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A review by andreiflorea
The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was a breath of fresh air. I am quite an avid fantasy reader and have always been fascinated by self-consistent magical systems, but wow. Brandon goes out of his way to create this very detailed account of how the magical system would work. It is so hard it is almost tangible.
Also I have to say this magical system is certainly the first of its kind. I have never seen anything like it before. The use metal based aracane arts blew my mind. It feels like alchemy meets bending the elements.
Wit and character development drive the story. Brandon is not afraid to use his characters to full story arcs until they outlast their usefulness and then doing away with them. The writing is female centric, focusing on the main heroine, Vin.
As the book says, a retale of "what if the badguys won"? There is a darklord, it deals with a broken society divided in between nobles and slaves. My favourite topic is the persistance of hope despite the mountain of systemic despair. A must read.
Wit and character development drive the story. Brandon is not afraid to use his characters to full story arcs until they outlast their usefulness and then doing away with them. The writing is female centric, focusing on the main heroine, Vin.
As the book says, a retale of "what if the badguys won"? There is a darklord, it deals with a broken society divided in between nobles and slaves. My favourite topic is the persistance of hope despite the mountain of systemic despair. A must read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Slavery, and Violence