The Hero of Ages

by Brandon Sanderson

Other authorsJon Foster (Cover artist), Isaac Stewart (Illustrator), Moshe Feder (Editor)
Hardcover, 2008-10

Status

Available

Call number

PS3619.A533 H47

Publication

Tor (New York, 2008). 1st edition, 1st printing. 576 pages. $27.95.

Description

Fantasy. Fiction. HTML: Now with over 10 million copies sold, The Mistborn Series has the thrills of a heist story, the twistiness of political intrigue, and the epic scale of a landmark fantasy saga. Who is the Hero of Ages? To end the Final Empire and restore freedom, Vin killed the Lord Ruler. But as a result, the Deepnessâ??the lethal form of the ubiquitous mistsâ??is back, along with increasingly heavy ashfalls and ever more powerful earthquakes. Humanity appears to be doomed. Having escaped death at the climax of The Well of Ascension only by becoming a Mistborn himself, Emperor Elend Venture hopes to find clues left behind by the Lord Ruler that will allow him to save the world. Vin is consumed with guilt at having been tricked into releasing the mystic force known as Ruin from the Well. Ruin wants to end the world, and its near omniscience and ability to warp reality make stopping it seem impossible. She can't even discuss it with Elend lest Ruin learn their plans! 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 Ages Mistborn: 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 series The Rithmatist Other books by Brandon Sanderson The Reckoners Steelheart Firefight Calamity At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied… (more)

Media reviews

Library Journal
Sanderson's conclusion to the epic that began with Mistborn and continued in Well of Ascension resonates with all the elements of classic heroic fantasy, along with unusual forms of magic and strong, believable characters.
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Booklist
Sanderson pulls loose ends together, explains vague prophecies, and produces the Hero of Ages, and the Mistborn trilogy concludes satisfactorily.
Publishers Weekly
Sanderson's saga of consequences offers complex characters and a compelling plot, asking hard questions about loyalty, faith and responsibility.

User reviews

LibraryThing member rivkat
Sanderson is still trying interesting things in this third book of his trilogy (there’s a sequel coming out later this year, but it apparently jumps hundreds of years ahead in time, so I think it’s fair to call this a trilogy). Some of the revelations in the third book make sense of earlier
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events, though they also tremble on the edge of being as silly as midichloridians. We learn a lot more of the underlying rules of the magic universe, and they’re kind of intriguingly horrible but also not necessarily all that sensible; I probably would have been better off with “that’s just how it works, now go use the rules.” And the thing I really hated—that the male lead, who was a lover not a fighter until the end of the second book, suddenly became much more powerful than the female lead, something that was emphasized numerous times—moderated by the end, in part because Sanderson kept in mind that her skill and creativity could be more useful than his raw power and in part because he continued to love and trust her and let her take the lead when she thought it was right to do so. Anyway, I see both why some people really enjoy the books and why others are disappointed; I’ll read the one I have on tap and then decide whether I’ll buy the fourth Mistborn book used.
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LibraryThing member readermom
This book is an example of why I love fantasy and science fiction. It was really good, it was amazing, increbile and any other word you want to use to describe a book you will probably reread many times out of sheer enjoyment. I have been waiting for a long time for this book to come out. David got
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it for me for my birthday and I read it in two days. That was actually exercising a lot of restraint, because I did a lot of other things those days, and I didn't stay up all night and read it.

It has a complicated, weaving plot, that connects events happening in several different areas, but they work together to not only advance the plot, but develop the themes and ideas of the book. The ending was perhaps the most satisfying and complete one I have read in a trilogy. A lot of times there is so much going on in a series of this scope that there are plot threads never resolved, or questions left hanging, or just a stupid ending because the author couldn't figure out how to stop. The ending of this trilogy felt complete and whole in a way I haven't seen before.

