The Lost Metal (Mistborn, #7) (2024)

I would like to time travel to 2018 so I can read this book, thanks. Hopefully Donald Drumpf is not president.

Edit: f*ck, I jinxed it.

Edit #2: It’s not even coming out in 2018 anymore 😭

Edit #3: It is now 2019, and there is no new release date. He did say in his State of the Sanderson of 2018 that he was going to try to get back to this so hopefully he’s kept his promise.

Edit #4: The year is 2020 and we are now in the middle of a global pandemic. The world may actually dissolve into chaos before this book is released. Also, everyone please stay home if you’re under quarantine. It’s not just about keeping you safe, but also about keeping others safe.

Edit #5: It's the end of 2020 and thankfully cheeto head is no longer president so that's one good thing that happened. Now I just need this book to release 😩 Also please continue to wear masks around others.

Edit #6: The year is 2021 and we’ve already had white supremacist terrorists attempt a coup on the US Capitol. Now Reddit has decided to f*ck with Wall Street. Let’s see what happens next!

Edit #7: It is now the end of 2021. Sanderson has blessed us with the official release date. 11/15/2022. Save the date in your calendars y’all! And keep wearing your masks so you don’t get the Omicron variant and die before you read the book!

Edit #8: 9 days into the new year and Bob Saget has passed away. One of my fave TV dads is dead. My heart hurts. I need November to come sooner. I need something good in my life. RIP Danny Tanner ❤️

Edit #9: Well, now we know why it took so long to write this lmaoo —> Sanderson’s Secret. Congrats to him for breaking the Kickstarter record. At least there’s some good news during this dark time.

Edit #10: WE HAVE A COVER. ALSO THIS LINE WORRIES ME CAUSE I THINK I REALLY HAVE TO FINISH READING THE STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE NOW: “And Trell isn’t the only factor at play from the larger Cosmere—Marasi is recruited by offworlders with strange abilities who claim their goal is to protect Scadrial…at any cost.” Who are the offworlders????

Edit #11: TODAY IS THE DAY EVERYONE. WE FINALLY MADE IT IT. IT WAS A LONG, HARD JOURNEY BUT WE’RE HERE NOW. YOU CAN BET YOUR ASS I’LL BE READING THIS AS SOON AS I GET HOME FROM WORK. I HOPE YOU GUYS WILL BE JOINING ME.

*Side note: I can’t believe this is my most popular review on Goodreads. It’s just me cracking jokes and laughing at the state of this country. I hope you guys still like this when it becomes an actual review of the book 😂*

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Edit #12: Welp, we have finally made it to the review part of this LOL. It’s been six long years since I wrote this ridiculous post that turned into a timeline of US history somewhat. Now, it’s time to give my actual review of the book. To the people that actually take the time to read this portion, thanks lol. To those who only saw the funny ramblings, that’s cool too.

“You’re the wind. You’re the stars. You are all endless things.”

Minor spoilers below! Major spoilers will be hidden!

Set six years after the events of The Bands of Mourning, Wax is now more politician than lawman. Wayne is an actual constable now and Marasi’s partner. They’ve all had changes in their personal lives. Wax and Steris now have two kids, Max and Tindwyl. Marasi has been dating Allik for a couple of years. And Wayne, unfortunately, is feeling a bit down on account of the fact that MeLaan said she’s going to break up with him soon. Still, there is the problem of the Set and Trell looming over their heads. After a few years of quiet, Marasi now has a solid lead on what they’ve been doing this whole time and a way to catch them. She and Wayne travel to Bilming in the hopes of surprising one of the Set’s smuggling operations. What they discover is so much more than that and Wax is once again called to be Harmony’s sword as he joins them.

I have waited for this book for so damn long. I’m not even sure if I had any expectations for this. I just knew I was going to love it, and I did. There were gunfights and explosions and some of the most extraordinary usage of Allomancy I’ve seen since Mistborn. Wax and Wayne can still kick plenty if ass even if they are older now. New technology is coming and the world is getting more and more dangerous. Wax accidentally creates what is essentially a nuclear bomb and realizes the Set must have too and will use it to destroy Elendel, and he must do whatever it takes to stop it with Wayne’s help. After all of these years, he will once again come face to face with his sister. Except this time, he knows only one of them can live.

Marasi is on her own mini quest. Approached by a secret society who seeks to recruit her, she uncovers something that is equally, if not more, sinister than a bomb to blow up an entire city. We meet several characters who are not of this world and they show her glimpses into the secrets of the Cosmere. They are unique, but also dangerous. Kelsier is their leader, because of course he is. And for some reason, he had one of his members steal back the Bands of Mourning. I don’t trust Daali either. He better not come for Marasi or he’ll have Wax to answer to. Does Kelsier think he can somehow use them to restore his physical body and his Allomancy? I guess we’ll see. Maybe we’ll get another novella? I am happy with how much Marasi has grown. She is no longer within Wax’s shadow and is more or less in charge of Wayne lol. At the very least she keeps him from going too off the rails. She’s happy with her job s a detective, but still yearns to do more, without compromising her morals. I would say she accomplishes that, and then some in this finale. The fact that she chooses to pass on said secret society so she can stay and make the world better in a more tangible, honest way, is true to her character.

