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The Mistborn Saga #1-3
Колекция "Мъглороден: Ера I"
Поредицата „Мъглороден: Ера I“ е подходяща отправна точка за всеки читател, който иска да се потопи в Космера – изумителния свят на Сандерсън, който от години завладява почитателите на фентъзи литературата.
Мъглите се спускат, но надеждата не угасва. В мрака ще се родят нови герои…
Мъглите се спускат, но надеждата не угасва. В мрака ще се родят нови герои…
2204 pages, Paperback
First published November 3, 2009
About the author
Brandon Sanderson
401 books229k followersI’m Brandon Sanderson, and I write stories of the fantastic: fantasy, science fiction, and thrillers.
Defiant, the fourth and final volume of the series that started with Skyward in 2018, comes out in November 2023, capping an already book-filled year that will see the releases of all four Secret Projects: Tress of the Emerald Sea, The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and Secret Project Four (with its official title reveal coming October 2023). These four books were all initially offered to backers of the #1 Kickstarter campaign of all time.
November 2022 saw the release of The Lost Metal, the seventh volume in the Mistborn saga, and the final volume of the Mistborn Era Two featuring Wax & Wayne. The third era of Mistborn is slated to be written after the first arc of the Stormlight Archive wraps up.
In November 2020 we saw the release of Rhythm of War—the fourth massive book in the New York Times #1 bestselling Stormlight Archive series that began with The Way of Kings—and Dawnshard (book 3.5), a novella set in the same world that bridges the gaps between the main releases. This series is my love letter to the epic fantasy genre, and it’s the type of story I always dreamed epic fantasy could be. The fifth volume, Wind and Truth, is set for release in fall 2024.
Most readers have noticed that my adult fantasy novels are in a connected universe called the Cosmere. This includes The Stormlight Archive, both Mistborn series, Elantris, Warbreaker, and various novellas available on Amazon, including The Emperor’s Soul, which won a Hugo Award in 2013. In November 2016 all of the existing Cosmere short fiction was released in one volume called Arcanum Unbounded. If you’ve read all of my adult fantasy novels and want to see some behind-the-scenes information, that collection is a must-read.
I also have three YA series: The Rithmatist (currently at one book), The Reckoners (a trilogy beginning with Steelheart), and Skyward. For young readers I also have my humorous series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, which had its final book, Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians, come out in 2022. Many of my adult readers enjoy all of those books as well, and many of my YA readers enjoy my adult books, usually starting with Mistborn.
Additionally, I have a few other novellas that are more on the thriller/sci-fi side. These include the Legion series, as well as Perfect State and Snapshot. There’s a lot of material to go around!
Good starting places are Mistborn (a.k.a. The Final Empire), Skyward, Steelheart,The Emperor’s Soul, and Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. If you’re already a fan of big fat fantasies, you can jump right into The Way of Kings.
I was also honored to be able to complete the final three volumes of The Wheel of Time, beginning with The Gathering Storm, using Robert Jordan’s notes.
Sample chapters from all of my books are available at brandonsanderson.com—and check out the rest of my site for chapter-by-chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and more.
Defiant, the fourth and final volume of the series that started with Skyward in 2018, comes out in November 2023, capping an already book-filled year that will see the releases of all four Secret Projects: Tress of the Emerald Sea, The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and Secret Project Four (with its official title reveal coming October 2023). These four books were all initially offered to backers of the #1 Kickstarter campaign of all time.
November 2022 saw the release of The Lost Metal, the seventh volume in the Mistborn saga, and the final volume of the Mistborn Era Two featuring Wax & Wayne. The third era of Mistborn is slated to be written after the first arc of the Stormlight Archive wraps up.
In November 2020 we saw the release of Rhythm of War—the fourth massive book in the New York Times #1 bestselling Stormlight Archive series that began with The Way of Kings—and Dawnshard (book 3.5), a novella set in the same world that bridges the gaps between the main releases. This series is my love letter to the epic fantasy genre, and it’s the type of story I always dreamed epic fantasy could be. The fifth volume, Wind and Truth, is set for release in fall 2024.
Most readers have noticed that my adult fantasy novels are in a connected universe called the Cosmere. This includes The Stormlight Archive, both Mistborn series, Elantris, Warbreaker, and various novellas available on Amazon, including The Emperor’s Soul, which won a Hugo Award in 2013. In November 2016 all of the existing Cosmere short fiction was released in one volume called Arcanum Unbounded. If you’ve read all of my adult fantasy novels and want to see some behind-the-scenes information, that collection is a must-read.
I also have three YA series: The Rithmatist (currently at one book), The Reckoners (a trilogy beginning with Steelheart), and Skyward. For young readers I also have my humorous series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, which had its final book, Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians, come out in 2022. Many of my adult readers enjoy all of those books as well, and many of my YA readers enjoy my adult books, usually starting with Mistborn.
Additionally, I have a few other novellas that are more on the thriller/sci-fi side. These include the Legion series, as well as Perfect State and Snapshot. There’s a lot of material to go around!
Good starting places are Mistborn (a.k.a. The Final Empire), Skyward, Steelheart,The Emperor’s Soul, and Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. If you’re already a fan of big fat fantasies, you can jump right into The Way of Kings.
I was also honored to be able to complete the final three volumes of The Wheel of Time, beginning with The Gathering Storm, using Robert Jordan’s notes.
Sample chapters from all of my books are available at brandonsanderson.com—and check out the rest of my site for chapter-by-chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and more.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,680 reviews
August 16, 2019
First read: 1st September 2016 - 19th September 2016
Reread: 28th June 2018 - 11th July 2018
Series Review:
Mistborn: The Final Empire: 5/5 stars
The Well of Ascension: 5/5 stars
The Hero of Ages: 5/5 stars
Mistborn trilogy: 15/15 stars
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
Reread: 28th June 2018 - 11th July 2018
Series Review:
Mistborn: The Final Empire: 5/5 stars
The Well of Ascension: 5/5 stars
The Hero of Ages: 5/5 stars
Mistborn trilogy: 15/15 stars
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
August 24, 2015
I don't think that I can write a full review of this right now considering that it took me about 8 months to read this series. (Darn school. They should work around my reading). I can tell you that this is now at the top of my favorite books list. Sanderson outdid himself writing this in a totally new setting with amazing and terrible creatures. Vin had to be my favorite. She developed and matured so much throughout this series along with Elend who was a bigger role as the series progressed. There were so many different personalities and powers along with mysteries and physical and mental battles. The mists were even a character which was very cool. The ending of the whole series which included the last 100 pages was AMAZING. I never wanted to put it down but sleep made me. Those pages were the highest point of the series where everything was solved and made sense. You connected all of the dots that had been brought up throughout the series and there was an unlikely hero and outcome of the book which you'll have to read to find out. The ending caused me to be in a sort of daze that only great books will cause. I was sitting in bed just reeling in how that whole series ended. I will definitely have to re-read this wonderful series.
January 21, 2015
what a bunch of overly long and deus ex religious claptrap this turned out to be. the entire third book was exposition (like, i get that world building is a skill and that when you build a world you want to talk about it, but there was just way too much of, "well i know we're in the NOW but here is how GOT THERE HAHA" without there actually being anything happening in the now aside from people being sad and everyone fighting more or less identical battles all the time) and literally ends with "haha everyone is a god! also all dead. haha! just kidding. but seriously, lots of gods!"
i'm not opposed to people i care about dying, but if you're going to joss whedon your resolution, you better make sure that people still CARE about people by the time they're all ended. as it was, this felt more like a philosophical treatise that had a point that it really wanted to make than a story by the time it finished, and i cannot possibly overstate how overwritten the vast majority of it was. by the time the third book rolled around and every time any goddamned character burned any goddamned metal and we were STILL TOLD, SLOWLY, LIKE SECOND GRADERS what that actually meant, i was about ready to sign up to the plan of ruin and drive some spikes into my own eyes. not what was intended, i'm sure!
tldr: UGH!
i'm not opposed to people i care about dying, but if you're going to joss whedon your resolution, you better make sure that people still CARE about people by the time they're all ended. as it was, this felt more like a philosophical treatise that had a point that it really wanted to make than a story by the time it finished, and i cannot possibly overstate how overwritten the vast majority of it was. by the time the third book rolled around and every time any goddamned character burned any goddamned metal and we were STILL TOLD, SLOWLY, LIKE SECOND GRADERS what that actually meant, i was about ready to sign up to the plan of ruin and drive some spikes into my own eyes. not what was intended, i'm sure!
tldr: UGH!
April 25, 2017
There are really no words that can do this trilogy Justice. I absolutely loved it!!! ♡
October 23, 2012
Really enjoyed this trilogy. I actually read Way of Kings first, so coming back to Sanderson's earlier titles (although he supposedly writes them in different order as to how they were published), I found this series to be remarkably complex. Sanderson's trademark is his varying use of magic systems, which is really the star of this series. Here, metals and alloys can be ingested and burned for different types of powers. The trilogy is very dense in plot as Sanderson's cast of renegade heroes take on immortals, multiple armies and G-ds, but he manages to successfully avoid contrivances and cliches that would normally doom a story with such lofty goals. There are numerous characters but all of them manage to have their own individual arcs. What's really special about this series (and remarkable to me) is the way the author layers in so many threads of the individual characters into the ultimate reveal. From Sazed's studies to the kandra religion to the element keeping the mists at bay -- the threads that started in the first book, continued in the second, and tie up in the third are very cleverly done. Others have complained about the faulty science, but outside of a few physics snobs, I think most will be willing to go along for the ride. As this was by first Sanderson trilogy, I have to say I am genuinely impressed by the scope of his imagination and craft at detailing such rich, dense plots. I'll definitely be moving on to more of his work in the future.