Can you tell I liked this book? While I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who is not a fan of the genre, if you do like fantasy books at all, if you have read Lord of the Rings and didn't hate it, please read this one, it was incredible.
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LibraryThing member jenreidreads
Wow. This conclusion of the Mistborn trilogy was wonderful. Everything is tied up in such a way that you don't really see it coming, and yet there was no other way for things to happen. Threads that Sanderson started in the first installment (that you didn't even necessarily realize were threads)
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are picked up in this one. This is not to say that he tied everything up in a neat little bow—it's too good for that. I cannot recommend this trilogy highly enough.
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LibraryThing member Cecrow
I don't find myself rubbing my eyes in wonder as if awaking from an amazing dream, like the ARC's back cover hyperbole promises, but I did really (really!) enjoy this book and the trilogy as a whole. It's among the better fantasy trilogies I've read, and I'm going to widely recommend it. My only
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criticism is the note upon which he leaves the story: it is almost too neat and the series comes off slightly mechanical, like we have witnessed a puzzle’s final solution, with not enough lingering mystery. But anyone who rolls their eyes at typically pretentious, mystical endings may find that briskly refreshing.

Just as with the beginning of the second book, I was impressed by how much the author allows character growth to advance offstage in the space between volumes. Characters we thought we knew, we find we need to become reacquainted with. Other than Spook's miraculous shaking off his street slang at the beginning of the second book, I found this worked very smoothly and didn't interrupt the pleasure of familiarity with the world. It's a bit daring on the author's part, and very well employed.

Brandon Sanderson is so determined to shut the door on every genre cliché in this trilogy, some readers may find (ironically) it opens a window for predictability by knowing that things can't possibly turn out the way they typically would. That still leaves a few possibilities for the author to choose from, however: will this be one of the fantasy genre's rare tragedies? Will there be a reality-behind-the-reality, ala The Matrix? Will it all be a bad dream? He's done with plot what George R.R. Martin does with characters: any sacrifice becomes possible.

The author claims in his blog that novels which transmit grand thematic ideas using story as a vehicle are pointless and he makes a point himself of avoiding it. But in the Mistborn trilogy we find preservation versus destruction, matters of religion and faith, and a study in trust. These themes are strong, and welcome. They aren't explored enough in the fantasy genre (oddly, since its abstract nature is especially conducive to the portrayal of non-concrete concepts).

Also on his blog, the author has implied this admirable trilogy was only a writing exercise in comparison to getting serious with his “Way of Kings” series. Having already elevated him to my ‘must buy’ list, I’m frankly in awe.
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LibraryThing member ahappybooker
Love this series, definitely one of my favorites. So many unexpected twists and turns and amazing characters. I wish the series would have continued beyond the third book...
LibraryThing member oszymandias
The Hero of Ages is the third part of the Mistborn series and a suitable conclusion to the trilogy in my opinion.
I enjoyed the entire series of books which featured both a strong plot and strong characters who developed in a reaslitic manner. I feel that Sanderson succeeded in the main in
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explaining the various plot threads that made up the series while also bringing it to a satisfactort conclusion. Also the conclusion of the story had enough twists to satisfy without being totally from leftfield. Overall I was very impressed and will eagerly await the authors next publication.
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LibraryThing member readafew
This is the 3rd and final book in the Mistborn trilogy. I really enjoyed it. Brandon tied up all the loose threads and revealed some rather subtle hints and clues all the way back in the first book.

I'm not sure what to say about this one. I'm left feeling I expected more or bigger or better and yet
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it was an excellent book, a great story from beginning to end. It was never boring with many puzzles and had a good finish. Maybe it's just knowing this was the end of an excellent tale with nothing else to look forward too, causing my lack of full enthusiasm for the completion of the saga.

Overall I really enjoyed the series and felt this was a satisfying end. Brandon came up with interesting magic systems, a believable culture and many, many sympathetic characters to go with on the journey. I highly recommend the series.
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LibraryThing member MrsLee
Third in the Mistborn series, Hero of Ages is an epic battle taking place in a world which is ending. Emperor Elend Venture and his wife Vin are scrambling to defeat their foe, though they are not sure who the foe is. All the heroes struggle with hope as well, for even if they win the battle, they
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do not know how to save the world. Hope, faith, trust, each character must do battle in their own way to discover whether or not they believe in these things.

