Description
Fantasy. Fiction. HTML: From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, the Mistborn series is a heist story of political intrigue and magical, martial-arts action. 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? Other Tor books by Brandon Sanderson The Cosmere The Stormlight Archive The Way of Kings Words of Radiance Edgedancer (Novella) Oathbringer The Mistborn trilogy Mistborn: The Final Empire The Well of Ascension The Hero of AgesMistborn: The Wax and Wayne series Alloy of Law Shadows of Self Bands of Mourning Collection Arcanum Unbounded Other Cosmere novels Elantris Warbreaker The Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians The Scrivener's Bones The Knights of Crystallia The Shattered Lens The Dark Talent The Rithmatist seriesThe Rithmatist Other books by Brandon Sanderson The Reckoners Steelheart Firefight Calamity.… (more)
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Available
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New York : Tor Fantasy 2007.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Allama
Mistborn: The Final Empire is, to put it simply, the best fantasy novel I've read in years. The story of a dismal world in which the prophesied hero was defeated and the people subjugated by a dark lord for centuries, it tells the tale of the newest revolution against the oppressive and greatly
Sanderson did a marvelous job of creating a unique and interesting world, with an especially promising new system of magic powered by metal - this was particularly inventive and superbly utilized. The reader is drawn into the setting by the masterful descriptions and excellent narrative voice woven into the story by the author. The action sequences occur infrequently enough to keep from being overwhelming, but also often enough to add an excellent feeling of tension and danger. Not only are they well-paced, they're expressed in such a clear way as to evoke a vivid picture in the mind of what is happening.
The characters were both realistically complex and easy to relate to, with well-developed personalities and believable emotions. As the plot develops the reader plumbs their depths and they become more and more real. Interactions are alternately tense, tender, and revealing, all coming together to form a strong web of human connections the likes of which any author would aspire to create.
In the end, there is suitable closure but a definite opening for the next two books in the trilogy. One could almost read this as a stand-alone novel, though after becoming so invested in the characters and the story I can't see why anyone wouldn't want to keep reading.
Mistborn: The Final Empire is highly thoughtful, meticulously crafted, and an extremely enjoyable read. I would recommend it not merely to fantasy lovers, but to readers new to the genre who deserve a good first impression.
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feared Lord Ruler by the lowly skaa.Sanderson did a marvelous job of creating a unique and interesting world, with an especially promising new system of magic powered by metal - this was particularly inventive and superbly utilized. The reader is drawn into the setting by the masterful descriptions and excellent narrative voice woven into the story by the author. The action sequences occur infrequently enough to keep from being overwhelming, but also often enough to add an excellent feeling of tension and danger. Not only are they well-paced, they're expressed in such a clear way as to evoke a vivid picture in the mind of what is happening.
The characters were both realistically complex and easy to relate to, with well-developed personalities and believable emotions. As the plot develops the reader plumbs their depths and they become more and more real. Interactions are alternately tense, tender, and revealing, all coming together to form a strong web of human connections the likes of which any author would aspire to create.
In the end, there is suitable closure but a definite opening for the next two books in the trilogy. One could almost read this as a stand-alone novel, though after becoming so invested in the characters and the story I can't see why anyone wouldn't want to keep reading.
Mistborn: The Final Empire is highly thoughtful, meticulously crafted, and an extremely enjoyable read. I would recommend it not merely to fantasy lovers, but to readers new to the genre who deserve a good first impression.
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LibraryThing member eleanor_eader
An enjoyable story that began somewhere in the realm of unbelievably simplistic and then spread into quite fascinating layers; at its core, it’s a young-protagonist-with-burgeoning-talent scenario, with some simple politics, but very decent world, magic and character building. Vin, a vulnerable
I very much like Sanderson’s brand of magical talent. Allomancy, a manipulation of ten metal elements which, when ‘burned’ internally, provide those born with the skill with abilities to manipulate emotions and metal objects, a skill range with rather more imaginative practical applications than one might expect. Beyond the alchemical prowess of some of the characters, is the legendary threat of the Deepness, perhaps invented to bolster the Lord Ruler’s legitimacy in having overcome it, perhaps something being held back by sheer force of his will; book two should be interesting.
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street urchin with trust issues, falls in with a crowd of rebel thieves determined to steal the city from the god-like, tyrannical ruler, and release the oppressed ‘Skaa’ underclass from debilitating cruelty and hardship. Clinching the enjoyableness is Sanderson’s easy writing style (although, every time I came up on the phrase ‘even still’, I twitched). Even still (nrgh) I’m somewhat surprised that this hasn’t been labelled ‘Young Adult’ up and down; the author writes very uncluttered prose. I very much like Sanderson’s brand of magical talent. Allomancy, a manipulation of ten metal elements which, when ‘burned’ internally, provide those born with the skill with abilities to manipulate emotions and metal objects, a skill range with rather more imaginative practical applications than one might expect. Beyond the alchemical prowess of some of the characters, is the legendary threat of the Deepness, perhaps invented to bolster the Lord Ruler’s legitimacy in having overcome it, perhaps something being held back by sheer force of his will; book two should be interesting.
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LibraryThing member NicoleW
Title: Mistborn
Author: Brian Sanderson
Copyright 2006 by Tor Books; Reprint edition (July 31, 2007)
Type of Book: Fantasy
General Subject Matter: Fantasy
Special Features: Map of the Final Empire
Map of Luthadel
Allomancy Quick-Reference Chart
Alomancy Alphabetical Reference
Price: $8.99
ISBN-10: 0765350386
672 pages
I was given a copy of Mistborn for the LT Secret Santa. I appreciate having the opportunity to read this book, Sanderson introduced me to a new world. I am still sorting and sifting through my reaction to this story, while it’s still fresh in my mind.
Sanderson has an innate ability for storytelling, creativity, ingenuity, and vision. The world he has created is tough, persuasive, unyielding, and believable. I found myself reading this book, believing in each character, and at times rooting for them enthusiastically. This is the first novel I’ve read by Sanderson, and you find that you are drawn into the setting immediately. Topography, and weather soon adopt a personality of it’s own, and becomes a major player in the plot. “Like paint running down a canvas, the darkness seemed to creep down the sides of buildings in an uneven gradient…” (Chapter 2: Steel). The environment weighs heavy on the psychological development of the characters, the reader, and daily occurrences. Shadows, darkness, ash mounts, and the underworld are all present in this book . He knows how to grow characters, and appropriately intertwine depth of each interdependently; which moves the plot along effectively. Since this is the first book I’ve read by this author, I find that he has a style of writing that is uncommon. Mistborn is written in an informal style, with a strong coherence, originality, and fluidity. He has truly found his niche in the genre of fantasy.
He introduces magical elements but does not explain them in depth. You discover them as the characters do, by trial and error. He doesn’t spend time on descriptions, or even aspects of functionality. He gives you a quick reference chart to map your way through the adventure. (At times I found myself flipping pages, for clarifications of effect, and misting titles, which was a plus). By the way, I should mention how Mistwratih’s are effectively 6 headed creepy animals.
I enjoyed the action. The Allomancy encounters were filled with unexpected superheroes, and hard-hitting scuffles. Characters have the ability to push and pull themselves through the air and heave sizeable objects. “They saw Kelsier flying through the air or sparring with supernatural strength they just attribute, it to formless “Alomancy Magic”; and page 145 for example says “you use your own weight when you Steelpush. If you are a lot heavier than your anchor, it will fly away from you like that coin did. However, if the object is heavier than you are-or if it runs into something that is- you’ll be pushed away. Iron pulling is similar -either you will pulled toward the object or it will be pulled toward you.” He gives you a taste of action and adventure in the beginning chapters, but then connects all themes in the end, blending failed strategies, and events harmoniously; with unexpected twists and turns arriving at an surprising outcome.
