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Mistborn is the first novel in the Mistborn trilogy written by the author Brandon Sanderson.  The world of Mistborn is a bleak post-apocalyptic landscape where giant volcanoes continously spray an oppressive ash into the air that blankets the world,  where insidious dark mist rules the night, and where every aspect of life is ruled by the oppressive and all-powerful Lord Ruler. Out of the lowest class (Skaa) a revolution is brewing, sweeping a young street-thief named Vin into an insane plot to kill the god of the world, the Lord Ruler. Brian Sanderson has created an ingenious system of magic befitting such an impressive landscape and story. Called “Allomancy” this magic allows a select few to control the metals of their world to enhance their fighting abilities and preform uncanny acts of manipulation  and destruction. As a rare “Mistborn” Vin is suddenly told that she can control all the metals of the world, just possibly providing  enough power to challenge the God-Ruler and  change the world that she lives in. Combining political intrigue with breathtaking descriptions and incredible action, Mistborn is a gem among novels that brings back what it is to truly be a fantasy novel.

Soon I Will Be Invincible is an incredible foray into the world of superheroes and more notably the super villains. The story is told from two perspectives throughout  the story switching between the villain Doctor Impossible, and a new superhero Fatale.

 Doctor Impossible is a villain who has tried it all and failed every time. He has created armies of robots, dinosaurs, fish-men, fungus and everything in between. He has gone backward in time to change the present and forward in time to escape the past. Twelve times he has tried to take over the world and twelve times he has been thwarted by heroes. Now on his thirteenth attempt Dr. Impossible is more determined than ever to bring the world to its knees and under his rule.

 Fatale is a shiny new hero who after being nearly killed by a wayward truck while on vacation, was remade into a cyborg and given NSA training. Her story highlights her acceptance into the superhero team “The Champions” and the drama that is found between its members as they desperately search for Dr. Impossible.

Soon I Will Be Invincible is a thrilling and slightly comedic look into why hero’s and villains behave the way they do (a cape may not serve a purpose but it is invaluable for the effect it presents when announcing your dominion over the world). Invincible is filled with absurd humor and shows how even the most powerful people in the world can be as insecure and nervous as the rest of us.

For the uninitiated, Terry Pratchett is a master of comedic fantasy with his insane creation of Diskworld and the ridiculous characters that populate his world.  The Diskworld is a completely flat world carried on the backs of four enormous elephants who stand on the back of Al’ Tuin the World Turtle (Really it makes about as much sense as any other explanation) . In Pratchett’s first foray into his incredible creation we are introduced to the wizard Ricewind who is, quite simply, the most ineffective and useless wizard/man/descendant of a primate ever born or created on any plane of existence. Rincewind has hit rock bottom and is prepared to just give up and leave Ank’ Morpok (“really the only city that matters”) and seek his fortune elsewhere, when he is hired by a oblivious tourist from a faraway land whose only ideas, are those he read from an adventure book. It is worth mentioning that this traveler has in his possession a sapient magical chest (referred to as “The Luggage”) which, being magical, is homicidally protective of its contents and their owner. An unstoppable force, The Luggage (it is fully deserving of a capitalized name) follows the madcap adventures of Ricewind as he tries to protect the oblivious traveler in an insane tour of the Diskworld. Pratchett has in his possession an incredible wit that leads to absurd hilarity as he shows us about the world he has created (which is just like our own, Just different), making fun of the average life we all take for granted. If you have never read Pratchett his debut novel provides all you shall ever need to know about this wonder of comedy and fantasy.