Usually, when somebody writes about elements and magic, they are referring to earth, water, air and fire. For Vin Kelsier and other allomancers, they mean elements like iron, copper and gold as well as their alloys. Allomancers use these metals to perform particular types of magic in the world created by Brandon Sanderson in Mistborn: The Final Empire.
This world can be either exciting and wonderful places or it could be oppressive and dehumanizing depending on what family one was born into. Whether you were part of the peasant class known as the Skaa or if you were part of the nobility, nobody went out into the Mists at night. Nobody except for the Survivor.
This is an epic novel written about classic struggles against tyranny, oppression and the unknown. This is a time and place that seem to be created and managed by a single entity: The Lord Ruler. Brandon Sanderson makes full use of the colors, textures and backgrounds of this world to convey a sense of the oppression so many these people under while also giving glimpses of color and opulence that show promise of what once was and still could be. It's that idea that seems to motivate many of the characters.
Our main character, Vin, is a strong willed survivor who begins the story not really knowing how special she is. One of the fortunate aspects of being an epic size story is that there is plenty of time to really develop characters. Mr. Sanderson does just that with Vin, Kelsier and the rest. Since it is such a long book, we not only get to know them but, we also see the characters start to evolve over a more natural feeling time period.
The settings and characters are all brought together to tell a story that on its surface seems familiar but, there are points and twists that keep the reader in the story to the end. Even if you think you may have things figured out, one of the characters or events will come along and make you reassess your theory.
I've said it a couple of times earlier but, I think it bears repeating: this is a long book. It possibly could have been divided into two distinct books but, I think it would have lost something special about it. It's a very entertaining read. It does have violence which earns it a moderate PG13 rating from me.
I think my issue with the series is that went into the series assuming that Kelsier was the hero, not Vin. His absence from the next two books was a stumbling block for me. Great writing, great system of magic, and lots of intrigue, but I didn't find her nearly as compelling as a lead character.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this book! It's on my TBR list, too. I look forward to reading it. The world sounds even more intriguing!
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