March 29, 2013
It took me months to finish the first book; I really could not be interested enough in the totally 'cliched' scenario and plot! The second book was a bit better, and the third book was the best, twisting and re-twisting the plot, so that it surprised me to the very end.
Clearly though, the author aimed too high. The epic scope of the story is defeated by the shallow representation of characters, ethics, motivations and dialogue. It either should have been one book only, or nine; the author touches on many interesting issues but explores none in depth.
The overall feeling was of reading 'teenage' fantasy, e.g. Eragon and the like.
I wouldn't recommend one spends the, necessarily long, time to read it; there's so many, much better, books available. Wait until it's filmed: I think it's cut for a many-seasons tv-series perfectly...
Clearly though, the author aimed too high. The epic scope of the story is defeated by the shallow representation of characters, ethics, motivations and dialogue. It either should have been one book only, or nine; the author touches on many interesting issues but explores none in depth.
The overall feeling was of reading 'teenage' fantasy, e.g. Eragon and the like.
I wouldn't recommend one spends the, necessarily long, time to read it; there's so many, much better, books available. Wait until it's filmed: I think it's cut for a many-seasons tv-series perfectly...
Want to read
December 18, 2014Have I ever mentioned that Brandon Sanderson is my favorite Fantasy writer?
Remarkably this is currently $5.75 for the entire trilogy today 12/18/14. If you haven't picked up this series yet now is a great time.
http://www.amazon.com/Mistborn-Trilog...
Remarkably this is currently $5.75 for the entire trilogy today 12/18/14. If you haven't picked up this series yet now is a great time.
http://www.amazon.com/Mistborn-Trilog...
September 29, 2023
Qué puedo decir que no haya (o hayan) dicho?, si tengo en cuenta que es relectura... Sigo alucinando lo bien que cierra las historias este hombre y la forma mágica en que de pronto todo hace click y te quedas boquiabierta. La forma en que se crearon las especies tan extrañas y peculiares, el verdadero alcance del poder del metal y para quién es en el fondo el poder... etc. Claro que entonces (aquella primera vez) ese click que se cerraba con broche de oro, afectaba sólo a ese planeta... en la relectura, empiezas a relacionar algunas cosas con otros. Goodreads lectores (Libre. Cosmere)
September 4, 2013
This is quite possibly my new favorite series, as you may have been able to tell if you read my individual reviews. But, as an entire series, here are some of the highlights:
1) The unique world that, from the very beginning, has a reason for what it is like that is gradually explained and expanded, but starts subtly enough that it simply seems like the world has always been this way.
2) The chapter headings, which are revealing without giving away anything.
3) The magic, which can do a lot and has many aspects, but never breaks the rules and is explained better and better over time.
4) The characters. Oh, how I love the characters. They are flawed, they are strong, they are trying so very hard to do what is right. For once, there was a strong female lead who didn't grate over my spine and make me want to die. She is strong, she has a girly side, she is human, she is flawed. Seriously, all the characters, even the ones who you don't see much of, even with the tons and tons of characters, feel like people. Some that I would like, some... not. But people.
5) The twists oh my gosh the twists. I have never read a series quite like this, where, from the very beginning, the littlest details might be the bearers of the plot. Anyone heard of Chekov's Gun? (If not, look it up on TV Tropes, spend hours looking through the amazingness that is there, and then come back). Well, in this case, a gun is too obvious. Try Chekov's shoe. Because a gun, well, that actually seems like it might be important from the beginning. But a shoe? Pfft. And then suddenly you are told why it is there and you stare at all you have read and you cannot believe that it was there the entire time. And he does this multiple times. Guess what? It doesn't get old.
6) Er... everything I've forgotten. Basically, I finished, waited a day for my mind to repair itself, and then started over. They are that good. When I got them for my sister, she literally read for more than 24 hours straight. First time I've ever had her respond to a text before 8 am. If this does not convince you... fine. Your loss of amazingness. Because despite politics and action scenes that get a little bit old rather quickly... THIS IS WORTH YOUR TIME. Don't be off-put by the size... that's also part of what makes it amazing.
Sanderson, I want to steal your brain and write with it. You are incredible.
BRUCE REVIEW:
Brandon Sanderson is quite possibly one of my new all-time favorite authors, and the Mistborn Trilogy is a large part of the reason. This summer I read all three books, and despite being dense and fairly long, they were worth every moment. This gritty fantasy was unlike anything I’ve read before.
Pinning down one or two themes over the course of three books is… difficult. But two especially stood out to me: no one is simply what they seem at first, and if you think you know everything, you are probably about to be terribly wrong.
Let’s look at the first one. Well, welcome to a world where swallowing metal can give you magic, a street girl will grow to love the courts of the nobles she hates (when she isn’t being the best female lead I have ever read), a nerdy noble can be a king, a thief can rise to be the ‘Savior’, and the mean girl at the ball could quite possibly be a serious threat when it comes to fighting on roof-tops. Yeah. Welcome to a land where any assumption will get you killed. Especially if it is that “I know what’s coming next!” Any specific example would ruin it, but… the first time they think they know exactly what to do, the heroes manage to unleash a killer mist on the world. The second time, trying to fix that one, they manage to let loose something even worse. And for me, repeatedly I would lower the book in utter shock as it threw my casual assumption back in my face in the most masterful way I have ever seen.
One part did make me rather uncomfortable: Sazed, who started out wanting everyone to believe in a religion (it didn’t matter which), goes through a crisis where he becomes convinced that all religions, as they have no proof, must be wrong. Being a Christian, this didn’t sit with me… until he came to the realization that it wasn’t about proof. The whole point was faith. I’m fairly certain this is Sanderson’s view as well.
Seriously, if somewhat long, detailed fight sequences are okay, this is one of the best book I have ever read. Read it. It is worth the effort.
1) The unique world that, from the very beginning, has a reason for what it is like that is gradually explained and expanded, but starts subtly enough that it simply seems like the world has always been this way.
2) The chapter headings, which are revealing without giving away anything.
3) The magic, which can do a lot and has many aspects, but never breaks the rules and is explained better and better over time.
4) The characters. Oh, how I love the characters. They are flawed, they are strong, they are trying so very hard to do what is right. For once, there was a strong female lead who didn't grate over my spine and make me want to die. She is strong, she has a girly side, she is human, she is flawed. Seriously, all the characters, even the ones who you don't see much of, even with the tons and tons of characters, feel like people. Some that I would like, some... not. But people.
5) The twists oh my gosh the twists. I have never read a series quite like this, where, from the very beginning, the littlest details might be the bearers of the plot. Anyone heard of Chekov's Gun? (If not, look it up on TV Tropes, spend hours looking through the amazingness that is there, and then come back). Well, in this case, a gun is too obvious. Try Chekov's shoe. Because a gun, well, that actually seems like it might be important from the beginning. But a shoe? Pfft. And then suddenly you are told why it is there and you stare at all you have read and you cannot believe that it was there the entire time. And he does this multiple times. Guess what? It doesn't get old.
6) Er... everything I've forgotten. Basically, I finished, waited a day for my mind to repair itself, and then started over. They are that good. When I got them for my sister, she literally read for more than 24 hours straight. First time I've ever had her respond to a text before 8 am. If this does not convince you... fine. Your loss of amazingness. Because despite politics and action scenes that get a little bit old rather quickly... THIS IS WORTH YOUR TIME. Don't be off-put by the size... that's also part of what makes it amazing.
Sanderson, I want to steal your brain and write with it. You are incredible.
BRUCE REVIEW:
Brandon Sanderson is quite possibly one of my new all-time favorite authors, and the Mistborn Trilogy is a large part of the reason. This summer I read all three books, and despite being dense and fairly long, they were worth every moment. This gritty fantasy was unlike anything I’ve read before.
Pinning down one or two themes over the course of three books is… difficult. But two especially stood out to me: no one is simply what they seem at first, and if you think you know everything, you are probably about to be terribly wrong.
Let’s look at the first one. Well, welcome to a world where swallowing metal can give you magic, a street girl will grow to love the courts of the nobles she hates (when she isn’t being the best female lead I have ever read), a nerdy noble can be a king, a thief can rise to be the ‘Savior’, and the mean girl at the ball could quite possibly be a serious threat when it comes to fighting on roof-tops. Yeah. Welcome to a land where any assumption will get you killed. Especially if it is that “I know what’s coming next!” Any specific example would ruin it, but… the first time they think they know exactly what to do, the heroes manage to unleash a killer mist on the world. The second time, trying to fix that one, they manage to let loose something even worse. And for me, repeatedly I would lower the book in utter shock as it threw my casual assumption back in my face in the most masterful way I have ever seen.
