Editing The Lost Metal

{{book
|cover=TLM US Cover.jpg
|series=[[Mistborn Era 2]]
|prequel=The Bands of Mourning
|setting=[[Scadrial]], [[Cosmere]]
|publisher=Tor Books
|released=November 15, 2022{{tor ref|name=TorAnnouncement|2021/12/06/book-announcements-the-lost-metal-a-mistborn-novel-from-brandon-sanderson|Announcing ''The Lost Metal'', a Mistborn Novel From Brandon Sanderson|date=2021-12-06}}
|subpages=n
|word-count=[[/Statistical_analysis|154,272]]
|page-count=507
}}
'''''The Lost Metal''''' is the title of the fourth and final [[Mistborn Era 2|''Mistborn'' Era 2]] book. It was released on November 15, 2022.{{ref|name=TorAnnouncement}}

== Synopsis ==
{{quote|
For years, frontier lawman turned big-city senator [[Waxillium Ladrian]] has hunted the shadowy organization the [[Set]]&mdash;with [[Edwarn Ladrian|his late uncle]] and [[Telsin Ladrian|his sister]] among their leaders&mdash;since they started kidnapping people with the power of [[Allomancy]] in their bloodlines. When Detective [[Marasi Colms]] and her partner [[Wayne]] find stockpiled weapons bound for the Outer City of [[Bilming]], this opens a new lead. Conflict between [[Elendel]] and the Outer Cities only favors the Set, and their tendrils now reach to the Elendel Senate&mdash;whose corruption Wax and [[Steris Harms|Steris]] have sought to expose&mdash;and Bilming is even more entangled.

After Wax discovers a new type of explosive that can unleash unprecedented destruction and realizes that the Set must already have it, an immortal [[kandra]] serving [[Scadrial]]'s god reveals that [[Harmony]]'s power is blocked in Bilming. That means the city has fallen under the influence of another god: [[Trell (Trellism)|Trell]], worshipped by the Set. And Trell isn't the only factor at play from the larger [[Cosmere]]&mdash;Marasi is recruited by offworlders with strange abilities who claim their goal is to protect Scadrial... at any cost.

Harmony's vision of future possibilities comes to an abrupt halt tomorrow night, with only blackness after that. It's a race against time, and Wax must choose whether to set aside his rocky relationship with God and once again become the Sword that Harmony has groomed him to be. If no one steps forward to be the hero Scadrial needs, the planet and its millions of people will come to a sudden and calamitous ruin.
|Tor book announcement{{ref|name=TorAnnouncement}}
}}

== Summary ==
{{for|/Summary|a complete chapter by chapter summary}}

== Development ==
Following completion of ''[[The Alloy of Law]]'' Brandon plotted out three more books, following the same characters, to finish the story. Brandon began writing ''The Lost Metal'' in April 2021, after he finished ''[[Cytonic (book)|Cytonic]]'',{{tweet ref|1377732696865042432|Brandon's starting announcement|date=2021-04-01}} and completed the first draft on August 4, 2021.{{tweet ref|1423320505839325191|Brandon's completion announcement|date=2021-08-05}} The second draft was completed on September 20, 2021,{{wob ref|15360}} and went to beta readers and Brandon's editor shortly thereafter;{{wob ref|14971}} the beta reads concluded some time in November.{{wob ref|15360}} The post-beta read edit was done by March 7, 2022;{{reddit ref|brandonsanderson|t8v6hu|hzsps6y|context=8|text=Draft 4 completion announcement|date=2022-03-07}} it took more time to complete than Brandon had expected and resulted in the book growing longer than he had initially anticipated.{{wob ref|15411}} After that, Brandon did one final edit, which was done by May 24, 2022, before turning the book in to Tor{{url ref|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4lrVPMaMnw|text=May 24, 2022 Weekly Update|site=YouTube|date=2022-05-24}} for a November 15,{{ref|name=TorAnnouncement}} 2022 release, around when the first two Era 2 books were released in leatherbound.{{wob ref|14971}}

