Welcome to my next stop at the Cosmere, my recap and review of Mistborn: Secret History!
I’ve been working Brandon Sanderson’s vast Cosmere universe. Over the past couple of months I’ve read through Mistborn Era 1. The ending of Hero of Ages affected me so profoundly that I found myself staring at a wall for hours.
I read The Eleventh Metal, — a short story of how Kelsier trained as a Mistborn and heard the rumors of a weapon that can kill Lord Ruler. I know most guides suggest that I dive right into Elantris, Warbreaker or even Trees of Emeral Sea. But I wasn’t quite ready to jump into another 30 hour novel, I read th4ese in audiobook after all, so I opted to read Mistborn: The Secret History.
I’m very glad went right into Secret History. I don’t want there to be any spoilers in this section until I cover the full synopsis below. But going into Secret History blind, I had no idea what to expect, but I got to have closure on my favorite characters and got to spend more time with them. It was lovely to spend 40,000 words with someone I didn’t think I’d spend again, and learning how their story ended satisfied me to no end.
The next part contains spoilers about Mistborn: Secret History. If you don’t want to hear about what happens move on!
I warned you!
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Mistborn: The Secret History Full Recap
“He doesn’t know as much as he thinks,” Preservation whispered. “That is his weakness. The . . . weakness . . . of all clever men”
Brandon Sanderson, Mistborn: Secret History
Mistborn: Secret History is a short story about Kelsier. It tells the story of Kelsier and starts right after Lord Ruler kills him at the end of Mistborn Book 1. The story ends when Sazed, or should I say Harmony, takes the powers of Preservation and Ruin to fix Scadriel.
Kelsier dies and finds himself in a purgatory like dimension named Cognitive Realm. There, he’s greeted by who he perceives to be god but who turns out to be Preservation. Preservation, who created all life in Scadriel greets all souls who die to help them pass to the Beyond. Kelsier being Kelsier first punches Preservation in the face for letting things get this bad. He refuses to move onto the Beyond, and convinces Preservation to let him stay around and names him Fuzz.
Preservation anchors Kelsier as a Cognitive Shadow, a version of his spirit neither dead nor alive and traps him to the Well of Ascension. Kelsier, trapped in the well on months end, dives into the well to find Ruin is trapped in it as well. Having nothing to do but talk to himself, spy on Ruin and watch the Physical Realm Kelsier observes his crew — or what remains of it. He watches Marsh who is now a Steel Inquisitor and Elend who is new Emperor.
Kelsier, stubborn as always, is determined to stop Ruin from ending the world. During his investigation he learns that the only way to stop Ruin is for Vin to keep the power. He also learns that Preservation will die and Ruin will destroy him.
A drifter on a boat made out of a corpse arrives at the Well at some point. They have a fight, and the drifter beats Kelsier and enters the Physical Realm.
Vin and Elend arrive at the well. Preservation appears a well to watch Vin enter the Well of Ascension. Kelsier attempts to get through Vin but cannot manage. It is Kelsier’s genius idea to stab Elend to give Vin the incentive to keep the power. Of course, Vin releases the power anyway and releases Ruin. (Is anyone still traumatized by “I AM FREEE?!” by the way?) Vin releasing the power, also releases Kelsier from the well.
Determined to save the world, Kelsier tries to hatch a plan with his new crewmember Preservation who is fading faster than ever. Preservation, in a moment of clarity, sends Kelsier across the ocean to find allies.
Kelsier, during his journey meet with Khriss and Nazh. They tell him that Preservation and Ruin are not gods, but are shards of a god, one sixteenth each.
Here, Kelsier also discovers that he can no longer use Allomancy and he can create a fire out of log simply by willing it.
Ruin keeps showing up and taunting Kelsier, which obviously makes him want to fight against him even more. Kelsier continues in his journey finding the Ire in a fortress built over the ocean. He also finds out that they’re waiting for Preservation’s death for one of them to absorb his power with the help of an orb. This orb connects the Shard to an individual letting them become it’s Vessel.
Kelsier follows the Ire throughout their journey in the woods, taunting and scaring them into thinking Ruin is following them. They eventually get scared enough that they drop the orb and run allowing Kelsier to steal the orb. Once a con man, always a con man, right?
Kelsier returns to Luthedel and finds the end is here. He travels to Fadrex and finds Vin. He follows her through the roofs mentor and mentee pulling and pushing (sort of) one last time, but he can’t get through to her. However, Kelsier does learn about the spikes and Hemalurgy.
As Preservation, Leras, dies, Kelsier smashes the orb and absorbs Preservation’s power with a promise to hold it for Vin. Leras gives Kelsier one last command, just as he did in the Pits of Hathsin: survive.
Kelsier tries to fight Ruin but fails, realizing he’s still not strong enough. Changing tactics, he travels to Urteau while Ruin’s focus is elsewhere. Here, he reveals himself to Spook, convincing him to remove the spike from his chest freeing him from Ruin’s influence. He then appears in Spook’s dream to get him to deliver Vin a message: trust no one impaled by metal.
