Hello fellow readers! The final day of March has arrived and it is time for me to reflect on my books for the month. This month I “read” the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson, or at least the first six books. For those who haven’t read these books before, minor spoiler warnings ahead!
Book 1: The Final Empire
First off, I would like to say I found the “metal magic” of Mistborn very fascinating. To have powers based on the affinity a person has for a specific metal, and the unraveling of how it all came to be, probably intrigued me just as much as the primary storyline. Personally, I think I’d have an affinity for Copper or Zinc (Feruchemy) and Bendalloy (Allomancy). That aside, I found the evolution of the heist narrative into a full-blown revolution quick riveting. The evolution of Vin from destitute street urchin to unlikely savior was a bit trope-y but she makes a believable protagonist all the same. Kelsier is a compelling figure and charismatic leader who serves as the traditional mentor figure, and ultimate sacrifice to bring about change. The romance between Vin and Elend was actually something I could relate to, as Elend is very much like myself and Vin is very much like the type of person I seem naturally attracted to. In fact, I saw a lot of myself in Elend and Sazed, as they served as the rational voice in a crew of otherwise defeatist or rash individuals. The final confrontation with the Lord Ruler, Vin’s interaction with the mist, and the grand reveal of the nature of the current world was well dictated and set the stage for the rest of the trilogy perfectly.
Book 2: The Well of Ascension
After losing Kelsier yet overcoming the great power of the Lord Ruler, the chaos of re-establishing structure in a revolutionary world becomes the new setting. Lacking the assertive leadership of the Survivor, the remaining crew must navigate both political and economic struggles, while facing the impending danger of advancing rivals. Add in the mysterious voices, a rival Mistborn, and the dubious nature of beaucracy, Vin, Elend, and company have a lot on their hands. The struggle Vin has with her own place in this world, having so much power yet so much self-doubt it nearly cripples her at points becomes a center driving point to this ordeal. When she finally overcomes, not by being more than she is but instead going back to her true self, her understanding of the world the Lord Ruler created helps shape what comes next.
Book 3: The Hero of Ages
The culmination and climax of the Luthadel trilogy was not what I expected. While it answered a lot of questions about what the Lord Ruler had created a thousand years prior, it radically altered the way the main characters would be seen in the following books. Major spoiler alert: pretty much everyone dies. I was happy that Sazed finally found an answer to the burning questions in his mind, and yet being a created being himself never fully understood what he becomes. Vin and Elend strive so hard to save their dying world, and are rightly honored by those they saved. The further development of the understanding of various metals and their uses also intrigued me, as I mentioned this was perhaps the thing that drew me in the most at first. I hope Sanderson continues to flesh out this history of Scandria, as world-building is something I find very fascinating and have tried my own hand in a couple times.
Book 4: The Alloy of Law
After a three hundred year time jump, we are drawn back to Scandria through the eyes of a descendant of Breeze, one of Kelsier’s crew, by the name of Waxillium Ladrian. Born with the allomantic power of Steel and the feruchemic power of Iron, Wax left his place in nobility to pursue a life of justice in the Roughs. Cue Wild West bounty hunter vibes, as the technology in Scandria has reached very steam-punk levels. Guns, cars, trains, etc are becoming more commonplace yet Wax left the comforts of big city life to “become his own man” as a keeper of the law. Honestly I immediately compared the newly returned Wax to Batman, if Lex Luthor was his uncle/guardian. However, of this new cast of characters, it is not the main protagonist I relate to the most but the supporting characters. Wayne, a younger man saved by Wax, and Steris, Wax’s eventual wife, possess many characteristics I see within myself. Yet Wax’s struggle to quickly readjust to a new life as the lord of a great house, as well as fighting against an old rival returned created a multi-faceted story.
Book 5: The Shadows of Self
Having successfully saved the city’s economy from the scheme of a secret underground organization of power brokers, including Wax’s own uncle (previously thought deceased, as this is why Wax returned to Elendel). Now an honorary member of the city law enforcement, Wax must balance his desire to stop crime and unravel the secrets of the mysterious organization pulling strings with his responsibilities as a house lord. Introduce a crazy Kandra (creatures with shape-shifting abilities created through Hemalurgy by the Lord Ruler) killing the city’s elite (though most victims are thoroughly corrupt), another Kandra who knows way more than she lets on, and the voice of Harmony (Sazed post-transformation) and Wax has his hands full. I felt the real crux of this book was the growing relationships between all of the main characters, seeing each develop more into a stand-alone entity and not just a member of Wax’s crew. The final battle sees even more of Wax’s past revealed, as his life in the Roughs wasn’t as “free” as he once believed. By the end, the stage is being set for a showdown between Wax and his friends and his uncle and the evil Set.
Book 6: The Bands of Mourning
Of all the books in this second half, I devoured this one the quickest, mainly due to the massive explosion of world-building and history Sanderson pumps into it. Not only does Wax & Co learn there are many civilizations beyond the central dominance but that they have been eclipsed technologically by these peoples. Who, interestingly enough, were saved three hundred years prior by the Lord Ruler himself! Vin didn’t actually kill Rashek, not completely, and his primary source of power, know as The Bands of Mourning, are sought after by many who would use their potential to pursue their own selfish agendas. This leads to a confrontation between Wax and the forces of the Set who hold Wax’s sister hostage, and ends up finding them flying over the land in an airship with a foreign pilot towards the frozen north. Wax dies trying to stop his uncle and sister, who was the leader of Set all along, and meets Harmony in person before being revived by Marasi using the Bands of Mourning. Wax & Co, with the help of captured foreigners, turn on the forces of the Set and deal a decisive blow. Wayne overcomes his fear of guns and shoots Wax’s sister in the face (she survives using Gold feruchemy) and a favorable trade deal is struck between the foreigners and Elendel. Wax and Steris get hitched, as he has genuinely grow to love her highly logical mind and over-planner tendencies. But this saga is not yet over, as Sanderson has one more book coming to wrap up the struggle between Wax and the Set.
To all those who recommended I read this series, my thanks! I have put off delving into Sanderson’s work for long enough and will definitely read more of them in the future. I look forward to seeing how the Scandria saga is concluded. Stay tuned for next month, as I will be “reading” selections from the great body of work created by Agatha Christie. Here’s to more reading in 2020 (and surviving COVID-19)!
S.D.G.
Stuck in Translation 