Posts in category 'books'

  • Review: The Hero of Ages

    Review of The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3.0) by Brandon Sanderson (9780765316899)★★★★

    This book convinced me that Mr. Sanderson is basically the opposite of Stephen King or Neal Stephenson: the middle bits of his books can be a bit slow, but when the man writes an ending, holy heck he writes an ending!

    (https://b-ark.ca/qIQKSS)
    Cover for The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

    Who is the Hero of Ages?

    To end the Final Empire and restore freedom, Vin killed the Lord Ruler. But as a result, the Deepness--the lethal form of the ubiquitous mists--is back, along with increasingly heavy ashfalls and ever more powerful earthquakes. Humanity appears to be doomed.

    Having escaped death at the climax of The Well of Ascension only by becoming a Mistborn himself, Emperor Elend Venture hopes to find clues left behind by the Lord Ruler that will allow him to save the world. Vin is consumed with guilt at having been tricked into releasing the mystic force known as Ruin from the Well. Ruin wants to end the world, and its near omniscience and ability to warp reality make stopping it seem impossible. She can't even discuss it with Elend lest Ruin learn their plans!

    The third book in the first Mistborn trilogy is such a dilemma for me. On the one hand by god it was slow. While Mr. Sanderson tried to create a narrative drive via Spook’s journey and so forth, the siege of Fadrex felt like it went on far far too long.

    On the flipside, the reveals in this book–the nature of hemalurgy, the backdrop of Ruin and Preservation, the history of the Kandra–were absolutely riveting! And man, that ending.

    But does it all make up for the plodding middle? I’m not sure. As far as individual volumes go, I think this one is the most flawed. But as a series, I remember why I loved it so much!

    Continue reading...