Mistborn

Brandon Sanderson's signature series spans four distinct eras on the world of Scadrial, where people can ingest and "burn" metals to gain extraordinary abilities. Era 1 (The Final Empire, Well of Ascension, Hero of Ages) follows a crew of thieves plotting to overthrow an immortal tyrant in a world of ash and mist. Era 2 (Alloy of Law through The Lost Metal) jumps centuries forward into an industrial-age setting that blends Western gunslinger energy with the established magic system. The series is beloved for its intricate, rule-based magic systems — Allomancy, Feruchemy, and Hemalurgy — and for how deeply the cosmology connects to the broader Cosmere.

Start here if you like: heist stories, hard magic systems, worldbuilding that evolves across centuries, or stories where the magic has clear rules you can theorize about.

Reading order within the series: Era 1 trilogy first, then Era 2 in order. Secret History is best read after Bands of Mourning.