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Mistborn
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Product Description
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.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #554034 in Books
- Published on: 2008-06-03
- Released on: 2008-06-03
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Mass Market Paperback
- 672 pages
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Customer Reviews
A great book for anyone who is serious about fantasy
I picked up Brandon's books in an attempt to learn about his writing, as I'd heard he would be finishing the Wheel of Time series. I was nervous, and went into it with my standards set high.
I came out of it extremely pleased and no longer worried about what would happen to Wheel of Time at all. There were several things I liked about this book and the series in general.
Pros:
-The magic system is amazing. Seriously amazing. It's new, which is always nice in the fantasy market, where everything tends to get reused.
-The characters are very believable. They act as fits their personality, and don't do anything that someone with their character traits wouldn't do just because it's convenient.
-The world is described in great detail, which allows you to immerse yourself and really imagine the story taking place.
-Though it is the first in a trilogy, it gives enough resolution to be very satisfying and leaves the reader wanting more.
Cons: There are some characters who do not get as much screen time as I would like.These characters are developed further in the second book in the series.
-It took me a few chapters to get really involved, though I was interested right from the start.
Overall, one of my favorites, and definitely a keeper. I'd recommend it to anyone, but especially to fans of Robert Jordan, George R R Martin, Robin Hobb, and Terry Pratchett.
Unexpectedly good
This is the first book I have read by Brandon Sanderson. I was expecting a routine fantasy novel, but this is story has some unique features and some well done characters. Sanderson creates a bleak world devastated by falling ash (though the source of this ash is never explained, perhaps it has something to do with the defeat of the Deepness). At night, the ash-blanketed world is covered by swirling mists which hide strange and dangerous creatures. The world is dominated by an immortal, all power Lord Ruler. Unfortunately, Lord Ruler is completely ruthless and his empire oppresses all the common people, who are called skaa. Opposing the Lord Ruler is a Mistborn named Kelsier, who is half ska, half aristocrat. (This is a bit murky - to imply that someone is halfbreed implies that ska and aristocrat are different species, but clearly it is only their political standing that separates the two classes.) Kelsier has a secret plan for overthrowing the Lord Ruler and liberating the ska.
Enlisted into Kelsier's crew is Vin, a teenage girl who possesses undeveloped magical powers. The magic system in this book is called "Allomancy"; certain people can ingest metals which they then "burn" in their bellies. As long as there is enough metal to burn, the Allomancer can display such powers as super powerful senses (enhanced hearing, sight), super strength, the ability to control metal at a distance (just like Magneto, the X-Men supervillan).
The Allomancy magic system appears to have a lot of thought put into it. Given the established constraints of his magic system, Sanderson sticks to the rules and has thought out some unique ways of using the powers. (I especially liked Vin's novel uses of Allomancy in her attack on the Lord Ruler's castle).
In addition to Allomancy, Sanderson describes a parallel magic system called Feruchemy. The practioners of Feruchemy use metals inside the body as batteries for storing up abilities such as strength. (A Feruchemist will spend days of lying around weakly, while charging his strength battery. This will allow the Feruchemist to use that stored strength at a later date in a time of great need.)
Besides his unique magic system, Sanderson also describes some wonderful intimidating villains in the form of Steel Inquistors. These fearsome servants of the Lord Ruler are powerful Allomancers who somehow survive despite having giant metal tusks driven through their eyes and out the back of their heads. It doesn't make any sense, but it is a nice image that would look good in a movie or graphic novel adaptation of this story.
Other neat creations are the mistwraiths, which seem to be a lot like the gelatinous cube monster from Dungeons and Dragons. Mistwraiths shamble along through the city, absorbing the bodies and bones of corpses; reusing some of the absorbed limbs and faces for its own body.
Although this is apparently the first novel in a trilogy, it works as a stand alone story. Rather than leaving the reader with a cliff hanger ending, Mistborn works well as a complete stand alone tale. Nice of an author to give you a whole story without trying to get you to buy 3 books. Mistborn was good enough that I will now look for the second one in the series.
Highly original, and a great read!
I'm always glad to find another fantasy novel/series with an interesting twist. Here, the obvious twists are the magic system -- which at first seems really strange but works very well, very consistently, and the mystery of its origins adds interest -- and the Dark Lord having won the battle for dominance. Then you notice the characters are well-written, complex and rarely one-dimensional: even minor characters have surprises in store, and most of them learn and grow believably. The best twists are spoilers, so I can't mention them, but suffice to say the last 1/4 of the book kept me up til 3 in the morning having to finish it.