One part did make me rather uncomfortable: Sazed, who started out wanting everyone to believe in a religion (it didn’t matter which), goes through a crisis where he becomes convinced that all religions, as they have no proof, must be wrong. Being a Christian, this didn’t sit with me… until he came to the realization that it wasn’t about proof. The whole point was faith. I’m fairly certain this is Sanderson’s view as well.
Seriously, if somewhat long, detailed fight sequences are okay, this is one of the best book I have ever read. Read it. It is worth the effort.
April 22, 2017
Didn't finish. If I'd read this when I was younger, I probably would have loved Vin enough to power through, because she's great and I can tell the world-building is FASCINATING, but now that I'm an adult, the glaring lack of any other women became too much of a hurdle.
November 5, 2020
The best series I have ever read.
Ratings:
'The Final Empire' - 5/5 stars (the stable 4.6 rating)
'The Well of Ascension' - 4.5/5 stars (incredibly close to pure 5)
'The Hero of Ages' - 5*/5 stars (maybe the best fantasy book I have ever read)
Ratings:
'The Final Empire' - 5/5 stars (the stable 4.6 rating)
'The Well of Ascension' - 4.5/5 stars (incredibly close to pure 5)
'The Hero of Ages' - 5*/5 stars (maybe the best fantasy book I have ever read)
July 8, 2018
I'm reading the Mistborn trilogy as a set, and I'll review each book.
Final Empire
Plot Summary
The Lord Ruler continues his centuries long reign over a feudal-like society. The skaa (peasants; serfs) work miserable lives under nobles. Dangerous mists descend every night, and there are tales of strange and violent creatures that lurk in them.
There's magic in this world, allomancy, and it's based on metals. For those that can use magic, they generally have one talent of allomancy. However, those who can access all of them are referred to as mistborn, and are powerful and coveted assassins.
Vin, a teenager surviving as part of a thieving crew, meets Kelsier, a powerful mistborn. He accepts her into his crew of men attempting to overthrew the Lord Ruler and change the world. Vin covertly moves among the nobles, while at night learning allomancy.
Positives
+Main female character that isn't a one-dimensional whiny teen
+Intriguing backstory to the main villain
+Cool magic system
Negatives
+Supporting characters weren't too interesting
+Long
+Vin's plot elements often felt out of place with the larger narrative
Mistborn is a very well known fantasy series. It's one of the highest rated fantasy series on Goodreads. However, I'm not exactly sure why it gets such high marks?
The magic system, which I won't attempt to describe, is original and entertaining.
Vin, is a decent heroine, even though there is such a huge gap of adult female characters outside of the nobility. I liked how she was anxious and paranoid. She's not perfect, but her imperfections can also be strengths at certain times. I also liked how she slipped into a new life, and was almost forgetting how things used to be - that's very relatable as one's life conditions improve.
My main gripe is that Final Empire is too long. Many of the conversations among the supporting characters - Ham, Breeze, Dockson, Clubs - felt repetitive. Each character kept saying their stock phrases, it was so predictable what each strategy session would be. Every time, Dockson would complain about cost or supplies.
I don't mind reading strategy scenes. I don't need action all the time, but those strategy scenes were not so great. I enjoyed all of Vin's nobility and dance scenes, even though they felt kind of secondhand filler. Her parts felt like a different book at times.
Kelsier was very middle of the road for me. At times he seemed conceited, other times really caring. I couldn't make up my mind whether I liked him or not.
I suppose this book is really accessible to a wide range of fantasy fans? There's nothing in it that's controversial; most people can get behind the idea that oppressing people is bad.
My Thoughts on the Ending
The Well of Ascension
Plot Summary
After the ending of book one, the characters find themselves in a precarious position of power. They're challenged by at least two armies, and there's rumors the mists have become dangerous once again. It's hard to give a summary of this book without spoiling it. Suffice to say, Vin explores more of her powers, finds a rival, and tries to make sense of the Lord Ruler.
Positives
+Vin is no longer reliant on the group, and is more independent
+Zane is a strong foil against Vin
+Twists about the Lord Ruler's intentions
+Mystery about the "mole"
Negatives
+Never connected with Elend as a character
+Tepid romance
+Obligators still seem secondary
I wrongly guessed the core mystery of the possible mole in the group. I was fairly confident it was:
Elend's struggles in his new position weren't very interesting to me. I never got very excited to read his parts. I enjoyed Vin and Sazed, and probably between the two of them, I liked Sazed a bit more.
Vin definitely experiences some relationship challenges. I never felt convinced of the chemistry between her and Elend. However, I like that Vin is a dynamic character and is constantly maturing.
This book very much read like a middle book with a lot of waiting around. Considering they are waiting out a siege, there wasn't much else they could do.
I don't think this series is really gripping me. Near the end it got interesting, but I found myself not super interested in the middle part of the book. There's something about the setting that's not described enough. I think I don't have a good idea of what the city of Luthadel actually looks and feels like through descriptions?
My Thoughts on the Ending
The destruction of the battle and Vin's choice seemed fitting for the ending of a middle book of a trilogy. I knew things weren't going to be solved. In regards to the kandra:
The Hero of Ages
Plot Summary
Our heroes continue to deal with the fallout of their actions in book one and two. More is revealed about the origins of the mist, creatures of the Lord Ruler's creation, and the evil force that is trying to influence Vin and others. Battles continue to occur across the land as new leaders rise in the power vacuum. It's a race to figure out the mysteries of the world before it may be destroyed.
Vin has a smaller role in the third book, as there are multiple other characters that have a key role to play. Hard to give a summary without spoiling the previous books!
Positives
+Kandra pov
Negatives
+Slow
+Too much world-building explanation
+Less focus on Vin
I really struggled with the third book. It was mind-numbingly slow and repetitive.
One character, is the epitome of a nerd's dream come true. I was annoyed how this character was more powerful than Vin. What's the point of having a chosen one? I guess it does turn the trope somewhat, but it's something that is introduced so off hand, and it's not until the ending that the reason is revealed.
The explanation of world-building was way overdone. Many chapters have multiple paragraphs of explanations about how something works or the history of the very story we are reading. It was so tiresome.
Almost all of Sazed's pov chapters were the same. Depressed and conversations with Breeze. The best chapters were TenSoon's, the kandra. Other than that, I could barely care what everyone was up to. There wasn't a strong enough story to hold this long book together. The characters didn't have a well-roundness of emotion - just one or two emotions they clung to as their quintessential traits.
If you really enjoy world-building, then you'll likely love this series. But I was looking for more with the characters and plot, and I wasn't getting it.
I am surprised by all the love for this series. Certainly, everyone has their own tastes, and what one person enjoys I might not. I guess this series is just vanilla enough that it's not too polarizing?
Two stars may be a harsh rating, but I really didn't enjoy the third book. Take this whole series, cut the pages down by 60%, tighten the plot, leave some of the world-building as a mystery, and I would have enjoyed this more.
My Thoughts on the Ending
I don't think the ending to the trilogy was enough pay-off for the amount of pages I had to read.
Final Empire
Plot Summary
The Lord Ruler continues his centuries long reign over a feudal-like society. The skaa (peasants; serfs) work miserable lives under nobles. Dangerous mists descend every night, and there are tales of strange and violent creatures that lurk in them.
There's magic in this world, allomancy, and it's based on metals. For those that can use magic, they generally have one talent of allomancy. However, those who can access all of them are referred to as mistborn, and are powerful and coveted assassins.
Vin, a teenager surviving as part of a thieving crew, meets Kelsier, a powerful mistborn. He accepts her into his crew of men attempting to overthrew the Lord Ruler and change the world. Vin covertly moves among the nobles, while at night learning allomancy.
Positives
+Main female character that isn't a one-dimensional whiny teen
+Intriguing backstory to the main villain
+Cool magic system
Negatives
+Supporting characters weren't too interesting
+Long
+Vin's plot elements often felt out of place with the larger narrative
Mistborn is a very well known fantasy series. It's one of the highest rated fantasy series on Goodreads. However, I'm not exactly sure why it gets such high marks?
The magic system, which I won't attempt to describe, is original and entertaining.
Vin, is a decent heroine, even though there is such a huge gap of adult female characters outside of the nobility. I liked how she was anxious and paranoid. She's not perfect, but her imperfections can also be strengths at certain times. I also liked how she slipped into a new life, and was almost forgetting how things used to be - that's very relatable as one's life conditions improve.
My main gripe is that Final Empire is too long. Many of the conversations among the supporting characters - Ham, Breeze, Dockson, Clubs - felt repetitive. Each character kept saying their stock phrases, it was so predictable what each strategy session would be. Every time, Dockson would complain about cost or supplies.
I don't mind reading strategy scenes. I don't need action all the time, but those strategy scenes were not so great. I enjoyed all of Vin's nobility and dance scenes, even though they felt kind of secondhand filler. Her parts felt like a different book at times.
Kelsier was very middle of the road for me. At times he seemed conceited, other times really caring. I couldn't make up my mind whether I liked him or not.
I suppose this book is really accessible to a wide range of fantasy fans? There's nothing in it that's controversial; most people can get behind the idea that oppressing people is bad.
My Thoughts on the Ending
The Well of Ascension
Plot Summary
After the ending of book one, the characters find themselves in a precarious position of power. They're challenged by at least two armies, and there's rumors the mists have become dangerous once again. It's hard to give a summary of this book without spoiling it. Suffice to say, Vin explores more of her powers, finds a rival, and tries to make sense of the Lord Ruler.
