Book Review | Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

beeofjuly (45)in Steem Book Club • 11 months ago

A new book has joined my list of favourites again!

Ash fell from the sky.

A thousand years ago, the Hero of Ages supposedly conquered the Deepness and saved the world from utter destruction. Since then, the skaa (the common folk) have been living a life of slavery and misery, devoid of any hope, under the oppressive rule of the Lord Ruler and his nobility.

However, even in a world of a red sun and and leaves in tones of brown, there are people who dare to hope. And Kelsier, the survivor of the pits of Hathsin and the leader of a thieving crew that has recently been hired by the skaa rebellion, is the embodiment of hope. He has in mind not just the greatest heist in history but the overthrowing of the divine tyrant.

Of course, he's crazy. The Lord Ruler is the Sliver of Infinity. He's all-powerful and invincible. Anyone who even thinks of opposing the Lord Ruler must have gone mad. And Vin, a ragged half-skaa thief recently rescued by Kelsier who has learnt to expect cruelty and betrayal from everyone, understands it better than anyone. The only reason she's staying is to learn more about her 'Luck', the strange powers she and Kelsier appear to share, - and to see just how long can a crew of members who trust each other and, even worse, have the audacity to defy the Lord Ruler, stand.

I discovered the Mistborn series through sample chapters offered for free on Google Books, the platform I use for reading ebooks on my phone (one can also buy books there). I had no idea what this book even was about, but it appeared interesting, apparently, a fantasy dystopia. However, since the default size of letters in this book was tiny (I didn't know how to make them larger at that time yet) and chapters seemed long to me, I couldn't concentrate on it. Besides, if I remember correctly, I was already reading something else at that time, so I abandoned this weird book.

However, I didn't forget about it. It was on my reading list, and, after I had read Insurgent, The Cruel Prince, Glass Sword and King's Cage and had started reading an autobiography of Michelle Obama, I decided I also needed a digital book that I could carry with me all the time. Since I'd already started Mistborn, I chose to read this one.

So first, here's a bit about the book.

As I discovered after I'd finished it, the Mistborn series is a part of a larger fictional universe called the Cosmere. According to the author, it doesn't matter which series you start with. The Final Empire is the first book in this trilogy.

The first thing that caught my eye was the super cute dedication:

FOR BETH SANDERSON,
Who’s been reading fantasy
For longer than I’ve been alive,
And fully deserves
To have a grandson as loony as she is.

As I soon discovered, the chapters actually weren't as long as I'd thought. And the skillful writing made flying and fights and battles were extremely exciting to read; I felt as if I were experiencing it all from the inside of a character's mind, only with an ability to slow down time to perceive what was happening. And, I must say, the fights were epic. A bit of warning, though, there's a little gore in the book as well but it is necessary for the plot.

Furthermore, one cannot read the book and not appreciate the rich worldbuilding. The story is set in an extremely well-developed imaginary world, and the writing truly makes it come to life. Not only are the physical aspects, such as the aesthetics - grey sky and a red sun, ashfalls and walls covered with soot, and brown, flowerless vegetation -, compelling, but also the social and cultural aspects of the world. The world contains diverse cultures and social groups, each with their own conditions and customs, as well as zillions of different sets of beliefs. Each person has their own understanding of reality, just as people in real life do.

"The right belief is like a good cloak, I think. If it fits you well, it keeps you warm and safe. The wrong fit however, can suffocate."

Sazed

And then there's the magic system, and I have never ever seen a more original one.

So far, I've encountered two kinds of abilities - allomancy and feruchemy.
Basically, allomancy works like this: you eat metal, 'burn' it in your insides, and you get access to a specific superpower for as long as you burn it. For example, if a Tineye or a Mistborn burns tin, his or her senses are heightened, but by burning pewter, one gets superhuman strength. Just as I'm writing this, I'm on my way home by bus, looking through the window, searching for metal I could push and pull at if I were a Mistborn and imagining Ironpulling and Steelpushing myself over the city. This thought fills me with wistfulness as I realize that I'll never be able to try that. Except... I could do it in a lucid dream. There are way too many electricity cables and wires here, though, and they scare me.
The other kind of magic is feruchemy, the ability to store certain attributes, like strength, knowledge and even youth, inside metal for later use.

Not only is the magic system absolutely amazing, it is also well-incorporated into the story. It has clear rules and limitations, which creates tension and makes astounding battles possible. None of the magic systems I've encountered has been so intriguing.

The plot of The Final Empire is full of twists and turns. The author somehow manages to hide the truth under your nose. The final plot twist made my jaw hang open. Well, to be honest, while reading this book, I quite often looked like this: 😲😱🙊.

There's always another secret.

Kelsier

Nevertheless, however interesting the plot may be, what makes a book memorable and dear to the reader's heart is the characters. And I fell in love with them. The book contains strong male and female characters who are so Merlin's beard cute. Each one has their own quirky personality, and their banter made me laugh.

An important aspect of this book I love is that although the story contains romance, it is not central to the plot, and the main characters (whose points of view we're offered), Vin and Kelsier, have a father-daughter relationship.

Wait! If you're looking for romance, Vin has the cutest love interest in the world. I mean, a noble boy with a polite but witty attitude who reads in-depth philosophy books about social phenomenons at parties and dreams of creating a perfect world? Was he not Vin's, I would go for him without a moment's hesitation.

Yep, you guessed right. I officially have a new fictional crush. Actually, I had a crush on Lord Elend Venture from the very first sight. I mean, just look at him!

The sudden voice made Vin jump, and she spun. A young man stood behind her. His suit wasn’t the finest she had seen, nor was his vest as bright as most. Both coat and shirt seemed to fit too loosely, and his hair was just a bit disheveled. He carried a cup of wine, and the outer pocket of his suit coat bulged with the shape of a book that was just a bit too big for its confines.

Even though Victoria Aveyard (author of Red Queen) has given me trust issues that caused me to be cautious towards Elend, that boy still made me swoon. He was like a drug to me; his presence simply made me feel ecstatic. It felt like… sunshine inside my chest. Plus the romance is not based on lust, and I love that.

Well, I must admit that books make me weird. I mean, a fictional boy gives a fictional girl a handkerchief, and I have to struggle against a strong urge to smile like an idiot for the whole of the first period at school.

After I had read The Final Empire, I found out that the author has also published deleted scenes and his own annotations for this book online! This means that there is more to this universe, and I won't have to leave it - and the characters - so soon.

I would recommend Mistborn: The Final empire to all fantasy lovers. Besides being extremely captivating, as well as the most unique fantasy novel I've ever read so far, The Final Empire makes one think about the importance of beliefs and the nature of love, trust and relationships.

For more book-related content of this kind, visit my blog, CarpeLibrorum, at https://carpelibrorum.blogspot.com.

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