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Mistborn [Dramatized Adaptation]
Mistborn Collected Tales [Dramatized Adaptation]
This is a compilation of three companion stories to the original Mistborn series.
Spoiler Alert - It is recommended that you listen to the entire MISTBORN Series before listening to these short stories.
Secret History builds upon the characterization, events, and worldbuilding of the original trilogy. Listen to it without that background will be a confusing process at best. In short, this isn’t the place to start your journey into Mistborn. (Though if you have listened to the trilogy—but it has been a while—you should be just fine, so long as you remember the characters and the general plot of the books.) Saying anything more here risks revealing too much. Even knowledge of this story’s existence is, in a way, a spoiler. There’s always another secret.
The Eleventh Metal was written specifically for the Mistborn Adventure Game, a tabletop RPG. Please keep in mind that the story was intended to help a GM bring his players up to speed on the world if they haven’t read the books. There are a few goodies for those who want to know more about Kelsier, but this story is not meant to stand wholly on its own.
Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania is a short story about an adventuring Allomancer as told by him and edited by his Terrisman steward, Handerwym. Handerwym's annotations imply that the narrator is unreliable (prone to exaggeration and ignorance), but we do find out some of information about Koloss society post-Catacendre.
Spoiler Alert - It is recommended that you listen to the entire MISTBORN Series before listening to these short stories.
Secret History builds upon the characterization, events, and worldbuilding of the original trilogy. Listen to it without that background will be a confusing process at best. In short, this isn’t the place to start your journey into Mistborn. (Though if you have listened to the trilogy—but it has been a while—you should be just fine, so long as you remember the characters and the general plot of the books.) Saying anything more here risks revealing too much. Even knowledge of this story’s existence is, in a way, a spoiler. There’s always another secret.
The Eleventh Metal was written specifically for the Mistborn Adventure Game, a tabletop RPG. Please keep in mind that the story was intended to help a GM bring his players up to speed on the world if they haven’t read the books. There are a few goodies for those who want to know more about Kelsier, but this story is not meant to stand wholly on its own.
Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania is a short story about an adventuring Allomancer as told by him and edited by his Terrisman steward, Handerwym. Handerwym's annotations imply that the narrator is unreliable (prone to exaggeration and ignorance), but we do find out some of information about Koloss society post-Catacendre.
Audiobook
Published May 29, 2018
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About the author
Brandon Sanderson
398 books284k followersI’m Brandon Sanderson, and I write stories of the fantastic: fantasy, science fiction, and thrillers.
The release of Wind and Truth in December 2024—the fifth and final book in the first arc of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive series—marks a significant milestone for me. This series is my love letter to the epic fantasy genre, and it’s the type of story I always dreamed epic fantasy could be. Now is a great time to get into the Stormlight Archive since the first arc, which begins with Way of Kings, is complete.
During our crowdfunding campaign for the leatherbound edition of Words of Radiance, I announced a fifth Secret Project called Isles of the Emberdark, which came out in the summer of 2025. Coming December 2025 is Tailored Realities, my non-Cosmere short story collection featuring the new novella Moment Zero.
Defiant, the fourth and final volume of the series that started with Skyward in 2018, came out in November 2023, capping an already book-filled year that saw the releases of all four Secret Projects: Tress of the Emerald Sea, The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and The Sunlit Man. These four books were all initially offered to backers of the #1 Kickstarter campaign of all time.
November 2022 saw the release of The Lost Metal, the seventh volume in the Mistborn saga, and the final volume of the Mistborn Era Two featuring Wax & Wayne. Now that the first arc of the Stormlight Archive is wrapped up, I’ve started writing the third era of Mistborn in 2025.
Most readers have noticed that my adult fantasy novels are in a connected universe called the Cosmere. This includes The Stormlight Archive, both Mistborn series, Elantris, Warbreaker, four of the five Secret Projects, and various novellas, including The Emperor’s Soul, which won a Hugo Award in 2013. In November 2016 all of the existing Cosmere short fiction was released in one volume called Arcanum Unbounded. If you’ve read all of my adult fantasy novels and want to see some behind-the-scenes information, that collection is a must-read.
