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easterncalculus 's review for:
The Lost Metal
by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Mistborn Era 2 started very slowly, but started to pick up some speed as it progressed. The Lost Metal shot into the stratosphere and left everything else behind!!
I want to start by highlighting that I really didn’t like how the original Mistborn trilogy “scaled”; beginning with a magical, engaging, targeted story it gradually shed the interesting character dynamics and mysteries in favour of endless, galavanting and crusading from place to place - it was a slog to get through. I loved lots of individual moments, but the overall scope felt unfocused.
The Lost Metal managed to scale perfectly! The stakes are higher than ever - but not to the point of reducing the rest of the story to insignificance. The story showcases the best of its lovable cast. The pacing is excellent. And most significantly for me (but perhaps a caveat for some) the Cosmere cross-overs were perfectly placed to fascinate, shock and delight!!
Part of me wants to push back against all the cross-Cosmere content here. Say that B.S. needs reigned in, that he can’t expect readers to consume every book in his back catalogue just to appreciate his latest one, that it’s too self-indulgent… But after reading everything else, after slowly climbing that ladder and growing an appreciation for the universe he’s building, after grasping the threads at the foot of the grand tapestry woven between these stories, there is nothing quite like it. It’s incredible!!
I am only concerned that an independent reader - one who has not already combed through the entire Cosmere - will come out of this series confused and frustrated. It’s unfortunate, but a necessary aspect for the grand project the author is undertaking.
I want to start by highlighting that I really didn’t like how the original Mistborn trilogy “scaled”; beginning with a magical, engaging, targeted story it gradually shed the interesting character dynamics and mysteries in favour of endless, galavanting and crusading from place to place - it was a slog to get through. I loved lots of individual moments, but the overall scope felt unfocused.
The Lost Metal managed to scale perfectly! The stakes are higher than ever - but not to the point of reducing the rest of the story to insignificance. The story showcases the best of its lovable cast. The pacing is excellent. And most significantly for me (but perhaps a caveat for some) the Cosmere cross-overs were perfectly placed to fascinate, shock and delight!!
Part of me wants to push back against all the cross-Cosmere content here. Say that B.S. needs reigned in, that he can’t expect readers to consume every book in his back catalogue just to appreciate his latest one, that it’s too self-indulgent… But after reading everything else, after slowly climbing that ladder and growing an appreciation for the universe he’s building, after grasping the threads at the foot of the grand tapestry woven between these stories, there is nothing quite like it. It’s incredible!!
I am only concerned that an independent reader - one who has not already combed through the entire Cosmere - will come out of this series confused and frustrated. It’s unfortunate, but a necessary aspect for the grand project the author is undertaking.