Explore magical world in ‘Mistborn’

Brandon Sanderson's adult fantasy novel "Mistborn: The Final Empire" was first published in 2006 and is the first book in the Mistborn trilogy. To be honest, it took me a while to truly get into it.

This book has been on my to-read list for several years, having heard from friends that it was a great series and that I would love it and want to play the board game afterwards. Because yes, there is also a board game set in the Mistborn world, and yes, I am the type of person who would play said game.

Nevertheless, it wasn't until about halfway through the book that I got hooked. But I did, and I'm extremely excited to read the next two in the series. So, if that's all the recommendation you need, then go on ahead to the Wilson County Public Library (or your own local library) to check out a copy. But if you need more information, then keep reading to find out more.

The Mistborn series takes place in a world called Scadrial in an area called the Final Empire that has been ruled for the last thousand years by the secretive Lord Ruler. It is told mainly from the viewpoint of the two main characters: Kelsier and Vin.

A group of enslaved thieves with magical metal powers attempt to steal a tyrant's treasury of special metal and collapse the economy. It's "Oceans 11" meets "Lord of the Rings," and it's fantastic.

A big draw of this book is the unique magic system. The main type of magic in Scadrial is called Allomancy and involves the magic user or Allomancer swallowing different metals and then "burning" them to create different magical effects.

It can get a tad confusing at times, but there's a handy reference guide in the back of the book. I've read my fair share of fantasy novels, and I've never seen a form of magic based on metal before, so if you're into new and interesting types of magic, this is the book for you.

This is also the book for you if you are a fan of teen heroines who learn to kick butt and overcome fears. This is exactly what I'm looking for in a book, but that's just me. If you're a fan of fast paced, to-the-point prose, then maybe think about looking elsewhere. It's not that the book drags, certainly not that, but the 500-plus page count does put the epic in epic fantasy. But exceptional world building with well thought out plot and character development tend to come with a longer word count.

So, if you find that you too get hooked and must read the rest of the series, then fear not as the Wilson County Public Library has copies of the rest of the books in the series, as well as a number of Sanderson's other works, some of which are set in the same world.

Maria Pruette is a library assistant at the Wilson County Public Library