I have to say, this book was quite a struggle for me to read. The author doesn't hold much back and all the characters go through such trials, that I had to stop reading it for a couple of days. Sanderson has a way of making you care deeply for the characters. As with all his books, he has thrown in some special twists and turns to keep the reader on their toes. This book completes the mythos of the world he has created and fulfills the trilogy quite nicely.
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LibraryThing member foggidawn
From this first line, The Hero of Ages grabs the reader's attention. Early in the book, the mysterious narrator declares, "Unfortunately, I am the Hero of Ages." Only at the end of the book is the narrator's identity revealed, though savvy readers can pick up hints through the book. Even without
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the plot twists and revelations regarding the identity of the Hero of Ages, though, this book contains a great deal to recommend itself: characters that readers have grown to love or loathe over the course of the first two books in the series are explored more fully, the intricate and fascinating system of magic interacts with the world that Sanderson has created, and the action of the story will have readers staying up late to see what happens next. Fans of the Mistborn series will find this a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, while wishing it didn't have to end.
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LibraryThing member waynegrantham
Brandon Sanderson is an unbelievable author. This book had so many plot lines that evolved in ways that I would have never predicted. These 3 books show and prove that it does not take a MULTI-EPIC number of books to have an awesome Fantasy world.

I will eagerly await every single word that he
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writes. If you have only read Mistborn, I urge you to read his other novels, including the FREE book you can download from his website!
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LibraryThing member missmimsy
Sanderson had masterfully created a complete and diverse world that draws you in. Pay close attention as you read, some of the small details come back to be important later on. The world we enter in The Final Empire is dark, covered in ash, and seems hopeless. Just surviving is work. We follow Vin,
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a street thief, as she encounters a special group of thieves who have grand plans to change the world. Things don't quite go according to plan and ancient prophecies come into play. As we move through Well of Ascension into Hero of ages, the characters learn how to evolve into new roles while still staying true to themselves. While occasionally things are repeated or drag on a bit, overall the story moves along well and is engrossing.
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LibraryThing member daschaich
The Hero of Ages is the conclusion to Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy, following The Final Empire and The Well of Ascension. Of the three volumes, The Hero of Ages is the weakest, though it serves as a decent conclusion to an excellent trilogy.

At the end of The Well of Ascension, the young
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Mistborn Vin was tricked into freeing the malevolent godlike being known as Ruin. True to its name, Ruin has been busy spreading death, destruction and despair with gleeful abandon in the year since, while Vin and her husband, Emperor Elend Venture, desperately seek some way to stop it. They are following a series of clues and secret supply caches built by the old Lord Ruler, who was killed by Vin in The Final Empire. The Lord Ruler had struggled with Ruin for a thousand years, and hid these resources for his followers to use in the event of his death. Other surviving members of Kelsier's crew have split up to confront the most powerful remaining warlords, hoping to convince them to join with Elend and try to deal with the ever-present mists and choking rains of ash that Ruin is using to destroy the world.

The conflict with Ruin, the associated backstory involving Ruin's counterpart Preservation, and the apocalyptic situation all give The Hero of Ages a much more mythological and cosmological atmosphere than The Final Empire and The Well of Ascension. The wide-ranging conflict, which scatters groups of characters to distant locations, also contrasts with the earlier books' focus on relatively few characters in a single city. Sanderson seems more comfortable writing stories with cozier settings, and the broader scope also weakens what character development he attempts, which focuses on Sazed and Spook. The story culminates in a conclusion that is far too "deus" for my tastes, and toes the line of what I can stand.

