The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

Title: The Hero of Ages

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Publisher: Tor

Publication Year: 2008

Pages: 748

Genre: Fantasy
My Rating: 5/5
Spoilers for Mistborn: The Final Empire & The Well of Ascension 
#yearofcosmere

Summary

To end the Final Empire and restore freedom, Vin killed the Lord Ruler. But as a result, the Deepness---the lethal form of the ubiquitous mists---is back, along with increasingly heavy ashfalls and ever more powerful earthquakes. Humanity appears to be doomed.

The conclusion of the Mistborn trilogy fulfills all the promise of the first two books. Revelations abound, connections rooted in early chapters of the series click into place, and surprises, as satisfying as they are stunning, blossom like fireworks to dazzle and delight. It all leads up to a finale unmatched for originality and audacity that will leave readers rubbing their eyes in wonder, as if awaking from an amazing dream.

Thoughts

WELL that was...quite something! It's been a couple of weeks since I've finished this book and the ending still gives me shivers. This book makes it easy to see why Sanderson is a titan among his peers. He has managed to create an intricate world, complicated characters, and as always an epic cinematic ending. This books wraps up old story arcs, expands and explains the magic system and introduces us clearly for the first time (although there are hints in his previous books) at the larger intertwined universe and mythology  of the Cosmere. Some peripheral characters like Spook and Ten Soon get their own story arcs as seemingly small or peripheral scenes or issues become of crucial importance to the resolution.

The one thing that really stood out to me about this particular books was just how much the scale of the story had changed from the start of the trilogy; the close knit heisty narrative of the gang of thieves which made me so love the first book has been replaced by a broader narrative that touches upon morality, good and evil, and whether or not an individual has agency. Problems and solutions have become more abstract and the focus on Vin and Elend is less prominent. It’s as though throughout the course of the three books Sanderson has taken his story about a small band of elite thieves and zoomed out to give us a meta view of their context.

He has done so in a way that is subtle and skillful, this is clearly a masterful trilogy. My only concern is that at times this zoom felt too fast which is a bit of a strange thing to say since each book is hefty at over 500 pages each, however I enjoyed the first book so much that the loss of the camaraderie aspect of the first was felt in the other two. It says a lot about just how good this book is that my only quibble is that I wanted more.

The story wraps up in a way that is both emotionally satisfying and wrecking. It is an emotional gut punch which leaves you blinking in a daze after you have turned the last page. The only balm on my battered soul is knowing that we will revisit this world again in a new trilogy and that our time in the Mistborn world is not yet over. 

Here's Sanaa's take on the Hero of Ages:

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

Title: The Well of Ascension

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Publisher: Tor Fantasy

Publication Year: 2007

Pages:763

Genre: Fantasy
My Rating:4/5
#theYearofCosmere

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR MISTBORN: THE FINAL EMPIRE 

Summary:

They did the impossible, deposing the godlike being whose brutal rule had lasted a thousand years. Now Vin, the street urchin who has grown into the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and Elend Venture, the idealistic young nobleman who loves her, must build a healthy new society in the ashes of an empire.

They have barely begun when three separate armies attack. As the siege tightens, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the Well of Ascension or what manner of power it bestows.

It may just be that killing the Lord Ruler was the easy part. Surviving the aftermath of his fall is going to be the real challenge.

Thoughts:

I am struggling a little to put my finger on exactly what I think of the Well of Ascension. First of all, it's Brandon Sanderson so any thing he writes is already above and beyond most of his peers and his endings, like always epic and cinematic and leave you hungry for more so let's just get that out of the way. With Elantris, his first novel, my main quibble was the plot pacing which seemed to build up slowly until in the last 100 pages which went from 0 to 60mph. The pacing seemed to be more even in Mistborn but has reverted back to slow then explosive in The Well of Ascension. For some reason, given the blurb, I imagined this was going to be a Lord of the Rings-esque trip to find the Well of Ascension. It's not. The majority of the plot takes place in Luthadel, two years after the events of the first book in a siege.