We get plenty of introspection from the others as well. Wax still struggles with his identity and place in life. Does he have control over his own life or has he always been led by Harmony? Can he be father, and politician, and lawman all in one? Is it possible to balance all of that? Steris is coming into her own as well and her perpetual preparedness comes in real handy back in Elendel. She wrangles the governor, and is in charge of evacuations when things are clearly going south. She’s not just Wax’s wife, but someone who has her own talent and is damn good at it. The fact that she breaks out of her anxious shell to do all of this makes it even better. Wayne is struggling. He’s filthy rich after accidentally making some good investments lol, one of which is turning noseball (AKA baseball) into a sport. But he’s struggling with his own idea of self-worth, especially since MeLaan has decided to end things and literally leave for space. He’s still unable to forgive himself for his past and is in a dark place during most of the book. The way he talked about himself hurt my heart since he’s my fave. He has a hard time believing he’s a hero too. Harmony himself seems to be going through some things. It’s very reminiscent to how Preservation was slowly deteriorating in Mistborn: Secret History. I am very worried for Sazed and what will come in the new era.

This book also brought me great pain, like I knew it would. Going into this I knew someone had to die. They had gotten off too easy in the previous books. Someone I loved had to die and I thought I was prepared for it. Turns out I wasn’t. Because of course it’s Wayne. It’s always my favorite f*cking characters that die. I would have been ok if it had been Marasi, but hell, Wayne? Not my homie. He spends the whole book depressed and truly feels he is worthless. He can never be the hero because of what he had done and who he used to be. Of course that’s not true, and I’m glad he realized that in the end. He decides to be the hero and sacrifice himself to a fiery explosion before the bomb reaches Elendel. And I cried like a baby. A huge part of me hates it. I will always hate it because he deserved better. He deserved to live his life completely and maybe find someone else and he happy with them. And now all I can think about is the fact that Max will barely remember his uncle and Tindwyl won’t have any memories of him at all. MeLaan found out while in space and clearly loved him despite what she told him when she left. Marasi’s denial at first also hurt. Poor Wax losing yet another person he loved. The poor man needs a break. Wayne’s will cracked me up at least. I knew he’d leave most of his money to the girl and the fact that he used the rest of it to build a bigger shop for Ranette and f*ck around with Wax and leave him random stuff for the foreseeable future cracks me up. I’m so glad they built him a statue right by Vin’s and Elend’s. My man deserves it. I don’t think I’m going to get over this any time soon.

I’m sad to see this era go. When I first started this I was kinda disappointed that I wouldn’t get any of my faves, but I love these characters so much now. From Wax and Wayne’s partnership to Wax and Steris’ romance. Wayne and MeLaan’s banter and eventual romance (who I missed terribly in the book). Marasi finding love with Allik and coming into her own as a woman. They all did some amazing growth in here. A lot of which was forgiving themselves for their pasts and allowing themselves to move on for the sake of their loved ones. I’m going to miss everyone, truly. Wayne especially. Their dynamic was something else.

I hope I don’t have to wait another six years for Era Three lol. I don’t think I can handle another wait that long. If it comes to that I think I’ll cry and write another unhinged time capsule of the sad state of this country lmao. If you’ve made it this far, below you will find a lot of my favorite quotes.

“City folk, particularly politicians, were intimidated by small arms. They preferred to kill people with more modern weapons, like poverty and despair.” - Wayne

“Don’t leave a paper trail detailing your corruption when your political opponent is a trained detective. Idiot.”

“. . . so far there had beeen no greater test of his faith in humanity—serial killers included—than working with politicians.” - Wax

“Tense diplomatic situations were not impressed by the presence of a five-year-old. But it could have been worse—he could have brought Wayne instead.” - Wax

“People are elastic. We can keep reshaping ourselves. And if we’re not quite the same as before, well, that’s good. It means we can grow.” - Wax

“This was a seriously fancy place; you could tell by their contempt for their customers.” - Wayne

“Her heart was no expert in what she couldn’t do. It only knew what she had and hadn’t done.” - Steris

“I’m glad you walked out of the stories and into my life. I’d rather have a friend than a legend.” - Marasi

“He couldn’t see anything familial in [Telsin]. Familiar, yes. But whatever he had loved was long gone, ripped out and replaced with expansions of the parts of her he’d always hated.”

“He wasn’t merely fighting Wayne the amiable miscreant. He was fighting Wayne Terrisborn, filthy rich snob with way,

“You’re meant to be helping people.” - Wayne

“She knew she wouldn’t see him again. But this? She’d wanted him to find someone else. For his own good. And if she was being honest, for her own good. Because he made her forget what she was. Because with him the world was too interesting, and that made her forget what was smart.” - MeLaan

ARC provided by the publisher—Gollancz—in exchange for an honest review.

My god... The Lost Metal was an explosive and stunning conclusion to Mistborn: Wax and Wayne series. Sanderson has delivered another tremendous finishing volume in The Mistborn Saga, reinforcing my excitement for future Cosmere books.

I honestly have no idea where to begin here. The Lost Metal was my most anticipated books of 2022. But personally, this book release goes beyond that for me. Many of you most likely know already that the first Mistborn Trilogy was the series that made me fall in love with reading fantasy novels. On top of that, it felt surreal to be finished reading The Lost Metal. For the past six years, the three books sitting the longest on my TBR pile have always been The Thorn of Emberlain by Scott Lynch, then Doors of Stone by Patrick Rothfuss, and The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson. Yes, against all odds, one of these books that felt like myths have finally been released and read by me. My expectations were understandably so high. I am fully caught up with every Cosmere novel and title. I even did a full reread of the entire Mistborn Saga, starting from Mistborn: The Final Empire up to The Bands of Mourning, in preparation for The Lost Metal. And Brandon Sanderson, once again and to no surprise, exceeded my expectations in many ways with The Lost Metal. He proved himself, again, why he continues to become one of my favorite authors of all time.

