Review: The Hero of Ages (Mistborn book 3), by Brandon Sanderson

I fairly raced through this book. As the last part of a trilogy [although there are some other books set in the same world] there are necessarily spoilers for the earlier instalments.

The storyline is nice and fast-paced, and has a few main strands. As might be expected, there's a focus on Elend and Vin, but also upon Spook, who gets a bit more of an active role this time.

Ash is falling thick and fast, volcanoes are exploding and the world looks doomed. By tracking down information the Lord Ruler left behind Elend and Vin hope to defeat Ruin.  

Throughout the series I've liked the kandra, and the scenes with TenSoon are amongst my favourites. More backstory about what the Lord Ruler did when he was all-powerful and his relationship with Ruin are revealed, and there are a few especially cunning twists that I never saw coming but which made perfect sense (as well as one or two which are a bit easier to anticipate).

Yomen is a new character who is quite intriguing. He's set himself up as King of Fadrex, but appears to be a pretty decent sort. However, he comes into conflict with Elend, who wants the city (for good reasons) and Mr. Sanderson does an excellent job of portraying how, in crisis or war, it's entirely possible for two opposing sides to be led by reasonable men.

Unlike the first two books, which were almost entirely focused on the capital, Luthadel, most of The Hero of Ages takes place in numerous other locations. This helps the author to flesh out the dying world of what was The Final Empire, which he does to good effect.

I liked The Hero of Ages a lot, and if you enjoyed The Well of Ascension I think you'll like this too. I'm sorely tempted to buy some more Mistborn books (and will be getting the second part of The Stormlight Archive when it comes out), but I'm going to focus on Vanished Kingdoms for now.

Thaddeus

Review: The Well of Ascension (Mistborn book 2), by Brandon Sanderson

It's been a while since I read the first book (review here) in the Mistborn Trilogy, and must say that I think book 2's the better of the pair. Necessarily, some significant spoilers for the first book (The Final Empire) are below, so if that's an issue, stop reading now.

The book begins quite soon after the events of The Final Empire. Kelsier and the Lord Ruler are dead, and Elend has become king. However, he, his allies and Luthadel (the capital of what was the Final Empire) is surrounded by enemy armies and they lack the manpower, the food and the money to save themselves.

Along with Elend, Vin, his lady friend and general hard case, is the main focus of the book. She struggles to cope as various aspects of her life (loving Elend, trying to protect the city, prowling the nights as a Mistborn) pull her in different directions.

In addition to the armies surrounding the city Elend has to handle political shenanigans and there are a number of interesting, and surprising, twists and turns regarding the city's leadership.

The secondary characters are better fleshed out, I think, than in the first book. The presence of little snippets of lore from the past at the start of each chapter remains, which I really like.

The major characters develop convincingly throughout the story in response to the rising political pressures and possible open warfare, and tension between what's best for individuals and what's best for the city/empire as a whole.

It's a longer book than the average, and personally I quite like that. Sometimes the pace could perhaps be a little quicker, but it never felt like the story was seriously dragging.

I've already bought the next book, so a review of that (and Vanished Kingdoms) should be forthcoming in the days and weeks ahead.

Thaddeus

Mistborn Videogame to be released in Autumn 2013

Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series (a trilogy and, I think, a stand-alone fourth book) is pretty popular and the addition of a video game to the brand will only add to that.

For those unaware, Mistborn is set in a world where ash falls constantly and people are utterly divided into nobility and peasants, who are little more than slaves. The ruler of this world has had the job for a thousand years (in the first book of the trilogy, at least) and is reckoned to be immortal and invincible, a god-like creature universally feared.

The game, Mistborn: Birthright, is to be set in the early years of this reign of terror and will be an action RPG. The innovative metal-based magic system will obviously feature heavily (the website, http://www.mistborngame.com/, has the line “Test Your Metal” below an allomantic table).

Perhaps the best news is that Mr. Sanderson himself will be writing the plot and most (maybe all) of the dialogue, so it’ll fit in perfectly with the world he’s created.

It’s in the early stages of development, so there’s not much more in the way of concrete info, and the approximate release date of Autumn next year could be changed, but it sounds like it could be good.

Thaddeus

Review: The Final Empire (Mistborn Book One), by Brandon Sanderson

This is the second book by Mr. Sanderson I’ve read, after The Way of Kings (which is the first part of a separate series). It takes place in a world reigned over by the Lord Ruler, an apparently immortal tyrant who has held sway for a thousand years or so. Under his rule the nobility have held their position for generations and the majority (called skaa) have been oppressed. The sky is darkened with ash clouds, the volcanic precipitation making the entire landscape dismal and grey.

A chap called Kelsier and his criminal associates are intent upon on bringing down the Lord Ruler, and hatch a plot to do so. Magic plays a significant role in the book, and, as in (although different to) the Way Kings, the system the author has invented is simple but works very well. Essentially, there are 8 basic metals and 2 higher metals, and these can be swallowed and burnt by mistings or mistborn. The former can only use one specific metal, the latter can burn any or all of them. Each metal has a different advantage, and some burn faster than others.

The Lord Ruler is quite interesting, and I’m glad that he wasn’t overused. The author’s use of small passages from an ancient journal recalling the Lord Ruler’s journey (before he became Lord Ruler) at the start of chapters is a small touch, but one to which I always looked forward.

Generally, the world is well-described, and the obligators and Steel Inquisitors were interesting. I think some more instances of the skaa oppression might have helped, but that’s probably a bit picky.

The last third is definitely the strongest part of the book. Along with a few unexpected twists, the pace is more rapid and events more engaging. After the initial set up of the book’s premise it feels a little slow, and although the protagonist is well-developed a few of the main characters could perhaps use a little more fleshing out.

Thaddeus