At the same time, The Hero of Ages also lacks the compelling hooks that help make the other Mistborn books more interesting than standard fantasy fare. The Final Empire has the "heist story" framework as well as the backstory of a world in which the Dark Lord had (apparently) defeated the hero of prophesy. The Well of Ascension considers what exactly happens after tyranny is overthrown and victory declared. In contrast, The Hero of Ages may be Sanderson's most conventional fantasy yet: the world is threatened by a powerful destructive force that the heroes must outwit and overcome.

Even Sanderson's elaborate magic system becomes problematic as the ever-expanding details of the tripartite allomancy-feruchemy-hemalurgy construction multiply to a somewhat unwieldy size. Many of the blurbs that introduce each chapter, which were used to great effect in the other volumes, now need to be omniscient explanations of just what exactly is going on.

The Hero of Ages is a decent conclusion to an excellent trilogy, which manages to tie together all three books, and even hints at yet "another secret" lurking beneath the surface. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite rise to the level of its predecessors, the level we've come to expect from Sanderson. I hope the chapter-by-chapter annotations that Sanderson is currently posting on his Web site will shed some light on the reasons why.
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LibraryThing member Katya0133
Things I enjoyed:

One of the things I like most about Brandon Sanderson's writing is how tight his plots are in terms of foreshadowing. It's evident that he planned out all three books in this series in advance, because there are seemingly insignificant events in books one and two that actually
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become very important plot points in book three.

I also enjoyed the new viewpoint characters, both in terms of new personalities and in terms of getting a new perspective on the conflict.

In the first book, the conflict looks to be fairly black and white. We know who the good guys are and we know who the bad guys are. (Or we think we do, at least.) By the third book, though, we've learned more about the motivations of the "bad guys" (they weren't as "bad" as we thought) as well as coming to see more clearly the weaknesses of the "good guys" (they had more faults than we wanted to see at the time). I appreciate the reminder that, even when we vehemently disagree with someone, they usually have motivations that we can come to understand and even sympathize with.

Things I didn't like:

The thing about epic fantasy is that, well, it's very epic in tone. And while Sanderson is good at writing epic stories, I actually prefer stories that have a more personal element to them. I think it's why I tend to like origin stories; they have to start out small and intimate, before the hero grows up to save the world. So while I appreciated the plotting of this book, I missed a lot of the low-key, personal moments of the earlier books, especially the Vin / Elend scenes from book one. It's a minor critique, though, and one that's more based on my personality than on any flaw on the part of the writer.
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LibraryThing member krau0098
This is the third and final book in the Mistborn Trilogy. It was a wonderful conclusion to this epic fantasy and I really enjoyed it.

Elend and Vin have left the city of Luthadel to find the remaining hidden caches of the Lord Ruler in hopes that these caches will give some hints as to how to save
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the land. The mists that have been consuming the land are getting worse and claiming more lives every day. But it is the falling Ash that will be the end of the people, as it covers the land and blocks out the sun things are getting more and more desperate. Elend, Vin, and their crew are up for their greatest challenge yet...how do you stop a God of Ruin from destroying your world?

If you liked the first two books you will enjoy this one. Many of the small events that didn't quite make sense in the first books are all drawn together in this book. There is a lot of war, strategy, and explanation behind the origins of the metal based magics. We also get a lot of explanation into how the different races were created. The theme that seems to underlay this book is one of faith; faith in each other and in our beliefs.

There is significantly less characterization in this book and the reader is switched between four or five different points of view throughout the story. This doesn't detract from the story though, although the book does get a bit slow mid-way through it quickly picks up pace again. In the end this book features Spook and Sazed more than Vin and Elend, although Vin and Elend still play prominent roles throughout.

All in all it tied up the series nicely. The plot kept me guessing and took twists and turns that were unexpected, which was refreshing. The way everything tied together was masterful and intricate. Sanderson is an excellent writer and this book shows that. The ending was definitely bittersweet and may bring on a few tears and sniffles.

Overall another exceptional book by Sanderson. I look forward to reading more books from him in the future! I have The Way of Kings on my shelf waiting for me to pick it up.
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LibraryThing member mariananhi
So, Mistborn Trilogy.