Writing a spoiler-free review for The Lost Metal is not an easy task, to say the least, for me. Sanderson has mentioned for a while now that The Lost Metal will be THE book in the entire Cosmere (so far) that features the biggest Cosmere crossovers and connections yet. And he's not joking about this. Even the main plot in The Lost Metal involves characters and beings from other worlds and series beyond Scadrial, the world where Mistborn Saga take place. This review will be as spoiler-free as possible, but I will mention a few terms and organizations from other series here. This is unavoidable. We're almost halfway through the Cosmere timelines so far. Sanderson and his grand vision can't wait for readers to catch up to reading his books. And to be fair, it has been sixteen years since Mistborn: The Final Empire was first released. No spoiler for Mistborn Saga in this review, but I sincerely hope you're familiar with the Cosmere before reading this review or even The Lost Metal. With that in mind, first, let me answer the three most frequently asked questions in this review. I assume these are what most readers are interested in anyway.

1.Did The Lost Metal spoil other books/series in Cosmere beyond Mistborn Saga? Mostly no. But yes, there is one that I (personally speaking, you might not agree) consider a spoiler for The Stormlight Archive. Ghostbloods is a major organization in The Stormlight Archive. Knowing its existence from reading The Lost Metal is not too much of a big deal. However, reading The Lost Metal will give away the identity of the leader behind Ghostbloods. In The Stormlight Archive, this was not revealed until the end of Rhythm of War. Speaking of spoilers, if you're reading The Lost Metal in an ebook format like I did, I think it would be wise to skip reading the table of content. It doesn't take a genius to predict a major event in The Lost Metal from the table of content.

2.Which books should I read before reading The Lost Metal? This is a trickier question than it sounds. Cosmere is now interconnected so deeply, and sooner or later, you will miss plenty of connections or get spoiled if you decide to skip an installment or two. Some call this a chore; I call it a charm. But just in case, I will put a spoiler tag here on which books I think you should read to enhance your enjoyment of The Lost Metal. It goes without saying that you should read every book in Mistborn Saga first, and this includes Mistborn: Secret History. These are a MUST before reading The Lost Metal. But I think you should also read Elantris, The Emperor's Soul, The Stormlight Archive, and if you have time, The White Sand graphic novels.. Once again, these are NOT mandatory. Reading every book in The Mistborn Saga should suffice, but personally, I would have been lost or confused in plenty of sections in The Lost Metal if I didn't read the books I mentioned before reading The Lost Metal.

3.Was The Lost Metal worth the six years wait? Absolutely yes.

Similar to the publication time gap between The Bands of Mourning and The Lost Metal, the story in The Lost Metal begins six years after the end of The Bands of Mourning. The hunt for the shadowy organization, the Set, continues once more. And after Wax discovers and confirmed a new type of bomb that can unleash an unprecedented level of destruction is in the Set's possession, he realizes he must once more take on the role of Harmony’s Sword, together with Wayne, Marasi, and Steris. Especially after hearing Harmony's immortal agent inform that Harmony's power is somehow blocked in Bilming. As I mentioned earlier in this review, one of the conflicts of The Lost Metal involves offworlders beyond Scadrial, both protagonists and antagonists. And as a Mistborn and Cosmere fan, I will say this: I loved reading the non-stop race against time in The Lost Metal. The Lost Metal is filled with an engaging plot, empathizing characterizations, and ambitious world-building. The themes of politics, justice, responsibility, forgiveness, individualism, science, love, friendship and redemption were written and compounded magnificently. No page in The Lost Metal felt redundant to me, especially if you are caught up with all the books in Cosmere, and everything eventually reached an incredibly satisfying conclusion.

It was a time of ashfalls and tyrants in The Hero of Ages. Drowned by the cloud of darkness, the power of an evil god, and surrounded by charred bodies, a new myth, legend, and group of heroes were forged. And the characters and story in the first trilogy became the foundational lore for the entire Mistborn: Wax and Wayne. Willingly or not, the events in The Lost Metal will traject the main characters of the second era of Mistborn Saga toward a similar path. They're guaranteed to become legends in the third era of Mistborn Saga, which, if all goes according to plan, will have its first installment might begin in the year 2025 or 2026.

I always appreciate when an author succeeds at making every book, including the final installment, in their series imbued with substantial character development. Sanderson's quality of writing has improved so much since The Bands of Mourning, and I think this is reflected most in the character's development and world-building. Believe me, this is saying a LOT considering that I have always loved Sanderson's storytelling style. I just reread the entire Mistborn Saga up to The Lost Metal, and it's easy to notice the steady increase in storytelling skills. I guess this shouldn't come as a surprise. The Lost Metal aside, in the past six years, Sanderson also wrote Oathbringer, Dawnshard, Rhythm of War, Skyward, Starsight, Cytonic, three Skyward Flight novellas, and four secret novels project. And I'm pretty sure there is more. If someone told me back then, after I finished the first Mistborn Trilogy, that I would love the main characters in Mistborn: Wax and Wayne as much as the main characters in the first Mistborn Trilogy, I would've immediately dismissed the notion. But The Lost Metal certainly proved me wrong.

Wax, Wayne, Marasi, and Steris (starting from The Bands of Mourning) are the core characters of Mistborn: Wax and Wayne. But even then, it is easy to say that Wax has received the most spotlight and development throughout the series up to The Lost Metal. Steris did not become one of my favorite heroines of all time until The Bands of Mourning. There isn't much more room for Wax and Steris to develop as characters and a couple, but I'm gratified to read about their relationship development. The slow-burn romance building and realization of how much they grew to care about each other were well-written throughout the series. And I think it is safe to say I've come to love Wax and Steris as much as I love the relationship between Vin and Elend, even if it's for different reasons. Wax and Steris have the most mature relationship out of all of Sanderson's couples in the Cosmere. The way they complement and support each other while acknowledging each other's strengths and weaknesses were inspiring. And even if there weren't too many scenes in The Lost Metal to showcase this, every interaction and fond thought they had effectively displayed it.