Despite the fact that 3 armies have come to take over the newly formed kingdom run by Elend most of the plot is spent in a standoff punctuated by a few amazing action scenes (because Vin is badass) there are several minor plots revolving around the remaining crew, Sazed, the three invading armies and possibly a new Mistborn? As well as the introduction of some great new characters, a fleshing out of the history and myths of the world.

The only thing that keeps me from giving it a 5 starts were the character developments in Vin and Elend. I love both characters and their growth in this book is great but slightly painful to read sometimes. There is a lot of internal struggle between the characters which could have simply been solved if they communicated. Struggles like 'what if I'm not good enough for him?', 'what if he doesn't understand me?' and 'what if I love his brother instead?'. Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against a little romance and the struggles that come with it but at some point Vin's inner monologue started to slip into eye-roll worthy territory. That said, I think that the development was necessary if a bit dragged out and the ending completely blows this book out of the water. 

It really is a testament to Sanderson's writing that my complaints are really me being nit-picky.I absolutely can't wait to see how this trilogy ends!

Spoiler-free discussion by the always amazing Sanaa:

  

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

Title: Mistborn 

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Publisher: Tor Fantasy

Publication Year: 2006

Pages: 638

Genre: Fantasy
My Ratiing:4.5/5
52 book Goodreads challenge #2
#YearofCosmere 

Continuing with #YearofCosmere is the first book in Sanderson's Mistborn Trilogy: The Final Empire

Summary:

In a world where ash falls from the sky, and mist dominates the night, an evil cloaks the land and stifles all life. The future of the empire rests on the shoulders of a troublemaker and his young apprentice. Together, can they fill the world with color once more?

In Brandon Sanderson's intriguing tale of love, loss, despair and hope, a new kind of magic enters the stage — Allomancy, a magic of the metals.

Thoughts:

I loved this book. This is one of Sanderson's book that I had previously read and it was just as good the second time around. If you like the fantasy genre or just enjoy great characters and world-building this is a must read. The book is set in a world that is governed by the Lord Ruler, an immortal hero-turned-tyrant who governs over his people with a cruel and relentless hand. The people are essentially divided into two: the Skaa who are slaves and indentured servants working on plantations, and who live miserable, and often short, lives and the ruling class, the nobility who own the means of production and trade and host ostentatious balls to show off their wealth. The nobility keep their hold on the Skaa through allomantic powers passed on by hereditary means. Allomancers ingest and 'burn' metals which depending on the type of metal, gives the user different abilities such as superior strength or sight. Skaa who are found to posses allomantic powers are killed.  

In this bleak world, resistance has all but been crushed...except for a small band of highly skilled thieves (a la Lock Lamora) who have taken it upon themselves to accomplish the impossible and topple the Final Empire, for a price of course. We follow Kelsier a half-skaa, half-noble ring leader and Vin a young street urchin with allomantic powers that he takes under his wing as they concoct a crazy plan to carry out their mission. Dispersed between the chapters, are what appear to be diary entries set in the past before the Lord Ruler's regime governed the land. The way in which the main story line and the diary entries are woven together at the end is classic Sanderson genius.

This book is such a fun read! It combines several familiar fantasy tropes: a gang of thieves, the street urchin with hidden powers and the charismatic leader but it combines them in a way that feels fresh and unique. Here we see the skills that Sanderson was starting to develop in Elantris, really start to shine. The world building is richer and the characters are much more fleshed out and developed, and the pacing is consistently attention grabbing resulting in a well-rounded, action packed, narrative. What really takes this book from good to great however is the magic system. Allomancy; the metal-based system that Sanderson has created is incredibly unique and detailed with clear rules and limitation that serves as a tool for the characters rather than a deus-ex-machina device.  The ending in particular is, like Elantris, very cinematic in a LoTR or Star Wars like scene which I imagine with incredible special effects (someone please make this into a movie!).

The book is quite chunky, the mass market paperback comes in at 638 pages, but it is easy to get engrossed in the story and characters, so don't get intimidated by the size! I am being vague about plot details, but this book contains so many good tidbits, snappy dialogue, and great backstories that I think are best left to the reader to discover. What are you waiting for? I'm already on my way to pick up book number 2!

For a more complete review check out Sanaa's video review!