Where do I even start? It’s one of the greatest fantasy novels out there? Or you should totally read them? Oh yeah, definitely. Still, there is something more


I think the time I first read the trilogy was about 3 years ago, when my English was still a big mess, and I
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don’t think I even managed to understand half of what was going on. One of my cousin lend me the copies, and I spent weeks reading them. It was hard to grasp at first, I’ll give you that, but that didn’t affect my love for it. It’s like loving a person who doesn’t speak the same language as you. It’s a struggle, but it’s a satisfying struggle.

The funny part is, I didn’t got a chance to go through book 3, which is the last book of the trilogy in my consideration (the rest features a different cast of characters), so I basically restarted the whole series not only with a different perspective and understand, but also ignorance of some sort to what will happen next


THE. BOOKS. BLEW. MY. HEAD.

I cannot find a single word to describe how phenomenal this series is. Heck, I don’t think “phenomenal” can cover it all. The world-building, the anticipation, the characters
 Those can’t just simply be described as incredible. Also, Mr. Sanderson, you are now officially receive a high stand in my list of I-love-you-and-hate-is-a-part-of-it-it’s-complicate-I-know authors. Your books are basically tickles. And no matter how straightforward your warnings are, no matter how you tell us, “I’m about to tickle you,” IT WILL STILL TICKLE IN THE END!! (I know, it’s the worst kind of example ever, don’t judge). I laughed a lot, cried some more, giggled to myself, and do all kind of stuff that I don’t normally do (I’m a hardcore fangirl, it says something) ALL BECAUSE OF YOUR BOOKS, dear Mr. Sanderson. And I regret none of that.

The most amazing part was that
 I—in a way—expected what will happen for the Mistborn’s ultimate ending. If you have read this amazing series, you would probably tell me, “What? How could you even have that weird, somewhat terrible thought in your mind?” I mean, yeah, nobody wants that to happen, I’m sure. But I know before starting book 3 on the car only two days ago, I was actually telling myself, “Well, Sanderson is that author who would do that kind of things and I would love it to my death.” It happened. And let me tell you, I will love it till the day after my death.

Overall, reading this amazing trilogy was an incredible experience for me. I’m still having difficulties getting over it, and the “difficulties” will probably stay for quite awhile. But in the meantime, I will take my time with our dear new friends in [book:The Alloy of Law|10803121] and let’s see how that will turn out.
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LibraryThing member Homechicken
I got this book via the Early Reviewer LT program, and have been holding off reading it until I can get (and read) the first two of the series. Unfortunately, this is cutting in to my chances to get more ER books, so I started reading it anyway.

I find this book intriguing, but difficult to follow
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having come in on the third of the series. I felt the author didn't do much explaining at all, and pretty much expected the reader to know what the history was. This is not unreasonable, as it is the third book. Plus, I often find a lengthy, drawn-out review of the past boring in a new book. Unfortunately, it wasn't easy to get through, as I had little investment in the characters or story, and strongly recommend reading the first one and deciding whether you want to continue based on its merits, and not judging based on just the third book.
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LibraryThing member agis
(Note: Spoilers for the first two books in the series).

The "Mistborn" trilogy comes to a close in "The Hero Of Ages". While Sanderson does tend to resolve his plots more than many series fantasy authors, there's still a lot of payoff here. It's well-planned payoff - it answers questions and points
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out connections you missed; there's no sense of retconning or hurried rewriting. That said, he doesn't really have enough characters to hang his plot on.

Spook and Tensoon get a lot of welcome page time; they're good characters (particularly Tensoon) as well as good drivers for the plot, although Spook seems slightly superfluous in some ways. But the rest of the time the book's focus is on Elend, Vin, and Sazed again; with the amount of exploration these characters have already had, this isn't 100% a good thing. Vin has rather a lot to do, and Elend has an Empire to run. But we linger with Sazed a little more than his character, my favorite in the first book, supports. The challenges to his faith are understandable, but Sanderson drags them out too long.

