistic young nobleman who loves her, must build a healthy new society in the ashes of an empire.
As tensions grow in the wake of the uprising, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the Well of Ascension or what manner of power it bestows.
It may just be that killing the Lord Ruler was the easy part. Surviving the aftermath of his fall is going to be the real challenge.
The Hero of Ages
[SPOILERS] Having escaped death at the climax of The Well of Ascension only by becoming a Mistborn himself, Emperor Elend Venture now hopes to find clues left behind by the Lord Rulert that will allow him to save the world. But Elend and Vin are filled with doubt by the return of lethal mists, increasingly heavy ashfalls, and ever more powerful earthquakes.
To make matters worse, a destructive being called Ruin has been released from the Well, and Vin feels personally responsible. If she wants to save the world, Vin must become the prophesied Hero of Ages before Ruin can bring destruction to all things.
Mistborn: Secret History
Mistborn: Secret History is a novella that takes place between the events of the first and last Mistborn trilogy novels. It reveals new insights into the events of the original trilogy from the perspective of one of its main characters, Kelsier.
The Alloy of Law
Three hundred years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy, Scadrial is now on the verge of modernity, with railroads to supplement the canals, electric lighting in the streets and the homes of the wealthy, and the first steel-framed skyscrapers racing for the clouds.
Kelsier, Vin, Elend, Sazed, Spook, and the rest are now part of history—or religion. Yet even as science and technology are reaching new heights, the old magics of Allomancy and Feruchemy continue to play a role in this reborn world. Out in the frontier lands known as the Roughs, they are crucial tools for the brave men and women attempting to establish order and justice.
One such is Waxillium Ladrian, a rare Twinborn who can Push on metals with his Allomancy and use Feruchemy to become lighter or heavier at will.
After twenty years in the Roughs, Wax has been forced by family tragedy to return to the metropolis of Elendel. Now he must reluctantly put away his guns and assume the duties and dignity incumbent upon the head of a noble house. Or so he thinks, until he learns the hard way that the mansions and elegant tree-lined streets of the city can be even more dangerous than the dusty plains of the Roughs.
Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania
This is a short story set in the world of Mistborn. It follows the adventures of Allomancer Jak, a hero who uses Allomancy (the magic system in the Mistborn series) to fight evil.
Shadows of Self
[SPOILERS] When family obligations forced Waxillium Ladrian to forsake the frontier lands and return to the metropolis of his birth to take his place as head of a noble House, he little imagined that the crime-fighting skills acquired during twenty years in the dusty plains would be just as applicable in the big city. He soon learned that there too, just being a talented Twinborn —one who can use both Allomancy and Feruchemy, the dominant magical modes on Scadrial —would not suffice.
This bustling, optimistic, but still shaky society will now face its first test by terrorism and assassination, crimes intended to stir up labor strife and religious conflict. Wax, his eccentric sidekick Wayne, and brilliant, beautiful young Marasi, now officially part of the constabulary, must unravel the conspiracy before civil strife can stop Scadrial’s progress in its tracks.
The Bands of Mourning
[SPOILERS] Three hundred years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy, Scadrial is now on the verge of modernity, with railroads to supplement the canals, electric lighting in the streets and the homes of the wealthy, and the first steel-framed skyscrapers racing for the clouds.
The Bands of Mourning are the mythical metal minds owned by the Lord Ruler, said to grant anyone who wears them the powers that the Lord Ruler had at his command. Hardly anyone thinks they really exist. A kandra researcher has returned to Elendel with images that seem to depict the Bands, as well as writings in a language that no one can read. Waxillium Ladrian is recruited to travel south to the city of New Seran to investigate. Along the way he discovers hints that point to the true goals of his uncle Edwarn and the shadowy organization known as The Set.
Future of the Mistborn Series
Brandon Sanderson has a third Mistborn series planned, which will be set in the early computer age with 1980s technology. The main character is supposed to be a Terris woman who is a computer programmer and Nicroburst, while her brother will also play a major role. The fourth series is planned as a space-opera.