Positives
+Vin is no longer reliant on the group, and is more independent
+Zane is a strong foil against Vin
+Twists about the Lord Ruler's intentions
+Mystery about the "mole"
Negatives
+Never connected with Elend as a character
+Tepid romance
+Obligators still seem secondary
I wrongly guessed the core mystery of the possible mole in the group. I was fairly confident it was:
Elend's struggles in his new position weren't very interesting to me. I never got very excited to read his parts. I enjoyed Vin and Sazed, and probably between the two of them, I liked Sazed a bit more.
Vin definitely experiences some relationship challenges. I never felt convinced of the chemistry between her and Elend. However, I like that Vin is a dynamic character and is constantly maturing.
This book very much read like a middle book with a lot of waiting around. Considering they are waiting out a siege, there wasn't much else they could do.
I don't think this series is really gripping me. Near the end it got interesting, but I found myself not super interested in the middle part of the book. There's something about the setting that's not described enough. I think I don't have a good idea of what the city of Luthadel actually looks and feels like through descriptions?
My Thoughts on the Ending
The destruction of the battle and Vin's choice seemed fitting for the ending of a middle book of a trilogy. I knew things weren't going to be solved. In regards to the kandra:
The Hero of Ages
Plot Summary
Our heroes continue to deal with the fallout of their actions in book one and two. More is revealed about the origins of the mist, creatures of the Lord Ruler's creation, and the evil force that is trying to influence Vin and others. Battles continue to occur across the land as new leaders rise in the power vacuum. It's a race to figure out the mysteries of the world before it may be destroyed.
Vin has a smaller role in the third book, as there are multiple other characters that have a key role to play. Hard to give a summary without spoiling the previous books!
Positives
+Kandra pov
Negatives
+Slow
+Too much world-building explanation
+Less focus on Vin
I really struggled with the third book. It was mind-numbingly slow and repetitive.
One character, is the epitome of a nerd's dream come true. I was annoyed how this character was more powerful than Vin. What's the point of having a chosen one? I guess it does turn the trope somewhat, but it's something that is introduced so off hand, and it's not until the ending that the reason is revealed.
The explanation of world-building was way overdone. Many chapters have multiple paragraphs of explanations about how something works or the history of the very story we are reading. It was so tiresome.
Almost all of Sazed's pov chapters were the same. Depressed and conversations with Breeze. The best chapters were TenSoon's, the kandra. Other than that, I could barely care what everyone was up to. There wasn't a strong enough story to hold this long book together. The characters didn't have a well-roundness of emotion - just one or two emotions they clung to as their quintessential traits.
If you really enjoy world-building, then you'll likely love this series. But I was looking for more with the characters and plot, and I wasn't getting it.
I am surprised by all the love for this series. Certainly, everyone has their own tastes, and what one person enjoys I might not. I guess this series is just vanilla enough that it's not too polarizing?
Two stars may be a harsh rating, but I really didn't enjoy the third book. Take this whole series, cut the pages down by 60%, tighten the plot, leave some of the world-building as a mystery, and I would have enjoyed this more.
My Thoughts on the Ending
I don't think the ending to the trilogy was enough pay-off for the amount of pages I had to read.
September 25, 2012
Finally finished The second book of this three part trilogy and was a bit disappointed. The characters have yet to attract me and the story line is a bit too predictable. Once you get past the unique world and magic system the book kinda looses its beginning flavor. While there are some interesting parts to this second book most of the time I found myself skimming parts.
What really kinda bothered me most was how many times Sanderson repeated the same thing over and over very often in this book. About how the main character does or knows this how this works because of so and so. It felt like he just needed space fillers so decided to spam the same thing over and over.
I do hope the last book will be a bit better but I doubt there will be much of a change that will become shocking to me.
Who knows...
What really kinda bothered me most was how many times Sanderson repeated the same thing over and over very often in this book. About how the main character does or knows this how this works because of so and so. It felt like he just needed space fillers so decided to spam the same thing over and over.
I do hope the last book will be a bit better but I doubt there will be much of a change that will become shocking to me.
Who knows...
December 14, 2021
No sé ni què dir. De debò. Aquesta saga m'ha flipat! Si bé El Héroe de las Eras és potser el llibre que menys m'ha agradat, el tram final, el conjunt, i la conclusió de la trilogia és excepcional. Per això s'emporta les 5 estrelles. Com ho lliga tot i com just al final encara ens pot deixar bocabadats amb un últim gir.
No vull entrar en detalls de la trama per no explicar res, però si algú s'hi anima encantada de fer-la petar. Només diré que tot l'imaginari m'ha flipat (la hemalurgia, els koloss, els kandra, la feruquimia...) i que té uns quants personatges que són or (Kelsier, Elend, Fantasma, Brisa, Sazed).
Ara sí, ara ja puc dir que sóc Fanderson ❤️
No vull entrar en detalls de la trama per no explicar res, però si algú s'hi anima encantada de fer-la petar. Només diré que tot l'imaginari m'ha flipat (la hemalurgia, els koloss, els kandra, la feruquimia...) i que té uns quants personatges que són or (Kelsier, Elend, Fantasma, Brisa, Sazed).
Ara sí, ara ja puc dir que sóc Fanderson ❤️
September 25, 2015
This series is simply one of the best fantasy books, if not the best ever!! It has everything:
*Interesting magic system
*Fantastic world building
*Amazing character development
*Brilliant plot
*Attention grabbing romance
*One hell of a unforgettable heroine.
*A genius author who knows how to tie up loose ends, answer all questions and give the reader a satisfying conclusion.
I've read it in 2011, so i think it is about time for a re-read. But this time on dramatic audiobook, where everything is brought to life like a movie!
September 25, 2014
First book--really good! Read it in a day or two. Couldn't put it down!
Second book--well, not as good. Uses "maladroit" way too many times (or was that book 1?) Apparently badass heroine from book 1 got together with the underdeveloped nobleman love interest from book 1. Well, OK. But why do you keep telling me "Oh he's so good, he's a good person, he's the best" instead of, you know, showing that. But whatever. And then the end, well, the part with Ruin was OK but the whole making Elend an allomancer? Stupid. Also stupid was the love plot, wherein both Vin and Elend were convinced that they weren't good enough for the other. YAWN.
Third book--Did I say stupid? I meant, completely makes no sense and ruins the dynamic. It was AWESOME that the badass heroine could do something that the hero couldn't do. But then you make him go and be even stronger? WTF? Can't have the man be the weak one, ho ho ho, never mind that he was already a king on his way to becoming emperor! And then I had to slog through oh-so-many pages of Sazed being depressed (look, if I want to read a book about depression, I'll read The Bell Jar. Don't need it in my fantasy). Plus, the snippets at the beginning of each chapter gave away major plot points before they happened. robbing them of their effect! HELLO, SPOILERS? Also most of the plot was really predictable, until it dissolved into this weird theological battle thing. Don't really know what was going on there. And then Vin becomes a god? But she dies. So Sazed becomes god? And he wrote the LOL SPOILERS snippets? Sheer WTFery. And then suddenly Spook gets the girl (who has no personality as far as I can tell) and gets to be Mistborn, just because? Um. Wha? Also the book was really sloppily written, and there were all kinds of characters who knew things that they shouldn't have known based on their tech levels at the time. Really? You're calling a man who can't use his legs a paraplegic? I feel like I deserve a medal for finishing this damn thing.
If I was rating these individually, I'd give 5 stars to Mistborrn, 3-4 stars to The Well of Ascension, and 1 star to The Hero of Ages.
PS this should count as 3 books for my challenge.
Second book--well, not as good. Uses "maladroit" way too many times (or was that book 1?) Apparently badass heroine from book 1 got together with the underdeveloped nobleman love interest from book 1. Well, OK. But why do you keep telling me "Oh he's so good, he's a good person, he's the best" instead of, you know, showing that. But whatever. And then the end, well, the part with Ruin was OK but the whole making Elend an allomancer? Stupid. Also stupid was the love plot, wherein both Vin and Elend were convinced that they weren't good enough for the other. YAWN.
Third book--Did I say stupid? I meant, completely makes no sense and ruins the dynamic. It was AWESOME that the badass heroine could do something that the hero couldn't do. But then you make him go and be even stronger? WTF? Can't have the man be the weak one, ho ho ho, never mind that he was already a king on his way to becoming emperor! And then I had to slog through oh-so-many pages of Sazed being depressed (look, if I want to read a book about depression, I'll read The Bell Jar. Don't need it in my fantasy). Plus, the snippets at the beginning of each chapter gave away major plot points before they happened. robbing them of their effect! HELLO, SPOILERS? Also most of the plot was really predictable, until it dissolved into this weird theological battle thing. Don't really know what was going on there. And then Vin becomes a god? But she dies. So Sazed becomes god? And he wrote the LOL SPOILERS snippets? Sheer WTFery. And then suddenly Spook gets the girl (who has no personality as far as I can tell) and gets to be Mistborn, just because? Um. Wha? Also the book was really sloppily written, and there were all kinds of characters who knew things that they shouldn't have known based on their tech levels at the time. Really? You're calling a man who can't use his legs a paraplegic? I feel like I deserve a medal for finishing this damn thing.