The book includes some information relevant to the broader [[cosmere]], including the identity of [[Trell (Trellism)|Trell]], the nature of [[trellium]],{{wob ref|14695}} and some clues about [[Kelsier]]'s plans.{{wob ref|11747}}{{wob ref|13135}} Most of those elements are more foreshadowing for [[Mistborn Era 3|''Mistborn'' Era 3]]{{wob ref|5996}} and the book mostly focuses on the characters of [[Wax]], [[Wayne]], [[Steris]], and [[Marasi]],{{wob ref|14695}}{{wob ref|14693}} though Brandon also considers the book to be slightly more cosmere-aware than any other book he has written.{{wob ref|15409}} The book begins with a [[Wayne]] flashback, rather than one of [[Wax]].{{wob ref|13838}} Early in the development process, Brandon envisioned Wax having essentially retired and the book opening with Wayne as Marasi's deputy.{{wob ref|10283}} The book  includes a broadsheet, like the other books in ''Mistborn'' Era 2.{{wob ref|14602}}

The first draft of the book was about 149,000 words total;{{wob ref|14971}} in the third draft, it grew by about 25,000 words.{{bws ref|some-faqs-you-might-enjoy|Some FAQs You Might Enjoy|date=2022-03-16}} In the first draft, Part One was about 30,000 words and had two separate narratives, each with two of the main characters, and alternated viewpoints between all four main characters; Part Two was about 45,000 words and brought all four of the main characters together, continuing to alternate viewpoints; and in Part Three, the characters split again, with Marasi on her own arc of about 30,000 words, Wax and Wayne together for an arc of about 40,000 words, and Steris on her own for a short arc of about 10,000 words. Brandon wrote each of the arcs of Part Three separately from each other, which he found was a good approach as it essentially let him write the ending three times and he likes writing endings.{{wob ref|14852}} In total, Brandon predicted that Steris would have around seven or eight viewpoints.{{wob ref|14969}} The epilogue is a bit longer than normal, as it is the last book of Era 2 and Brandon wanted to linger with the characters and setting a little more.{{wob ref|14971}}

=== Pre-Publication Content ===
* At JordanCon in 2021, Brandon did a reading of the first draft of the prologue, a flashback to Wayne as a young child. It can be listened to and read [[wob:14863|here on Arcanum]] and was also sent out in Brandon's July 2021 newsletter.
* At Dragonsteel Mini-Con in 2021, Brandon did a reading of the second draft of chapter one and part of chapter two, which can be listened to and read [[wob:15385|here on Arcanum]].
* On September 19, 2022, Tor began releasing sample chapters from the book every Monday, which can be read [[tor:2022/09/19/read-the-lost-metal-by-brandon-sanderson-prologue-and-chapters-1-2|starting here on their website]].
* Brandon considers the book to be slightly more cosmere-aware than any other book he has written; the primary cosmere connection in the book relates to one of the stories from ''[[Arcanum  Unbounded]]''.{{wob ref|15409}}
* [[Investiture]] without [[Connection]] appears in the book.{{wob ref|15073}}
* Brandon mentioned at JordanCon that he thinks there is a mention of the [[Shard]] [[Whimsy]] in the book.{{wob ref|14957}}
* At least in the first draft, there is a "very minor" plot point that involves a desiccated frog.{{wob ref|14976}}
* At Dragonsteel Mini-Con, Brandon mentioned that there is a [[worldhopper]] from a planet with a culture inspired by the [[wikipedia:Indian subcontinent|Indian subcontinent]] in the book.{{wob ref|15184}}
* [[Marsh]] also makes an appearance in the book.{{wob ref|15351}}

== Cover Gallery ==
{{for|/Covers|a cover gallery of The Lost Metal}}

== Interior Art ==
{{for|/Interior art|a gallery of the book's interior art}}

== Statistical Analysis ==
{{for|/Statistical analysis|a full statistical analysis}}
''The Lost Metal'' consists of seventy-four chapters, one prologue, and six epilogues, reaching a total 154,272 word count. There are eleven different unique point-of-view characters in a total of 93 POVs.

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Word Count 
| style="text-align:center" | 154,272
|
|-
! Page Count 
| style="text-align:center" | 507 
| Tor hardback
|-
! Chapter Count 
| style="text-align:center" | 81
| Including prologue and epilogues.
|-
! PoV Characters
| style="text-align:center" | 11 
|
|-
! PoV Count
| style="text-align:center" | 93
|
|}

== Notes ==
<references/>
{{meta/done}}
{{Mistborn|era 2}}
{{books}}
[[category: Mistborn| e2.4]]
[[category: Mistborn Era 2| 4]]
[[es:El metal perdido (libro)]]