When should I read Secret History?

After completing The Hero of Ages — the third and final book of Mistborn Era 1. Reading it earlier will spoil the entire original trilogy.

Is Secret History required reading?

It is not required to enjoy Mistborn Era 2, but it is essential for understanding Kelsier's broader role in the Cosmere and contains information that becomes increasingly relevant in later works.

Where was Secret History first published?

Originally as an ebook exclusive in January 2016, later collected in Arcanum Unbounded (2016).

What is the Cognitive Realm?

The Cognitive Realm (called Shadesmar in Stormlight Archive) is a dimension of thought and perception that exists alongside the physical world. Kelsier, having died, exists there as a cognitive shadow — still aware and still determined to act.

Secret History

Novella High Fantasy Fantasy

Pages: 240
Published: 2016
Language: English

Mistborn: Secret History follows Kelsier in the period after his death in The Final Empire, revealing what the legendary Mistborn has been doing in the Cognitive Realm — the dimension of thought and perception — while the events of the original trilogy unfold. It is simultaneously a behind-the-scenes companion to the Mistborn trilogy and a story about Kelsier's refusal to accept even death as a constraint. Secret History was originally published in January 2016 as an ebook exclusive, later collected in Arcanum Unbounded. Reading it before completing Mistborn Era 1 will spoil the trilogy; it is best read after The Hero of Ages.

Prose complexity: 7/10

Collected in

Arcanum Unbounded

Mysterious Tense Dark Thought-Provoking

Brandon Sanderson

Born in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1975, Brandon Sanderson spent his early twenties working graveyard shifts at a hotel — writing novels at the front desk between guest check-ins. By the time his debut, Elantris, was published by Tor Books in 2005, he had completed thirteen novels in the drawer. His subsequent Mistborn trilogy and the ongoing Stormlight Archive series established him as the primary architect of the Cosmere, an interconnected fictional universe in which most of his fantasy series share...

VinSupporting

Fights Ruin in the Physical Realm during the events Kelsier watches unfold from the Cognitive Realm.

Elend VentureSupporting

Fights alongside Vin against Ruin during the events of The Hero of Ages.

All characters in Secret History

Frequently asked questions

When should I read Secret History?
After completing The Hero of Ages — the third and final book of Mistborn Era 1. Reading it earlier will spoil the entire original trilogy.
Is Secret History required reading?
It is not required to enjoy Mistborn Era 2, but it is essential for understanding Kelsier's broader role in the Cosmere and contains information that becomes increasingly relevant in later works.
Where was Secret History first published?
Originally as an ebook exclusive in January 2016, later collected in Arcanum Unbounded (2016).
What is the Cognitive Realm?
The Cognitive Realm (called Shadesmar in Stormlight Archive) is a dimension of thought and perception that exists alongside the physical world. Kelsier, having died, exists there as a cognitive shadow — still aware and still determined to act.