By posing the straightforward question, What if the prophesied hero fails? Brandon Sanderson, fantasy's newest master storyteller and the celebrated debut author of Elantris, dares to subvert a genre. What kind of planet emerges under the control of the Dark Lord? The Mistborn Trilogy, a story full of twists and supernatural martial arts action that starts with Mistborn, contains the solution.

For a millennium, no flowers grew as the ash covered the ground. The Skaa toiled in misery for a millennium and feared for their lives. The Lord Ruler, also known as the "Sliver of Infinity," ruled for a thousand years with unrivalled strength and supreme horror, being unbeatable by any means. Eventually, when all hope had been lost and not even its memory remained, a horribly damaged and heartbroken half-Skaa found it again in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most dreadful jail. When Kelsier "snapped," he discovered that he has Mistborn abilities. He used his skills as a cunning thief and natural leader to pull off the grandest heist, with the Lord Ruler himself as the target.

The top allomancers from the underworld were chosen by Kelsier because they are all adept at high-stakes challenges and are among the smartest and most reliable allomancers. They also all share one of his many powers. The greatest theft in history as well as the overthrow of the divine dictator are only revealed after he has reached this final stage.

Even yet, Kel's scheme appears to be the ultimate long shot, even with the strongest criminal team ever put together—that is, until good fortune introduces him to Vin, a scruffy young woman. She is an orphan who is half Skaa, like him, but she has had a much more difficult life. Vin has become accustomed to anticipating and experiencing betrayal from everyone she encounters. If Kel is to aid her in achieving powers of which she had never before dreamed, she will need to learn to trust him.