Arcanum Unbounded
is a 2017 collection from Brandon Sanderson collecting all of the short fiction
that had been written and published for the Cosmere to that point. This means there are short stories, novellas,
and novelettes featured, all generally longer than one may expect from a
typical piece of short fiction. As such I
have decided to split the review for the collection into four separate reviews,
generally splitting up by systems, three connected to previously released
series and one covering the miscellaneous pieces of standalone short
fiction. This second covers ‘The Scadrian
System’ section of the collection, containing the short stories “The Eleventh
Metal” and “Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania” and the novella Mistborn:
Secret History.
This section opens with two short stories included
with the Mistborn role playing game and its expansion for The Alloy
of Law. This is interesting as it
means neither of these stories will be essential for understanding something from
the original Mistborn trilogy or the second quartet. “The Eleventh Metal” is a character piece,
focusing in on Kelsier before the trilogy really begins, training to understand
Allomancy. The postscript included in
the collection explains that Sanderson believed that he had a duty of care for those
playing the game because of friends and would never actually pick up Mistborn. It’s mainly Kelsier and his mentor Gemmel
exploring the full length of Allomancy, with Kelsier learning how tot ravel by
air and freeing several skaa foreshadowing his actions in the trilogy
proper. Seeing a younger Kelsier is
fascinating since Sanderson implies Kelsier is suffering through his grief
incredibly well without actually really being able to explore it to the fullest
since there’s the general audience to think of.
Kelsier’s still characterized well and seeing him essentially in Vin’s
role from the early portions of Mistborn. Gemmel feels like the classic old, wise mentor
from fantasy which while a trope that won’t appeal to everyone, is one that
works really well here for me. It makes “The
Eleventh Metal” a very nice little story.
7/10.
“Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania” is the other
short story and since it was part of the supplement to the Mistborn role
playing game there wasn’t the pressure from Sanderson to explain the magic
system. Since it’s set during The
Alloy of Law and was written before the rest of the second quartet of the
novels, it is an oddity for these short stories since it isn’t really one with a
plot. The story’s full title is actually
“Allomanceer Jak and the Pits of Eltania, Episodes Twenty-Eight to Thirty.” Instead of a standard short story, it is
three installments of an in universe broadsheets serial with annotations from
the compiler which are often humorous in nature. Sanderson uses this as a way to indulge
himself in classic pulp style fantasy with a lot of trappings of that story
which once again will not be for everyone and it doesn’t entirely work since it’s
the middle installments of a larger story that doesn’t exist, though it’s serviceable
for what it is. 6/10.
Mistborn: Secret History is
the bulk of this section and works as an epilogue to the original Mistborn
trilogy. Like “The Eleventh Metal” it’s
from the perspective of Kelsier, though this point after the original trilogy. Kelsier wakes up dead and refuses to pass on
to whatever afterlife awaits him, meaning that throughout The Well of
Ascension and The Hero of Ages he had been actively observing events. That is much of the store behind Mistborn:
Secret History is Kelsier exploring what influence he can exert on Scadriel
after his death, which is not a lot. Sanderson
really paints Kelsier early in this novella as full of this despair and stubbornness. While the stubbornness is to be expected from
the character, the despair is something that he cannot really come to take
himself out of until he understands what he is.
His early interactions with Preservation are fascinating, giving him the
name Fuzz which you do genuinely care for once Preservation expires due to Ruin’s
influence.
Sanderson’s great achievement with Mistborn: Secret
History is really giving readers their first chance to explore the history of
the Cosmere as well as the magic system.
Kelsier is initially trapped in the Well of Ascension, but that allows
him to understand what Ruin is planning which occurs at the end of The Well of
Ascension, so Kelsier is able to leave across the ocean on Preservation’s
orders once the well is opened. This brings
him into contact with two worldhoppers where we explain that Adonalsium is the
dead god of the Cosmere, splintered into 16 shards, Ruin and Preservation being
two of them. This gives Kelsier the understanding of the Physical vs Cognitive
Realms and a plan to be able to eventually influence the Physical Realm once
again. This does also lead to Kelsier
understanding how Ruin may be defeated leading to the rather touching ending of
the novella where Elend and Vin reunite with Kelsier as Sazed becomes
Harmony. This is also the point where
Kelsier is able to really get in touch to the Physical Realm once again teasing
something that is yet to come. Mistborn:
Secret History is genuinely a great little novella and character study that
has the time to breathe and gives Sanderson enough space for a plot. One thing I’ve noticed while reading Arcanum
Unbounded is that he isn’t quite effective when it comes to building a plot
for shorter fiction. This is almost the
perfect length for a novella like this and still isn’t the longest installment
in the collection. 9/10.
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