Sanderson continues with his organized and systematic magic systems playing important roles. Hemalurgy - the magic of the Inquisitors - plays a key role in a number of respects, and is used in a nicely subtle manner at points. And there's a few surprises left in Allomancy, without feeling gratuitous.

The main thrust of the plot is the world slowly dying in the aftermath of the events of "Well of Ascension", where the malign force of Ruin was let loose. Vin and Elend chase the hints left behind by the Lord Ruler, securing buried storage caches. Spook is sent alone to spy on a city sitting on one of these caches, where rule-by-Skaa has descended into Soviet-style thuggery; it runs mostly as a side story, though it ties together in the end.

Indeed, though the book has some pacing problems the payoff is remarkably good in general. Sanderson is excellent as ever with his foreshadowing and reveals; things make perfect sense even if you don't see them coming. The ultimate fates of a couple key characters are oddly left out of the book, but apart from that Sanderson pulls it off. By the end, "The Hero of Ages" is a fitting capstone to the Mistborn trilogy.
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LibraryThing member littlegeek
It's got all the entertaining Brandonisms; the fantastically intricate plot, the multidimensional characters, the "avalanche" (the way the pace of the book speeds up in the final third). All of that is great fun, but this exploration of Armageddon left me kinda cold. The theology that he shoves in
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there is just too simplistic, too pat to be satisfying. Sazed deserves better.
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LibraryThing member bluesalamanders
Like Well of Ascension, I liked this book very much up until the end. It was well plotted with believable characters that I cared about, in situations that made sense within the plot and the universe. I have really liked the unique magic system from the beginning of the trilogy. But the end fell
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flat and the final resolution really just wasn't interesting.
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LibraryThing member revslick
a brilliant conclusion to an even greater trilogy!! Sanderson has more turns than a mountain road, but he doesn't go over the edge except for one time when I think one of the characters could/should have been killed earlier but was left in for a nice plot twist.
LibraryThing member Stephen1001
Simply Amazing. I couldn't stop reading, staying up late into the nights even though i should be asleep. I'm prob one of the very few that think this trilogy is about 100 times better than LOTR.
LibraryThing member jcorrea
What an amazing read. The intricate the Sanderson has woven into this book are astounding. I went back and reread the trilogy after finishing this book just to relive the story at once and try to notice some of the details I missed the first time, including the ending I was not expecting at all
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(which is a good thing), and extremely glad to see how his characters found their places in this amazing world he has created.

I truly hope to see another book/story published in this world of allomancers.
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LibraryThing member helgagrace
Loved it. This was the kind of end to a trilogy that makes you feel like the author had an awesomely detailed plan for characters, plot, and climax all along, down to the tiniest of details. I will miss the characters, and will enjoy re-reading the series now that I know what is going to happen
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(hopefully my own copies this time). I think I'm going to enjoy reading other books by Sanderson as well.
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LibraryThing member Clurb
Although I hadn't read the first two books in the Mistborn trilogy I was impressed enough with the thoroughness of the synopsis in Hero of Ages to start off reading, but I couldn't get into the story at all. The pace was plodding and the story long-winded and I failed to find anything in the first
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couple of hundred pages that grabbed me. I ended up putting the book down half way through after realising that Sanderson's moralising on religion and faith wasn't going to get any easier to stomach.
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LibraryThing member akerm192
In this third book of the Mistborn trilogy, Sanderson continues to follow the struggles of Vin and Elend as they attempt to create a perfect empire after the fall of the Lord Ruler. While I found Sanderson's Mistborn (book 1) thoroughly enjoyable and The Well of Ascension (book 2) tolerable, Hero
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of Ages was unable to captivate me. After multiple attempts this book has fallen into my "to be read later" pile.
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Awards

David Gemmell Legend Award (Shortlist — 2009)
Whitney Award (Finalist — 2008)

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2008-10-14

Physical description

576 p.; 6.46 inches

ISBN

0765316897 / 9780765316899
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