Vin, Kelsier, Eland, and Sazed were well formed, and solid. I wanted more character development from Spook, Marsh, Yeden, and Dox (maybe in the next book). They all had purpose and meaning, but since the other characters were so well explained they didn’t seem quite in balance. But that may be Sanderson’s intention. I found myself surprised by the emotional connections that were made within the main characters, and a few times, I had a tear in my eye.
The main thing I connected to within this book was hope, role of religion, and the memorable final chapter where lamps were being lit, in solidarity, throughout the city and the countryside in the darkness. This became a symbol of new hope, survival, life, light, legacy, and a new God’s presence.
Finally I’m reminded of this Bible verse. “Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the LORD will do to all the enemies you are going to fight.”
-Joshua 10:25
Author: Brian Sanderson
Copyright 2006 by Tor Books; Reprint edition (July 31, 2007)
Type of Book: Fantasy
General Subject Matter: Fantasy
Special Features: Map of the Final Empire
Map of Luthadel
Allomancy Quick-Reference Chart
Alomancy Alphabetical Reference
Price: $8.99
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paperbackISBN-10: 0765350386
672 pages
I was given a copy of Mistborn for the LT Secret Santa. I appreciate having the opportunity to read this book, Sanderson introduced me to a new world. I am still sorting and sifting through my reaction to this story, while it’s still fresh in my mind.
Sanderson has an innate ability for storytelling, creativity, ingenuity, and vision. The world he has created is tough, persuasive, unyielding, and believable. I found myself reading this book, believing in each character, and at times rooting for them enthusiastically. This is the first novel I’ve read by Sanderson, and you find that you are drawn into the setting immediately. Topography, and weather soon adopt a personality of it’s own, and becomes a major player in the plot. “Like paint running down a canvas, the darkness seemed to creep down the sides of buildings in an uneven gradient…” (Chapter 2: Steel). The environment weighs heavy on the psychological development of the characters, the reader, and daily occurrences. Shadows, darkness, ash mounts, and the underworld are all present in this book . He knows how to grow characters, and appropriately intertwine depth of each interdependently; which moves the plot along effectively. Since this is the first book I’ve read by this author, I find that he has a style of writing that is uncommon. Mistborn is written in an informal style, with a strong coherence, originality, and fluidity. He has truly found his niche in the genre of fantasy.
He introduces magical elements but does not explain them in depth. You discover them as the characters do, by trial and error. He doesn’t spend time on descriptions, or even aspects of functionality. He gives you a quick reference chart to map your way through the adventure. (At times I found myself flipping pages, for clarifications of effect, and misting titles, which was a plus). By the way, I should mention how Mistwratih’s are effectively 6 headed creepy animals.
I enjoyed the action. The Allomancy encounters were filled with unexpected superheroes, and hard-hitting scuffles. Characters have the ability to push and pull themselves through the air and heave sizeable objects. “They saw Kelsier flying through the air or sparring with supernatural strength they just attribute, it to formless “Alomancy Magic”; and page 145 for example says “you use your own weight when you Steelpush. If you are a lot heavier than your anchor, it will fly away from you like that coin did. However, if the object is heavier than you are-or if it runs into something that is- you’ll be pushed away. Iron pulling is similar -either you will pulled toward the object or it will be pulled toward you.” He gives you a taste of action and adventure in the beginning chapters, but then connects all themes in the end, blending failed strategies, and events harmoniously; with unexpected twists and turns arriving at an surprising outcome.
Vin, Kelsier, Eland, and Sazed were well formed, and solid. I wanted more character development from Spook, Marsh, Yeden, and Dox (maybe in the next book). They all had purpose and meaning, but since the other characters were so well explained they didn’t seem quite in balance. But that may be Sanderson’s intention. I found myself surprised by the emotional connections that were made within the main characters, and a few times, I had a tear in my eye.
The main thing I connected to within this book was hope, role of religion, and the memorable final chapter where lamps were being lit, in solidarity, throughout the city and the countryside in the darkness. This became a symbol of new hope, survival, life, light, legacy, and a new God’s presence.
Finally I’m reminded of this Bible verse. “Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the LORD will do to all the enemies you are going to fight.”
-Joshua 10:25
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LibraryThing member booksandwine
Sometimes, I just crave a good epic fantasy. I mean, worldbuilding and magics, and loads of characters, good guys, bad guys, I just eat that shit up. Of course, it took one of my friends becoming a fan of Brandon Sanderson on facebook for me to actually pick up and read my copy of Mistborn: The
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Final Empire. Thank goodness. Honestly I don't know why I didn't pick up Mistborn sooner, especially because I was dancing around the room with pure joy after finishing the book. What? You don't dance like an idiot after reading an awesome book?Mistborn is set in a fictional world where a race of people, the Skaa are enslaved. The whole world is ruled by this dude called 'Lord Ruler.' All snickers aside, the back story of the Lord Ruler is rather interesting. The book doesn't focus on the Lord Ruler though. Rather, the focus is on a Skaa girl named Vin. Basically Vin doesn't trust anyone, because she's had a hard life. She grows dynamically, though. Sharing Vin's spotlight, is another character, Kelsier, who is basically a criminal genius. Oh, and Vin and Kelsier are allomancers, which basically means they metabolize metal and can do all kinds of cool things.I love a nice long adult fantasy book. I do enjoy worldbuilding and becoming immersed in an imaginary place. I love books as long as Mistborn because I feel like the characters are real people afterwards. Also, I loved the scope of Sanderson's imagination. I loved the idea of mistwraiths and of allomancy. I loved the small details he puts in, such as the tenets of religions which were destroyed when the Lord Ruler basically took over. I loved the characterization, and the band of thieves. I liked that for once, a long fantasy book has a female kicking ass and in such a prominent role. And can I fangirl a bit over the secondary characters. I loved Elend, I loved Sazed the terrisman and his stories of the religions.Also, I think the progression towards revolution shown within the book was pretty viable. I read a review of this book where it was stated that Sanderson gets society, as in he understands how and why people do what they do, which reflects in his writing. I have to say, I agree. The events of this book didn't feel contrived to me at all. Every thing didn't work out perfectly, although I have to say, the character of Kelsier was a frakken genius, and ahhh. I want to say more, but since people don't look very kindly on being spoiled, mum's the word! Show Less
LibraryThing member littlegeek
Another exciting read from Brandon Sanderson. This book has the BEST magical system ever. The mechanics of the magic make for some very exciting fight scenes. Begs for a movie and/or video game adaptation.
Starts slowly, with much world and character building, but the last 100 pages are truly a wild
The female protagonist, Vin, is well-drawn and sympathetic through challenges both magical and emotional. The male hero, Kelsier, was a bit too clever/noble/powerful for my tastes. Omniscient narrator is used, but Kelsier's thoughts are obviously being revealed selectively; there are also terms that are left glaringly undefined. These contrivances are a pretty cheap and dirty way to bring about those plot twists, and actually serve to highlight what is pertinent to the alert reader.
A few other things annoyed me. The Christian allegorical elements are too pedestrian. There's also a JarJar Binks type character that drove me bananas! Although apparently, he stops talking like a complete idiot in future volumes, thank you, Brandon.
Despite these quibbles, Mistborn kept me up nights with its inventive magic, intriguing characters and whizbang plot, while musing on deeper themes of leadership and power, friendship and betrayal, and the psychology of the oppressed. Highly recommended.