I also have three YA series: The Rithmatist (currently at one book), The Reckoners (a trilogy beginning with Steelheart), and Skyward. For young readers I also have my humorous series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, which had its final book, Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians, released in 2022. Many of my adult readers enjoy all of those books as well, and many of my YA readers enjoy my adult books, usually starting with Mistborn.
Additionally, I have a few other novellas that are more on the thriller/sci-fi side. These include the three stories in Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds, as well as Perfect State and Snapshot. These two novellas are also featured in 2025’s Tailored Realities. There’s a lot of material to go around!
Good starting places are Mistborn (a.k.a. The Final Empire), Skyward, Steelheart, The Emperor’s Soul, Tress of the Emerald Sea, and Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. If you’re already a fan of big fat fantasies, you can jump right into The Way of Kings.
I was also honored to be able to complete the final three volumes of The Wheel of Time, beginning with The Gathering Storm, using Robert Jordan’s notes.
Sample chapters from all of my books are available at brandonsanderson.com—and check out the rest of my site for chapter-by-chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and more.
The release of Wind and Truth in December 2024—the fifth and final book in the first arc of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive series—marks a significant milestone for me. This series is my love letter to the epic fantasy genre, and it’s the type of story I always dreamed epic fantasy could be. Now is a great time to get into the Stormlight Archive since the first arc, which begins with Way of Kings, is complete.
During our crowdfunding campaign for the leatherbound edition of Words of Radiance, I announced a fifth Secret Project called Isles of the Emberdark, which came out in the summer of 2025. Coming December 2025 is Tailored Realities, my non-Cosmere short story collection featuring the new novella Moment Zero.
Defiant, the fourth and final volume of the series that started with Skyward in 2018, came out in November 2023, capping an already book-filled year that saw the releases of all four Secret Projects: Tress of the Emerald Sea, The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and The Sunlit Man. These four books were all initially offered to backers of the #1 Kickstarter campaign of all time.
November 2022 saw the release of The Lost Metal, the seventh volume in the Mistborn saga, and the final volume of the Mistborn Era Two featuring Wax & Wayne. Now that the first arc of the Stormlight Archive is wrapped up, I’ve started writing the third era of Mistborn in 2025.
Most readers have noticed that my adult fantasy novels are in a connected universe called the Cosmere. This includes The Stormlight Archive, both Mistborn series, Elantris, Warbreaker, four of the five Secret Projects, and various novellas, including The Emperor’s Soul, which won a Hugo Award in 2013. In November 2016 all of the existing Cosmere short fiction was released in one volume called Arcanum Unbounded. If you’ve read all of my adult fantasy novels and want to see some behind-the-scenes information, that collection is a must-read.
I also have three YA series: The Rithmatist (currently at one book), The Reckoners (a trilogy beginning with Steelheart), and Skyward. For young readers I also have my humorous series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, which had its final book, Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians, released in 2022. Many of my adult readers enjoy all of those books as well, and many of my YA readers enjoy my adult books, usually starting with Mistborn.
Additionally, I have a few other novellas that are more on the thriller/sci-fi side. These include the three stories in Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds, as well as Perfect State and Snapshot. These two novellas are also featured in 2025’s Tailored Realities. There’s a lot of material to go around!
Good starting places are Mistborn (a.k.a. The Final Empire), Skyward, Steelheart, The Emperor’s Soul, Tress of the Emerald Sea, and Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. If you’re already a fan of big fat fantasies, you can jump right into The Way of Kings.
I was also honored to be able to complete the final three volumes of The Wheel of Time, beginning with The Gathering Storm, using Robert Jordan’s notes.
Sample chapters from all of my books are available at brandonsanderson.com—and check out the rest of my site for chapter-by-chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and more.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 3, 2021
This one had three stories;
Secret History was amazing. Seeing Kel again was nice, even if the end was very, very frustrating.