But of course, the series wouldn't be titled Mistborn: Wax and Wayne without the duo and bromance of... well, Wax and Wayne. Wax and Wayne have often been one of my favorite duos of all time in fantasy, and The Lost Metal has highly cemented their position in my rank. The sense of trust and understanding Wax and Wayne have toward one another and how they constantly lift each other up when their partner is down were palpable, heartwarming, and entertaining in equal measure. I'm confident readers will be satisfied with the end of their journey, like I did. And speaking of Wayne... Wayne is one of the two characters that developed the most in The Lost Metal. It was unbelievable. Look, I liked Wayne. As I said, I've continuously loved the Wax and Wayne duo. But Wayne has always been... Wayne. Yes, we saw him hide his pain and regret behind his jokes and happy-go-lucky attitude in the previous books. However, we finally really see the maximum depth and complexity of his character and personality in The Lost Metal. Now that we're at the end of the series, I have to say that if I have to choose, I will have to say I love Wayne more than Wax as an individual.

“You are whatever you want to be, Wayne. You’re the wind. You’re the stars. You are all endless things.”

There is one more main character that developed the most in The Lost Metal other than Wayne: Marasi Colms. Marasi, to me, felt like an integral character overshadowed by the presence of the other characters in the previous books. Sure she has some moments in the spotlight, but relatively, they were repeatedly too short to remember. When I reread Mistborn: Wax and Wayne, I forgot most of her actions and roles in the series. Fortunately, this situation has been fixed thoroughly in The Lost Metal. The new duo of Marasi and Wayne was so good, and I can't go into details on this. But Marasi, together with other characters from other worlds and series, played an irreplaceable role in the plot of The Lost Metal. And I had a blast every moment of reading her POV chapters here. I have no doubt Cosmere fans will feel the same as I did.

Alright, let's talk a bit about Worldhopper characters. If you're a Cosmere fan like me, it's hard to imagine the possibility of the Worldhopper characters and their magic's existence in this book not becoming one of the highlights for you. It unquestionably was for me. Again, no spoilers on their identity, but there were at least eight Worldhopper characters from other worlds (mostly Sel) and series in this book. Most of these appearances and scenes are texts you should RAFO for yourself. I will, however, mention I am in awe of every scene involving two dominant Worldhoppers in The Lost Metal: Moonlight and TwinSoul. Moonlight (No, I will not tell you her identity) is one of my favorite characters in the entire Cosmere. Assuming that I'm not wrong, though. To see her appearing in The Lost Metal, exhibiting her magic system and playing a role in the story, made my heart soar with glee and excitement. I did not expect it at all, and it was a truly welcome surprise. And then there is TwinSoul, who I believe to be a completely new character in the Cosmere. Sanderson mentioned in the author's note at the beginning of the book:

"I would like to extend a special thanks to my good friends Kalyani and Rahul, longtime beta readers, who have been encouraging me for years to look into Indian mythology and lore for inspiration for fantasy storytelling. They provided excellent consultation in this book on a certain character who the three of us worked on together to try to expand the Cosmere a little bit in this direction."

And this is where TwinSoul comes in. You heard that right. Indian lore and mythology now have a place in the Cosmere, and the results of this inclusion that I witnessed here were bloody outstanding and memorable. Seriously, Moonlight and TwinSoul, for lack of better words, were so damn cool and awesome. Simple as that.

I don't think it is far-fetched to call The Lost Metal the Cosmere volume equivalent of MCU Avengers: Infinity War. Remember, this is the final book in the second era Mistborn Saga. That fact, plus the high quantity of Cosmere crossovers and magic systems in The Lost Metal, summoned one of the best Sanderlanche so far. From my perspective, almost the entirety of the second half of The Lost Metal counts as the Sanderlanche portion. It was more or less 200 pages of action scenes with brief respites. Terrible forces are moving in the Cosmere, and the stakes of the imminent devastation the characters need to prevent were the most dangerous and epic in scope out of all the books in Mistborn: Wax and Wayne. It has been two years since I read Rhythm of War, and I have missed my time of reading a new pulse-pounding Sanderlanche sequence full of carnage, peril, explosions, and emotions. As scenes dissolve into crystal-clear vivid imagery, I was once again reminded why I never fail to think of Sanderson as one of the best authors in crafting memorably superlative climax sequences in epic fantasy.

Magic systems from other series and massive Cosmere implications aside, The Lost Metal successfully made me more eager for the future of Mistborn Saga. Scadrial continues to be one of my favorite worlds in fantasy. I may not love it as much as Roshar, but it is still one of my cherished worlds in the genre, and it is undoubtedly one of the most special ones for me. With the arrival of new metals, the evolution and combination of allomancy, feruchemy, and hemalurgy ceaselessly keep the magic system, actions, and world-building in Scardrial mesmerizing. Also, one of my favorite factors of reading Sanderson's book is the function of advancing technologies and science in his world. But this was never done at the expense of forgetting the core history of each respective world in Cosmere. In Mistborn: Wax and Wayne, Sanderson constantly relates to the events of the first Mistborn trilogy while at the same time showing how technologies and science believably transform the world of Scadrial. Based on what I've read here, it is more possible than not that the next era of Mistborn Saga will be more superb, intricate, and mind-blowing.

