Sanderson, Brandon
About the Author:
Brandon Sanderson was born in Nebraska, USA in 1975. He now lives in Utah with his wife and children, where he teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University.
AVERAGE REVIEW SCORE:
5 out of 5
(1 book)
The Final Empire
Mistborn Book 1. The immortal Lord Ruler has overseen the oppressive Final Empire for a thousand years, during which time the skaa caste has been subjected to cruel slavery and summary execution. However, as a young street thief named Vin discovers, there are those who oppose the Lord Ruler and his ruthless Inquisitors and who dream of overthrowing the mighty Final Empire.
I approached this book with a certain amount of trepidation due to the fact that Sanderson and this series in particular are so lauded among fans of modern fantasy. In a strange way it actually made this book a little intimidating. However, having loved what the author did in finishing off Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, I probably shouldn't have worried. (I still have no idea what the 'Cosmere' is though. Sorry, Sanderson fans).
What we have here is an epic fantasy story about overthrowing an evil empire but couched in the trappings of a heist story, with a mismatched group of thieves putting together the ultimate job. It works really well, with the protagonists relying on subtle leverage and deception to achieve ends far beyond what a full-frontal rebellion could. I'm always a fan of a well-constructed plot and Sanderson delivers that perfectly here.
We're also given some really compelling point-of-view characters in the distrustful Vin, just learning that she has access to the metal-based magic of Allomancy, and the brash and charismatic Kelsier, a fascinating mix of con-man and dreamer, who becomes Vin's teacher. I particularly liked the way that we, the readers, are kept guessing as to what Kelsier's ultimate plan is and even when we think we've figured it out Sanderson manages to surprise us.
Generally, totally worthy of the praise that gets heaped on it, this book is one of the best fantasy books I've read in years. Not least because it asks the question; what if the hero of prophecy were to fail?
5 out of 5
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