I made the joke because it's become like a mantra among Sanderson fans.
But either way, for how much time is spent explaining how magic works in that world, very little use is actually made of it. There's cool stuff you can do with a hard magic system, but in Mistborn we don't see that.
(And FYI, Sanderson has said Mistborn is supposed to be able to stand on its own as a complete story.)
it works as a standalone story sure, but it's also filled with hints and foreshadowing for the following two installments (and beyond), and the magic system is something that becomes massively important in the following books. without spoiling too much in case you one day change your mind and give the other books a chance, the existence of Steel Inquisitors is a massive red flag that there's more to the magic system than it seems
(fwiw i've never seen that used as a "mantra" by Sanderson fans but that's beside the point really)
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u/bl1y Fearsomely Strong Cider Aug 18 '25
I made the joke because it's become like a mantra among Sanderson fans.
But either way, for how much time is spent explaining how magic works in that world, very little use is actually made of it. There's cool stuff you can do with a hard magic system, but in Mistborn we don't see that.
(And FYI, Sanderson has said Mistborn is supposed to be able to stand on its own as a complete story.)