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A**N
One of the best trilogies I've read in a long time. Don't miss it!
To ensure I do this series justice, I've reviewed each book in turn)The Final Empire – Mistborn Book OneThe premise for this book is as follows:For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison. Kelsier "snapped" and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark.Kelsier recruited the underworld's elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Only then does he reveal his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the divine despot.But even with the best criminal crew ever assembled, Kel's plan looks more like the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into his life. Like him, she's a half-Skaa orphan, but she's lived a much harsher life. Vin has learned to expect betrayal from everyone she meets, and gotten it. She will have to learn to trust, if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed.This saga dares to ask a simple question: What if the hero of prophecy fails?*******This is the first Brandon Sanderson novel I’ve read. And it certainly won’t be the last.I found The Final Empire to be a fascinating and thoroughly absorbing tale, combining ancient prophecy, devilish conspiracies, social injustice, political intrigue and Hail-Mary heroics in a cauldron of suspense and high adventure.The world he has built is eerily provocative, and though ruined by ecological disaster in the far distant past, still exerts a hypnotic beauty that pulls the reader in and gets you caring about what happens. The characters are engaging and relatable. The magic system is a joy to behold. And before you know it, you’ve read over 600 pages without feeling drained.An excellent story. I look forward to more.The Well of Ascension – Mistborn Book twoThe Well of Ascension takes us back to Luthadel a year after the Dark Lord has been deposed. Far from making things better, the citizens of the land discover that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.Yes, the Final Empire is no more and the Steel Inquisitors seem to have vanished. But in their wake, uncertainty follows. Citizens at both ends of the social spectrum struggle to find balance in a new regime of tolerance. Only, there are those who don’t want to change. And they are quick to take advantage.Luthadel becomes surrounded by no less than three opposing armies, all intent on seizing the one thing that means anything: the former Emperor’s atium reserves. But those reserves can’t be found, and no amount of pledging or promises can make the invading commanders change their minds.In addition, we find our heroes facing their own personal crossroads. Elend is an honorable and well-meaning young man, but his naivety of the real world places everyone in danger. Vin is feared for her power. She did destroy the former emperor after all. But she is beset by doubts about her own motivations and ability to make lasting changes. And of course, she can’t really believe that a man like Elend would truly love someone like her. Sazed is a man caught between two worlds. That of a Keeper, and remaining a firm friend and confident to the people he has come to know and respect.And Kelsier’s former crew? For the most part, they take a back seat during this adventure, making way for several new characters who add a little spice to the mix. (I shan’t say more, as I’m always keen NEVER to give anything of the plot away.)This book is longer than the last one, (over 760 pages), and Sanderson lights a fuse at the beginning that burns slowly but surely toward a climactic finish. Very clever, as there’s a lot of ground to cover. But it’s done well. And what I particularly enjoyed was the time Sanderson took to reveal more about the Final Empire’s history, and the origins and interspecies relationships of some of its more mysterious races. (You’ll see).And the delicious twist at the end?The Well of Ascension is a most satisfying read, and I can’t wait to see how things are brought to a conclusion in the final book.The Hero of Ages – Mistborn Book ThreeThe Hero of Ages takes us into the closing chapter of the Mistborn trilogy, where we find events spiraling out of control in a headlong rush toward oblivion. Vin may have killed the Lord Ruler and gained access to the Well of Ascension, but her well-meaning choices released calamity upon humankind.The Deepness – the all-pervasive and malignant mist that terrorizes people at night – is getting worse; as are the ash falls and ever more powerful earthquakes that wrack the land from end to end. Crops are failing. Society is crumbling. Humanity trembles on the brink of extinction.They need the long prophesized Hero of Ages to step up and save them.But who might that be?A perplexing conundrum that Sanderson employs to lead you through the trials and tribulations facing Vin, Elend and their friends as they struggle to rally the remnants of their civilization into making a last stand against evil.And what a stand it is.Sanderson took his time in laying the foundations of this epic story. Wisely so, because its only here, at the end of a long and tumultuous journey, that all the signs, signals, references, half-truths and misdirection come together to help you solve a 1000 year old puzzle and finally discover who that hero is. And what a revelation we get, incorporating issues of faith, hope, loyalty, and sacrifice on a profound scale that reminds us of the frailty – and amazing strength during times of crisis – of the human condition.I particularly enjoyed the slow burn of this story arc. You have to take your time in laying out the jumbled pieces of a jigsaw, and it’s only as the narrative helps you piece everything together that you begin to comprehend just how vast the bigger picture is.An epic ending to one of the best trilogies I’ve read in a long while. Don’t miss it!
A**R
Buy it buy it buy it
Love these books, highly recommend. This collection looks great too, and it's easy to find more more matching versions of his other books if you get sucked into the cosmere. These were my first Sanderson books and I'm now 12 books deep, his writing is approachable and enthralling
S**
riveting read
Kept me hooked from start to finish. Intriguing characters, some to live some to hate, I’m not great at writing reviews just know this is a very good series and I look gorwarx to discovering more of mr Sanderson’s books
K**R
Epic, amazing, but can be a little slow.
The final Empire - "Book 1" is amazing. Fresh magic system, fresh archetypes, fresh everything. Note not original - nothing is. But it is FRESH.The meetings between the gang were brilliantly written and had me feeling as if I were a member of the team sitting in listening and thinking of motives and what would happen if the plan went wrong. The first book sucked me in from the very beginning. Beautifully written. Long - but absolutely necessary. At no point did I ever get any "come on, let's get on with it" feelings. As perfect as a book can get - 6 stars if I could give it 6.The well of Ascension I have to admit is a 3 star book. The only real story is trying to find the well - with a side plot of luthadel being beseiged and starved by two armies sitting outside it. There are the usual triangle tactics and some areas were interesting. But, quite frankly, 250k words (800 pages) could have been done in 100k. I was already sucked into this Universe so enjoyed a lot of the unneeded chapters as they served my geeky side well for worldbuilding. I must admit however I did fatigue multiple times. There was just one major plot which never grew and was quickly dealt with at the end - and beseige tactics....for 800 pages. 3 stars.I haven't finished the 3rd book yet - halfway through, but already it is a good 5 star book. More than one plotline and lots of characters moving about different locations unlike book 2 just sitting and waiting.Overall 4 stars - such a shame the 2nd drags it down a tad.Stunning writing though - Brandon Sanderson has an excellent authorial voice and foreshadows perfectly. You feel immediately immersed and involved in the story. I will be binging all of his books over the next coming months, and years as new ones arrive. Glad I found more fantasy series to get into - so few good ones exist.EDIT: Finished book 3. It has a few fatigue chapters. Sazed's were a hard slog. Gets very religious, and not in a good way. Garbled madness quite frankly, and strange.Push through and you get an absolutely brilliant, wonderful, and beautiful ending. Keeping it as 4 stars - and it is worth reading, but book 2 is a slog and book 3 has a bit of fatigue reading.Well worth it for the ending. I see some people are complaining about it. I think it was brilliant. I won't spoil it, but it isn't all bad or all good. It ends properly, everything is resolved, but it isn't a fairytale ending necessarily either. Quite frankly did you expect it to?
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