Mistborn Boxed Set I: The Well of Ascension, Hero of Ages

I will try to keep this as spoiler-free as possible. I was looking for a fantasy book (or trilogy) with likable female characters that were capable of doing things. This trilogy wasn't precisely that, but I liked it enough that it didn't matter. All in all I would definitely say this trilogy is worth reading. Anyone and everyone can get something out of the winding and unexpected path it takes to get to its conclusion. So, what about the female characters? While the main character (Vin) is female, almost all of the side characters of any import are males. Only Allrienne, and Tindwyll got any reasonable amount of screen time besides Vin, and even then, neither showed up until the second book. Allrienne, despite her amount of screen time, didn't really even do much of import in either of the last 2 books. A couple other female characters had minor roles (Shan, Amaranta, Beldre) with impact on the plot, but had very little screen time, and thus, were a bit more cardboard than they should've been. All in all, I felt like: 2-3 of the people in Kelsier's crew should've been women instead of men, and at least one of the two people vying for Luthadel in book 2 should've been a woman. Either OreSeur or TenSoon could've identified as female (such as their race can do) without any change to the plot, and one of the main antagonists could've been female. No female Inquisitors or Obligators that I recall seeing, and certainly none that had speaking roles or roles of any significance which means nothing would be changed by making some of them female. Almost all Allomancers were men (except Vin, Shan, Allrienne, and B...). Demoux could easily have been a woman without changing his plot at all, and to that point, I can't recall any other officers in the army being anything other than men. I will admit, I'm very glad Sanderson had the change of heart to make Vin female after writing the first chapter. But he could have gone a little farther and gender flipped some of the male supporting cast as well, since it wouldn't impact the story, but would mean a lot to the female reader base. The above was really my biggest gripe. And, while there is a bit of disappointment at what could've been, I did enjoy the story thoroughly regardless. All of the characters were fun to read about, and fit their parts well. Other Negatives: - Endless resources of metals except for Atium, which is obsessed over. I didn't necessarily want an "economics of supply and demand" story, but I feel like completely writing the limited supply of metals off as a given is going too far. Someone has to mine, process, purify, alloy, pulverize, and distribute these metals, and yet more people have to take a measure of each metal and alloy and combine them into the vials that the Allomancers carry around. This economic channel was completely glossed-over in every single book. And only occasionally was it a concern that someone ran out of metals, and then, only the metals on their person (there was always more in a crate back in camp/at home!), despite much of the main characters' time being spent under siege (or laying siege without resupply). What about potential for corrosion or rust while the metals were in storage? How many empty glass vials got thrown onto the ground over the course of 3 books? - The most flagrant abuse of this ignored metal economy was by Spook in book 3 -- how much metal was consumed daily for him to be able to flare Tin constantly (for months?)