Mistborn Secret History

SPOILER WARNING: Just reading this review will spoil major events of the original Mistborn Trilogy. If you haven't read those amazing books, stop reading this review, buy them, and discover the awe-inspiring world of Scadriel that Brandon has created. I am really serious. This review will totally spoil and ruin those books. Last chance... Okay, here we go. This novella came out of nowhere for me. I hadn't heard it was coming out (of course, I am not the best at staying current on books). I knew Bands of Mourning was coming out and I was shocked when I got to the end there was a note from Brandon revealing the existence of the untold story of the original Mistborn series. That's not surprising. If you've read the trilogy there were hints of stuff going on behind the metaphysical scenes. This story lays it out. What happened after Kelsier died? Well, first off he punched god. And by god, I mean Preservation, one of the Shards of Adolnasium that inhabits Scadriel. In dying, Kelsier discovers an entirely new world. He learns just how small Scadriel is in the process, and he works behind the scenes to ensure that our heroes victory at the end of the series against Ruin can happen. There were hints, but to see it laid out was exciting and emotional. To get to see Kelsier struggle to help his friends from beyond the grave was poignant. He is the Survivor, and he never gave up. This Novella shed light on a lot of the strange events that happened and even gave new context to things I thought I had understood (like the first time Preservation tried to stab Elend or why Vin avoided talking to Hoid). This book also did more to shed light on the greater Cosmere than any previous published story. The curtain has been pulled back, and we are getting glimpses of the larger universe that has better things to do then worry about one little planet. I drank this book up. It was wonderful to see all the characters one last time, to have one more chance to say goodbye to them. Fans of the Cosmere, this novella is a must read.

MISTBORN: SECRET HISTORY was incredibly mind-blowing. I can’t really say TOO much about it because it’s incredibly spoilery for those who haven’t read MISTBORN yet or even those who haven’t finished THE BANDS OF MOURNING yet. This short story takes place just after the rush of events as MISTBORN is ending and continues to span throughout the rest of the original trilogy, setting things up for the Wax & Wayne era. Sanderson’s world building is astounding. I love that he’s been compiling this story little by little as he’s been writing the series and finally shared it in this novella. I agree that it may have been too much to mix in with the series chronologically and I was happy to read this all from one POV! Honestly? I got a tad lost in the middle. Well, not lost but I just have a hard time adapting to new ideas/places/people without enough anchors to hold me to an original character/story. Maybe I’m just not well-versed enough in the Cosmere? But I was having a bit of a hard time wrapping my brain around some of the sections in the middle just because we’re dealing with such higher forces (without giving any spoilers away) and a nearly new concept which I would have loved to spend more time with! Could be that these things/concepts/whatever also appear in other Sanderson books that I just haven’t read yet and that’s why I’m not picking up on it as much! Truly, the things you find out in this short story are so amazingly fantastical that I actually want to re-read the whole series and have MISTBORN: SECRET HISTORY in hand so I can read them on the same timelines. I also want to go back and read sections of this again so I can really grasp what’s going on. Some things did seem to be tied to other books set in the Cosmere so I really need to read those soon!! There were some amazing moments between original Mistborn characters that just totally warmed my heart and really put a happy ending on everything. I loved tiny glances at different POVs (especially Kelsier’s) as scenes from the endings of MISTBORN, THE WELL OF ASCENSION, and THE HERO OF AGES appear in the novella. I loved seeing some of my favorite characters and getting even more answers as to what happened to them and exactly how things played out since we get a different perspective here. Always a joy to read, some MIND-BLOWING knowledge that has me dying to pick up more books (not like that was an issue anyway. I already have reads planned out!), but now I can’t believe how long I’ll have to wait for new Mistborn books! AHHH!

2022-10-16: There's always another secret, and in this little surprise novella from 2016, many are revealed. Unanswered questions have surrounded Kelsier from the very first moment he appeared in Mistborn: Final Empire, and if you, like me, have had those questions nagging at you since your first reading of this book, then you should read Secret History. It's an extremely fun exploration of Kelsier's character that recontextualizes the original Mistborn trilogy and that, at the time of its release (and maybe even still), was so meta within the cosmere that it felt like a cipher of some sorts. The type of release the cosmere nerd salivates over. And what's more, it's just a lot fun. Required reading? I'm inclined to say yes. 2016-02-03: This covertly released novella was a treat after reading The Bands of Mourning. If there are any other Mistborn fans out there like me, who loved the first trilogy, and enjoy the Wax and Wayne books but think they are missing that old flavor of the first.. pick this one up. It has the feeling of the original trilogy, and a whole heaping pile of Cosmere goodies throughout. Excellent addition to the Mistborn world.

I waited quite a while to review this book. There is a LOT to digest. This will contain light spoilers. In order to quantify my feelings on this book, I feel knowing what kind of reader I am would help. The original Mistborn trilogy is probably my favorite book series. I've read it countless times. However, I'm not super excited about the Cosmere. I'll read about things from time to time when I don't understand something that's happened. And I enjoy Wit/Hoid as a character and so he is often my driving force to learn about the greater Cosmere. That all said, this is the deepest deep dive into the Cosmere to date. Sanderson has often said you can read his books and enjoy them on their own without understanding the Cosmere. So far, he's held to that promise. This book sort of breaks that rule. If you aren't familiar with the Cosmere, a lot of it sort of rolls off of you. I went and did some extensive forum'ing after finishing it and a lot was explained. If you want to do that, you can, and you'll get a lot out of it, but... It's still an awesome book for fans of Mistborn. The simple fact that you are seeing the events of the original trilogy from another point of view is worth the price of admission. And then the end.... I could say something like "right in the feels" but that doesn't adequately describe it. I honestly can't remember another book (save Hero of Ages, let's be honest) that's affected me on an emotional level like this. All in all, a great, quick read with a surprisingly powerful conclusion.

