Mistborn: The Final Empire audiobook vs book: which should you choose?
A crew of thieves plans to overthrow an immortal ruler in a world where ash falls from the sky and magic runs on swallowed metals. Eight viewpoints and a metals table tip this big fantasy towards the page.
Read it on Kindle
Read Mistborn: The Final Empire for its big cast: the story moves between eight point-of-view characters, Vin, Kelsier and Elend among them, and with one narrator reading all of them, print makes it easier to know whose chapter you’re in. The book also ends with the Ars Arcanum, a table of the magic metals that no audiobook includes. Audio is a fair choice for a book this long.
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The audiobook at a glance
| Recording | UK edition, our verdict | US edition |
|---|---|---|
| Narrator | Michael Kramer | Michael Kramer |
| Length | 24 hours 59 minutes (24h 59m), unabridged | 24 hours 39 minutes (24h 39m), unabridged |
| At 1.5x | about 16h 39m | about 16h 26m |
| At 2x | about 12h 30m | about 12h 20m |
| Audio publisher and date | Gollancz, 18 March 2011, as “Mistborn” | Macmillan Audio, 28 December 2008, as “The Final Empire” |
| Audiobook price | £23.80 on Audible UK | $33.74 on Audible US |
| Kindle price | £5.99 on Amazon UK | Not listed |
| Gollancz paperback, 647 to 672 pages, 2009 | Tor hardback, 541 pages, 2006; Tor mass market, 657 pages | |
| Listener rating | Performance 4.7 from 8,003 ratings | Performance 4.80 from 86,584 ratings |
Michael Kramer reads both listings alone. Whether they are one recording is not confirmed: the UK listing runs 20 minutes longer. They tie on production, so the newer UK listing is the one scored.
GraphicAudio has made a full-cast dramatised adaptation in three parts, which is not on Audible and is not the full book, so it is not scored. Ratings and prices checked 4 November 2026. They change often. Amazon US does not show Kindle prices outside the US, so US Kindle prices are not given.
Lengths checked 4 November 2026. Speed times are calculated.
Mistborn: The Final Empire
Brandon Sanderson
- Genre
- Epic fantasy
- Series
- Mistborn, book 1
- First published
- July 2006
- Length
- 647 to 672 pages (UK paperback)
- On audio
- 24 hrs 59 mins (UK), 24 hrs 39 mins (US), Michael Kramer
- Also known as
- Mistborn (UK), The Final Empire (US)
On this page
Why we reached this verdict
Every book on this site is checked against the same thirteen questions. They are based on research into what most people find easier to follow in each format, not on whether the book is any good.
Checked, not a factor here (10)
Eight viewpoints read by one narrator (8 points) and the metals table (3) give reading 11, while the book’s length gives listening 3. That puts it at 66%, leaning to print.
Every book gets the same thirteen checks, set in advance. Verdicts are never paid for or influenced by affiliate links. Last edited 5 November 2026, and rechecked every year as editions and narrators change. Read the checks in full · Is listening the same as reading? See what the research says.
The recording in detail
- Scored
- Michael Kramer, Gollancz, 2011, 24h 59m, unabridged
- Critic review
- SFFaudio praised the 2008 US release; none found for the UK listing
- Alternatives
- US Macmillan Audio listing, also Michael Kramer (24h 39m)
- What you miss
- The Ars Arcanum metals table at the back of the book
What this book actually is
Mistborn: The Final Empire is the first book of Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series. In a world where ash falls from the sky and an immortal Lord Ruler has ruled for a thousand years, a crew of thieves led by Kelsier plans to bring him down. Vin, a street orphan, discovers she can use Allomancy, a magic powered by swallowing and “burning” metals.
It is sold as “Mistborn” in the UK and “The Final Empire” in the US. It is part of the Cosmere, Sanderson’s shared universe, and Apple has the screen rights. It includes violence, executions and the oppression of a labouring class, the skaa.
The case for reading it
The story moves between eight point-of-view characters, among them Vin, Kelsier and Elend (Coppermind), and one narrator reads every one. On the page you can see whose chapter you’re in straight away.