? Flaring is a much more accelerated form of metal consumption than burning, as evidenced by Vin flaring Pewter for hours to run long distances. Plus, Spook was alone in a city that he (and Elend) definitely did not control, with no resources (in terms of money or Allies) to support him. There was no way he could've had this huge of a supply of Tin without someone (bad) noticing, or Elend becoming suspicious at the amount of Tin he was using, or unless Tin was utterly dirt cheap. - Mention in book 1 of the metals being potentially poisonous if left in the stomach unburned for long periods of time; however, nothing is ever done with this mechanic. It is never mentioned how Kelsier or Vin or anyone gets rid of their metals at night like is implied must be done to keep them from being poisoned. Aluminum, the metal which burns up all remaining metals in an Allomancer's stomach, was supposed to be something only the Inquisitors knew about, and regular Mistlings couldn't burn it besides (unless they were an Aluminum Misting), even though they also could suffer the potential poisonous effects of their metals. - Sazed's emo-ness in book 3 got old after a while. I understand the point of it, but I felt it was beat to death. - Straff Venture was a caricature of a villain, and was much less interesting than the Lord Ruler or Yomen (or, to a lesser degree, Quellion). - Zane's role in book 2 makes no sense until you read book 3, which makes book 2 seem much weaker (and more confusing) while reading it. - Penrod seemed really underused in the books given his position of seniority/authority. He really felt like a character of author convenience, rather than an actual human with hopes and dreams and desires. Which is contrasted against so many other good, well-thought-out characters. - In some instances, the books went too far with the main characters barking up the wrong tree. A lot of time was spent on a misdirection and then when you discover it was a misdirection, you feel like you've wasted half a book reading about something that didn't matter. Positives: - Vin is a refreshing female lead character. She is unparalleled in skill, in physical prowess, despite being small of stature. Generally speaking, we don't end up in victim-like situations with Vin that couldn't just as easily have happened to a male in her place as protagonist. She doesn't hesitate to do what needs to be done, killing or otherwise. She doesn't pine all that much for Elend, and her estrangement from Elend doesn't cripple her in any way in book 1. - Not a lot of time is spent on romance in general. I like a good romance, sure, but this trilogy didn't need it, and I'm glad it was covered quickly (for what characters that had it) and without much fanfare. - Sazed was a breath of fresh air. Everything about his character was entertaining (except the Emo). - The magic system is refreshingly different. I like the notion of a clearly consumable resource that produces magical effects. It gives a different dynamic to the struggle of the powerful (magical) people in the setting compared to others. - I appreciate all the work that went into the setting, making it different than just "yet another medieval earth with elves" and the effort that went into tying the reasons for the setting being the way it is into the main storyline throughout the trilogy - Yomen in particular was an excellent antagonist in book 3. After a fashion, you could sympathize with him after so long of never expecting to be able to. - TenSoon's race and culture was nice and interesting, and I really enjoyed the chapters told from his perspective. - Marsh's final contribution in book 3 we knew was coming down the pipes for a long time, and it ended up being a very butterfly-effect sort of "last hurrah" for his character. The form it took was totally unexpected, but made total sense, and he would truly be the only character who could ever have known that this particular thing was what was needed to help push Vin back on the right track. - The finale in book 3 was great, and lived up to the personality of every single character involved in it -- Elend defended the people to the very end, Vin got to murderface someone who thought he was unkillable, and Sazed got to put his super nerd-itry to epic use.

