The Lord of the Rings influenced Mistborn

Sanderson deliberately engaged with Tolkien's model of epic fantasy. Without Tolkien's work and its enormous influence on the genre, Mistborn's central premise wouldn't have the same context. Where Sanderson differs the most Sanderson was to ask "What if the Dark Lord won?" In that sense, he is reacting against one of the defining assumptions of Tolkien-inspired fantasy—that the heroes ultimately defeat the Dark Lord. Mistborn begins after that victory has failed.