If I was rating these individually, I'd give 5 stars to Mistborrn, 3-4 stars to The Well of Ascension, and 1 star to The Hero of Ages.
PS this should count as 3 books for my challenge.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2018
¿Quiere saber más de esta trilogía, sin spoilers? Visite:
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September 9, 2019
5 stars!! 5 large, golden, beautiful, glowing stars for this amazing series! If I could give it more, I would! A million stars!!! It is seriously the best book I have read in… maybe ever, I don’t know. It is hard to compare favorite books to each other, but this is definitely going on my list of favorites.
Man, this book… what can I say? First of all, I refer to this as a “book” because I got the trilogy on my kindle and read it all in one go. However, it’s really 3 books, creating one giant (2000 pages…) whole. And I’ve got to say, one of the really great things about this series is that, each book – although following a storyline that evolves with each new installment – stands on its own, and has its own story that wraps up at the end. There’s nothing I hate more than a “series” that is basically just one book split into 3, that leaves you with horrible cliffhangers at the end, that you have to wait 2 years to find out what happens… That’s just lazy writing and plans for money-making, in my opinion… but there’s none of that here, which is great.
Another thing is that the world in this series is really unusual. It is a fantasy story, of course, but in this world, ash falls from the sky like snow, mists come out at night, and there are people who can burn metal inside their bodies to give them special abilities. At first, I was a little confused with the descriptions of the metals system and all the pushing and pulling, but eventually it clicked and I could get really involved with the story, and I thought it was a really unique, masterful system.
And finally, the characters are just beautiful and they will all steal your heart. Sazed, I love you so much. And Kelsier and Vin… and Elend… and even poor little Spook. I gasped and cried and squealed in delight reading that book! (all of which I did while riding the train; ensuring a slew of weird stares, I’m sure…) and I just think that it’s really amazing that it was a man who wrote this book, full of love and raw emotions. There is a beautiful love story in there, and there is heartbreak too, and it’s all depicted so vividly that you really get attached to these characters. I could really connect with them. I was crying at the end.
Read this book. READ THIS BOOK!! Do it now!!!
Man, this book… what can I say? First of all, I refer to this as a “book” because I got the trilogy on my kindle and read it all in one go. However, it’s really 3 books, creating one giant (2000 pages…) whole. And I’ve got to say, one of the really great things about this series is that, each book – although following a storyline that evolves with each new installment – stands on its own, and has its own story that wraps up at the end. There’s nothing I hate more than a “series” that is basically just one book split into 3, that leaves you with horrible cliffhangers at the end, that you have to wait 2 years to find out what happens… That’s just lazy writing and plans for money-making, in my opinion… but there’s none of that here, which is great.
Another thing is that the world in this series is really unusual. It is a fantasy story, of course, but in this world, ash falls from the sky like snow, mists come out at night, and there are people who can burn metal inside their bodies to give them special abilities. At first, I was a little confused with the descriptions of the metals system and all the pushing and pulling, but eventually it clicked and I could get really involved with the story, and I thought it was a really unique, masterful system.
And finally, the characters are just beautiful and they will all steal your heart. Sazed, I love you so much. And Kelsier and Vin… and Elend… and even poor little Spook. I gasped and cried and squealed in delight reading that book! (all of which I did while riding the train; ensuring a slew of weird stares, I’m sure…) and I just think that it’s really amazing that it was a man who wrote this book, full of love and raw emotions. There is a beautiful love story in there, and there is heartbreak too, and it’s all depicted so vividly that you really get attached to these characters. I could really connect with them. I was crying at the end.
Read this book. READ THIS BOOK!! Do it now!!!
September 26, 2022
Estoy ahora mismo tratando de asimilar que he terminado la trilogía. Mi motivación para leerla fue una oferta en el formato digital de esta edición, además de llevar unos cuantos años con la espinita clavada de no haber probado a este autor. Y menos mal que me he adentrado en el Cosmere de una buena vez. De hecho, no pretendo irme muy lejos.
La prosa de Sanderson, la complejidad de sus personajes y la forma en que utiliza todo tipo de recursos justificables para dotar a su mundo de una entidad imposible de contrarrestar son algunos de los elementos que me han dejado sin palabras. Como lectora acérrima de fantasía, conocer este mundo me ha enseñado mucho más de lo que esperaba, a nivel de construcción de mundos en general como la aspiración a llevar la fantasía a algo tan palpable como lo hace este escritor.
Era verano y estaba en la playa cuando arranqué la lectura de "El Imperio Final". Conocí a Vin, Kelsier y toda la banda que me iba a acompañar a lo largo de casi 3000 páginas. Claro, que yo en este momento no tenía ni idea de lo que me esperaba.
Me adentre en Luthadel con un plan en la mente, uno trazado por un nacido de la bruma con el objetivo de derrocar al tirano Lord Legislador. Ya de por sí, atrae la premisa, pero amigos... Esto no ha hecho más que empezar.
Arranqué septiembre con la lectura de "El Pozo de la Ascensión" y en esta encontré unos tintes muy diferentes, había personajes conocidos y otros a los que sólo empezaba a descubrir. Lo que había de aires de revolución en la anterior novela, aquí había tambores de guerra y tácticas políticas. El final me dejó sin palabras, pero lo más impresionante estaba por llegar.
"El Héroe de las Eras" es el fin de un camino. No del camino en sí, pero sí de incógnitas que han ido dejándose en las entregas anteriores y que en estas tienen sus prometidas respuestas. Me parece asombrosa la manera en que Sanderson consigue que todo encaje y me haya dejado con ganas de más.
Siempre digo que me gusta cuando un autor es valiente al finalizar su obra y en este caso no sólo me ha satisfecho con creces, también me ha enseñado unas cuantas lecciones sobre lo que me gustaría hacer a mí en mis novelas.
Sólo puedo decir una cosa sobre "Nacidos de la bruma": brutal.
La prosa de Sanderson, la complejidad de sus personajes y la forma en que utiliza todo tipo de recursos justificables para dotar a su mundo de una entidad imposible de contrarrestar son algunos de los elementos que me han dejado sin palabras. Como lectora acérrima de fantasía, conocer este mundo me ha enseñado mucho más de lo que esperaba, a nivel de construcción de mundos en general como la aspiración a llevar la fantasía a algo tan palpable como lo hace este escritor.
Era verano y estaba en la playa cuando arranqué la lectura de "El Imperio Final". Conocí a Vin, Kelsier y toda la banda que me iba a acompañar a lo largo de casi 3000 páginas. Claro, que yo en este momento no tenía ni idea de lo que me esperaba.
Me adentre en Luthadel con un plan en la mente, uno trazado por un nacido de la bruma con el objetivo de derrocar al tirano Lord Legislador. Ya de por sí, atrae la premisa, pero amigos... Esto no ha hecho más que empezar.
Arranqué septiembre con la lectura de "El Pozo de la Ascensión" y en esta encontré unos tintes muy diferentes, había personajes conocidos y otros a los que sólo empezaba a descubrir. Lo que había de aires de revolución en la anterior novela, aquí había tambores de guerra y tácticas políticas. El final me dejó sin palabras, pero lo más impresionante estaba por llegar.
"El Héroe de las Eras" es el fin de un camino. No del camino en sí, pero sí de incógnitas que han ido dejándose en las entregas anteriores y que en estas tienen sus prometidas respuestas. Me parece asombrosa la manera en que Sanderson consigue que todo encaje y me haya dejado con ganas de más.
Siempre digo que me gusta cuando un autor es valiente al finalizar su obra y en este caso no sólo me ha satisfecho con creces, también me ha enseñado unas cuantas lecciones sobre lo que me gustaría hacer a mí en mis novelas.
Sólo puedo decir una cosa sobre "Nacidos de la bruma": brutal.
June 1, 2014
I really wanted to read some fantasy that didn't suck and that I hadn't read before. I figured I'd give Sanderson a try, but his main fantasy didn't appeal and the concept of Mistborn seemed interesting.
I'm glad I bought it as the full trilogy, because if I'd only purchased the first, I would have been so annoyed at the end that I wouldn't have bought the second...and if I'd bought the first two I would've been too bored at the end to buy the third. Which means this isn't a trilogy, it's one big book.
Taken that way, it crescendos nicely from a personal focus on Vin and her coming-of-age/becoming a hero to an epic battle for the very fate of the world.
There were so many unanswered questions at the end of the first book - I could not believe the Stupidity Factor of the characters, and assumed that the plotting was stunningly weak. However, everything was resolved in a really interesting way by the end of the trilogy. If you are liking it, stick with it, even though it gets really really boring in Book 2. Book 2 is basically "let me recap in prose all the cool stuff that happened in Book 1."
The writing style is also kind of a slog. When Sanderson lets his actual voice come through, it's anachronistic, but it's far more engaging.
I'm glad I bought it as the full trilogy, because if I'd only purchased the first, I would have been so annoyed at the end that I wouldn't have bought the second...and if I'd bought the first two I would've been too bored at the end to buy the third. Which means this isn't a trilogy, it's one big book.
Taken that way, it crescendos nicely from a personal focus on Vin and her coming-of-age/becoming a hero to an epic battle for the very fate of the world.