Starts slowly, with much world and character building, but the last 100 pages are truly a wild
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ride. What Brandon does so well is to throw so many different things into his plot that even if you guess 10 things right, there are 10 twists or turns that you miss. Fun!The female protagonist, Vin, is well-drawn and sympathetic through challenges both magical and emotional. The male hero, Kelsier, was a bit too clever/noble/powerful for my tastes. Omniscient narrator is used, but Kelsier's thoughts are obviously being revealed selectively; there are also terms that are left glaringly undefined. These contrivances are a pretty cheap and dirty way to bring about those plot twists, and actually serve to highlight what is pertinent to the alert reader.
A few other things annoyed me. The Christian allegorical elements are too pedestrian. There's also a JarJar Binks type character that drove me bananas! Although apparently, he stops talking like a complete idiot in future volumes, thank you, Brandon.
Despite these quibbles, Mistborn kept me up nights with its inventive magic, intriguing characters and whizbang plot, while musing on deeper themes of leadership and power, friendship and betrayal, and the psychology of the oppressed. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member xicanti
A group of thieves set out to overthrow their oppressive government.
I’m very pleased to report that Mistborn is every bit as good as Elantris, the author’s much-lauded debut. It did take me a little longer to really get into the story, but once I was in I was hooked. This is a great book.
Once
I was also very pleased with the snippets of first person narrative that headed each chapter. They gave some nice insights into the past even as they seemed to parallel what Kelsier was trying to do in present times. I found that they added a really nice level of tension to the book, and really made me think about the underlying themes of responsibility, fate and religion that emerged elsewhere in the novel.
To boil it all down, this is a fantastic book that’s got it all: great characters, good action, smooth pacing, and some deeper issues for the reader to think about. I highly recommend it. Make sure you grab the sequel, too!
I’m very pleased to report that Mistborn is every bit as good as Elantris, the author’s much-lauded debut. It did take me a little longer to really get into the story, but once I was in I was hooked. This is a great book.
Once
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again, the author’s talent for character shines through. The main characters were likeable and easy to relate to; I really felt for them, and cared deeply about what happened to them. They were a large part of why I enjoyed the book so much, though I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the excellent action sequences. A good fight scene is a thing of beauty, and Brandon’s are gorgeous. Despite the initially unfamiliar magical system, I could picture the action perfectly thanks to the evocative descriptions. These portions of the novel were tense and exciting, and went a long ways towards confirming my good opinion of the book.I was also very pleased with the snippets of first person narrative that headed each chapter. They gave some nice insights into the past even as they seemed to parallel what Kelsier was trying to do in present times. I found that they added a really nice level of tension to the book, and really made me think about the underlying themes of responsibility, fate and religion that emerged elsewhere in the novel.
To boil it all down, this is a fantastic book that’s got it all: great characters, good action, smooth pacing, and some deeper issues for the reader to think about. I highly recommend it. Make sure you grab the sequel, too!
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LibraryThing member greytfriend
Terrific book, kind of like Ocean's Eleven meets epic fantasy. The pace is fast, the characters are likable and real and the story is intriguing. There is even a twist that surprised me, and I'm not often surprised when reading! I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes fun fantasy adventures
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with a dash (or two) of philosophy. Show Less
LibraryThing member DWWilkin
A unique fantasy is something that when you find it, you know that you are onto something great, or entirely the other way. Well, happily Sanderson has done something great. What makes this unique is not that the heroes have to overcome the evil ruler, because you know you've heard that before.
Or
What separates The Final Empire is magic. Not everyone has the ability, but those that do access their magic in such a well described and unique way that the entirety of the magical world makes sense and is needful to its resolution. Complexity and depth make this work breakout from the others in the genre.
The plot moves at a decent pace though the buildup to the crescendo of the climax has some lulls. Once that climax triggers though, a great deal happens both expected and unexpected making the book a very worthwhile read.
Or
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that the evil ruler has monstrous minions, because we have seen that before also. But that those evil minions are such that no one can remember ever defeating the minions, or the evil ruler who is immortal as far as everyone knows. Yet that too has been read elsewhere. What separates The Final Empire is magic. Not everyone has the ability, but those that do access their magic in such a well described and unique way that the entirety of the magical world makes sense and is needful to its resolution. Complexity and depth make this work breakout from the others in the genre.
The plot moves at a decent pace though the buildup to the crescendo of the climax has some lulls. Once that climax triggers though, a great deal happens both expected and unexpected making the book a very worthwhile read.
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LibraryThing member Radaghast
Mistborn is what you hope every fantasy novel will be, and what most fantasy novels invariably aren't. Mistborn is a complex story told mostly from the perspective of Kelsier, a rebel peasant, and Vin, powerful young girl he recruits. This is one of the novel's strongest elements. The personality,
And what a fantastic plot he weaves. Mistborn begins as a heist tale, with magic, which would be good enough on its own. But it evolves effortlessly into a tale of revolution against an infinitely powerful and oppressive enemy. The basic story is this: Thousands of years ago, the immortal Lord Ruler defeated a mysterious evil. Then he apparently took the power of that evil for himself, and began a systematic conquering and deconstruction of culture that has created a two caste system: enslaved skaa and corrupt nobleman (and a few other tiny groups). Yet it really isn't that simple at all. As Sanderson is fond of repeating through his characters, "there is always another secret." You see very quickly how deeply Sanderson has created this world and its history. This is amazing because plot is the main focus of the book. It doesn't dwell for long swathes on the history of this world, which most writers who spend so much time world building can't help but do. Sanderson spends all this time creating, and then let's it all support the story. The history, and politics are a backdrop, an important backdrop, but they never take over the story.
It doesn't heard that Sanderson is also a great writer, meaning that the words themselves are readable, and have rhythm. Sanderson constantly raising questions you can't wait to find the answers to, and makes all of these mysteries evolve naturally from the story. He raises questions about everything from character relationships, to world shattering secrets. But he (almost) never cheats. These aren't arbitrary. They fit the plot perfectly, and Sanderson will give you answers, unlike other writers. And they are satisfying answers, again unlike other writers.
Then there's the magic system. As a fantasy fan, I have high expectations for unique magic systems, which are almost never met. Sanderson meets them and more. It would reveal too much plot for me to go into ways magic works in Mistborn, but it's hard to imagine a fantasy fan being disappointed.
If you look at a plot summary of Mistborn, it should be a cliched, average story. All of the traditional fantasy elements are there. The heroes must overcome a nearly invincible enemy. They must unite, despite their different worldviews. Etc. But Mistborn is absolutely not cliched. Sanderson does all of this so much better than any fantasy writer I've read in the last thirty years, that it all feels completely fresh, as if Sanderson invented these tropes. Of course, it helps that outside of the basic framework, much of Mistborn you will never have encountered before. But at its core, Mistborn is a familiar story told with a brand new voice.
Did Sanderson make any mistakes? Mistborn is almost perfect, and any errors are so inconsequential I feel ridiculous mentioning them. But my earliers assertion that Sanderson doesn't cheat isn't entirely accurate. When the biggest turn in the story happens, it does feel slightly like cheating, because one of the viewpoint characters had knowledge Sanderson does not provide, yet undoubtedly the character would be thinking about it often. But with such a near perfect novel, Sanderson is entitled to one error.
The biggest problem with Mistborn is that it will ruin other fantasy for you. All the books you've loved feel a little less impressive by comparison.
