The Mistborn Trilogy | ||||||||
Brandon Sanderson | ||||||||
Tor, 646, 781 and 748 pages | ||||||||
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A review by Dominic Cilli
It's very difficult to write a capsule synopsis of three books especially when they are as detailed and
involved as The Mistborn Trilogy. There are plenty of places online you can go and read a recap
of each book, but I wouldn't recommend it. Sanderson's story unfolds very slowly and deliberately over the
course of three fat books, some twenty-one hundred pages, so it's nearly impossible not to include spoiler
after spoiler. We don't like spoilers here at SF Site and we like to keep these things short, so I will
attempt to give you a general outline and try to pique your interest enough to go out and buy this series.
The first book, Mistborn, introduces us to the Final Empire, a dark, seemingly
post-apocalyptic world that features raining ash and a mysterious mist that comes at night. The final empire
is governed by the oppressive and god-like Lord Ruler and has been around for a thousand years. Society is divided
into the nobility and the skaa or slaves.
There are several very intriguing protagonists throughout The Mistborn Trilogy, but the primary
character through all three novels is a seventeen-year-old half-skaa girl named Vin who
is a member of a small-time gang of street thieves. She is their lucky charm. Vin has no idea
that the ability to create that luck is something much more. She is a mistborn, making her capable of
ingesting and "burning" metals to produce magical effects, like increased strength or being able to exert
mental influence over another. Vin's ability is soon recognized for what it is and she is discovered by
Kelsier, a legend among the skaa and the most infamous crew leader in the final empire. Known as
the Survivor, he is the only person in the entire empire that managed to escape from the pits of the Lord
Ruler and he has vengeance on his mind. Kelsier, after discovering Vin and mentoring in her newfound
allomantic abilities, befriends and indoctrinates her into his gang whose latest scheme just happens to be
a plot to overthrow the empire!
The Mistborn Trilogy has a lot going for it. The world building is wonderfully done. The
setting might not be anything unique, but the books drip with atmosphere and Sanderson develops his characters
patiently amidst a universe that has a richly developed history. Sanderson has also created some very original
creatures. From his steel inquisitors with metallic spikes driven through their eyes to the koloss, brainless
hulking beasts, which never stop growing even though their skin does. Most significantly
however, The Mistborn Trilogy's world building features one of the most original magic systems
I have ever come across. It is deep and complex and serves as an integral part of the plotline. As Vin's
character develops, we simultaneously unravel the mysteries of Sanderson's brilliantly devised magic
system. It has very specific rules giving it a scientific quality that makes it all the more believable. I
found that some of the physics didn't always work, but it was a very minor flaw and easily forgivable
considering the depth to which it's developed.
The Mistborn Trilogy is also expertly plotted and paced. Each book asks and answers many
questions and each volume comes to a satisfying resolution, but more importantly each book gets grander
in scope as Vin's destiny is slowly revealed. Once readers have made it to The Hero of Ages and all has
been revealed with the fate of their entire world at stake, Sanderson
gives us a crescendo to remember like a great symphony composer. It is the
kind of ending that makes you want to go sit on the porch
with your favorite libation and watch the sunset, totally satisfied.
To put it bluntly, The Mistborn Trilogy is brilliant. It was an amazing unforgettable
experience for me. I would highly recommend this series to anyone who considers themselves a fan of the
genre. If The Mistborn Trilogy is any indication of the kind of creativity and writing
we can expect from Brandon Sanderson in the future, we are all in for a treat. It's obvious that he is
an author we are going to have to keep a close eye on. If you don't believe me, ask Robin Hobb.
When asked to write a third-person tag line for his reviews, Dominic Cilli farmed the work out to an actual 3rd person, his friend Neal, who in turn turned it over to a second person who then asked his third cousin to help out and this person whom Dom doesn't even know then wrote in 8th person Omniscient mode "Dom's breadth of knowledge in literature runs the gamut and is certainly not bounded by the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre. One thing I can say with certainty is that of all the people I don't know who've ever recommended books to read, Dom's recommendations are the best." |
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