There were so many unanswered questions at the end of the first book - I could not believe the Stupidity Factor of the characters, and assumed that the plotting was stunningly weak. However, everything was resolved in a really interesting way by the end of the trilogy. If you are liking it, stick with it, even though it gets really really boring in Book 2. Book 2 is basically "let me recap in prose all the cool stuff that happened in Book 1."
The writing style is also kind of a slog. When Sanderson lets his actual voice come through, it's anachronistic, but it's far more engaging.
April 23, 2014
this is that braveheart moment in this book. that championship speech going into the 4th quarter. the words the summarize the heart, the pain, and the hope of the entire series.
its elends final speech. before the end.
"Today, men, I ask you your lives."
"I ask of you your lives and your courage. I ask of your faith, your honor-- your strength, and your compassion. For today I lead you to die. I will not ask you to welcome this event. I will not insult you by calling it well, or just, or even glorious. But I will say this....
....."Each moment you fight is a gift to those in this cavern. Each second we fight is a second longer that thousands of people can draw breath. Each stroke of the sword, each koloss felled, each breath earned is another victory! It is a person protected for a moment longer, a life extended, an enemy frusturated!"
There was a brief pause.
"In the end they shall kill us. But first they shall fear us!”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Hero of Ages
This is the god forsaken gloriouness at the end the series awaiting you the reader. Go get started on this adventure and journey.
its elends final speech. before the end.
"Today, men, I ask you your lives."
"I ask of you your lives and your courage. I ask of your faith, your honor-- your strength, and your compassion. For today I lead you to die. I will not ask you to welcome this event. I will not insult you by calling it well, or just, or even glorious. But I will say this....
....."Each moment you fight is a gift to those in this cavern. Each second we fight is a second longer that thousands of people can draw breath. Each stroke of the sword, each koloss felled, each breath earned is another victory! It is a person protected for a moment longer, a life extended, an enemy frusturated!"
There was a brief pause.
"In the end they shall kill us. But first they shall fear us!”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Hero of Ages
This is the god forsaken gloriouness at the end the series awaiting you the reader. Go get started on this adventure and journey.
December 26, 2017
Read the review on my blog here: https://arknovel.blogspot.com/2017/12...
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The Skinny: At the end of the day, there are better fantasy stories out there than Mistborn—probably from Sanderson himself.
Full Review
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Where Mistborn Succeeds: Worldbuilding
Mistborn’s greatest asset is its worldbuilding. Visions of ashen, gothic spires contrasting against the perpetual red of a dying sun paint clearly the picture of a world without flowers. Apparent love and effort were invested by Sanderson into developing the philosophical concepts underlying the world, portrayed in many of the dead religions chronicled by the Keeper, Sazed. The Mistborn world is believable sociologically, mythologically, and historically, which is crucial for constructing robust fantasy. The major events and people groups of Mistborn are believable because of their complexity. This is to Sanderson’s credit as a conceptualizer of high fantasy and mythopoeia, and, unfortunately, constitutes most of the good I have to write about the series.
Bad Use of Voice
Major portions of the Mistborn books are unfortunate drudgery. The dialogue is often repetitious in the immediate context (i.e., it states directly what is already implied by action and dialogue) and, while colloquial, the idiomatic speech of the Mistborn world seems inconsistent both with the parlance of brigands and thieves as well as with that of scholars, kings, and noblemen. The language reads too much like contemporary American English. While clarity should always be a writer’s top goal, it need not come at the cost of narrative or characters’ voices which, to my eyes, often seemed the case.
Most of the characters’ voices bleed together due to similar vocabulary, syntax, and reliance upon the American idiom mentioned above. A few characters have distinguishing verbal characteristics, but these are often laborious catch phrases or buzz words like “good man” and “child” out of the mouths of Breeze and Tindwyl, respectively. I recall counting the use of the former phrase on one page of my Kindle edition of book three and found that in that particular passage, every line of dialogue by Breeze contained the phrase “good man.” A character should not be most clearly defined by the sum total of his catch phrases.
The only character I truly enjoyed in this series was Sazed the Terrisman. Sazed has the clearest character voice, his actions and inactions carry narrative weight, and his personal struggles with religion force much of his inner turmoil to contend with the world Brandon Sanderson created. No other character’s development makes better use of Mistborn’s mythopoeia than Sazed—the protagonists included.
Labor Pains and Fight Sequences
I recall from The Two Towers Tolkien’s description of Aragorn’s blade falling upon Uruk-Hai like bolts of lightning. Sanderson provides little such artistry in his fight scenes, which are often far too focused on intricately-described choreography. When it comes to writing fights, we should follow Tolkien’s lead and not lose the forest for the trees. Painting with broad strokes and leaving sharp description to key moments in Mistborn’s battles would have kept those portions of prose moving more smoothly and would have helped the crucial portions of those sequences stand out.
Bland Characters
With the exceptions of Sazed and Spook (due to his subplot in book three,) the cast of side characters is sadly forgettable. Breeze is far more interesting as a thief than as an emperor’s aide, as the events of books two and three turn him into little more than an oenophile who provides occasional comedy relief. Ham’s philosophical queries are close to nonexistent by book three, and he is essentially relegated to a second-tier set piece by that point; most of his words and actions in book three could have been performed by any character. Clubs was never especially relevant or interesting.
(Don’t) Trust Your Reader
Sanderson often seems to be untrustworthy of his readers’ ability to make basic logical connections, egregiously restating established worldbuilding concepts even up into book three. One example in book three’s closing pages compares the character Marsh’s abilities to those of the Lord Ruler. Not only is this fact implied because of Marsh’s abilities themselves, but the same comparison is made earlier in the same book from the perspective of another character.
Sanderson’s reasoning for this is likely well-intended: his worldbuilding concepts are big and well-developed. There’s much to learn about the world itself, allomancy, feruchemy, and hemalurgy, and a lot of people could conceivably forget much of this information on the regular. Well-intended or not, the readers of the Mistborn trilogy are often reminded of remedial worldbuilding concepts. This unnecessarily lengthens the books, makes those particular portions of narrative boring to read, and whispers to me that the narrator doesn’t trust me to remember what I read earlier.
Abuse of Filtering Language
The biggest offense of the books is the abuse of filtering language – the words “could” and should” usually in connection with the subjunctive mood, expressing potentiality or ability over and above reality. This is despite most of the occurrences of filtering language referring to simple active states of being.
This is a problem for narrative for two reasons. First, it unnecessarily lengthens the story overall. In Sanderson’s case, I’d reckon the Mistborn Trilogy would be thousands of words shorter without the abuse of filtering words. Second, the overuse of filtering language in contexts that are actually describing the simple past or present-active implicitly removes the reader from direct interaction with the events occurring. What often reads in the narrative as “Character X could hear the sound of Y,” could have been written as “Character X heard Y.” (This leads to a lesser issue of formulaic, repetitive, predictable prose if an author is not careful, but this is surmountable with creativity.) The abuse of filtering language caused much of the nuts and bolts of Mistborn’s storytelling to be repetitive and uninteresting to read. I gravitate toward journalism and biography precisely for this reason: authors writing in these formats have to exercise great skill in turning potentially monotonous details into literary hook after literary hook – and don’t forget the hard deadlines and word count limits. In my estimation, filtering language and unengaging prose are Mistborn’s greatest technical weakness.
An Unsatisfying Conclusion
The conclusion of the third Mistborn book left much wanting, not merely in terms of unanswered conceptual questions (more metals, events about the history that were barely addressed,) but in terms of untied character knots. The three-book metanarrative ends abruptly and unsatisfyingly.
A Prolific Author, a Mediocre Series
Along with Elantris and Wheel of Time, the Mistborn Series helped cement Brandon Sanderson as a modern giant of contemporary English speculative fiction. Sanderson’s enduring success can only mean that his style has matured since 2008. My gut tells me that Mistborn is not the best measure of his skills.
At the end of the day, there are better fantasy stories out there than Mistborn—probably from Sanderson himself. 3/5 for its intriguing musings on religion and detailed worldbuilding. With more compelling characters and better prose, Mistborn could have been a powerhouse series that capitalized on Brandon Sanderson’s dense, imaginative mythopoeia. It’s not a story I plan on returning to.
Mistborn’s enduring legacy may not, in the final analysis, be the story itself, but its role in launching Brandon Sanderson’s literary career.
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The Skinny: At the end of the day, there are better fantasy stories out there than Mistborn—probably from Sanderson himself.
Full Review
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Where Mistborn Succeeds: Worldbuilding
Mistborn’s greatest asset is its worldbuilding. Visions of ashen, gothic spires contrasting against the perpetual red of a dying sun paint clearly the picture of a world without flowers. Apparent love and effort were invested by Sanderson into developing the philosophical concepts underlying the world, portrayed in many of the dead religions chronicled by the Keeper, Sazed. The Mistborn world is believable sociologically, mythologically, and historically, which is crucial for constructing robust fantasy. The major events and people groups of Mistborn are believable because of their complexity. This is to Sanderson’s credit as a conceptualizer of high fantasy and mythopoeia, and, unfortunately, constitutes most of the good I have to write about the series.