Let's end this review, shall we? The Lost Metal is a spectacular and explosive ending to Mistborn: Wax and Wayne series. It is a half Mistborn half Cosmere crossovers novel. Though a finale is relatively rare in his career, with The Hero of Ages and The Lost Metal, Sanderson proved how great he is at writing a concluding volume in the Cosmere. And this quantity won't stay this way for long. We will have the conclusion to Skyward series next year and then the conclusion to The Stormlight Archive Part 1 the year after. I feel blessed to partake in this decades-long Cosmere adventure. And without a doubt, The Lost Metal is my second favorite Mistborn installment in the entire Mistborn Saga, up there with Mistborn: The Final Empire, just slightly below The Hero of Ages which I'm completely biased on. Thank you so much, Brandon Sanderson, for producing another exceptional novel and concluding book in The Mistborn Saga and The Cosmere. I am equally rewarded and brimming with questions and theories. I am looking forward to reading the third era of the saga whenever it's ready. Until then, to all of you reading this review. If there is one message from the book and series we should remember, I think it is this: be kind.

“You’re meant to be helping people.”

Series Review:

The Alloy of Law:

Mistborn: Wax and Wayne: 19/20 stars

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Oh no Brandon...what are you doing?!?!

This is a very frustrating review to have to write. I'm a BIG Brandon Sanderson fan - with many of my all time favorite books being written by him, I consider him one of my top 5 favorite authors of all time. And while I haven't been in love with the Mistborn: Era 2 books thus far, they have all been passable. This one however, for me, was absolutely atrocious from beginning to end.

First, I absolutely loathe Wayne - who is a main character that is featured on a large number of pages here. His entire character is written to be funny, and with humor being as subjective as it is, for me personally his humor fails to hit the mark. The "funny" Sanderson characters tend to follow a similar arc where they are more silly than outright funny, but Wayne is almost like a caricature of that with how over the top he is. A younger me would have been a bigger fan of his, but the type of humor I enjoy has changed over time and sadly that no longer appeals to me.

I'm frustrated with the overall structure of this book. Most Sanderson books follow a similar arc where they are decently written from a writing style perspective, but end up being absolutely wonderful due to the wonderful worldbuilding, magic systems, and most importantly - his expert usage of twists. There was no twist in this book, and the book massively suffered as a result.

What we were left with was a rather mediocre thriller book, and if that is what I wanted to read I would just go pick up a Tom Clancy book and read something great. But Sanderson isn't an amazing thriller writer, and it really showed here.

The main villain has inexplicably switched to a new person after 3 books to a brand new villain in the 4th book. It feels shoehorned in, and has a severe lack of character development and felt very rushed. That is never a good strategy to use as an author, and weakens the overall plot of the entire series by making it feel extremely disjointed.

The beginning of this book contained a huge number of info dumps, something that is not normally a Sanderson style, and ends up feeling very strange and out of place. I could understand it a bit more in the first book of a series, but we are in the 4th and final book and the time for that has come and gone a long time ago.

My main problem with this book however is the extreme usage of Cosmere references. And I am left feeling like the Cosmere as a whole is suffering as a result. Every other page feels "cosmere" this, and "investiture" that, and what went from a very mellow sprinkling in previous Cosmere books turned into the central feature of this book. I get why many people, if not most, will love this aspect of the book - but what made me love the Stormlight books was the subtle nature to the Cosmere references. It felt like a secret you were being let in on, and that most readers just didn't catch onto - it has some mystery to it and left you wanting more. Now it's over the top and feels like a very poor direction for the Cosmere books to go. I'm not even sure previous book said the word Cosmere more than once or twice, but it's used many dozens of times and feels out of place.

There is a huge amount of deus ex amchina now implemented due to the extreme Cosmere tie ins, and it cheapens the thrill here when characters can come in and solve problems using powers that are only relevant in other books on other words. It ends up not really feeling like a mistborn book.

If you read "Mistborn: Secret History" you will know that a certain character is heavily featured here, and I absolutely hated that reveal. It cheapened the fate of this character and felt like it was being way too cute. That character now is featured, and I hate the direction that this took. Not only that, but the reveal of this character in Mistborn: Era 2 was a huge cliffhanger in the 3rd book, with so many questions left lingering that just simply do not get solved here.

Ultimately, with Mistborn Era 1 we had an absolutely amazing ending that tied up the series in a beautiful way - and with Era 2 it ended up feeling like it didn't need to be written. This entire Era could have just been a wiki blurb, or at most a novella, and it would have served its purpose. The ending of Era 2 leaves with pretty much zero plot development and ends up just being a prelude for Era 3.

If you are one of the MANY people who absolutely loved this book, I'm jealous of you and am happy you found enjoyment. But for me personally, I'm left with huge doubts over the future of Mistborn, and major concerns of the future of all Cosmere books.

Wonderful reread via GraphicAudio! 2022: I am not ok. All the freaking stars ⭐️ (and planets) in our universe and the cosmere combined. This novel has been better than I ever dreamed, with even more cosmere crossovers than I dared hope for. As Brandon said, “The gloves are off” – the cosmere is no longer only the background. That said, I’m not sure if I would recommend reading this before knowing your cosmere… Stormlight, Elantris, Warbreaker, Emperor‘s Soul, you name it. It even helps to have read the unpublished non-canon Aether of Night.

I would love to hear how people fared who don’t know their cosmere yet, though somehow I doubt The Lost Metal will hook newbies the way it hooks a cosmere veteran. I loved it so much I read through the night. And that’s not just because of the cosmere implications which enthralled me but also because of our beloved characters.

All our viewpoint characters were figuring out their identity. Is Wax a lawman from the Roughs? Harmony’s sword? A father? A politician? Can he find a balance? What is Marasi’s purpose? Is being a policewoman enough for her? Can Steris turn her perceived flaw of obsessive planning into a strength – reminiscent of the talents in Alcatraz? And finally, Wayne. Can he leave his past of killing a man in his youth and the pain that has caused (him) behind?

