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Mistborn cover art

Mistborn

By: Brandon Sanderson
Narrated by: Michael Kramer
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Summary

A thousand years ago evil came to the land and has ruled with an iron hand ever since. The sun shines fitfully under clouds of ash that float down endlessly from the constant eruption of volcanoes. A dark lord rules through the aristocratic families, and ordinary folk are condemned to lives in servitude, sold as goods, labouring in the ash fields. But now a troublemaker has arrived, and there is rumour of revolt. A revolt that depends on criminal that no-one can trust and a young girl who must master Allomancy - the magic that lies in all metals.

©2009 Dragonsteel Entertainment LLC (P)2011 Orion Publishing Group Limited

What listeners say about Mistborn

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantasy isn't my usual genre, but ...

Straight off, I'll admit that I'm not a reader of fantasy novels. I'm not averse to them, but they never leap out at me and make me choose them over a good biography, historical naval adventure, or the occasional bit of sci fi. However, on this occasion I just saw it, and thought that I should give it a whirl for a bit of a change. I have no regrets with the decision.
Whilst this is quite a long book, the story moves at a good pace, never dragging and never racing too fast; it is well written, not prose bordering on the poetic, like Mr Rushdie, but pefect for the tale being told. Whilst not wanting to reveal story details, it is very reminiscent of Frank Herbert's Dune in the depth of world that has been created and the politcal grounding of the story (don't worry, the book is not a political statement - such books are not my cup of tea). Yes, I have to admit that some of the characters are thinly fleshed out; however, from vast experience of reading books which are praised for the depth and detail of all of the characters, I think that it is a good sacrefice for stary telling tempo.
After listening to this book, I would imagine that Mr Sanderson is well on his way to being considered as a master of his genre, should he not already be considered so, and I imagine that the film rights to this book have already been bought.
If you have found that yourselves feeling the need for a change of style, then I highly recommend this book as your metaphoric sorbet to cleanse your literary palate.

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113 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Turned out to be good :)

As with all my choices ATM I chose this book in the hope that it would help me quell my frustration at having to wait for Patrick Rothfuss to finnish his Kingkiller trilogy!
To be very honest it took a good 4hrs of listening and patience to stick with the story, to understand the setting and to get to know the characters. I'm glad that I didn't give up. The book delivered and its a very good listen. I've gone on to listen to listen to book 2 and about to download book 3. I'm now very attached to the characters and can't wait to see how it all ends, it's much better to listen to the trilogy in succession rather than have to wait years.

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65 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

An excellent story with a unique magic system

How Brandon Sanderson can write so many novels within so many series within such a short space of time when it takes the greats like George R R Martin 4-5 years per book is beyond me. On top of that, they are very well written.

Story – 4.5/5

If there is one thing that makes Brandon Sanderson stand out from other fantasy authors, it is his ability to invent a complex and innovative magic system that is easy for the audience to understand. In this case it is allomancy; the power to burn metals inside the body, with each metal providing a particular power. If you favour magic in fantasy stories, Mistborn provides one of the best kinds.

The character developments are also very nice, seeing the main character blossom from a timid, and untrusting child to one of the most powerful allomancers ever born was done gradual enough to make it believable and it kept the story ticking along at a very nice pace. Every one of the characters in the main circle of friends was detailed and likeable – which makes a huge change from most stories, where there is always an irritating character or two.

Although this story is part of a trilogy, it is excellent enough as a standalone novel, so if you don’t want to invest too much time or credits in a series, I would still highly recommend this. Although, I guarantee you will be left wanting more afterwards anyway ;-)

Performance – 4.5/5

Michael Kramer is one of the very best audiobook narrators out there – he portrays sadness, happiness, comedy, action and all other scene types masterfully and he makes the enjoyment of the story far easier than most narrators. His voice acting is also superb. Each character has a subtly distinctive voice, and you will definitely not be confused with who is who in a conversation.

This was my first Michael Kramer audiobook, and I was reluctant at first due to his southern USA accent. I am glad I delved in though, and I urge you all to give him a fair chance. If you are member, it is worth a go, even if you have to return it for a replacement later.

Overall – 4.5/5

Apologies for the star ratings not matching the written review, I am forced to round halves on Audible.

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29 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Captivating in places but clumsy in others...

So let's start with the positive; his concept of a 'magic' system is very intriguing, novel and ultimately very satisfying when coupled with a decent action scene. The storyline and backdrop is also very interesting although the plot and character style seems to change focus at times, something that the author has himself admited in articles I've seen.

I think I'd rate this 3.5 stars if I could. My main criticisms are the very basic writing style plus the lack of gritty detail and descriptive elements. The author constantly uses the same words and phrases over and over again, and seemingly has no hesitation in describing conversations between characters as "she said, then he said, then she said, then he said" etc etc, almost as if his vocabulary is limited.

You often find characters in rooms or settings where nothing is described in detail and the characters themselves aren't particularly 'fleshed out' sufficiently at times. The monotone narration I would rate as poor, which probably compounds the issues I describe above.

With all that said, I did enjoy the book and I now find myself wanting to know what happens in the universe he's created, but without wanting to subject myself to hours of the same boring narrative style. hhhmmmm, what to do.....

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28 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • AJ
  • 21-08-12

Uncomplicated fantasy-lite

I read a lot of fantasy, grew up on the likes of David Eddings, which I loved as a kid, anyone who still loves Eddings will love this. It’s fantasy from the very simple uncomplicated side.

I see 2 types of fantasy, this stuff and the "hard" stuff like Steven Erikson, Joe Abercrombie or George RR Martin. If you lean more towards Erikson & co you will be very very bored by this. That said I'd highly recommend it to anyone who loves the lighter style.

It’s a bit Twilight meets Belgariad... which won't be a bad thing for many. But if you are used to the intrigues of Westeros or trying to figure what the hell is going on in Malazan this will not be your bag.

So it’s sort of 1 star if you are hoping for Abercrombie / Erikson, 4 stars if hoping for Sparhawk. I was hoping for the former.

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27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantasy Fiction that will suprise you....

Well write with excellent characters especially the main Female character. Fantastic and original Magic system that puts this series of books apart from other Fantasy fiction.

Brandon writes very cleanly and I would prefer more gritty detail to spice up the story, but to be honest the story is perfect as is.

I recommend this book, I was surprised at how good it is.

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24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A breath of fresh (albeit misty) air

It's been a while since I saw anyone bring anything new to the genre but Brandon Sanderson has created something unique in this setting, I won't give too much away but he's developed a really creative magic system. Michael Kramer also does a good job with the reading of the book, he adds a little characterisation to the voices of the characters but doesn't overdo it.

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24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant story ruined by the narrator

I love Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series and was very much looking forward to listening to them but Michae Kramer’s voice/accent is incredibly jarring - perfect voice for a detective novel set in America but truly awful for fantasy.

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21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Oliver twist is a girl with amazing powers

A totally new form of magic use, sublime in it's creation fantastic in it's theories and moulded amazingly well into a story of a young street urchin who found in bud then blossoms into a noble woman and a metal burner extraordinaire! One of the most original magical genres used in a great new rendition of the diamond in the rough comes good storyline, with some hideous villains in the shape of the Steel Inquisitors. I would recommend it to anyone and will be reading the sequels.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A Gem

It started slowly and I was not quite sure I had made a good choice. But books often take a few pages to get into. Once I did I couldn't turn it off. This is one of the best fantasies I have read in a long time and I cannot wait to start the next. It is the usual mix of good versus evil with strong characterisation and almost believable magic. A really enjoyable read.

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17 people found this helpful