Bad Use of Voice
Major portions of the Mistborn books are unfortunate drudgery. The dialogue is often repetitious in the immediate context (i.e., it states directly what is already implied by action and dialogue) and, while colloquial, the idiomatic speech of the Mistborn world seems inconsistent both with the parlance of brigands and thieves as well as with that of scholars, kings, and noblemen. The language reads too much like contemporary American English. While clarity should always be a writer’s top goal, it need not come at the cost of narrative or characters’ voices which, to my eyes, often seemed the case.
Most of the characters’ voices bleed together due to similar vocabulary, syntax, and reliance upon the American idiom mentioned above. A few characters have distinguishing verbal characteristics, but these are often laborious catch phrases or buzz words like “good man” and “child” out of the mouths of Breeze and Tindwyl, respectively. I recall counting the use of the former phrase on one page of my Kindle edition of book three and found that in that particular passage, every line of dialogue by Breeze contained the phrase “good man.” A character should not be most clearly defined by the sum total of his catch phrases.
The only character I truly enjoyed in this series was Sazed the Terrisman. Sazed has the clearest character voice, his actions and inactions carry narrative weight, and his personal struggles with religion force much of his inner turmoil to contend with the world Brandon Sanderson created. No other character’s development makes better use of Mistborn’s mythopoeia than Sazed—the protagonists included.
Labor Pains and Fight Sequences
I recall from The Two Towers Tolkien’s description of Aragorn’s blade falling upon Uruk-Hai like bolts of lightning. Sanderson provides little such artistry in his fight scenes, which are often far too focused on intricately-described choreography. When it comes to writing fights, we should follow Tolkien’s lead and not lose the forest for the trees. Painting with broad strokes and leaving sharp description to key moments in Mistborn’s battles would have kept those portions of prose moving more smoothly and would have helped the crucial portions of those sequences stand out.
Bland Characters
With the exceptions of Sazed and Spook (due to his subplot in book three,) the cast of side characters is sadly forgettable. Breeze is far more interesting as a thief than as an emperor’s aide, as the events of books two and three turn him into little more than an oenophile who provides occasional comedy relief. Ham’s philosophical queries are close to nonexistent by book three, and he is essentially relegated to a second-tier set piece by that point; most of his words and actions in book three could have been performed by any character. Clubs was never especially relevant or interesting.
(Don’t) Trust Your Reader
Sanderson often seems to be untrustworthy of his readers’ ability to make basic logical connections, egregiously restating established worldbuilding concepts even up into book three. One example in book three’s closing pages compares the character Marsh’s abilities to those of the Lord Ruler. Not only is this fact implied because of Marsh’s abilities themselves, but the same comparison is made earlier in the same book from the perspective of another character.
Sanderson’s reasoning for this is likely well-intended: his worldbuilding concepts are big and well-developed. There’s much to learn about the world itself, allomancy, feruchemy, and hemalurgy, and a lot of people could conceivably forget much of this information on the regular. Well-intended or not, the readers of the Mistborn trilogy are often reminded of remedial worldbuilding concepts. This unnecessarily lengthens the books, makes those particular portions of narrative boring to read, and whispers to me that the narrator doesn’t trust me to remember what I read earlier.
Abuse of Filtering Language
The biggest offense of the books is the abuse of filtering language – the words “could” and should” usually in connection with the subjunctive mood, expressing potentiality or ability over and above reality. This is despite most of the occurrences of filtering language referring to simple active states of being.
This is a problem for narrative for two reasons. First, it unnecessarily lengthens the story overall. In Sanderson’s case, I’d reckon the Mistborn Trilogy would be thousands of words shorter without the abuse of filtering words. Second, the overuse of filtering language in contexts that are actually describing the simple past or present-active implicitly removes the reader from direct interaction with the events occurring. What often reads in the narrative as “Character X could hear the sound of Y,” could have been written as “Character X heard Y.” (This leads to a lesser issue of formulaic, repetitive, predictable prose if an author is not careful, but this is surmountable with creativity.) The abuse of filtering language caused much of the nuts and bolts of Mistborn’s storytelling to be repetitive and uninteresting to read. I gravitate toward journalism and biography precisely for this reason: authors writing in these formats have to exercise great skill in turning potentially monotonous details into literary hook after literary hook – and don’t forget the hard deadlines and word count limits. In my estimation, filtering language and unengaging prose are Mistborn’s greatest technical weakness.
An Unsatisfying Conclusion
The conclusion of the third Mistborn book left much wanting, not merely in terms of unanswered conceptual questions (more metals, events about the history that were barely addressed,) but in terms of untied character knots. The three-book metanarrative ends abruptly and unsatisfyingly.
A Prolific Author, a Mediocre Series
Along with Elantris and Wheel of Time, the Mistborn Series helped cement Brandon Sanderson as a modern giant of contemporary English speculative fiction. Sanderson’s enduring success can only mean that his style has matured since 2008. My gut tells me that Mistborn is not the best measure of his skills.
At the end of the day, there are better fantasy stories out there than Mistborn—probably from Sanderson himself. 3/5 for its intriguing musings on religion and detailed worldbuilding. With more compelling characters and better prose, Mistborn could have been a powerhouse series that capitalized on Brandon Sanderson’s dense, imaginative mythopoeia. It’s not a story I plan on returning to.
Mistborn’s enduring legacy may not, in the final analysis, be the story itself, but its role in launching Brandon Sanderson’s literary career.
September 28, 2015
I have such mixed feelings about this series.
The first book (Final Empire) was really amazing. Lots of action, and a solid conclusion despite leaving so much unfinished for the rest of the trilogy. The world-building was some of the best I've ever read, and the magic system was incredible. I liked the entire cast of characters.
The second and third books really suffer from poor pacing. In the first 2/3 of the second book, we slog through Vin/Eland's relationship insecurities. And, I really do mean SLOG. All the action is packed in the last 1/3, and so much of that section feels rushed. Then, we have book 3, where Sanderson does all of this back-explaining of things that have happened in the past... so much of that could have been moved to book 2, making both books more palatable. As it was, I had to jump around a lot in both books to skim through exposition.
The other problem with book 3 is Sazed. He is depressed for pretty much the whole book, which gets old after the first 200 pages of "I am depressed and don't want to do anything any more." The other problem is the whole religion thing. Sazed goes through a crisis of faith, and the book reads like nothing more than a Mormon treatise on the search for "truth". (Mormons are the only ones I know of that refer to religions as "true" - and that is a repeated theme in this last book). Actually, I found the entire religious system in this book to be excessively Mormon. Lord Ruler is God and was once a man... Kelsier showed the way to become a god like he did. Yeah, it got really, really old, really, really fast.
Anyway, I think Sanderson is probably a great fantasy writer, and I am glad I read this trilogy, but the focus on religion and Mormon-y nature of it left a terrible taste in my mouth. I won't be reading any of his other books.
The first book (Final Empire) was really amazing. Lots of action, and a solid conclusion despite leaving so much unfinished for the rest of the trilogy. The world-building was some of the best I've ever read, and the magic system was incredible. I liked the entire cast of characters.
The second and third books really suffer from poor pacing. In the first 2/3 of the second book, we slog through Vin/Eland's relationship insecurities. And, I really do mean SLOG. All the action is packed in the last 1/3, and so much of that section feels rushed. Then, we have book 3, where Sanderson does all of this back-explaining of things that have happened in the past... so much of that could have been moved to book 2, making both books more palatable. As it was, I had to jump around a lot in both books to skim through exposition.
The other problem with book 3 is Sazed. He is depressed for pretty much the whole book, which gets old after the first 200 pages of "I am depressed and don't want to do anything any more." The other problem is the whole religion thing. Sazed goes through a crisis of faith, and the book reads like nothing more than a Mormon treatise on the search for "truth". (Mormons are the only ones I know of that refer to religions as "true" - and that is a repeated theme in this last book). Actually, I found the entire religious system in this book to be excessively Mormon. Lord Ruler is God and was once a man... Kelsier showed the way to become a god like he did. Yeah, it got really, really old, really, really fast.
Anyway, I think Sanderson is probably a great fantasy writer, and I am glad I read this trilogy, but the focus on religion and Mormon-y nature of it left a terrible taste in my mouth. I won't be reading any of his other books.
July 7, 2018
My all time new favorite fantasy series.
September 14, 2022
Poco se le puede pedir a una historia así, lo tiene todo. Personajes espectaculares, lugares increíbles, desenlaces inesperados y miles de cosas más.
No puedo creer como Brandon Sanderson ha conseguido enlazar un obra tan grande, y eso que esto es sólo los primeros tres tomos. Espero volver dentro de poco al mundo creado por Brandon Sanderson, de momento cambio a otra cosa porque tiene absorbido y se me la vida real, jajaja.
No puedo creer como Brandon Sanderson ha conseguido enlazar un obra tan grande, y eso que esto es sólo los primeros tres tomos. Espero volver dentro de poco al mundo creado por Brandon Sanderson, de momento cambio a otra cosa porque tiene absorbido y se me la vida real, jajaja.
August 31, 2019
The Final Empire - 5/5
Exciting action, thought provoking philosophy, strong and sympathetic characters and a fascinating magic system that utilizes various types of metal. Kelsier has become one of my favorite fantasy characters of all time. He was heroic yet frightening, inspirational yet reckless, so interesting yet so flawed at the same time. I found myself rooting for him all the way, even when he was about to do something so foolish or cruel that I wanted to reach into the book and slap him on the back of the head.