Of all those journeys our characters embark on, Wayne’s was my favorite. For whatever reason, it spoke to me the most and touched me most deeply. The prologue already prepares you for an even more vulnerable side of Wayne

“I’m good at pretendin‘ to be things I ain‘t, you know? I eventually put together how to feign bein‘ a person who was worth somethin‘. It’s a good lie. Still manage to believe it. . . . Mosta the time.“

We also get to understand why he is drawn to MeLaan so much: “I didn’t think I‘d ever meet someone who understood what it was like to have to be another person most of the time.”

And then there is his funny side, his humorous take on life, which serves as comic relief, that has you cracking a smile.

“I know her,” Marasi said. “She’s a woman of … ill repute.”
“What?” Wayne said. “Who’s been saying that? Jammi has a great reputation. Of all the whor*s on the block, she gives the best –“
“I don’t need to hear the next part. Thank you.”

As much as Sanderson’s characters often are his greatest magic, here, he also balances the mind-blowing cosmere revelations with character arcs and with amazing action scenes. You’d think he’d run out of ways to make allomantic/feruchemical fights interesting, but somehow he manages to find new ways that have you on the edge of your seat.

What’s more, Sanderson has become an even better writer, which I didn’t think possible. Occasionally, there is also a more poetic touch to his prose which I found truly beautiful.

[Wayne’s mother tells him,] “You are whatever you want to be, Wayne. You’re the wind.. You’re the stars. You are all endless things.”

All in all, expectations are a bitch. But here it turns out, you are right to have them. I know I couldn’t have loved this more (except maybe if we’d seen more of Hoid); I will embark on a re-read via audiobook right away.

Anna, BranSanStan.

1: I want a Soonie pup called Tenny. Please, merch department, make it happen.

2: I felt like Wayne‘s speech addressing the guards/watchmen at the end was a nod to Brandon’s favorite author Terry Pratchett‘s and his city watch. Made me smile.

3: Telsin and her reasoning, which boils down to her being an antagonist with an understandable motive, reminds me of Taravangian - minus the hunger for power. Sanderson is so good at creating relatable “villains.”

4: I wonder if the food heists are an homage to Dan Wells and their podcast?

5: At the end of chapter 30, Wayne remarks he had “[a] man‘s whole life“ - as reflected in this man‘s apartment - to figure out who that person was. Is it too far-fetched to think this quotation is an allusion to Malcalm X‘s “A man‘s whole life can be changed by one book“? Probably.

_____________________________

"City folk, particularly politicians, were intimidated by small arms. They preferred to kill people with more modern weapons, like poverty and despair."

It’s a good day to get punched.

How do I make a spoiler-free review of this while holding back everything I feel right now? It would be a daunting task for every reader of The Lost Metal, especially if you’d fallen in love with these amazing characters…

"Wait. Who is Trell and who is Autonomy and who is that on the steps?"

The 5-star rating says a lot but it doesn’t say it all. For one thing, though I gave both five stars, The Lost Metal easily replaced The Bands of Mourning as the best entry of Era 2, and possibly the best of the entire Mistborn series. While Hero of the Ages had a more complex and thrilling plot, I had come to love the characters of the new era a lot more. They all shared a perfect combination of habitability, believability and complexity.

”I’m a bastion of useful information, I am.”

Just to make the review complete, I’ll repeat this line once more, but without much elaboration to keep the review concise: this is world building, character development, magical systems, mystery and adventure at their best, while also nicely complemented by humor and suspense. Once you’ve read The Lost Metal, it would not be surprising to find most other books lacking in at least one of these elements.

Kim: "What do you add to the team?"
Wayne: ”Comic relief. Maybe a little whimsy. Improvisation. Vision.”
Kim: ”You have a broad imagination, then?”
Wayne: ”There are broads in my imagination almost all the time.”

It may have not been that clear going from one entry to the next, but looking all the way back at The Final Empire, Sanderson’s character development has come a long way. True, it was amazing even at that first Mistborn book, but he kept outdoing himself with each book, setting new standards for what is accepted as perfect.

”It’s hard to know what you want. We never have all the information. We merely have to do what we can with what we have.”

Making an ending realistic always comes with the conundrum of dishing out a balanced amount of happiness and disappointment. Though I wanted to say I hated the way few things ended, it would not have left such a profound impact had it been handled differently. I’ll stop at saying that the author gave us a beautiful ending.

”It was hard to tell with Wayne. At times he seemed deeply insightful. He inevitably ruined that.
”

As I mentioned before, this was a tough review to write… It was a shocking ending, which took me quite a bit of time to recover and get my thoughts in order. So, I’m keeping this review as a work in progress, and hoping to give it a much better revision during a future re-read.

"You are whatever you want to be, Wayne. You’re the wind. You’re the stars. You are all endless things."

And so ends what had been a remarkable Era 2… It is obviously heartbreaking, having to say goodbye to all these wonderful characters, but the prospect of anticipating an even better era 3 makes up for it, at least a little.

Farewell, my friend. You incredible rusting man. Thank you.

With that, he stretched into another palace, into another time. He stretched into the wind. And also into the stars. And all endless things.

“What’s harder, love?” she asked. “Doing what’s right or doing what’s wrong?”
“Doing what’s right.”
“So who gets stronger?” Ma asked. “The fellow what does the easy thing, or what does the hard thing?”

“The Lost Metal” is the fourth and final book in the Mistborn: Wax and Wayne series, best known as Era 2 of the Mistborn Saga. This was a blockbuster. This book was a sanderlanche from beginning to end with surprises left and right and what an ending.

Six years have passed since the events of “The Bands of Mourning” and Waxillium Ladrian has laid down his coat and gun to take up the pen. Now Senator, he spends most of his time fighting off laws that threaten war between Elendel and the Outer cities as well as trying to prevent another war between the Basin and the Malwish in the South. Steris, now Lady Ladrian, uses her expertise in organisation to manage the household and find evidence and clues to aid the prevention of war.

