The Hero of Ages: Book Three of Mistborn

The Hero of Ages: Book Three of Mistborn
by Brandon Sanderson

The Hero of Ages: Book Three of Mistborn
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Book Summary Information

Author: Brandon Sanderson
Edition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-04-28
ISBN: 0765356147
Number of pages: 784
Publisher: Tor Fantasy
Product features:
  • ISBN13: 9780765356147
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

Book Reviews of The Hero of Ages: Book Three of Mistborn

Book Review: a generous four stars - BEWARE SPOILERS
Summary: 4 Stars

Let me start by saying that I thought book one was good, and book two was an incredible drag.

Book three of the Mistborn series was very good, but had a few major annoyances, which I will get to later. First off, I loved the ending. A good ending should give the reader the impression that the story was meant to get there from the very beginning, but it shouldn't be entirely predictable. There were elements that I did not see coming, and I liked how they turned out. I especially liked how Sazed's religious studies culminated in his final work - it was a nice resolution to his hideously drawn-out faith crisis. Vin's final confrontation with the inquisitors and then with Ruin himself was exciting, and Elend's final war with the koloss was a satisfying climax to the story. Sanderson brought together all his elements, explained his secrets, and brought the story to its conclusion with mystifying power (no pun intended).

I also liked the character of TenSoon and the immersion into the kandra culture. It was fascinating and well-told, though somewhat short-lived (but that's probably a good thing).

Despite these high points, the book did have some definite drawbacks for me:

The personal and ethical dilemma's were drawn out and made little sense. Sazed's religious crisis was so irritating, I wanted to put the book down every time he talked about it. In the first book, Sazed seemed like a wise old scholar, who saw past the institution and theology of a faith to the true heart of it, the nuggets of truth buried in each one. He seemed to understand what most people only understand AFTER a crisis of faith. But after losing the love of his life in book two, he reverts to a juvenile who just lost the faith he followed fervently in high school, having just found out, "Whoa! There's inconsistencies here! What the...?" Then he proceeds to drone on about it until the end of the book. Thankfully, his crisis turns out to have significance for the conclusion of the story as a whole, but it struck me as rather weak and incredibly bland.

Next on my list of frustrations, Elend Venture brings his legions of koloss armies to make war with the city of Fadrex, hoping to save all the people together. Believe me, I understand the moral dilemma of doing wrong to accomplish good things. It's a good ethical question: I believe I need to conquer this city in order to save my people and possibly the world. But the struggle is overstated (through repetition) and skewed. Elend decides to try diplomacy first, before attacking the city, hoping to convince its king that they can make an alliance, but when that fails, he feels he is forced to bring death and destruction on the people's citizens. My problem with this is that the idea of "political assassination" comes up only a couple of times, and Elend quickly dismisses it, with the statement that that's just "not what we do." REALLY??? You bring an army of monsters to a peaceful city and struggle with the ethical quandry of attacking, but with barely a thought you decide that assassination is going TOO FAR? I'm sorry but if someone thinks that a political assassination is too far beyond the line of decency, but STARTING A WAR that will kill THOUSANDS of people is borderline, they need to have their heads examined. Sending an army of monsters to kill innocent civilians is so far beyond political assassination in ethical standards, it is unthinkable that the one should be considered and the other thrown out the window. That, in my book, makes Elend Venture a complete moron who should not be leading a bake sale, let alone a kingdom.

Lastly, though there may be other problems, this is the other main one with which I had issues. I don't know how many people noticed this, and I know it is mostly a style thing, but it seems that Sanderson absolutely refuses to use the word "but." Perhaps, for some people that's nice. We don't have to have sentences riddled with five or six clauses at a time, but is it really worth struggling through thousands of uses of the word "HOWEVER?" It is not the fact that the auther merely uses the word, which is a valid word, in and of itself. However, this particular word is the kind of word that is meant to make someone... slow... down... and... pay... special attention. When you read this word it can be substituted for the normal use of the conjunction, "but"... However... it is usually meant for... EMPHASIS. It is not meant for a permanent, transient, replacement. Basically, all I'm saying is, he uses this word as often as another auther would usually make a new clause with "but," and it really, I mean REALLY, breaks up the flow of the the book. It's fine, once in a while, for Sazed to use it, because it is the kind of word a lecturer would use to stop someone in their tracks when their line of thought is about to go to the wrong place, but it really shouldn't be used by most of the other characters, as most people really don't use it all that much in everyday life, and it really shouldn't be used that much by the narrator. It might be a fun and useful exercise for a writer to try writng a short story without ever using the word "but," but with a published work, it should be edited to include the times when "but" is appropriate, which is most of the time.

Okay, I'm done ranting. Except for these three primary complaints, I really enjoyed this book. I would give it between a three and a four star rating, but I can't, so because the second book was such a drag and this one left me pleasantly surprised, I still offer it a generous four stars.

Summary of The Hero of Ages: Book Three of Mistborn

Who is the Hero of Ages?

To end the Final Empire and restore freedom, Vin killed the Lord Ruler. But as a result, the Deepness---the lethal form of the ubiquitous mists---is back, along with increasingly heavy ashfalls and ever more powerful earthquakes. Humanity appears to be doomed.

Having escaped death at the climax of The Well of Ascension only by becoming a Mistborn himself, Emperor Elend Venture hopes to find clues left behind by the Lord Ruler that will allow him to save the world. Vin is consumed with guilt at having been tricked into releasing the mystic force known as Ruin from the Well. Ruin wants to end the world, and its near omniscience and ability to warp reality make stopping it seem impossible. She can?t even discuss it with Elend lest Ruin learn their plans!

The conclusion of the Mistborn trilogy fulfills all the promise of the first two books. Revelations abound, connections rooted in early chapters of the series click into place, and surprises, as satisfying as they are stunning, blossom like fireworks to dazzle and delight. It all leads up to a finale unmatched for originality and audacity that will leave readers rubbing their eyes in wonder, as if awaking from an amazing dream.

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