Brandon Sanderson - Mistborn 3 - The Hero of Ages

The Hero of Ages, final book of the Mistborn trilogy, satisfies all expectations following the first two books. All the questions left unanswered in books one and two are unambiguously answered in the last book. The resolution for each and every major and minor character is well planned and leaves us satisfied that just deserts are well meted out.

In the first book, The Final Empire the challenge was to defeat the Lord Ruler and free the skaa. Through the protagonist, Vin, we learn about the way magic works, and the structure of Empire society. Vin's teachers, friends and allies fill out the world view to some extent. A strong, satisfying ending to the book nevertheless leaves a greater peril. 

In the second book, The Well of Ascension, dealing with the Lord Ruler is small potatoes compared to the new challenges. Byzantine political manoeuvring, romance on the rocks, and a religious system with Vin as the messiah are bumps on the road to discovering why the Lord Ruler took up the power at the Well of Ascension. The mystery of the Well is solved, but then a dangerous evil is released into the world.

The final book, The Hero of Ages, is the culmination of all the adventures of Vin and her friends as well as the stories of legend that are at the root of all the problems. The true nature of magic is finally revealed, as well as the nature and purpose of the "monsters"--the koloss, kandra, and Inquisitors--introduced in the first two books. Vin and Elend travel with an army, finding clues left behind by the Lord Ruler while taking control of hidden caches of food and water. Spook, Breeze, the kandra Tensoon, and Sazed all play a role in uncovering the truth about the power manipulating people and events in a conscious plan to destroy the world.

The subject of religion, which I thought was both a little bit of comic relief and a reflection of the political dynamics of the world, turns out to be of much greater importance. The Terris Keeper Sazed, whose specialty is researching and remembering all of the long-lost religions of the world, starts the book as a bit of comic relief. In a good-natured but annoying way he goes from companion to companion offering religions to take up as a personal belief system. In the last book, we see a depressed Sazed (after the death of his beloved Tindwyl) setting aside religion after religion as "false" and consumed by a need to understand the prophecies and the purpose of religion, faith, gods, and the end of the world.

Sanderson is a meticulous writer. He designed a detailed system of magic that is fleshed out in greater detail in each successive book until we understand the source and nature of magic, the nature of the mist/ash environment. Sanderson is masterful in tying together everything from the earlier books to the final resolution. Everything that makes this world a unique Sanderson invention, the ash, the mist, the metals, the monsters, the different kinds of magic, the ancient legends and religions; they all are interrelated.

The surprises come fast and furious towards the end, leading to a bold world-changing ending. This is an immensely satisfying end to an original vision in the fantasy world. Its a shame that the such a well-designed world has been so soundly concluded. It would be a treat to read more works set in this world.

Brandon Sanderson - Mistborn 2 - The Well of Ascension

The second book of the Mistborn series is equal, if not superior, to the an excellent first book in terms of quality of writing. Very often in the "big fat fantasy series" you find occasional tracts of awkward prose or stale dialog. Sanderson either has high personal standards or an excellent editor and team of proofers. The story continues (a year later) from the climactic overthrow of the Lord Ruler to a last stand against against the old ruling system represented by the siege of the capital city by no less than three invading armies.

Our protagonist, Vin, struggles with self-identity while defending her love-interest, King Elend. Political intrigue carries the plot forward as we discover more about this world. Through the study of ancient writings we also discover more about the mysterious events of a millennium ago that led to the creation of the Lord Ruler and the terrible changes to the environment.

The political shenanigans in the story seem incomplete and uninspired. Some interesting characters were set up early in the book to populate the new political system created after 1000 years of tyranny, but there is no payoff by the end of the book. Hopefully the last book will take up where this book left off. Its hard to tell if it was intentional not.

The window on the world is opened up a little more with more time spent looking at other species and races. A more global view of the conflicts that beset the ash-covered, mist-shrouded world is balanced against a love triangle of sorts that really doesn't do much for the story, and a "traitor in our midst" sub-plot that carried the story through some tedious protagonist hand-wringing chapters.

The best part of the book was moving the Terris Keeper Sazed up to the forefront. Through him we saw all of the additional "world-building" development in the book. The use of Sazed's feruchemical powers is contrasted against Vin's allomantic exploits. Sazed also gives us a (limited) look at the rest of the world, and a strong perspective on the events of the past that led to the current situation.

As with the first book there is a strong climactic conclusion with enough story left hanging to make you want to pick up the next book as soon as possible. Now that the Well of Ascension has been located and used "correctly" we are left with some surprises and more questions.

Brandon Sanderson - Mistborn 1 - The Final Empire

The Final Empire is the first book of the (completed) Mistborn trilogy. For a thousand years the sky has been obscured by clouds and ash falls regularly in this dreary world. The Lord Ruler, a God-like figure who started out as the Hero of Ages, has ruled tyrannically ever since a world-changing event a millennium ago.

The rebels Kelsier, Vin, and their friends, fight to free the skaa people from slavery by overthrowing and/or killing the Lord Ruler and bringing down his system of ruling Houses and the subjugation or extermination of all other races and species.

The storyline follows the usual plot points of a team of underdogs working together accomplish the impossible. There is companionable banter among confederates, the unforeseen setbacks and recovery, and the love interest the puts the whole plan in jeopardy.

The usual issue of the traitor in the ranks is treated a little differently. Trust and betrayal is a central theme to the story. Kelsier is betrayed by his wife years ago; Vin is betrayed by her brother (after constantly promising that he is going to do so). How our heroes deal with their respective betrayals is central to the resolution at the end of this book.

Kelsier and Vin are both Allomancers; magic users in this world. Sanderson has devised a complex and 'scientific' magic system whereby metals and their alloys are swallowed and activated to produce different physical and magical effects. Although fairly complex, the different magics are clearly explained by the device of having Kelsier teach Vin all about magic.

Enjoyed the book very much: interesting, well-developed characters and good battle-magic action scenes. The plot moves slowly at first but the pace picks up quickly. There is good resolution at the end of the book; it could have easily been a standalone novel. Look forward to reading the next two books.