If you find Mistborn’s magic system a tad complicated, well… that’s the beauty of it! Brandon Sanderson and his love for elaborate worldbuilding lent a nice touch to the creation of the metal-based magic system in his novel series, and the scientific notions in it only made it even more appealing to readers.
When it comes to magic systems, the Mistborn universe has a very distinct property: it uses Allomancy, or the act of ingesting and burning metals to increase someone’s abilities. Other popular fantasy franchises also utilize magic systems, like The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, but they aren’t as explicit as how it is done in Sanderson’s mythology.
Brandon Sanderson Combined Magic With Systematic Laws In Mistborn
Brandon Sanderson / Credits: @BrandSanderson on YouTube
Magic in Mistborn is not unlimited—it basically follows the laws of conservation of energy. When a Misting or Mistborn burns through their reserve of metal, their power is also depleted. There is a sense of input-process-output happening here, and it is quantifiable.
The magic system in Sanderson’s world has consistent rules, too. One ingests metal and, depending on what is consumed, it produces a certain effect.
For example, steel allows a character to ‘push’ metal objects away from them, while iron does the complete opposite, which is ‘pull’. Pewter increases physical strength, while copper allows for hiding one’s Allomantic pulses from other Allomancers by creating a coppercloud. This can be likened to science’s cause-and-effect relationships.
Book Series:MistbornGenre:High fantasyPublication Date:July 2006 – presentPublishers:Tor Books (US), Gollancz (UK)Number of Installments:8, including one novella
Finally, the hard magic system in Mistborn is meant to be understood, and readers should know how to predict outcomes. There is a pattern, but it also allows anyone reading the books to think critically. How can a character use this power to their advantage? What metals can they combine to win a fight?
With such rigid rules, it’s easy to analyze and even exploit the magic system the same way you would a set of scientific laws. In the Mistborn universe, every conflict can be approached with reason and strategy rather than left to the whims of the gods.
LOTR & Game of Thrones Favor Mysticism Over Mechanics
Magic in worlds like Middle-earth and Westeros is much more complicated. Not only do they not follow a set of instructions or patterns, but they are also unexplainable.
In The Lord of the Rings, powers are ancient and do not come from a specific deposit. J.R.R. Tolkien never explained Gandalf’s powers or how exactly the One Ring works, leaving them deliberately mysterious and rooted more in myth than in any defined system of rules.
The same goes with Game of Thrones—there is no explanation as to how bloodmagic works or how dragons bond with their riders. Magic in Westeros is always in the background, and this is exactly what George R.R. Martin intended.
He wanted to create a world that feels realistic and grounded as much as possible, with elements of magic adding a little bit of spice but never truly overpowering the natural order or becoming something fully understood.
Which magic system do you like best? Let us know in the comments!
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