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A review by dingakaa
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
TLDR: I'm hooked.
Regarding this installment:
- This was widely recommended as the first book to read to get into Sanderson; it was for me. Without knowing anything about the rest of his work, I think this is a suitable starting point. The inception of the book's plot comes at the beginning of a few storylines, so you're oriented very quickly.
- As with any fantasy writing, there has to be some explaining of lore/mechanics/relationships for plot points to make sense. Bad authors use the omnipotent author to speak directly to the reader, or thinly veil a character's dialogue. Good authors integrate their explanations into the plot (e.g. Sazed explaining some feature of Terrisman religion to Vin that is immediately relevant to the final battle, but also crucial for the reader to understand Sanderson's wider world.) Sanderson is very good at doing this throughout the book so as to feel natural.
- I knew Sanderson was a plot-driven writer by how he wrapped up the Wheel of Time. However, this is on full display in Mistborn. Lovers of Tolkien and Jordan be warned. This isn't grandad's fantasy. The story MOVES. The upside is fast plot progression; the downside is fast plot progression. I wonder if this is why he has become the preeminent fantasy writer of our time...
Regarding the broader series:
- It is so refreshing to see, even in the first installment, a completely different magic then what I've been used to in Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, LOTR, and WOT. While all those stories have their differences, they rely on a typically-supernatural source of power that sorcerers and/or wizards can channel; the magic is often elemental; magic-wielders are rarely melee fighters; the source of magic is intangible. Mistborn changes the game in all those respects. It's so much fun.
- A point that's been made before, but it bears repeating here: Mistborn takes place in a world where the bad guy has already one. Another trop discarded!
- For how different the story is from WoT and LOTR, there are still striking similarities. The good guys are converging on the bad guys' stronghold to get A Thing; Rashek is the negative of Sam Gamgee; Inquisitors are Nazgul; the Hero of Ages is Rand al'Thor; The Deepness has flavours of The Blight, but how it compares remains to be seen. He even put a glossary at the end! Very WoT.
My one complaint
Sanderson has taken on the Herculean task of making the mechanics of his magic very tangible. In so doing, he has made it far easier to question its internal logic, and therefore, find flaws. There aren't many, and at this stage, they may be explained in a later book. But for now, I wonder about:
1. How the metal that absolutely FILLS an Inquisitor's body is not subject to Allomantic powers. The reader actually gets a ton of "education" on how all the metals work, and their limitations are explored in quite some detail as Vin trains. She asks a ton of questions, which is great for the reader. How can we not have explored why we can't simply fling Inquisitors away? We spend a ton of time dreading confronting them because of their power. How could this not have been a question Vin asked?
2. How the Lord Rule combined Allomancy and Ferruchemy to live forever? We get an explanation at the end of the book and I swear I read it ten times and still don't get it. Either I'm dumb, or Sanderson bit off a bit more than he could chew.
3. There are a few allusions to Mistings actually being better than Mistborn at their particular skill. This is on full display with Breeze and Marsh's training sessions with Vin. We should have got explanations as to how this was possible. Are Mistings as powerful as Mistborn, but are just confined to one metal? Or are they usually more powerful because they practice for a lifetime with one metal? This one feels like it will clarify itself in future books.
Regarding this installment:
- This was widely recommended as the first book to read to get into Sanderson; it was for me. Without knowing anything about the rest of his work, I think this is a suitable starting point. The inception of the book's plot comes at the beginning of a few storylines, so you're oriented very quickly.
- As with any fantasy writing, there has to be some explaining of lore/mechanics/relationships for plot points to make sense. Bad authors use the omnipotent author to speak directly to the reader, or thinly veil a character's dialogue. Good authors integrate their explanations into the plot (e.g. Sazed explaining some feature of Terrisman religion to Vin that is immediately relevant to the final battle, but also crucial for the reader to understand Sanderson's wider world.) Sanderson is very good at doing this throughout the book so as to feel natural.
- I knew Sanderson was a plot-driven writer by how he wrapped up the Wheel of Time. However, this is on full display in Mistborn. Lovers of Tolkien and Jordan be warned. This isn't grandad's fantasy. The story MOVES. The upside is fast plot progression; the downside is fast plot progression. I wonder if this is why he has become the preeminent fantasy writer of our time...
Regarding the broader series:
- It is so refreshing to see, even in the first installment, a completely different magic then what I've been used to in Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, LOTR, and WOT. While all those stories have their differences, they rely on a typically-supernatural source of power that sorcerers and/or wizards can channel; the magic is often elemental; magic-wielders are rarely melee fighters; the source of magic is intangible. Mistborn changes the game in all those respects. It's so much fun.
- A point that's been made before, but it bears repeating here: Mistborn takes place in a world where the bad guy has already one. Another trop discarded!
- For how different the story is from WoT and LOTR, there are still striking similarities. The good guys are converging on the bad guys' stronghold to get A Thing; Rashek is the negative of Sam Gamgee; Inquisitors are Nazgul; the Hero of Ages is Rand al'Thor; The Deepness has flavours of The Blight, but how it compares remains to be seen. He even put a glossary at the end! Very WoT.
My one complaint
Sanderson has taken on the Herculean task of making the mechanics of his magic very tangible. In so doing, he has made it far easier to question its internal logic, and therefore, find flaws. There aren't many, and at this stage, they may be explained in a later book. But for now, I wonder about:
1. How the metal that absolutely FILLS an Inquisitor's body is not subject to Allomantic powers. The reader actually gets a ton of "education" on how all the metals work, and their limitations are explored in quite some detail as Vin trains. She asks a ton of questions, which is great for the reader. How can we not have explored why we can't simply fling Inquisitors away? We spend a ton of time dreading confronting them because of their power. How could this not have been a question Vin asked?
2. How the Lord Rule combined Allomancy and Ferruchemy to live forever? We get an explanation at the end of the book and I swear I read it ten times and still don't get it. Either I'm dumb, or Sanderson bit off a bit more than he could chew.
3. There are a few allusions to Mistings actually being better than Mistborn at their particular skill. This is on full display with Breeze and Marsh's training sessions with Vin. We should have got explanations as to how this was possible. Are Mistings as powerful as Mistborn, but are just confined to one metal? Or are they usually more powerful because they practice for a lifetime with one metal? This one feels like it will clarify itself in future books.