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strengths, and weaknesses of each viewpoint character and all the supporting characters feel real and fascinating. This is fundamentally a novel of good and evil, but it isn't pure good or arbitrary evil. Sanderson builds motivation in a way that makes it as interesting as the plot.And what a fantastic plot he weaves. Mistborn begins as a heist tale, with magic, which would be good enough on its own. But it evolves effortlessly into a tale of revolution against an infinitely powerful and oppressive enemy. The basic story is this: Thousands of years ago, the immortal Lord Ruler defeated a mysterious evil. Then he apparently took the power of that evil for himself, and began a systematic conquering and deconstruction of culture that has created a two caste system: enslaved skaa and corrupt nobleman (and a few other tiny groups). Yet it really isn't that simple at all. As Sanderson is fond of repeating through his characters, "there is always another secret." You see very quickly how deeply Sanderson has created this world and its history. This is amazing because plot is the main focus of the book. It doesn't dwell for long swathes on the history of this world, which most writers who spend so much time world building can't help but do. Sanderson spends all this time creating, and then let's it all support the story. The history, and politics are a backdrop, an important backdrop, but they never take over the story.
It doesn't heard that Sanderson is also a great writer, meaning that the words themselves are readable, and have rhythm. Sanderson constantly raising questions you can't wait to find the answers to, and makes all of these mysteries evolve naturally from the story. He raises questions about everything from character relationships, to world shattering secrets. But he (almost) never cheats. These aren't arbitrary. They fit the plot perfectly, and Sanderson will give you answers, unlike other writers. And they are satisfying answers, again unlike other writers.
Then there's the magic system. As a fantasy fan, I have high expectations for unique magic systems, which are almost never met. Sanderson meets them and more. It would reveal too much plot for me to go into ways magic works in Mistborn, but it's hard to imagine a fantasy fan being disappointed.
If you look at a plot summary of Mistborn, it should be a cliched, average story. All of the traditional fantasy elements are there. The heroes must overcome a nearly invincible enemy. They must unite, despite their different worldviews. Etc. But Mistborn is absolutely not cliched. Sanderson does all of this so much better than any fantasy writer I've read in the last thirty years, that it all feels completely fresh, as if Sanderson invented these tropes. Of course, it helps that outside of the basic framework, much of Mistborn you will never have encountered before. But at its core, Mistborn is a familiar story told with a brand new voice.
Did Sanderson make any mistakes? Mistborn is almost perfect, and any errors are so inconsequential I feel ridiculous mentioning them. But my earliers assertion that Sanderson doesn't cheat isn't entirely accurate. When the biggest turn in the story happens, it does feel slightly like cheating, because one of the viewpoint characters had knowledge Sanderson does not provide, yet undoubtedly the character would be thinking about it often. But with such a near perfect novel, Sanderson is entitled to one error.
The biggest problem with Mistborn is that it will ruin other fantasy for you. All the books you've loved feel a little less impressive by comparison.
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LibraryThing member BeccaStareyes
Mistborn is definitely in the 'find the sequel' category, in addition to the 'keep it'. So, there you go.
So, the basic premise is that we have a despot immortal mage-king who has been ruling the known world for a millennium. Rebellions have formed in the past, but even most rebels seem to assume
So, instead of armies marching to battle the Lord Ruler's forces, let's have a caper book. Kelsier, a thief and bastard son of a noble, with the reputation of breaking out of the Lord Ruler's unbreakable Mine o' Doom, and a Mistborn (mage) whose abilities awoke there, decides that he's going to take a job to take over the capital city. In addition to his trained Mistings (single-'element' mages) and various friends in the city's underworld, he discovers Vin, a young girl with the same Mistborn gift, but untrained. So, while Kelsier is trying to juggle all the pieces of his plan, Vin is both in training as a Mistborn and set to infiltrate the nobility as a young country noble presumably sent to the city to meet a nice boy and get hitched. And, of course, she has trouble reconciling her image of the nobility as distant people who can and will beat and kill any peasant they want, with the young nobles who run the gamut between bastards and decent people. It doesn't hurt that she meets Elend, the heir to a Great House who is troubled by the status quo, but knows shit-all about how anything operates outside of the nobility.
Anyway, now that the plot is done, let's talk what I liked and disliked. The book was recced to me as having an interesting magic system. The major one of the Final Empire is that of Allomancy, where mages (Mistings or Mistborn) can 'burn' metals in their stomachs to create specified effects. For example, iron lets you sense metal and push it away from you, while allomantic steel (a specific iron alloy) lets you sense metal and pull it towards you. I agree this is moderately interesting, though of course, my science mind wanted to know why Vin in the beginning could use metal ions in the drinking water, but most Allomancers used metallic sources rather than salts. (I guess easier to mix the alloys, but if you had all eight metals in your stomanch, would the acid in your stomach break down the alloys? Yeah, yeah, I know... magic.)
But, I liked the element of the caper, and some thought was brought into formatting the revolution rather than 'the peasants will just rise up without thought to their lives and families'. Apparently recruiting is hard when as long as anyone can remember, the same guy has been on the throne, the priests all say that he's an aspect of God, and your ancestors have been doing the same back-breaking scutwork. Not impossible -- it's implied that there's always some runaways and rebels and occasionally armies are sent out to knock down their numbers, just like the Lord Ruler encourages the nobles to occasionally fight amongst themselves to knock out the ambitious ones and decrease their influence.
I also liked that there's plenty of hints about how the Lord Ruler came to power, the reason why everything is a volcanic hellhole with ash raining out of the sky and mists that come out at night, and exactly what the Lord Ruler uses the mystical metal atium for, besides that it gives Mistborn badass abilities. Nice setup for sequels.
Vin is also an interesting protagonist to me. I was less enamored of Kelsier, mostly because he kept secrets in the narration. But it brings up two points:
There are maybe four female characters of import in the book. One is Vin. The second is Mare, Kelsier's wife and former partner in crime who is essentially a Woman in the Refrigerator to give Kelsier motivation to do something other than be the Greatest Thief Ever. The third is Shan, a noblewoman who seems to hate Vin mostly because Shan used to be engaged to Elend, and now Elend is favoring Vin, and is neck deep in politics herself. Finally, Lady Kliss, a young noblewoman with the reputation of being the court gossip. None of these characters have any kind of relationship, other than Shan and Vin's mutual dislike. It's a bit of what I'm calling the Princess Leia problem... in Star Wars, you have Leia, who is a badass, and that's it for major female characters. In contrast to the number of male heroes and villains that show up. Heck, you see it in the Prequel trilogy as well, where Padmé is the only notable female presence. It's like the author has the 'add a woman' to the cast, checks it off, and then never thinks that maybe a lot of the characters could be either male or female, so why not make some female? It's not enough to turn me off Mistborn, but it's annoying, since even ignoring the Vin-Elend-Shan angle, one could easily have had one of Kelsier's crew be a woman.
The second is a bit of POV creep. In the first half of the book, we get Vin and Kelsier's POVs. Later, we add Elend's, which is fine -- he's shaping up to be an interesting character, though I might have liked seeing him before. Near the end, however, we get two scenes where the POV character is new, and then never gets the POV spotlight again. One is Kel's friend, Dockson -- which makes sense, I guess, if you need a rebel POV when you can't use Kel. The other is an Inquisitor, and most of what we get is Evil Villain Glee and the presence of a scene that we were told would happen previously. Then Vin comes in, and we jump to her POV, making it just seem like Sanderson was all 'oops, got to drop some information here', so quickly hands it off. It's a bit of a pet peeve with me, since I'm Miss Organized.
But, overall, it's not a bad book. The plot and characters kept me interested, despite the flaws. I'd just like to see more female characters, since the ones that are there are interesting.
