Secret History

I'm very happy to return to the world of Mistborn, especially that of the first era. That said, this book largely fills in details between events that you already knew, or had guessed at. Even in the author notes, Sanderson acknowledges that this book could have read like a set of footnotes. For me, it allows us to reconnect with loved characters while trudging along a narrative that is just okay... There are tantalizing hints behind the further secrets of Mistborn, writing out that which could be analyzed from the Wax and Wayne novels.

But who am I kidding - if you're thinking about reading Mistborn 3.5, there's no way to keep you from reading it. I personally think the spoilers are sufficient that you should wait until you've finished Bands of Mourning (Mistborn 6).

I spent most of the Wax and Wayne trilogy not believing in Kelsier's survival, and believe that spoiler is worth hiding. I also think there's a lot of stuff about how Era 2 develops (Spook being the Lord Mistborn, for example) that is instantly spoiled. Those things are fun, because I thought Elend somehow survived. On the bright side, the whole Cognitive realm, the introduction of the Ire, the various characters like the Wanderer... these were really interesting and worth the investment of time. That and seeing Ati / Ruin and Vax / Preservation at their finest... If there's any complaint, it's that the novel doesn't stand on its own and I see no reason why anyone would re-read. But I love Kelsier, Vin, Elend etc. too much to give anything less but 4 stars for a return to their world.

Time to Read: 2 hours 45 minutes

Rating: 9/10

I loved this story. I could go on about how fascinating all the little worldbuilding details that connect to other cosmere stuff is, along with how strong Kelsier's characterization is during every second of this novella (such as him immediately punching god after death), how little connections to the amazing mistborn trilogy such as Lord Ruler's perfect characterization as he goes into the Beyond after a millennia of fighting, or how this whole story was foreshadowed in the original Mistborn trilogy. But there are 2 main reasons I loved this so much.

1. The wider Cosmere implications/explanations. I loved seeing explicit explanations of what exactly is going on with the different Gods and planets throughout the Cosmere with the 16 people that ascended after killing God.

2. Kelsier saying goodbye to Vin got me hella emotional. I didn't cry but I almost felt like tearing up at seeing their final interaction. Hit me right in the feeeeeels mannnnnnnnnnn.

Compared to other Cosmere novella's, it's my favorite no question. Emperor's Soul is probably more impressive as a short story because it's a well written stand alone while this builds off of like, the most important story in the entire Cosmere besides maybe the stormlight archive, but you know... Kelsier and Vin goodbye and Cosmere lore...

2022 Mistborn Re-read:

They sat there together. Two friends at the edge of the world, at the end and start of time.

This little novella packs a punch and is not only integral to the Mistborn story but the Cosmere as a whole.

2018 Mistborn Re-read: This story is bigger and more significant than I remembered.

Worth the time to read and learn more about the Cosmere.

Original read
"The Shards," Khriss said, drawing Kelsier's attention, "are not God, but they are pieces of God. Ruin, Preservation, Autonomy, Cultivation, Devotion...There are sixteen of them."

It meant age, and he had a sudden impression of a strange symbol made from four dots and some lines that curved, like ripples in a river.

I, incorrectly, have been avoiding reading Sanderson's novellas. I thought the novellas would be one off stories where there was no connection to anything and, in the end, how good can a novella be?

I was wrong.

Whatever preconceived notions I had about novellas, especially ones that are set in Sanderson's Cosmere, were incorrect. After finishing "Bands of Mourning" there was an afterword from Sanderson who wrote about there being another secret and encouraged readers to give "Mistborn: Secret History" a read. I wanted to read more Mistborn so I decided to go against my judgement and give the novella a read, and it was incredible.

If you feel the way I do about novellas then let me assure you this works to fill in some of the holes of the original Mistborn trilogy, touches on some events in "Bands of Mourning" and, for me at least, began making connections to Elantris and Stormlight Archive. "Secret History" is a great Mistborn read, it is important to the story but would have been difficult to write in originally, so splitting it off was a great choice. You are brought back to Kelsier's death and are shown events you have already seen, but you now view them in a different light. It would be best to read this after you completed the original trilogy, otherwise two whole books would be spoiled in the process.

What I didn't expect from this story was the connection it would have to the Cosmere. I enjoy reading Sanderson novels, but I have avoided reading theories, and looking for connections between books over the years I have been a Sanderson fan. It's neat that each story has the same character, but that was never enough for me to dig for more clues. "Secret History" doesn't help answer that question, but what it does is discuss is how the Realms within the Cosmere operate, and subsequently, all other Sanderson novels follow as well. This was a "Cosmere for Idiots" and it got my attention in a big way.

There were some pretty huge revelations for me in the book when Kelsier walked out to the ocean and had a conversation with Khriss. I re-read paragraphs multiple times, was tempted to highlight it all, but instead went for a digital bookmark in my Kindle. For someone who wasn't interested in how everything was connected in the Cosmere before I am now fully on board, and am looking at the other novellas I skipped.