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Review: The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
01 year ago
Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy has been a surprisingly good read, and the final volume, Hero of Ages, ends the series in a way I never quite expected. The edge hard science fiction has always had over the other speculative genres has been its ability to comment on contemporary life through a high concept setting. Epic fantasy tends to be a simpler affair, focusing on the black and white battle between good and evil over examining the human condition. Generally, it’s Joseph Campbell recycled, but not so with Hero of Ages. In the final volume of the series, Sanderson deals with issues of faith and atheism, the inconsistencies of organized religion and how normal people can made into martyrs, messiahs and gods.
Picking up a year after Well of Ascension, Hero of Ages opens on the cusp of the apocalypse. The mists, once confined to the night, are staying out longer and longer through the daytime. People exposed to them are struck down by a mysterious illness or killed, and the ash mounts are throwing a near-constant spray of ash into the atmosphere. As Vin and Elend seek out clues left behind by the Lord Ruler that may hold the secret for saving the world, Spook, Sazed and TenSoon all have trials of their own to overcome.
The various character arcs converge on an endpoint that is moving, haunting and ultimately satisfying. The action sequences are as exhilarating as in previous volumes, and although some of the characterization can come off a bit flat at times, the greater subtext of the series, as well as the revelations regarding the nature of the mists, allomancy and the world itself have real resonance.
I fear saying anything more would give too much away, but the Mistborn trilogy isn’t just a great series, it also heralds the arrival of a massive (and prolific) talent. Brandon Sanderson is the real deal — I can’t wait to read his contributions to the Wheel of Time, as well as his upcoming novel, the Way of Kings. Once you get to the end of Mistborn you’ll understand just how serious he is as a writer — this is a man who walks shoulder to shoulder with George R.R. Martin. No mean feat, given how many authors have failed to live up to the comparison.
Review: Well of Ascension (Mistborn Book 2) by Brandon Sanderson
01 year ago
With every action, there is a consequence — and Well of Ascension, the follow-up to Brandon Sanderson’s excellent Mistborn: The Final Empire is all about unintended consequences and their impact on the residents of the Final Empire.
Following the events of the first novel, things haven’t quite worked out quite how Vin, Elend and Kelsier’s crew had in mind. Luthadel is under siege and strange things are happening in the mists. A mysterious Mistborn is stalking the streets of the city at night and many questions remain about the Lord Ruler, the Deepness and allomancy.
In the first half of the book, Sanderson begins his set-up and there are some interesting twists and turns, but it does tend to drag a bit. Vin deals with some internal struggles, which while logical, do feel a bit like the infamous “ball” sequences in the first novel.
Yet somewhere after the midway point Sanderson finishes assembling his plot and things begin to unfold in a surprising and exciting manner. Although the climax of Mistborn: the Final Empire is superior, the closing events of Well of Ascension are impressively rendered, offering Sanderson’s strong blend of compelling characters and huge action sequences. The ending expertly sets up book three, following the overall theme of “unintended” consequences that runs through the course of the novel.
Despite the slow start, Well of Ascension is a worthy follow-up to its predecessor and is more proof that Brandon Sanderson is the best fantasy novelist of his generation, the true heir to Robert Jordan and George R.R. Martin
Review: Mistborn by Brendon Sanderson
11 year ago
A friend of mine recommended Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn a few years back, but for whatever reason, I did not add it to my reading list until after Sanderson had been selected to complete Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time. I consider myself a fan of fantasy, but I am often extremely skeptical of the epic fantasy sub-genre because a significant percentage of it tends to be derivative (see: Brooks, Terry; Eddings, David; Goodkind, Terry). The gold standard for me would be either George R.R. Martin or Robert Jordan, as the two moved epic fantasy out of the zone of hackneyed Tolkien rip-offs and into territory that was original and far more interesting.
So hearing that Harriet McDougal, Jordan’s widow, had personally selected Sanderson based on both his heartfelt online eulogy to Jordan and the quality of Mistborn, I knew he was someone I definitely had to take a look at. And I’m very glad that I did.
If Martin and Jordan are the heavyweights of their generation of epic fantasy authors, then Brandon Sanderson is one of the leading authors of his own generation. Mistborn offers up a wholly original setting based on the question: “What would happen if the Dark One won?” And while it does adhere to the traditional Joseph Campbell model of heroic fiction, it does set it in an unusual world where ash falls from the sky and strange mists and creatures fill the night.
At its heart, Mistborn is a heist novel, where a crack team of thieves bands together to attempt the impossible — the destruction of the Lord Ruler and his Final Empire. And as trite as that may sound, the characters are so well-painted and compelling that they really are a cut above the traditional rogue stereotype found in epic fantasy, particularly works derived from Dungeons and Dragons.
Central among the rebels is Vin, a young girl who has discovered that she is actually a Mistborn, or Sanderson’s version of a mage and Kelsier, an older Mistborn and the charismatic leader of the rebels. Again, two mage/rogues would seem cliched, if Sanderson’s magic system and physics weren’t both so well-constructed and believable. Magic in Mistborn follows a strict set of rules and is never used in a way that isn’t completely believable. Often it can be employed as deus ex machina, but in Sanderson’s novels it has its limitations.
I don’t want to say much else about the book so as not to spoil it — but it is quite remarkable. There are great set-ups and pay-offs, and some of the climactic battle scenes are exhilarating to read.
The only downside for me is that I have four other books waiting to be read on my Kindle before I can get to the next volume in the trilogy. I tend to be a cynic when it comes to the genre, but I haven’t been this excited upon completion of a fantasy novel since I finished A Storm of Swords all those years ago.