Marasi and Wayne have been partners for the past six years. As Steris and Wax deal with the politics, the two of them have been hunting down any leads to the activities of the Set. The people kidnapped in the first book have never been found and now stockpiles of weapons have been found that threaten to add fire to the tensions between Elendel and the Outer cities.

When Wax discovers a potential nuclear disaster in the making, he must once more take up the mantle of Harmony’s sword to fight the battles He can’t. Steris is left as the head of House Ladrian and must overcome her perceived ‘weaknesses’ and aid Elendel in its time of need. Marasi, who feels that she could be doing more, is recruited by a team of offworlders who know more but share less of what they understand of the god Trell, to aid in the protection of Scadrial. And while we’ve seen the characters develop: Wax and Marasi in the first three and Steris in the last book, this was the book dedicated to Wayne’s development.

He sat staring at the door for a long time. He wasn’t wearing a hat, which meant he had to just be himself. The true him, the one that knew this pain. They’d ridden together on many a dusty path. This pain had been his invisible friend since childhood. The pain of knowing what he really was. The pain of being worthless.

Wayne is not having a good time. He really isn’t and it was hard to read. Wayne has always been the comic relief. The one to ease the tension with a crude joke or something outrageously ridiculous. The one to mask his pain with a laugh. So reading him being depressed and forced to feel the pain he’s hidden for so long, made me tear up. He’s been my favourite character from the series, him and Steris, and reading him in pain had me in pain. He has people who love him surrounding him but he’s so used to hiding it away, he never brings it up and with the possible end of his city, there’s too much going on. Luckily, he has his family by his side.

The relationships of this series are some of the best. A certain scene…

“You can’t convict me on a hunch,” Wayne said, folding his arms. “I know my rights. Marasi’s always quoting them to people once we finish beating them up. I get a trial by my peers, I do.”

“Yes,” Steris said, “but where would we find so many slugs on short notice?”

Wayne spun toward her, then—after just a brief pause—grinned widely. Those two were getting along better these days, which Wax enjoyed seeing.

Like I said, this was a Sanderlanche from beginning to end. The events literally take place in a day and it was the most exhausting day they’ve ever had. Also, forget Bands of Mourning, this is the most Cosmere aware book. This was an epic crossover with characters we’ve met from other books and worlds hopping in to save the fate of the planet. The number of times I gasped in surprise when I realised which character was being introduced. Epic. Epic from beginning to end. And some characters, especially one I can't say because spoilers, are sus as hell, not Harmony though. I am a Harmony apologist through and through and I stand by Him lying to a certain character.

The Mistborn Saga is one of my favourite worlds and while I’m sad to be leaving another group behind, I’m excited to move to the next era. I’ve learned so much from this series. About love, about faith, about trust, about discovering one's self. I’m getting so emotional writing this but as Mama Wayne said:

“You’re like the lawman then.”
“Anyone can be,” she said, blowing out the lantern.
“Even me?”
“Especially you.” She kissed him on the forehead. “You are whatever you want to be, Wayne. You’re the wind. You’re the stars. You are all endless things.”

Is this Sanderson’s best writing to date?

The short answer to that question is.. no. But that is not to say that this isn’t a good conclusion. Actually, I really enjoyed this book, but oh boy, there is so much to say. This will be 100% percent spoiler free.

I’ve had quite a rocky relationship with Mistborn Era 2. I read the first two books, Alloy of Law and Shadow of Self, earlier this year and didn’t particularly enjoy them that much. I didn’t think they were terrible, but I didn’t feel very invested, so I took a break from this series. Wait three months, and I am in the mood to give this Era 2 a fair second chance. I started from Alloy of Law again, read that one, and then instantly picked up Shadow of Self and Bands of Mourning, and this time around, I actually really enjoyed it. My expectations were set appropriately when I picked up this series for the second time, and it was like a new reading experience. I started caring for the characters, the plot, the writing style and overall, it was a great reading experience. Not as good as Mistborn Era 1 or anything like that, but nonetheless, worth reading.

So, having gone on this back-and-forth journey with Mistborn Era 2, what did I think about The Lost Metal? This was a fascinating read because I am not caught up with all the books in the cosmere. I have read almost everything in the Cosmere except books 2 to 4 in the Stormlight Archive and Arcanum Unbounded.

Let’s answer the big question. Is this a Cosmere filled book? Are we finally seeing Sanderson starting to pull stuff and worlds together? The answer to that is...YES. I won’t go into specifics, but there are some pretty major cosmere tie-ins, especially in the latter half of this book. Other worlds are mentioned, and more stuff like that, so if you are a HUGE Cosmere fanatic, you will probably love this book. The Lost Metal is an important book for the cosmere. No doubt about it.

And that leads to the other question. Do you have to have read all the cosmere books to enjoy The Lost Metal? The answer to that is...no. While there are many cosmere references, they are not the most important thing about this book. Moreover, you are not supposed to understand all of these references. It is clear that Sanderson is setting up Mistborn Era 3 by hinting at different things

But let’s go a bit more into detail. Let’s talk about why I think this is an excellent book and why I don’t think this is Sanderson’s best work to date.

Firstly, why is it good? Let’s start with the characters.

Sanderson delivers some incredibly satisfying conclusions to these characters’ arcs. This cast of characters you’ve followed on this big journey are coming to the end of this massive conflict, and I think that Sanderson delivers on giving readers a satisfying conclusion to their journey. The characters’ growth, arcs and conclusions are satisfying, which is excellent news.

