Mistborn: The Hero of Ages, Review

Mistborn: The Hero of Ages

This review has actually been waiting to be written for a month now, so it’s about time I got down to publishing it. I’ll try to keep it nice and short; let’s face it, if you’ve read the other two books already then you’re probably going to read this one too!

One line summary: The Hero of Ages is a very good book. It’s noticeably better than the previous entries of the series in a couple of areas, most notably in characterization. Previously bland or secondary characters like Spook and Ten’soon get their chance to step out into the limelight – each having their own POV here – and they’re both stand-out, likable, and complex characters..

Plot-wise, I’m of two minds. Sanderson comes good on his promises and  brings every strand together masterfully here. The grand tapestry that he has been building up to is finally fully revealed. After the last twist, everything fits and everything makes sense. In fact, I would have to say that it fits too well. The plot is so carefully constructed that in a certain way it actually restricts the story.

Christmas Gift Ideas: Books

As any of you who have read my blogs or short stories have probably gathered, I am a massive fan of fantasy and sci-fi novels! In this post I want to suggest some of my favorites to anyone who is thinking of buying a book for a fantasy lover close to their hearts this Christmas 😉 Or, maybe you’re a fantasy lover yourself – in which case you should seriously consider spending a couple of the book tokens you might get for Christmas on these too!

Anyway, these are my 5 current favorite fantasy/sci-fi series:

Mistborn: The Well of Ascension Review

Nice art from the front cover

With Mistborn: The Well of Ascension Brandon Sanderson has written the perfect sequel. Sanderson builds on the strengths of the first book of the trilogy, Mistborn: The Final Empire, adding increased depth to the world and story, while at the same addressing the weak characterisation and lack of emotional depth that had previously been an issue in his writing.

Mistborn: The Final Empire Review

I first discovered fantasy author Brandon Sanderson when I read The Gathering Storm, book 12 of the famous The Wheel of Time series, which Sanderson had been asked to finish after the death of Robert Jordan, the series’ creator. I was hugely impressed by Sanderson’s work on that book – so much so that I immediately went out in search of his other novels, and found this, Mistborn: The Final Empire, the first book of his epic fantasy Mistborn trilogy.

Fans of epic fantasy will all be familiar with the over-used trope of a protagonist who begins the story as a young farmer, discovers he/she has hidden magical powers, and then embarks on an epic quest to defeat a “Dark Lord” *cough* Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, The Wheel of Time, The Sword of Truth; practically 90% of all fantasy books *end cough*. A modern fantasy author has to break away from this overused – and now horribly clichéd – story arch if they want to write something original and interesting. Sanderson succeeds in this brilliantly, basing his trilogy on a creative new premise: imagine the Dark Lord won.