I'll never stop loving and hating the guy.
The Eleventh Metal was an interesting look into Kel's life. It was very short and I wouldn't have minded a longer look.
Allomancer Jack and the Pits of Eltania was... interesting. I wasn't expecting that.
Secret History was amazing. Seeing Kel again was nice, even if the end was very, very frustrating.
I'll never stop loving and hating the guy.
The Eleventh Metal was an interesting look into Kel's life. It was very short and I wouldn't have minded a longer look.
Allomancer Jack and the Pits of Eltania was... interesting. I wasn't expecting that.
April 8, 2025
Mistborn: Secret History peels back the curtain on events happening behind the scenes of the original trilogy—especially through the eyes of a very persistent Kelsier. It’s not something I’d recommend unless you’re already deep into the Cosmere, or have read Mistborn Era 1, because it’s heavy on lore and light on plot. But I’m really glad I got some closure from the characters I loved in Era 1. It made me feel like I got to say a proper goodbye, in true Sanderson fashion.
May 28, 2023
Secret History
There is ALWAY another side to every story, there is always another secret.
This story is an amazing expansion of the first era; we get to see some of the events from those books from a different perspective and somehow, everything makes a lot more sense; it also fills some gaps about what happened between the first and second eras.
Truly necessary read for those who are reading Mistborn.
The Eleventh Metal
Oh, Kelsier! I missed you!
Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania
The one I less liked, although if you take it with a grain of salt (as it was intended to be taken) is entertaining and you even will end with a little bit of background on the origin of the Koloss.
There is ALWAY another side to every story, there is always another secret.
This story is an amazing expansion of the first era; we get to see some of the events from those books from a different perspective and somehow, everything makes a lot more sense; it also fills some gaps about what happened between the first and second eras.
Truly necessary read for those who are reading Mistborn.
The Eleventh Metal
Oh, Kelsier! I missed you!
Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania
The one I less liked, although if you take it with a grain of salt (as it was intended to be taken) is entertaining and you even will end with a little bit of background on the origin of the Koloss.
June 12, 2024
Aptly titled, this novella is full of secrets and reveals about the Mistborn series. It's like a behind-the-scenes to the trilogy, showing us who was pulling the strings all along.
My issue with it has to do with the meta of it all, not the story itself. I'm annoyed at the fact that all that information is kept in a novella that many people won't read, and that I read four years after the trilogy.
My issue with it has to do with the meta of it all, not the story itself. I'm annoyed at the fact that all that information is kept in a novella that many people won't read, and that I read four years after the trilogy.
November 13, 2025
2.5 (literally middle of the road, no substance at all)
First Short Story: Secret History
We needed the story of how Kelsier went from being dead, to the new God of the Western Hemisphere, to beefing with Sazed.
What we got instead was “Kelsier in Ghost Jail,” a behind-the-scenes DVD commentary of what he was doing during Era 1 books 2 and 3.
It makes those books feel less impactful. Like we watched a performance only to be told the stagehands were doing cooler stuff backstage.
And Kelsier… oh boy.
I did not like him here.
He’s somehow more childish and more stubborn than he ever was in Era 1 or even Era 2. He feels like someone doing a parody impression of Kelsier after watching one YouTube compilation.
Of course, it’s not all bad.
Preservation’s slow unraveling into depression was great.
Rashek’s “I literally do not care, leave me alone” energy was immaculate.
But at the end of the day, this story adds nothing vital to Mistborn. It’s glorified fanservice when we could’ve had something meaningful (like how Kelsier actually transitions between eras, OR a proper backstory that explores why he and Marsh turned out the way they did).
Second Short Story: The Eleventh Metal
This reads like a special-edition bonus chapter created solely to get people to buy a $150 hardcover.
And listen... I asked for a Kelsier backstory, but not like this. Not this random mentor in this random point in time for this tiny crumb of context that does absolutely nothing.