I also enjoyed Sazed and Elend quite a bit, and Vin became a spectacular character by the end of the book when in the beginning I felt she was a bit underwhelming. A fantastic book that's rich with action, personal growth, political intrigue, philosophy and moral ambiguity.
***
The Well of Ascension - 4/5
Let me just say this, the last 200 or so pages of this book were on par with the most epic parts of the first book. It feels like half of the cast was wiped out all in one go, it gave me flashbacks to the Berserk eclipse. I was an emotional wreck during this whole sequence, it was just nonstop violence, death and sadness. I thought the major death at the end of the first book was hard to take in, but this was on a whole new level of disastrous.
Although the finale was one of the most epic and traumatizing things I've seen in fantasy in years, the rest of the book wasn't quite up to par. This is especially evident when compared to the fantastic pacing of the first book. The character development is uneven, Elend is cool but not nearly as cool as Kelsier in terms of being a leader, Zane felt completely out of place, he was the walking stereotype of a 'young-adult bad boy with abusive tendencies and emotional issues but he's totally the right choice for the main character," the love triangle thing just didn't suit this series at all. Vin's whole character felt off for a while but thankfully she was able to pull herself together by the end of the book and win me over once more.
Despite some hiccups, strange character development and slow story moments, this was still a pretty great book, just not at the same level as the first book. The ending is also quite promising, opening up all kinds of possibilities for the future of the series by introducing gods and higher powers. What was lurking within the Well of Ascension is a major plot twist that changes the context of the entire backstory of the series, it was very well done.
***
The Hero of Ages - 4/5
The ending was phenomenal and wrapped up Vin's massive story arc in a satisfying way. Every character had a pivotal role to play in the finale and I loved how their actions and legacies were permanently engraved into the world's lore in one way or another. The rest of the book had its moments as well, but I couldn't help but feel like the pacing was very off kilter most of the time. It was either incredibly slow or incredibly rushed, I think it had to do with the smaller cast of characters and stricter range of world building. The best part about the series in my opinion was the large cast of colourful characters playing off of each other's strengths and weaknesses, that charisma and banter just isn't all that evident in the final book of the trilogy.
Vin really grew on me as a character though, her and Sazed were what kept me interested in the final book. As always, the action was superb, the lore was fascinating and the major changes to the world's mythology that came as a result of opening the Well of Ascension were all brilliant to watch unfold. I still think the first book is much better than book two and book three, but the trilogy as a whole remains one of my all time favorites. I absolutely love the characters, I just wish they had as much time to shine in the final book as they did in the previous two.
Exciting action, thought provoking philosophy, strong and sympathetic characters and a fascinating magic system that utilizes various types of metal. Kelsier has become one of my favorite fantasy characters of all time. He was heroic yet frightening, inspirational yet reckless, so interesting yet so flawed at the same time. I found myself rooting for him all the way, even when he was about to do something so foolish or cruel that I wanted to reach into the book and slap him on the back of the head.
I also enjoyed Sazed and Elend quite a bit, and Vin became a spectacular character by the end of the book when in the beginning I felt she was a bit underwhelming. A fantastic book that's rich with action, personal growth, political intrigue, philosophy and moral ambiguity.
***
The Well of Ascension - 4/5
Let me just say this, the last 200 or so pages of this book were on par with the most epic parts of the first book. It feels like half of the cast was wiped out all in one go, it gave me flashbacks to the Berserk eclipse. I was an emotional wreck during this whole sequence, it was just nonstop violence, death and sadness. I thought the major death at the end of the first book was hard to take in, but this was on a whole new level of disastrous.
Although the finale was one of the most epic and traumatizing things I've seen in fantasy in years, the rest of the book wasn't quite up to par. This is especially evident when compared to the fantastic pacing of the first book. The character development is uneven, Elend is cool but not nearly as cool as Kelsier in terms of being a leader, Zane felt completely out of place, he was the walking stereotype of a 'young-adult bad boy with abusive tendencies and emotional issues but he's totally the right choice for the main character," the love triangle thing just didn't suit this series at all. Vin's whole character felt off for a while but thankfully she was able to pull herself together by the end of the book and win me over once more.
Despite some hiccups, strange character development and slow story moments, this was still a pretty great book, just not at the same level as the first book. The ending is also quite promising, opening up all kinds of possibilities for the future of the series by introducing gods and higher powers. What was lurking within the Well of Ascension is a major plot twist that changes the context of the entire backstory of the series, it was very well done.
***
The Hero of Ages - 4/5
The ending was phenomenal and wrapped up Vin's massive story arc in a satisfying way. Every character had a pivotal role to play in the finale and I loved how their actions and legacies were permanently engraved into the world's lore in one way or another. The rest of the book had its moments as well, but I couldn't help but feel like the pacing was very off kilter most of the time. It was either incredibly slow or incredibly rushed, I think it had to do with the smaller cast of characters and stricter range of world building. The best part about the series in my opinion was the large cast of colourful characters playing off of each other's strengths and weaknesses, that charisma and banter just isn't all that evident in the final book of the trilogy.
Vin really grew on me as a character though, her and Sazed were what kept me interested in the final book. As always, the action was superb, the lore was fascinating and the major changes to the world's mythology that came as a result of opening the Well of Ascension were all brilliant to watch unfold. I still think the first book is much better than book two and book three, but the trilogy as a whole remains one of my all time favorites. I absolutely love the characters, I just wish they had as much time to shine in the final book as they did in the previous two.
August 26, 2015
I imagined this as an anime the entire time while reading... all the exaggerated expressions of the characters, the violence, the scenery... all of it as an anime. It worked out surprisingly well, too.
I hate poo-pooing on a book, but the blurb on the back was wrong. I did not close the pages of this trilogy with a sigh on my breath, as if I had just awoken from some wonderful dream. The ideas within are original, yet poorly written.
It was as if Sanderson took all the standard fantasy clichés and instead reversed them, which is good in theory, and could have made for a good story, but the presentation of it was lacking.
The characters were cardboard caricatures of themselves. If Sanderson is going to reverse the clichés, then the least he could give the reader is a full cast of characters without the standard tropes. The characters' relationships, their dialogue, their inner thought processes were all redundant, dull, and dry. I could've cared less about all of them.
The writing style didn't pull me in either. Although Sanderson did well when it came to describing fighting scenes and moving the action along, the rest of the story came across as stale.
The comedic relief in the interactions between a few of the same characters was awkward, even embarrassing at times, and annoyingly disruptive to the rest of the story.
I have read others state that the Mistborn series did not dwell much on religion, but I have to respectfully disagree. It is a major theme of the plot, and a great bulk of it is Sanderson's own philosophies on faith put to print. It came across as preachy and made me want to bang my head against a wall, but I digress...
There was great potential in the concept and the magic system (which is original), but the presentation of the story fell flat, and at times, felt blatantly forced.
I hate poo-pooing on a book, but the blurb on the back was wrong. I did not close the pages of this trilogy with a sigh on my breath, as if I had just awoken from some wonderful dream. The ideas within are original, yet poorly written.
It was as if Sanderson took all the standard fantasy clichés and instead reversed them, which is good in theory, and could have made for a good story, but the presentation of it was lacking.
The characters were cardboard caricatures of themselves. If Sanderson is going to reverse the clichés, then the least he could give the reader is a full cast of characters without the standard tropes. The characters' relationships, their dialogue, their inner thought processes were all redundant, dull, and dry. I could've cared less about all of them.
The writing style didn't pull me in either. Although Sanderson did well when it came to describing fighting scenes and moving the action along, the rest of the story came across as stale.
The comedic relief in the interactions between a few of the same characters was awkward, even embarrassing at times, and annoyingly disruptive to the rest of the story.
I have read others state that the Mistborn series did not dwell much on religion, but I have to respectfully disagree. It is a major theme of the plot, and a great bulk of it is Sanderson's own philosophies on faith put to print. It came across as preachy and made me want to bang my head against a wall, but I digress...
There was great potential in the concept and the magic system (which is original), but the presentation of the story fell flat, and at times, felt blatantly forced.
August 19, 2021
A grand series. One about leaders, balance, change and love. I had small problems with the first two books but by the third I was engulfed by the story ark and the writing style. Highly recommend.
March 11, 2014
I liked parts of the series, but overall the main character was so bland it really dragged the whole series down. I still read the entire thing, and I don't regret reading it, but it's certainly not something I'd pick up again.
The main character's growth path should be seamless, not shoved in your face again, and again, and again. We get it, she's scared. But stop telling us she's scared and insecure, make her actions infer it. Whenever the book wasn't waxing poetic about the girl, it was pretty good. Unfortunately we're given a very unoriginal character development path that the author can't stop talking about:
1) Start weak and helpless
2) Her insecurities will remain with her through most of the series
3) She will gradually grow stronger until...
4) She'll triumph!
Again, that's great and all, but you cannot repeatedly write out step 2 and expect me not to want to punch someone in the face! You're doing it wrong! Whew. Sanderson's getting better though, I loved The Way of Kings and will be reading Words of Radiance soon. He churns out books like a mad man so it's fair he doesn't hit them all out of the park.
The magic system's quite nifty, but again the writing about the magic system got in the way of telling an actual story. When a story was being told, or cool things were happening with the magic system, it was a solid 4 star book. The character development was two stars.
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