I am a new fan of Brandon Sanderson; I never heard of him until I read book 12 from WOT, the Gathering Storm. After that book, I just had to go find out more about this author. I enjoyed his writing style in the Gathering Storm; it was very engaging. Then, I read Elantris, and really enjoyed it as well. After that book, I found out about Mistborn. I picked up this trilogy and I was hooked! It is hard for me, in retrospect, to believe how good this series was, especially considering how fast Sanderson writes (how many large books ~700pg can one man write in one year??). To me, this is one of my favorite fantasy series I've read. And I hadn't heard of him two months ago! This series has something for everyone: a well developed and very well thought out, and original, magic system; the characters are complex and have different personalities; the story line itself is epic and gives scope to everything hanging in the balance; there is romance, lots of action; it was honestly hard to do anything else in my spare time while I was reading this series... Some of the traps other fantasy authors tend to fall into -- dragging out climactic events over too many books -- did not plague this series. This trilogy was very well put together and the events were obviously preplanned. I have to give him credit because he did not shy away from not only killing off major characters, but he also had a powerful conclusion to each book. I kept waiting to be let down, but never was. This book series is quite tremendous. It should be a model for how to write a fantasy series.

While I've always read a variety of books, it has been a while since I indulged in SciFi/Fantasy. Seemed like all the fantasy books involved dragons, wizards, elves, animals, and strange worlds, and that just did not appeal to me. But, my son, who inherited my love of reading, thrived on such things. Like a good son, he suggested, repeatedly, that I read one of his favorites. I, giving in finally, in turn made him promise to read In Conquest Born , just to show him that I still could recognize good books and SciFi and that I was familiar with something other than historical romance. He promised he would...and I finally read Mistborn. Wow! There's plenty of reviews and descriptions here, so I'll just stick with a short explanations of why I thoroughly enjoyed the trilogy, why I ordered my own hard copies, and why I will be reading it again and again....and why you will be, too. *It is not magic. Or, it isn't like the traditional magic most people think of. The whole system of powers based on metals is brilliant,detailed, and it makes sense. And, there's three of them! No foolish wand waving here. *The characters are engaging, understandable, real, and well-developed. There's no brooding hero who saves the world, no mysterious savior. Instead, there's a group who, working together, accomplish what appears to be impossible. Each character is distinct and has their own voice. And, thankfully, no one is perfect. These characters have their flaws, doubts, and weak moments. But, they do their best and look beyond just themselves. Anyone, we find, can be a hero. *The story is exciting and amazing. It's not as simple as good vs evil. Sometimes, life is not just black and white...and sometimes it is. Not only is the plot exciting, full of twists and surprises, but it will make you think and wonder. *It doesn't read like fantasy. Obviously, it is fantasy, since you swallow a penny and your parents will worry and watch until said penny makes its way out. Nobody will say, "Burn that copper, kid!" The story is much more than simple fantasy. You get caught up in the people, the adventure, and the world they live in, and don't notice. This is plain, good story-telling. *You can "see" it. By this I mean that the descriptions are rich and so well written, you can 'see' what is going on as you read it. I get lost in few books, but with this trilogy, I was THERE, choking on the ash, in awe of the noble keeps, sick and weary of the fight. *There's romance! Ah, well, I must admit I am a sucker for romance, particularly that involving angst and difficult times. While there's not so much in the first book, be assured there is more to come. *There's values. I am not interested in political science, however I found it fascinating how the author brought it into the story. Being a good leader, whether political or military, is not about following rules and laws or being mighty in strength. Yet, sometimes that is exactly what is most important. At one point in the trilogy, a leader must decide whether or not to follow the letter and spirit of the law, even though it would mean his loss of power. His decision was, for me, one of the most powerful moments in the story. Honor does have a place in leadership and politics. Also, there's an ongoing discussion of religion. While philosophy of this sort might not appeal to some, it is an important part of the whole. However, those who do not find it interesting can just gloss over it without giving it any more thought. *There's humor. I rarely enjoy anything, no matter how well written, if it does not involve humor of some sort. Sanderson manages to bring in quite a bit, despite the bleakness of the story. *There's plenty of it. Each book is about 700 pages long. Even so, you'll want more. And, with so much detail in this well-plotted and thought out world, you can reread it again (and again) gaining more insight and discovering small things you missed the first time around. In this case, knowing how things work out makes rereading it enjoyable since you can look for clues and details. *There's more! Well, sort of. There is a sequel, The Alloy of Law: A Mistborn Novel , set several hundred years ahead. New characters, but there's at least a connection...and the promise of more to come. And, why buy the boxed set? Four reasons: 1. Saves you $$. This is the cheapest way to get the set. Who doesn't like saving money? 2. After reading vol 1, Mistborn, you will want to read the others, and will certainly not want to wait for them to be delivered. Here ya go- all three, ready to read! 3. Hard copies can be loaned or passed on to others. I'm not knocking ebooks- I have a Kindle HD and love it. 4. The cover art is lovely. OK, so maybe this is not really a good reason. But, I like the printed covers, and I am the type that pays attention to them and how they relate to the story. I highly recommend the Mistborn Trilogy, whether you buy the boxed set, Kindle editions, or buy each book individually. I'll be paying closer attention to my son's suggestions in the future, for sure. (And, he'd better read In Conquest Born!)

A excellent trilogy to start you on reading Brandon Sanderson.

Ho sempre voluto leggere Mistborn ma allo stesso tempo ne sono sempre stata intimidita. Non lasciatevi ingannare dalla lunghezza dei libri; lo stile di Sanderson é scorrevolissimo e, superato lo scoglio dei primi capitoli introduttivi, la storia si legge tutta d'un fiato! Credo che Vin sia diventata una delle mie protagoniste preferite, ed il sistema magico é originalissimo. Se siete alla ricerca di un buon fantasy moderno, non potrete sbagliare con Mistborn! E il cofanetto é davvero bello ed economico!

