Und um den Wund wässrig zu machen:
Imagine a world, much like our own a few hundred years ago — a world of men, of cobblestone roads and horse drawn carriages, of majestic manor houses and sprawling plantations and massive cities packed with soldiers and citizens, beggars and noblemen, artisans and thieves.
But then imagine something has gone direly amiss. Thick black clouds blot out the sun, belched by titanic volanoes that dot the horizon. Rather than rain, ash falls from the sky, always, every day... It stains the buildings, chokes the rivers, and blankets the land like a sea of stained snow. Imagine there are no flowers, no green grass or leafy trees — only stunted brown undergrowth struggling to reach the meager light of a dim red sky.
Imagine that at night, roiling clouds of impenetrable mist materialize to swirl and dance in the streets, shrouding the stars and shrouding mortal danger for those foolish enough to venture out into the dark. Mindless mistwraiths — horrific beings that devour the dead to make of them a mockery of life — hunt intrepid wanderers, while savage gangs of bandits and rebels plunder baggage trains and passersby for what little they carry.
Imagine a society so repressive that police and priest, state and church are one, and that your ruler is not just a man but a god who sees, knows, and controls all. Imagine his grip on the land’s culture is so strong that he can stifle the march of technology, halt integration of the classes, and rule unopposed for a thousand years. Imagine that innovation, evolution, and ingenuity are replaced by duty, devotion, and above all, fealty.
Imagine a world where wealth is not measured in gold, or connections, or status, but in secrets — where everyone and everything conceals something else. Imagine those secrets are valuable not for the information they offer, but the power they wield — that they can become weapons to destroy, shields to protect, and treasure so coveted that others would kill to see them buried forever.
Imagine a power hidden in a select few can use metal to perform wondrous magic, letting them soar through the air, perform superhuman feats of strength and speed, and manipulate emotions. Then imagine being hunted for those powers, by creatures so brutal, so relentless that they’ll stop at nothing to tear your very soul from your body.
Imagine living in such a world — and choosing to fight against it. You fight to shrug off the bonds of oppression, fear, and entropy that poison the land and divide the people.
You fight opposition with all the power, all the money, and God himself on their side, and still you don’t surrender. You fight to change the world, because if you can’t change it, it’s not worth saving.
This is the world of Mistborn.