The Eleventh Metal feels like Sanderson sat down to write Kelsier’s origin story, panicked about committing to any real lore, and instead handed us a random moment where Kelsier jumps around the city for a bit. That’s it. That’s the deep dive.
Ideally, The Eleventh Metal and Secret History should’ve been fused into a single, coherent novella that toggles between Kelsier’s past and post-death present, showing us who he was, why he is the way he is, and how that informs his unhinged, empire-shaping decisions in Era 2.
Instead we got two disconnected half-stories afraid to commit to anything.
Third Short Story: Allomancer Jak
This one is… a “why the fuck not?” story.
Why the fuck not give us an in-universe Indiana Jones with intentionally goofy pulp writing?
Why the fuck not add ironic prose and meta jokes?
Why the fuck not lean straight into chaos?
It doesn’t add anything.
It doesn’t need to add anything.
It exists out of sheer spite for the concept of narrative purpose.
No strong opinion, it just is.
A shrug in literary form.
First Short Story: Secret History
We needed the story of how Kelsier went from being dead, to the new God of the Western Hemisphere, to beefing with Sazed.
What we got instead was “Kelsier in Ghost Jail,” a behind-the-scenes DVD commentary of what he was doing during Era 1 books 2 and 3.
It makes those books feel less impactful. Like we watched a performance only to be told the stagehands were doing cooler stuff backstage.
And Kelsier… oh boy.
I did not like him here.
He’s somehow more childish and more stubborn than he ever was in Era 1 or even Era 2. He feels like someone doing a parody impression of Kelsier after watching one YouTube compilation.
Of course, it’s not all bad.
Preservation’s slow unraveling into depression was great.
Rashek’s “I literally do not care, leave me alone” energy was immaculate.
But at the end of the day, this story adds nothing vital to Mistborn. It’s glorified fanservice when we could’ve had something meaningful (like how Kelsier actually transitions between eras, OR a proper backstory that explores why he and Marsh turned out the way they did).
Second Short Story: The Eleventh Metal
This reads like a special-edition bonus chapter created solely to get people to buy a $150 hardcover.
And listen... I asked for a Kelsier backstory, but not like this. Not this random mentor in this random point in time for this tiny crumb of context that does absolutely nothing.
The Eleventh Metal feels like Sanderson sat down to write Kelsier’s origin story, panicked about committing to any real lore, and instead handed us a random moment where Kelsier jumps around the city for a bit. That’s it. That’s the deep dive.
Ideally, The Eleventh Metal and Secret History should’ve been fused into a single, coherent novella that toggles between Kelsier’s past and post-death present, showing us who he was, why he is the way he is, and how that informs his unhinged, empire-shaping decisions in Era 2.
Instead we got two disconnected half-stories afraid to commit to anything.
Third Short Story: Allomancer Jak
This one is… a “why the fuck not?” story.
Why the fuck not give us an in-universe Indiana Jones with intentionally goofy pulp writing?
Why the fuck not add ironic prose and meta jokes?
Why the fuck not lean straight into chaos?
It doesn’t add anything.
It doesn’t need to add anything.
It exists out of sheer spite for the concept of narrative purpose.
No strong opinion, it just is.
A shrug in literary form.
March 14, 2025
6: Meh, this collection of short stories is mostly one really long story about what happens to a dead character after he dies, it drags on and is not that interesting unless you are very passionate about the Cosmere mythology or soemthing.
May 31, 2025
Where were these stories in Mistborn Era 1?! They should have been included! It would have made the series so much better to me! I'm glad I read it for some more closure to the first part of this series.
February 19, 2023
Secret History is a must read for the Mistborn series. Very cool
July 13, 2025
Not Sanderson's best works, but fills in some great knowledge gaps about the Cosmere, and therefore recommended for Cosmere completionists.
July 16, 2024
10/5. I love you Brandon, this is everything I asked for to explain the original trilogy and there is always more questions.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews