Mistborn

Brandon Sanderson recently released a new novel in the 'Mistborn' series; it's the 7th in the whole series and the 4th (and, I believe Brandon has said, final?) in its era. I read all these a few years back, but had forgotten all but the most high level plot points and the general setting. As is my habit when new entries arise in my favorite series, I have been re-reading them all before jumping into the new one. I plowed right through the first two, but as is also my habit, lost momentum after several weeks of voracious concentration on one particular hobby.

The Mistborn® Saga – The Original Trilogy

The Mistborn® Saga – The Wax & Wayne Series

I'll try to keep this spoiler-free as much as possible, except at the very bottom.

Premise

Mistborn era 1 is a dystopian gothic fantasy series. The author may classify it slightly differently for all I know, but that's how I'd classify it. 1000 years ago, the evil autocratic immortal emperor, known as the Lord Ruler, saved the world, deifing himself in the intervening years. There are two classes of people: the nobility and the skaa (in-world term for peasants). The skaa live in total slavery to the nobility, and face harsh penalties for any infractions. All rebellions in the millenium since the Lord Ruler came to power have been put down, making the skaa despondent and servile. Monsters known as Inquisitors are the Lord Ruler's enforcement arm, and nobility and skaa alike know better than to cross them, because doing so and being caught results in ... brutality, to say the least. The Lord Ruler regularly showcases gory public executions, and any skaa who is not outside to watch is cut down by the Inquisitors, who search out hiders. This series is not for the faint of heart!

Setting

The world of Mistborn is hazy and gloomy. Mists, like a thick fog but worse, come out at night, and the skaa are deathly scared to go outside in them. Even many nobility fear the mists or at least find them uncomfortable. Ash regularly falls from the sky from ashmounts, active volcanos, causing roads and fields to need constant cleanup, and skaa clothing to be in a constant state of filth.

Spoilers below.

!!! SPOILER ALERT !!!

The name of the planet on which the story takes place is called, I believe, Scadrial. It exists in a universe known as the Cosmere, in which many of Sanderson's other novels also take place. There is even one character who appears in all the novels across every Cosmere series. It is unclear how he travels from world to world. I suspect Sanderson will have one big finale at the end of all these series, bringing all the storylines and major characters together. If I am remembering correctly, Sanderson himself has said as much in his short story collection entitled 'Arcanum Unbounded'.