So, the basic premise is that we have a despot immortal mage-king who has been ruling the known world for a millennium. Rebellions have formed in the past, but even most rebels seem to assume
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Failure Is the Only Option, and the scheming nobles generally assume even they can't take out the Lord Ruler. So, instead of armies marching to battle the Lord Ruler's forces, let's have a caper book. Kelsier, a thief and bastard son of a noble, with the reputation of breaking out of the Lord Ruler's unbreakable Mine o' Doom, and a Mistborn (mage) whose abilities awoke there, decides that he's going to take a job to take over the capital city. In addition to his trained Mistings (single-'element' mages) and various friends in the city's underworld, he discovers Vin, a young girl with the same Mistborn gift, but untrained. So, while Kelsier is trying to juggle all the pieces of his plan, Vin is both in training as a Mistborn and set to infiltrate the nobility as a young country noble presumably sent to the city to meet a nice boy and get hitched. And, of course, she has trouble reconciling her image of the nobility as distant people who can and will beat and kill any peasant they want, with the young nobles who run the gamut between bastards and decent people. It doesn't hurt that she meets Elend, the heir to a Great House who is troubled by the status quo, but knows shit-all about how anything operates outside of the nobility.
Anyway, now that the plot is done, let's talk what I liked and disliked. The book was recced to me as having an interesting magic system. The major one of the Final Empire is that of Allomancy, where mages (Mistings or Mistborn) can 'burn' metals in their stomachs to create specified effects. For example, iron lets you sense metal and push it away from you, while allomantic steel (a specific iron alloy) lets you sense metal and pull it towards you. I agree this is moderately interesting, though of course, my science mind wanted to know why Vin in the beginning could use metal ions in the drinking water, but most Allomancers used metallic sources rather than salts. (I guess easier to mix the alloys, but if you had all eight metals in your stomanch, would the acid in your stomach break down the alloys? Yeah, yeah, I know... magic.)
But, I liked the element of the caper, and some thought was brought into formatting the revolution rather than 'the peasants will just rise up without thought to their lives and families'. Apparently recruiting is hard when as long as anyone can remember, the same guy has been on the throne, the priests all say that he's an aspect of God, and your ancestors have been doing the same back-breaking scutwork. Not impossible -- it's implied that there's always some runaways and rebels and occasionally armies are sent out to knock down their numbers, just like the Lord Ruler encourages the nobles to occasionally fight amongst themselves to knock out the ambitious ones and decrease their influence.
I also liked that there's plenty of hints about how the Lord Ruler came to power, the reason why everything is a volcanic hellhole with ash raining out of the sky and mists that come out at night, and exactly what the Lord Ruler uses the mystical metal atium for, besides that it gives Mistborn badass abilities. Nice setup for sequels.
Vin is also an interesting protagonist to me. I was less enamored of Kelsier, mostly because he kept secrets in the narration. But it brings up two points:
There are maybe four female characters of import in the book. One is Vin. The second is Mare, Kelsier's wife and former partner in crime who is essentially a Woman in the Refrigerator to give Kelsier motivation to do something other than be the Greatest Thief Ever. The third is Shan, a noblewoman who seems to hate Vin mostly because Shan used to be engaged to Elend, and now Elend is favoring Vin, and is neck deep in politics herself. Finally, Lady Kliss, a young noblewoman with the reputation of being the court gossip. None of these characters have any kind of relationship, other than Shan and Vin's mutual dislike. It's a bit of what I'm calling the Princess Leia problem... in Star Wars, you have Leia, who is a badass, and that's it for major female characters. In contrast to the number of male heroes and villains that show up. Heck, you see it in the Prequel trilogy as well, where Padmé is the only notable female presence. It's like the author has the 'add a woman' to the cast, checks it off, and then never thinks that maybe a lot of the characters could be either male or female, so why not make some female? It's not enough to turn me off Mistborn, but it's annoying, since even ignoring the Vin-Elend-Shan angle, one could easily have had one of Kelsier's crew be a woman.
The second is a bit of POV creep. In the first half of the book, we get Vin and Kelsier's POVs. Later, we add Elend's, which is fine -- he's shaping up to be an interesting character, though I might have liked seeing him before. Near the end, however, we get two scenes where the POV character is new, and then never gets the POV spotlight again. One is Kel's friend, Dockson -- which makes sense, I guess, if you need a rebel POV when you can't use Kel. The other is an Inquisitor, and most of what we get is Evil Villain Glee and the presence of a scene that we were told would happen previously. Then Vin comes in, and we jump to her POV, making it just seem like Sanderson was all 'oops, got to drop some information here', so quickly hands it off. It's a bit of a pet peeve with me, since I'm Miss Organized.
But, overall, it's not a bad book. The plot and characters kept me interested, despite the flaws. I'd just like to see more female characters, since the ones that are there are interesting.
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LibraryThing member pmfloyd1
This book completely surprised me. I had no idea that something new could come out of fantasy after all the Tolkein knock-offs of the last 20 plus years. But Mr. Sanderson (It sounds so like Mr. Anderson from the Matrix movie series) has done it. He takes the idea of "Crouching Tiger / Hidden
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Dragon" of roof-top flying and makes it so plausible. For me, this series has renewed my hope in the entire fantasy genre..... it is so much more than Tolkein (although I also really enjoy reading and re-reading LOTR). Also, I wanted to say thanks for making the protagonist - a female, rather than the male. And the twists at the end were worth the wait. So, all around I give the book (and the series in general) 5 stars. Paul Show Less
LibraryThing member KatieLovett
Once, someone who critiqued a novel of mine said that he didn't think my scientifically-based magic system would ever fly with readers. Well, now I want to hunt him down and make him read Mistborn. I loved the way that nothing feels contrived. Sometimes, I read fantasy books where the magic seems
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to come from nowhere, where there are no rules, where everything seems too convenient. But Mistborn isn't like that, which is one of the reasons I found it refreshing. Plus, I found the book doubly entertaining because the character Kelsier reminds me of my husband. At any rate, I highly recommend it. Show Less
LibraryThing member OmerE
Based on the other reviews, I was really looking forward to reading The Final Empire.
However...
20 pages in, I was thinking 'uh oh'.
50 pages in, I was considering putting it aside, and coming back to it, oh.. some time during the next century.
My biggest sticking points were the somewhat contrite
So why the 3 star rating? Fortunately, things pick up quite a bit around the 2nd part of the book. The characters become more interesting - with the good guys becoming less one dimensional, we get some nice twists thrown in, and we're given more elaboration on the well thought-out magic system (which was what kept me reading in the first place). The ending was especially well written - interesting and not at all contrived, nor so obvious you could see it coming a mile away.
One other thing that kept bugging me - one of the more interesting characters keeps offering Flavor of the Month religions for another character to adopt; the religions he tells us about are rather forgettable and uninteresting, and I found this whole bit to be quite jarring and not at all in line with the rest of the story and setting.
The first half rates 2 stars at best, with the ending almost up to 4 stars - good enough to make me want to read the next part in the trilogy. I decided to average them out for a rating of 3.
Would I recommend this book to a friend? Yes, but not without the aforementioned caveats. It's an entertaining read, but by no means a great one.
However...
20 pages in, I was thinking 'uh oh'.
50 pages in, I was considering putting it aside, and coming back to it, oh.. some time during the next century.
