Mistborn
Mistborn by Brandon Sandersonby Brandon Sanderson
Shares rank 8 of 41 fantasy novels by recommenders
People recommend the Mistborn trilogy for its satisfying plot, likeable characters, cohesive series and magic system. One reader skipped the detailed descriptions of metalwork.
People recommend the Mistborn trilogy for its satisfying plot, likeable characters, cohesive series and magic system. One reader skipped the detailed descriptions of metalwork.
8 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 88%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 7 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Satisfying plot and likeable characters
“Mistborn 1-3 was a fairly simple and satisfying plot with likeable (if somewhat predictable) characters and fun world building.”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “Brandon Sanderson just sold his Cosmere universe to Apple TV” Cool, engaging magic system
“which I loved for sure would recommend if you're into cool magic systems”
Comment from 15 Mar 2026 in “Ask HN: How many books have you read in 2026 so far and which was your favorite?” Rounded, cohesive whole series
“The whole series had a roundedness to it that I have not encountered before”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “Brandon Sanderson just sold his Cosmere universe to Apple TV” Third book is the best
“it's worth it because book three is the best of the trilogy”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?”
Other fantasy novels people recommend
The four most recommended other fantasy novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Lord of the Ringsby J.R.R. Tolkien | 66 | 11 | 86% | 12 | 15 yrs5 owners | Approved |
| The Hobbitby J.R.R. Tolkien | 49 | 13 | 79% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Dungeon Crawler Carlby Matt Dinniman | 48 | 6 | 89% | 11 | 1 yr3 owners | Approved |
| Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationalityby Eliezer Yudkowsky | 19 | 17 | 53% | 7 | — | — |
| Mistbornby Brandon SandersonThis page | 7 | 1 | 88% | 6 | — | — |
What people said
5 of the 8 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“it's worth it because book three is the best of the trilogy”
“which I loved for sure would recommend if you're into cool magic systems”
“The whole series had a roundedness to it that I have not encountered before”
“Mistborn 1-3 was a fairly simple and satisfying plot with likeable (if somewhat predictable) characters and fun world building.”
“I simply skipped all the d&d manual like descriptions of metal usage.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.