First off, please follow the author's directions in the preface. If you haven't read the original Mistborn trilogy, you certainly shouldn't read this. Not only will it ruin every major plot point, you'll probably be lost. You really should read through Bands of Mourning, too. He's doing us a favor with that warning :) --Quick Review-- Since you're at least thinking about reading this book, you probably know a decent amount of Sanderson's work. As a fan, I can't stress enough how important this book is, not just to Scadriel, but to the greater Cosmere. This is a must-read for Sanderson fans. --Longer Review-- I've read just about everything in the Cosmere so I can appreciate how each Shardworld and different arcs on each Shardworld (like the original Mistborn trilogy and the Alloy of Law series) contributes to the overall lore. This novella has brought new depth to the characters, motivations, and mechanics of Sanderson's universe. He's done this in his typical style, using characters to drive the narrative and expand on the lore without getting lost in exposition and repetitive esoterica. I feel like many of my questions were answered but I also have new ones so this book fed my curiosity without sating it. His characters feel like real people, in no small part because they're flawed, but also because Sanderson has crafted distinct personalities for each. Because of his attention to detail, the characters jump right off the page and bring the words to life. It's short but absolutely full of content. Every page felt important and it's so well-executed that I never got lost or overwhelmed. I hope you know other Sanderson fans; I definitely needed others to talk to as soon as I opened this book.

I wasn't expecting to love this novella as much as I did. I thought, "Well, Mr. Sanderson says that this has hints for the newer books with Wax and Wayne. I definitely can't read it before I finish them." So, I finished the three books and came back to this and realised that this was from Kelsier's POV! Oh how delighted I was! I hadn't realised how much I had forgotten from the original trilogy till I actually started reading the novella and I must shamefully admit that I had to take help from wiki to refresh my memory. After doing that, everything made so much sense. Mr. Sanderson is a genius and I can't describe how excited it makes me to see him unravel his Cosmere in tiny little details. Although there wasn't too much info on that part, I'm now beyond intrigued to find out what Kelsier was up with Spook. Like that ending has seriously left me reeling back from the shock of it. I'm so bummed now that I have finished this journey and have to wait for so long till the next Stormlight or Mistborn book comes out. I still don't know when he's going to release the Stormlight novella? I'm hoping before this year ends because that's what he tweeted back to me. I'm pretty sure he'll keep his word but who knows what the publishers decide. Anyway, I'm rambling now. So overall, this was like a 4.5 star for me. I loved reading about the old characters again and really enjoyed how Kelsier seemed to be a part of all of it. I just love it. Okay? Okay.

Brandon Sanderson surprised many of us by recently releasing “Mistborn: Secret History. This book is a companion to the original Mistborn trilogy and follows the character of Kelsier after his death. It’s impossible to give much info about the storyline of this little book without giving things away, so I will say very little. But “The Survivor” was indeed a very busy man after his death, and through his experiences, Sanderson unveils many secrets about not just the original Mistborn story but also about the Sanderson universe. In the book, Sanderson is able to answer questions about Mistborn that you didn’t even know you had. And that’s part of what makes him such a genius. Be warned, if you’ve not read all three of the original books in Mistborn, then this one is off limits to you. Not only will this book spoil things for you, it really won’t make a lot of sense without having all of the background information found in the trilogy. For those who have read the first three books and enjoyed them, this book is fantastic. It sweeps you back into the Mistborn world and is a real treat. I had forgotten just how much I loved those books until I read this one. I’m not really sure what to call it, because it’s longer than what I would consider a novella, but it’s not really long enough to call it a “book” either – especially not a Sanderson book. Regardless of what you call it, it’s another absolute must read from Sanderson.

Explained a lot! I love Sanderson's worlds, writing, the HUGE novels, and these little nuggets. I wish I would have read it sooner. I jumped into the Cosmere with the Stormlight Archive - not even sure how I stumbled on "The Way of Kings," but I got hooked on his writing. Friends told me about the Mistborn series as I was ordering book 7, I saw this pop up as a recommendation. So glad I found this,

In pieno stile Sanderson getta luce su una serie di avvenimenti misteriosi della prima trilogia Mistborn. Non si può non leggerlo (dopo aver letto la trilogia). Lo consiglio a tutti.

D'habitude j'aime énormément tout ce que fait Brandon Sanderson. Là, je ne suis pas convaincue. C'est la fin de la première trilogie vue par les yeux de Kelshier, qui n'a plus de corps physique mais dont l'esprit continue à survivre puisqu'il refuse obstinément de rejoindre l'au-delà. L'écriture reste honnête bien sûr mais cette histoire de lutte entre les Dieux n'est pas vraiment parvenue à me passionner. Il y a peu de dialogues, c'est la narration qui prédomine et finit par lasser. Si vous souhaitez quand même tenter la lecture, il est indispensable d'avoir lu au minimum la première trilogie en entier puisque ce roman en dévoile la fin. Mais je dirais que cette histoire n'est pas indispensable, même pour ceux qui comme moi apprécient grandement l'univers de Mistborn.

Brandons Empfehlung: erst nach den Bändern der Trauer lesen kann ich bestätigen- wieder wird man in ein unglaublich atmosphärisches Erlebnis mitgenommen . Die Szenen die er beschreibt ziehen einen in den Bann besonders wenn man in den Romanen davor immer auf Situationen getroffen , die anscheinend ein Geheimnis bargen.

Although this is an optional novella, please do.yourself a favour and read this if you love the mistborn series. I highly recommend reading it after "The Bands of Mourning", though it can be read after first era.

Excelente historia para explicar cabos sueltos de la saga de mistborn sientes fan y ya leíste todos los libros no puedes dejar pasar este título