My biggest sticking points were the somewhat contrite
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dialog and amateurish plot; it was really hard to take the characters' simplistic plans seriously - I kept feeling like I was reading the script to an A-Team episode, getting that "everything is going to be alright, because we're cool like that" vibe.So why the 3 star rating? Fortunately, things pick up quite a bit around the 2nd part of the book. The characters become more interesting - with the good guys becoming less one dimensional, we get some nice twists thrown in, and we're given more elaboration on the well thought-out magic system (which was what kept me reading in the first place). The ending was especially well written - interesting and not at all contrived, nor so obvious you could see it coming a mile away.
One other thing that kept bugging me - one of the more interesting characters keeps offering Flavor of the Month religions for another character to adopt; the religions he tells us about are rather forgettable and uninteresting, and I found this whole bit to be quite jarring and not at all in line with the rest of the story and setting.
The first half rates 2 stars at best, with the ending almost up to 4 stars - good enough to make me want to read the next part in the trilogy. I decided to average them out for a rating of 3.
Would I recommend this book to a friend? Yes, but not without the aforementioned caveats. It's an entertaining read, but by no means a great one.
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LibraryThing member Wombat
I haven't read much fantasy for adults -- I have a hard enough time keeping up with the new fantasy that keeps pouring out for kids and YA's. But at the IAFA conference, I received a copy of MISTBORN, and decided to give it a go. It's a rousing adventure story, in the "pulling off the big heist"
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film vein. The big heist here, though, is overthrowing the god-ruler! There's a strong young female protagonist, and an intriguing secondary world, which are draws. The characters are pretty flat, though -- fairly stock, not surprising given the genre conventions Sanderson draws upon. The romance parts are pretty awful -- something out of a bad regency romance. But the fast pace, surprising plot turns, and appeal of the central character all make the book well worth the read. I even picked up the second book in the series (from the library), because I wanted to know what happened next... [Ms. Wombat] Show Less
LibraryThing member tcgardner
With many books I read and enjoy, I read them as I find free time. With is this book, I made free time.
The immortal Lord Ruler has ruled the Final Empire for hundreds of years. He has ruled through complete brutality. There are two classes. The nobility and the skaa or slave.
Kelsier is a thief who
There are some special people in this world. They have magical abilities. Allomancers and Feruchemists. Allomancers burn metals to effect magic and Feruchemists use metals for storage of abilities. I found these magics new and interesting.
The story revolves around Kelsier's plan, and his thieving crews execution of his plan, to overthrow the final empire. I found the book fast paced and very enjoyable. There was even room in the book for a bit of romance.
An excellent read. I cannot wait for the next book. Get it.
The immortal Lord Ruler has ruled the Final Empire for hundreds of years. He has ruled through complete brutality. There are two classes. The nobility and the skaa or slave.
Kelsier is a thief who
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lives outside of the Lord Rulers rule. He is neither noble or skaa. He is a thief. A thorn the noble and a Robin Hood to the skaa. He has finally decided that the skaa must be free and the immortal Lord Ruler must die.There are some special people in this world. They have magical abilities. Allomancers and Feruchemists. Allomancers burn metals to effect magic and Feruchemists use metals for storage of abilities. I found these magics new and interesting.
The story revolves around Kelsier's plan, and his thieving crews execution of his plan, to overthrow the final empire. I found the book fast paced and very enjoyable. There was even room in the book for a bit of romance.
An excellent read. I cannot wait for the next book. Get it.
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LibraryThing member clong
I had been quite impressed with Sanderson’s concluding novels to The Wheel of Time, so when I needed to pick out a book on tape to listen to with my two daughters on a long road trip I decided to give this a try.
I can see that this might not be to everyone's taste, but for what it is, it is just
Mistborn is a coming of age story grafted onto a heist novel, with healthy doses of court intrigue, mystery, romance, economics and politics, and strategy. The characters are colorful and distinct and generally quite entertaining. Vin can at times be annoying (what teenager isn’t?), but on the whole is a beautifully conceived and very satisfying protagonist.
While the first book of a trilogy, this does stand on its own quite nicely. Having said that, I am eager to move on to books two and three.
I can see that this might not be to everyone's taste, but for what it is, it is just
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about perfect. If you like fantasy in which the good people are really good and the bad people are really bad you should absolutely love Mistborn. It has much the same feel as The Wheel of Time, but with scarily competent villains and a very cool (and logically consistent) magic system. Allomancy and Feruchemy are original and robust and provide endless opportunities for all kinds of fun and intrigue. The few fight scenes are pretty spectacular, turning on allomantic improvisation and cleverness much more than who is the badder ass magician.Mistborn is a coming of age story grafted onto a heist novel, with healthy doses of court intrigue, mystery, romance, economics and politics, and strategy. The characters are colorful and distinct and generally quite entertaining. Vin can at times be annoying (what teenager isn’t?), but on the whole is a beautifully conceived and very satisfying protagonist.
While the first book of a trilogy, this does stand on its own quite nicely. Having said that, I am eager to move on to books two and three.
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LibraryThing member readafew
The Final Empire is the first book in the Mistborn trilogy. I'll just start by saying, I really enjoyed this book. Brandon built a culture that was believable. He shows a society that has an extremely large serf class with a small ruling body that keeps the serfs beat down and both sides believe in
In this world we find people with special powers called Allomancers. They have the ability to 'burn' metals and receive special enhancements/powers. Some can get increased strength others have their senses magnified. Some can push against medal objects others can pull. Plus several others as well. There is also a class of Allomancer called Mistborn which are able to do all of these things. They can be very dangerous. Allomancy is genetic and so the skaa (the serfs) don't have these powers and are given the believe all the nobility does. The nobility also take 'permanent' steps to ensure that skaa women don't bare children after a liaison .
Among all this we find a half-breed with powers and the drive to change the status-quo. He gathers up a team of like minded friends and acquaintances to help him in the impossible goal of overthrowing the god-King. It's hard than it looks...
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the almighty power of the Lord Ruler. A self proclaimed god and King of the known world. In this world we find people with special powers called Allomancers. They have the ability to 'burn' metals and receive special enhancements/powers. Some can get increased strength others have their senses magnified. Some can push against medal objects others can pull. Plus several others as well. There is also a class of Allomancer called Mistborn which are able to do all of these things. They can be very dangerous. Allomancy is genetic and so the skaa (the serfs) don't have these powers and are given the believe all the nobility does. The nobility also take 'permanent' steps to ensure that skaa women don't bare children after a liaison .
Among all this we find a half-breed with powers and the drive to change the status-quo. He gathers up a team of like minded friends and acquaintances to help him in the impossible goal of overthrowing the god-King. It's hard than it looks...
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LibraryThing member daschaich
The start of a great trilogy, it stands on its own: The Final Empire is Brandon Sanderson's second published novel, after Elantris, and the first volume of his Mistborn trilogy. As in Elantris, Sanderson makes his mark by turning a fantasy cliche on its head, imagining a world where a hero arose to
It's in this evocative setting that a crew of expert thieves and con men (with, of course, hearts of gold) puts together an audacious plan to rob the Lord Ruler himself, and if possible destabilize his regime. In the model of a "heist story" like Ocean's Eleven, each member of the crew has a particular specialty, and most are "Mistings" with a single allomantic ability. They are led by the charismatic Kelsier, who is the rarest and most powerful kind of allomancer, a full "Mistborn".
The real focus of the story, however, is on the development of Vin, a young girl brutalized by a childhood on the streets. Vin is also a Mistborn, and if she can learn to control her abilities, she could become a powerful and dangerous figure, perhaps even a threat to the Lord Ruler. Recruited as Kelsier's apprentice, Vin is put to work as the crew's spy within the nobility, where she falls for Elend Venture, the kindhearted son of a ruthless nobleman. Vin and Kelsier are the central figures in the book, with most other characters largely filling in their appointed roles.