The print book also ends with the Ars Arcanum, a table of the metals and what each one does, which Sanderson added so readers could ‘keep the metals straight’ (brandonsanderson.com). With ten metals working in pairs, it’s handy to flick back to, and neither audiobook comes with a PDF of it.
The case for listening to it
It’s a long book, 647 to 672 pages in the UK paperback, and the audiobook turns that into 25 hours of commutes and long walks.
Michael Kramer reads every Mistborn book on Audible, and listeners rate this one 4.8 for performance on Audible US.
The audiobook in detail
Michael Kramer reads it solo and unabridged: the UK Gollancz edition runs 24 hours 59 minutes, and the US Macmillan edition 24 hours 39 minutes. The verdict is based on the UK edition.
GraphicAudio’s dramatisation has a full cast of 26 performers on its first part, but it’s an adaptation rather than the full text, and it isn’t on Audible UK or US.
Who should ignore this verdict
Choose audio if you’ve listened to big fantasy series before and follow several characters easily by ear; it’s a close call.
Stay with print if you want the metals table to hand while you read.
Kindle
- 647 to 672 pages (UK paperback)
- Includes the Ars Arcanum metals table
- About 11 hours to read (our estimate)
Related verdicts
Mistborn: every book in order
Every book in the series, with its verdict, narrator and length on one page.
A Game of Thrones
Many points of view, invented names and maps.
Throne of Glass
Another fantasy series opener.
The Hobbit
Read it for the dwarves’ names, like Dori, Nori and Ori or Fili and Kili, which are easier to tell apart written down, and for Thror’s Map and the Map of Wilderland, as no PDF is listed with the audiobook. Listen for Andy Serkis, who reads it all alone, and with one storyteller telling it, one voice carries it naturally.
Red Rising
A low-born hero infiltrates the rulers.
Dune
Invented terms and appendices at the back.
Fourth Wing
Kirkus praises how Rebecca Soler tells the voices apart and captures the dragons' personalities, so the characters stay distinct, and a 528-page book goes further on audio. The map of the continent is only in print, with no PDF for listeners.
Start hereHow we decide
The thirteen questions behind every verdict on this site.
Questions people ask
Who narrates the Mistborn audiobook?
Michael Kramer reads the whole book on his own, in both the UK and US editions. He narrates every Mistborn book on Audible.
How long is the Mistborn: The Final Empire audiobook?
24 hours 59 minutes on Audible UK (Gollancz) and 24 hours 39 minutes on Audible US (Macmillan Audio). About 16 hours 39 minutes at 1.5x for the UK edition (calculated).
Is the Mistborn audiobook abridged?
No. Both Michael Kramer editions are unabridged. The GraphicAudio version is a dramatised adaptation, not the full text.
How many pages is Mistborn: The Final Empire?
About 650 to 670 pages in the UK Gollancz paperback (listings give 647 and 672). The US first edition hardback has 541.
Is Mistborn the same book as The Final Empire?
Yes. The UK editions are titled “Mistborn” and the US editions “The Final Empire”; the full title is Mistborn: The Final Empire.
Is there a full-cast Mistborn audiobook?
Yes, GraphicAudio’s dramatised adaptation in three parts, a 2015 Audie Award finalist for Audio Drama. It is not on Audible UK, and Michael Kramer is not in it.
Does the audiobook include the Ars Arcanum or the map?
No PDF is listed with either Audible edition.
What order should I read the Mistborn books in?
Start with The Final Empire, then The Well of Ascension and The Hero of Ages.
Is there a Mistborn film?
Apple secured the screen rights to Sanderson’s Cosmere in January 2026, with Mistborn as feature films, and Sanderson finished a first draft of the screenplay in July 2026. No director, cast or release date had been announced as of November 2026.
Should I read or listen to Mistborn: The Final Empire?
Read it. One narrator reads eight point-of-view characters, which are easier to follow in print, and the metals table at the back is only in the book. Listen if you’re happy to follow a big cast by ear: it’s a long book, and audio helps you fit it in.
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