As we know, Goradel volunteers to carry the message etched into metal Spook asks to get delivered to Vin in the aftermath of the fire in Urteau. Marsh intervenes at Ruin’s command, killing Goradel and intercepting the message. Kelsier appears to give up hope, but realizes Ruin won’t be complete without the stash of atium.
Kelsier finds Vin who’s fighting Marsh. Ruin gloats that he’s won until Marsh rips out Vin’s earring finally freeing Vin from Ruin’s influence and priming her to take Preservation’s power. We find out that Kelsier resorted the oldest trick in the book, misdirection, and the message had always been intended for Marsh.
Elend gets decapitated by Marsh. Vin, losing her last connection to Scadriel lets go of her tether to the world. She ascends, fights Ruin and kills him while sacrificing herself.
Kelsier meets Elend and Vin in the afterlife. He banters with Elend, then hugs Vin, acknowledging her as the daughter he never had. The three of them watch as Sazed takes up the power of Ruin and Preservation, becoming Harmony.
Kelsier, still refusing to move on, begs Vin to stay with him. Vin and Elend however are ready to move on, and after giving Kelsier his own lesson back about trust and love, Vin says goodbye and moves on.
Kelsier then asks Sazed, Harmony, if there’s a way he can return to life. Harmony says no, but Kelsier remarks that although now basically a god, (or 2/16ths of one), Sazed is a terrible liar.
The story ends with Kelsier appearing to Spook and recruiting him to find out if they can use Hemalurgy for Kelsier to regain a foothold in the Physical Realm.
Mistborn: Secret History Review
Every time I think Brandon Sanderson has made me cry for the last time (I know, right? But we’re all allowed our delusions), I find myself crying yet again.
THERE IS A REASON WHY THIS IS CALLED SECRET HISTORY. After reading this, it makes you look at everything that’s happened in Mistborn Era 1 completely differently.
I went into Mistborn: Secret History knowing nothing. Imagine my surprise when Kelsier finds himself in fucking purgatory of all places. Not only is the man refusing to die—which is not surprising—but his initial reaction to meeting what he perceives to be God is also to punch him in the face, also not surprising. It makes him instantly even more attractive, as if that’s possible. I have issues, I know.
There’s something that really scratches that place in my brain when I get to read what I’d like to call “the curtain being pulled back” content. I didn’t think we’d see Kelsier again, let alone watch him pull off an afterlife heist that basically saves the world.
When it was revealed that Kelsier stabbed Elend, my first reaction was, “Of course it was Kelsier.” He is such a chaos grenade—his intentions are so selfishly selfless, which makes him one of my favorite characters to read about. Because, yes, Kelsier wants to overthrow the Final Empire, but Kelsier also wants to be a religious icon on his way out. As a fellow peacock, I strongly resonate with the urge to do “for the greater good” acts with a flair that elevates one’s own standing.
I adored the stretch of Kelsier basically becoming an afterlife con man, where he spooks thousand-year-old(?) entities into giving up their one shot at becoming gods. I loved that it was Kelsier who tricked Ruin into thinking he won. Of course, the villain counting their wins before they actually have won is a common trope, but I eat it up every time nonetheless.
“Kelsier smiled. Gods, it appeared, could still fall for a classic misdirection con.”
I loved reading more about how Kelsier and Preservation basically orchestrated the entire ending. Preservation saving Kelsier from the Pits… Kelsier holding the power until Vin was ready… Kelsier trusting that his brother was the better man one last time. Seeing his con man powers from the Beyond was an unexpected treat. I did hold my breath for a second when he took the powers, because above all else, Kelsier is selfish and vain, and for a second, I wasn’t sure if he was going to give the power up.
I kind of wish we got to see Kelsier with Dockson and Clubs when they passed. I would’ve loved to see his interactions with his crew members, but honestly, it’s a realistic outcome that Kelsier would miss out on sentimental moments with his friends while he’s chasing glory.
I also got my wish in that department when Kelsier got to meet with Elend and Vin in the Afterlife. I’m so glad they got to say that final goodbye, especially because I’ve read through the despair and sadness Vin had to go through in The Final Empire after Kelsier’s planned martyrdom.
Kelsier’s pride at finding Vin grown into a confident woman made me feel all the feelings. I ugly sobbed at their goodbye, when Vin tells him about her lesson on love, and how Kelsier still doesn’t get the purpose of all of this. It made a profound impact on me. It would’ve been a neatly tied bow at the top, but instead, it grounded this fantasy story in realism— that not everyone can get that perfectly fashioned happy ending.
And like at the end… Of course, Kelsier refuses to die. It would not be in character for him to move on. But… does that mean he sticks around in Cosmere?
And all of this is before all the lore was dumped on me. Who are the other fourteen Shards? What happens to Sazed/Harmony now? The whole conversation between Khriss and Nazh made it sound like Preservation dying is going to have ripple effects across the Cosmere. What about Kelsier, Spook, and Hemalurgy? WHAT ABOUT THE DRIFTER? The only man(?) to outwit Kelsier?
Everything revealed and drip-fed to me in this book is making me jump right back into the Cosmere, which is exactly what I was hoping it would do!
Did you read Secret History? Did I miss any long-term implications of the lore that’s been shared? Let me know in the comments!
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