As the heist plot unfolds, some members of Kelsier's crew try to unravel the history of the Lord Ruler's ascension, which could provide the key to understanding and countering his power. Clues to this mystery are provided at the start of each chapter, but in both this backstory and the Mistborn trilogy as a whole, "there's always another secret" hiding beneath the surface, helping to keep things interesting and engaging.
If you're new to Sanderson's work, The Final Empire is a great place to start, featuring a captivating setting, layered plot and creative magic system. Although the start of a trilogy, it stands up on its own and tells a complete story, even while hinting at deeper issues -- "another secret" -- lurking behind the scenes. As with all of Sanderson's novels, The Final Empire is further enhanced by author commentary provided in chapter-by-chapter annotations on Sanderson's Web site.
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combat a Dark Lord -- and lost. For a thousand years since, the immortal Lord Ruler has held complete power over a blasted world where a red sun burns in a smoke-blackened sky, brown plants struggle to survive amid rains of ash, and every night mysterious mists cover the land. The Lord Ruler's early supporters were rewarded with noble status and magical powers of "allomancy"; his opponents were crushed and cast into slavery.It's in this evocative setting that a crew of expert thieves and con men (with, of course, hearts of gold) puts together an audacious plan to rob the Lord Ruler himself, and if possible destabilize his regime. In the model of a "heist story" like Ocean's Eleven, each member of the crew has a particular specialty, and most are "Mistings" with a single allomantic ability. They are led by the charismatic Kelsier, who is the rarest and most powerful kind of allomancer, a full "Mistborn".
The real focus of the story, however, is on the development of Vin, a young girl brutalized by a childhood on the streets. Vin is also a Mistborn, and if she can learn to control her abilities, she could become a powerful and dangerous figure, perhaps even a threat to the Lord Ruler. Recruited as Kelsier's apprentice, Vin is put to work as the crew's spy within the nobility, where she falls for Elend Venture, the kindhearted son of a ruthless nobleman. Vin and Kelsier are the central figures in the book, with most other characters largely filling in their appointed roles.
As the heist plot unfolds, some members of Kelsier's crew try to unravel the history of the Lord Ruler's ascension, which could provide the key to understanding and countering his power. Clues to this mystery are provided at the start of each chapter, but in both this backstory and the Mistborn trilogy as a whole, "there's always another secret" hiding beneath the surface, helping to keep things interesting and engaging.
If you're new to Sanderson's work, The Final Empire is a great place to start, featuring a captivating setting, layered plot and creative magic system. Although the start of a trilogy, it stands up on its own and tells a complete story, even while hinting at deeper issues -- "another secret" -- lurking behind the scenes. As with all of Sanderson's novels, The Final Empire is further enhanced by author commentary provided in chapter-by-chapter annotations on Sanderson's Web site.
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LibraryThing member La-Plume
Brandon Sanderson has just moved to my auto-buy list.
A fast paced story, dazzling universe, charismatic characters, a fight for a grand cause, disguised surprises under disguised lies, THAT'S EPIC FANTASY FOR YOU! Fantasy will never really look the same.
You can buy "Mistborn: The Final Empire"
There’s a bit more romance, humor and adventure and like in his previous novel he’s created a dazzling world with a really interesting magic system ( Allomancy and Feruchemy). We’ve got a bit of political intrigue but far less than in Elantris or maybe it’s because it’s more subtly introduced it’s not bothersome. Last but not least, the characters are all lovable but Sanderson plays with readers’ emotions. One time you feel they’re good persons, another you feel they ‘re too biased and they’re gonna become as cruel as their mortal enemy.
In Luthadel nothing is foreseen, nothing is predictable and you're in for a story that'll keep surprising you up to the last page.
Welcome to The Final Empire.
A fast paced story, dazzling universe, charismatic characters, a fight for a grand cause, disguised surprises under disguised lies, THAT'S EPIC FANTASY FOR YOU! Fantasy will never really look the same.
You can buy "Mistborn: The Final Empire"
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with eyes closed. The pace problem present in "Elantris" is no longer here. Brandon Sanderson has also removed the annoying pattern of “one chapter - one character."There’s a bit more romance, humor and adventure and like in his previous novel he’s created a dazzling world with a really interesting magic system ( Allomancy and Feruchemy). We’ve got a bit of political intrigue but far less than in Elantris or maybe it’s because it’s more subtly introduced it’s not bothersome. Last but not least, the characters are all lovable but Sanderson plays with readers’ emotions. One time you feel they’re good persons, another you feel they ‘re too biased and they’re gonna become as cruel as their mortal enemy.
In Luthadel nothing is foreseen, nothing is predictable and you're in for a story that'll keep surprising you up to the last page.
Welcome to The Final Empire.
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LibraryThing member benkaboo
Summary:
What I liked: Setting: the dying earth sort of steampunk-esque fantasy setting was very gripping and increased the sense of peril. Real characters: just when I found myself thinking something like 'wow he doesn't seem to be very impacted by killing a bunch of people', the author would add
What could have been improved: The relationship between the main gang was a little bit to 'oceans 11' and I think he could have differentiated the motivations of the different crew members a little more.
Highlight: The endgame was great and kept me guessing write to the end.
What I liked: Setting: the dying earth sort of steampunk-esque fantasy setting was very gripping and increased the sense of peril. Real characters: just when I found myself thinking something like 'wow he doesn't seem to be very impacted by killing a bunch of people', the author would add
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something to explain why this particular character would have a lot of anger and be willing to kill. Wasn't flawless but it was pretty good. What could have been improved: The relationship between the main gang was a little bit to 'oceans 11' and I think he could have differentiated the motivations of the different crew members a little more.
Highlight: The endgame was great and kept me guessing write to the end.
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LibraryThing member kittykay
Let it be known that, although I love fantasy books, I rarely go and find books of this genre by myself. My skill at finding great fantasy books isn’t good, as I am often fooled by the pretty images on the cover. After my man, and his mother, and his mother’s husband insisted that I really
At first, the setting might seem to be the same as any other. Bad guy rules empire. Good-bad-guy wants to kill him, and save the world. Young woman helps him while discovering who she really is. But the story is much more than that; the characters are neither black nor white, but somewhere in between, and Sanderson’s writing describe their fears and joices and dilemnas with depth. The magic’s mechanics are interesting, but more than that, I enjoyed the author’s understanding of what is leadership: choices, consequences, difficult decisions, the power of the words, etc. Even the ending leaves you uncertain.
I won’t say more for now; this book is the first of the trilogy, so although I can give it a rating for itself, I can’t judge completely until I read the 3 books. This should be done soon, without a doubt!
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should read it, I had no other choice than to commit to it.At first, the setting might seem to be the same as any other. Bad guy rules empire. Good-bad-guy wants to kill him, and save the world. Young woman helps him while discovering who she really is. But the story is much more than that; the characters are neither black nor white, but somewhere in between, and Sanderson’s writing describe their fears and joices and dilemnas with depth. The magic’s mechanics are interesting, but more than that, I enjoyed the author’s understanding of what is leadership: choices, consequences, difficult decisions, the power of the words, etc. Even the ending leaves you uncertain.
I won’t say more for now; this book is the first of the trilogy, so although I can give it a rating for itself, I can’t judge completely until I read the 3 books. This should be done soon, without a doubt!