Book 1 - A world where ashes have fallen from the sky for 1000 years, the sun is a distant memory, and life is a relentless grind of slavery and drudgery. This is the world under the rule of The Lord Ruler, a tyrant who is believed to be immortal and a god who ruled over The Final Empire for 1000 years. In this oppressive society, people don’t dare to lift their heads, fight for their rights, or even dream of freedom. But everything changes when Kelsier, a legendary thief who survived an encounter with The Lord Ruler, decides to attempt the impossible: to ignite a rebellion and overthrow the Lord Ruler and end his rule over The Final Empire. Given the book's popularity and the compelling introduction to its world in the first few chapters, I had high hopes. I'm extremely pleased to say that the book lived up to its promise, delivering a thrilling and satisfying read. Divided into five parts, the author plunges readers into a vast, complicated, and gloomy world. The story gradually and seamlessly introduces Allomancy and the complex world, alongside the characters' ambitious and resilient spirits, their audacious plans and their execution, as well as the action, adventure, and political intrigue. The Final Empire is an engrossing and exceptional fantasy, featuring a richly complex world and a uniquely innovative magical system. Book 2 - Similar to The Final Empire, the plot and world-building are the shining stars of The Well of Ascension. Split into six parts, the story is packed with twists, political intrigue, assassination attempts, betrayal, backstabbing, the burdens of leadership, faith, identity, and profound character growth. The initial parts offer a concise summary of the first book and scattered essential information, crucial for understanding the series. These sections primarily focus on world-building, depicting the turbulent state of The Final Empire following the demise of the Lord Ruler, and the struggles faced by Luthadel and Kelsier's crew — struggles that can only be described as dire. While much of the magic system was was explained in the first book, I found delight in revisiting Breeze's soothing abilities, a Thug's raw strength, Vin's allomancy, and Sazed's Feruchemy. There is another metal introduced in this book - duralumin. It was interesting to see how it works and how Vin was experimenting it. Not just that but we get more details about the Deepness and another scribe they find about the author of Lord Ruler's Logbook mentioning what happened during The Well of Ascension that helps Vin and Sazed to find out about the change in the mist. Even though it slowed the pace a little and we don't exactly see the Well until the end it still added intrigue to the story. I also enjoyed finally getting answers about Deepness, how Lord Ruler got the power, and how the Allomancers came to existence. Now I'm more interested in the mist and there are apparently two kind - one evil, likely called Ruin, and another good, perhaps called Preservation- and I can't wait to know more about them in third book. Overall, The Well of Ascension is a thrilling sequel delivering a compelling narrative driven by weaving action-packed sequences, intriguing plot twists and turns, and remarkable character development. It was truly deeply satisfying experience. Book 3 - The Hero of Ages perfectly takes readers to the end of The Final Empire and literally. It started started a year after the end of The Well of Ascension, when Vin released Ruin, a destructive god-spirit determined to bring the world to its end. Told from multiple perspective of Vin, Sazed, Spook, Elend, Tensoon and Marsh, The Hero of Ages is is filled with twists and turns, complex characters, and deep world-building. There is extensive information about God Spirits- Ruin and Preservation, Hemalurgy, and the creation of inquisitors, Kandra, and Koloss. Amidst politics, bloodshed, and a race to defeat the god spirit, the characters have their own battles to fight. The Hero of Ages ties up many loose ends and answers many questions I had from previous books like – why the world is colorless, why there is ash and sun is red and why it happened when Lord ruler started ruling; what The Well of Ascension truly was; how Allomancers were created and where that power came from; how the inquisitors are made and so Koloss and Kandra; What was that spike in Zane’s body; and why Vin kept hearing Reen’s voice even though she came to terms with what he did to her. I still have questions about why Vin was chosen by preservation, why she still was powerful even though Elend had raw power, what happened to Marsh in the end and also those Koloss that were in the cavern. The ending was tragic and shocking, yet made sense and fulfilled the prophecy. As I mentioned in my reviews of previous books, it didn’t invoke the emotions. It should have been emotionally devastating but it left me feeling more shocked and surprised than deeply moved. Overall, The Hero of Ages is epic conclusion of Mistborn trilogy. It is truly mind-blowing, unputdownable fantasy filled with rich and complex world, and compelling characters.

Great writer, great story.

Los libros son geniales, desarrollo de mundo, sistema de magia, de personajes, de la misma historia. Físicamente los libros son compactos no lo más cómodo para leer pero se compensa por la historia