Secondly, the pacing is spot on. You constantly move between the different POVs, and the short chapters make this feel like a very quick read, But this is actually the longest Mistborn Era 2 book at 500 pages. The plot thickens and has many turns and twists, and the action is almost non-stop.

Thirdly, if you are a cosmere fanatic, you will appreciate this book because there are so many references and tie-ins happening in this book. Fans will make theories and try their best to guess what this book means for the cosmere world going forward, which is always fun.

Fourthly, a bit of different praise, but the epilogue of this book is amazing. Every chapter in this book is, on average, less than ten pages, but the epilogue is 35 pages and split into shorter chapters. After the main event in this book, we get to see the aftermath and how the events in this book have impacted various characters across a period of 2 years! Sanderson brilliantly wraps up some of these characters’ arcs and also sets up a lot of things for Mistborn Era 3 and potentially even Mistborn Era 4.

Fifthly, this book has a phenomenal Sanderson Avalanche or Sanderlanche, as some people call it. Everything comes together at the end, and the last act is filled with incredible character moments, twists and turns, and lots of action. I read the last 120 pages in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down because I needed to know what would happen.

Sixth and lastly, this book wraps up Era 2 really nicely. While reading this series, the first three books might feel a bit episodic. However, this book shows that all the books in this series are incredibly important. Things that happen in Alloy of Law are essential for how the events in The Lost Metal unfold, and I appreciate that.

However, this is not Sanderson’s best work-to-date, and I would even say that this is not even the best Mistborn Era 2 book to date, albeit it is good. So let’s talk about what held this book back from being a 5 out of 5 stars read for me.

The Lost Metal is an excellent book for fans of the cosmere and people that love Mistborn Era 2, but it is not perfect, and here is why. Almost all of Sanderson’s previous series have evident beginnings and ends, and it is usually a very self-contained story. In this one, you have a satisfying conclusion to the main characters’ arcs, but this last book does not feel like a proper, proper conclusion if that makes sense. Sanderson sets up some things that will be important for later series, and to be able to make that happen, Sanderson has to introduce a sub-plot that didn’t feel 100% as it belonged in this book. Some readers might not agree with this point here, but I didn’t feel like the plot was as tight as Shadow of Self and Bands of Mourning.

In conclusion, The Lost Metal has lots of great character moments, excellent pacing and an overall satisfying conclusion. The plot just didn’t feel as tightknit as some of Sanderson’s other books, but overall, I had a wonderful time reading this book.

Thank you to Gollancz for a physical copy in exchange for an honest review!

4 / 5 stars

3.75

My most anticipated read of the year was on its way to becoming my most disappointing.

The Mistborn series is one of my favourites. The Final Empire is still one of the best Fantasy books I've read to date. After being blown away by the original trilogy, I was super excited to get to 2nd Era.
Are they as good as 1st Era? In my opinion, no. Not that they aren't great, but I very much like philosophical themes in books I read, and, even though 2nd Era has its moments, it is not as heavy or thought provoking. Which is fine, because I don't think it was trying to be that. They are light and fun books which I really like. Never really hitting that five star mark for me, but they have consistently been enjoyable reads.
Then the epilogue in Bands of Mourning happened.
So, naturally, I was unbelievably excited for TLM. It seemed to be a big book in the Cosmere.

So why was it almost disappointing? A couple reasons.

For starters, it was slow. I don't mean The Godfather slow, I mean it felt like nothing happened for the first 150 pages. Like, they established what was happening, then there was just a bunch of info-dumps and meaningless character interactions. A lot of things that were explained, that I already knew, and we went over them multiple times. Not something I have ever noticed in a Brandon Sanderson book.
After that, it picked up a little. But at the same time, I found Marasi's POV to bore me. I actually don't like her as a character. In my opinion she is one of, if not, Brandons worst MC. For some reason, she irritates me at times, and is pretty bland. So anytime she was in the story, I always felt like I'd rather be reading about Wax, Wayne or Steris. That might be a me problem honestly, but she was featured a lot in this book.

Usually, Wayne is amazing. He is super funny, but in this book, a lot of his humour was very juvenile and childish, even for him. They sounded like something my little cousin would say, and that made it cringe-y sometimes. Still was funny, but not as much as in previous books.
Steris is awesome, she is probably my favourite female Sanderson character. She's so unique and unlike anything character I've read before.
Wax is cool, if a bit boring. I don't not like him but he certainly isn't a favourite.

So I'm halfway through the book, thinking "Oh man, this so disappointing."

Until the last 150 pages, which is arguably one of the greatest Sanderlanches I've ever read.

I read almost all of it in one siting, I couldn't rip the book away, and every time I did, I just wanted to go right back. The stakes were so high, some of the highest they have ever been in the Mistborn series, and I didn't notice the gravity of the situation until that last 20%. The way Brandon wrote it was incredible, absolutely amazing. Seriously. I'm tempted to just read it again, even though he did something (if you know, you know) that I'm still salty about, but he handled it superbly, to the point where I was kind of happy.

But another disappointment I had was the Cosmere references. I thought they'd be better, honestly. Besides that certain group of people, the others felt pretty pedestrian. I guess that might be what Brandon wanted to do, but I don't know.
And that thing about Secret History didn't really make much a of a big difference in this book. It was a bit of a let down, honestly, how little we saw of that character. I though he would be a bigger plot line.

So now, I can't say I'm too disappointed. There were some things that I didn't love, but do think this is a worthy addition to both Mistborn and the Cosmere. Definitely a must-read for any Cosmere fans, because big things happen in the Epilogue (or, rather, are going to lead to big things).

*STOP HERE UNLESS YOU'VE READ THE LOST METAL*

Okay, I wanna hear everyones opinion; who is Moonlight?