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LibraryThing member Valleyguy
I read very little fantasy, the books are too long and they make too many of them. But I read this based off high praise from authors I respect and now have the unfortunate problem of wanting to read more. Which is not terrible since it is a really good book, but where does it end? Am I going to
I like these characters and the world they're in. And when it comes down to it, that's what makes me want to read more stories. The prose is about as light as Harry Potter, but that is where the comparison ends (except the magic and some other stuff). It stands on its own feet and tells a unique story worth getting into.
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read The Way of Kings? It's 1200 pages long! Probably.I like these characters and the world they're in. And when it comes down to it, that's what makes me want to read more stories. The prose is about as light as Harry Potter, but that is where the comparison ends (except the magic and some other stuff). It stands on its own feet and tells a unique story worth getting into.
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LibraryThing member A_Reader_of_Fictions
Holy shit balls of awesomesauce, I cannot even handle the feels of this book. Gah, my emotions are in a right state, okay, because this book is one of the very best I have ever read. It's not every epic fantasy novel that I can read in little more than a day without it feeling like torture. In
In epic fantasy, it is so rare to find a book that's good from the very beginning. There is just so much world building to be established, that it's sort of a given to have to sit through quite a lot of world building. This generally is totally worth it in the end, but makes the read a bit slow. Sanderson, however, manages to keep the pace quick from the very start. Rather than overwhelming the reader with the way this world works, he unravels the information bit by bit, following the arc of Vin's training, keeping everything manageable.
In my experience from The Way of Kings, I already knew that Sanderson is a marvelous writer, though I do think Mistborn: The Final Empire is much stronger. Sanderson devises such original magical systems, so unlike any I've read before, and he makes them come alive. He also has a real knack for description, one almost unparalleled by any author I've read. Not being a very visual reader, I often have difficulty picturing battle scenes, but Sanderson's burst off the page, leaving me breathless with worry. There's so much movement in Mistborn, but all of it was so well-described that I never felt lost or confused.
Then there are the characters. I love them all. SO HARD. Kelsier is a serious BAMF, and he's full of swagger and cleverness, and always deeper than you think he is. Actually, that's true of every single character, I think. You suspect you know what they're capable of and then they do something to surprise you. The feels are insane. Right, Kelsier. Anyway, he is a Mistborn, which means that he can manipulate metal to give himself powers, and that's as much as I'm going to explain that, because just read the book. Kelsier has big plans, like overthrowing the immortal ruler of the empire.
The other main character is Vin, a skaa (essentially serfs) thief has a power she thinks of as Luck. She lives her life in fear, trusting no one, abandoned even by her brother. Kelsier finds Vin and teaches her what she is, and how to be a Mistborn. Watching this girl find friendship and love for the first time in her life gave me all of the happy feels. I love Kelsier and Vin's relationship, the way he mentors her is so touching. Also, it makes my heart so happy to see a female character not always being weaker than her male counterpart. Vin's still learning, but girl has some serious power. She grows so much through the course of Mistborn, but she's obviously not done yet.
The supporting cast is just as well-drawn as Kelsier and Vin. Every single member of Kelsier's crew, the one trying to overthrow the despotic Lord Ruler, is dear to me: the philosophizing Thug, Ham, the insouciant Breeze, the dialect-spouting Spook, the grumpy Clubs. Then there's Elend, the heir to the wealthiest noble family. Let's just say that he's the kind of guy who would rather read than dance at a party, and that I am kind of in love with him.
Top off all of that awesomeness, Sanderson also knocked me for a loop with that last two hundred pages. He set everything up so well that, once it happened, I knew it was just as it had to be, but I also hadn't believed he could possibly go there. Sanderson got me right in the feels, and oh my how I loved it. I never expected the way the book would end or that final twist, which is just what I needed after a stretch of predictable books.
Without a doubt, Mistborn is one of the finest epic fantasy novels out there. I say this confidently, even though I've still read relatively few. Every aspect of this book was well done, and I can't think of a single thing to criticize. Basically, I urge each and every one of you to read this book.
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fact, the torture was any time not spent reading. Brandon Sanderson does everything right here: the world building, the characters, the writing, and the plotting.In epic fantasy, it is so rare to find a book that's good from the very beginning. There is just so much world building to be established, that it's sort of a given to have to sit through quite a lot of world building. This generally is totally worth it in the end, but makes the read a bit slow. Sanderson, however, manages to keep the pace quick from the very start. Rather than overwhelming the reader with the way this world works, he unravels the information bit by bit, following the arc of Vin's training, keeping everything manageable.
In my experience from The Way of Kings, I already knew that Sanderson is a marvelous writer, though I do think Mistborn: The Final Empire is much stronger. Sanderson devises such original magical systems, so unlike any I've read before, and he makes them come alive. He also has a real knack for description, one almost unparalleled by any author I've read. Not being a very visual reader, I often have difficulty picturing battle scenes, but Sanderson's burst off the page, leaving me breathless with worry. There's so much movement in Mistborn, but all of it was so well-described that I never felt lost or confused.
Then there are the characters. I love them all. SO HARD. Kelsier is a serious BAMF, and he's full of swagger and cleverness, and always deeper than you think he is. Actually, that's true of every single character, I think. You suspect you know what they're capable of and then they do something to surprise you. The feels are insane. Right, Kelsier. Anyway, he is a Mistborn, which means that he can manipulate metal to give himself powers, and that's as much as I'm going to explain that, because just read the book. Kelsier has big plans, like overthrowing the immortal ruler of the empire.
The other main character is Vin, a skaa (essentially serfs) thief has a power she thinks of as Luck. She lives her life in fear, trusting no one, abandoned even by her brother. Kelsier finds Vin and teaches her what she is, and how to be a Mistborn. Watching this girl find friendship and love for the first time in her life gave me all of the happy feels. I love Kelsier and Vin's relationship, the way he mentors her is so touching. Also, it makes my heart so happy to see a female character not always being weaker than her male counterpart. Vin's still learning, but girl has some serious power. She grows so much through the course of Mistborn, but she's obviously not done yet.
The supporting cast is just as well-drawn as Kelsier and Vin. Every single member of Kelsier's crew, the one trying to overthrow the despotic Lord Ruler, is dear to me: the philosophizing Thug, Ham, the insouciant Breeze, the dialect-spouting Spook, the grumpy Clubs. Then there's Elend, the heir to the wealthiest noble family. Let's just say that he's the kind of guy who would rather read than dance at a party, and that I am kind of in love with him.
Top off all of that awesomeness, Sanderson also knocked me for a loop with that last two hundred pages. He set everything up so well that, once it happened, I knew it was just as it had to be, but I also hadn't believed he could possibly go there. Sanderson got me right in the feels, and oh my how I loved it. I never expected the way the book would end or that final twist, which is just what I needed after a stretch of predictable books.
Without a doubt, Mistborn is one of the finest epic fantasy novels out there. I say this confidently, even though I've still read relatively few. Every aspect of this book was well done, and I can't think of a single thing to criticize. Basically, I urge each and every one of you to read this book.
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LibraryThing member mainrun
Book didn't really do much for me, though I like the way the author writes. I finished this book a couple weeks ago, and didn't have a desire to write about it. That is a good description about how I felt about this book.
LibraryThing member shawse
The primary magic system in this book, Allomancy, is quite compelling in itself but is only part of what makes this book impressive. Sanderson does a great job of world-building and story telling. A few of the "surprise" plot twists at the climax I guessed part way through but there were plenty
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more that I didn't. I look forward to reading the rest of the series. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Association for Mormon Letters Award (Honorable Mention — Novel — 2006)
Language
Original publication date
2006-07
ISBN
0765350386 / 9780765350381