I'm not really someone who reads a lot. Why would I fall in love with a world on paper if there are videogames that emulate that same experience, but with more immersion? Oh boy, I was wrong to think that. Mistborn proved to me that I could adore an experience so much that I read all seven books in two months, and I was hooked so much that I lost sleep for it. As the Cosmere tabletop RPG's Mistborn expansion releases next year, you need to give them all a read. Fortunately, the entire saga (so far) is currently up to 56% off for Cyber Monday.
After finishing the seventh book, I wanted to recapture that magic and stay in the world of Mistborn for as long as possible. There's no sign of a videogame ever coming for it, nor is a movie likely right now, and while there are some board game takes on Mistborn, there aren't enough to stay immersed as Kelsier and his band of misfits. However, while there are some homebrew-style versions of DnD classes for Mistborn fans, the Cosmere RPG has a major expansion coming next year, and now's the time to get ready for it.
The first step is to experience the first Mistborn trilogy. Set in the tantalizingly dark world of Scadrial, with Luthadel's sharp spires watching over the land, it sees a variety of slaves called Skaa under the tyranny of the nobility, most notably the Lord Ruler. As you follow Kelsier, a Mistborn capable of wielding all of the metallic powers (known as Allomancy), and other characters limited to only a single Allomantic power, you'll quickly fall in love with this dark fantasy.
All of the characters are beautifully written, especially Kelsier and Vin. Without spoiling what happens, it's a masterful trilogy that consistently surprises. Between The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, and The Hero of Ages, I don't think I've ever audibly gasped more often in my life. For the time being, the trilogy is just $15.32 / £23.52 at Amazon, and they're all paperback novels, so you're getting the satisfaction of the physical books.
Once again, without spoilers, there's also the equally brilliant Mistborn Era 2, a quadrilogy of novels that - in my opinion - flesh out the world even more and quickly became my favorite era. I wasn't expecting it, but the Wild West-style vibes and glorious characters with Wax and Wayne made it instantly memorable. The fourth and final book, The Lost Metal, was released just three years ago in 2022. About time you did another one, hey, Brando?
If you're hoping to read the Era 2 selection of books, the entire box set of paperbacks is just $49.49 / £32.29 at Amazon. You don't need to read the first trilogy to fall in love with Wax and Wayne's shenanigans, but it's highly recommended, solely because the connections between both eras are both engaging and rewarding. You should read all of it, really.
While there were some gripes we had with the TTRPG based on Sanderson's worlds in our Cosmere RPG review, I'm hopeful that next year's Mistborn expansion will hook me into it, and I'm very excited to give it a try. If you're hoping to experience something just as magical in 2026, read the Mistborn books. I mean it.
If you want some other Cyber Monday deals, make sure to join our Wargamer Discord server for other bargains you need to grab. Or, just join so I finally have someone to discuss the entirety of Mistborn with. That would be nice.