Customer Reviews

The Final Empire: Mistborn Book One

5 star:		(265)
4 star:		(79)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I picked up Mistborn on a lark- based in large point by the written praise of Robin Hobb (an author whose work I greatly enjoy. I have not yet read Elantris, the author's first work. So, with an open mind, I picked up Mistborn...

And was greatly impressed! I consider myself a fan of Jordan, Hobb, Martin, Erickson, Williams and have recently enjoyed the works of R. Scott Bakker. I can now add Brandon Sanderson to the list.

The product description, and some of the other reviews, give pretty accurate assessments of the story and plotline.

So, with that in mind, it's worth highlighting a few of the strengths and weaknesses of his story- with an eye toward hoping the weaknesses are resolved come book 2...

Strengths:

* Nice world-building

* Good story arch/plotline

* Original "magic" system

Weakness:

* Prose/dialogue/elocution: Several passages of inter-character discussions were ... just.. too explanatory. I (personally) try to gauge when reading items whether people in an actual conversation would speak the way an author portrays. And, unfortunately, especially after "major" plot points, I felt some of the conversations between characters were just... too long- near soliloquy's vs. being dialogue. Again, this is a style point and a personal tick of mine.

* "Generic" characterizations: Much has been made of Vin's ability to swiftly learn allomancy; however, both she and Kelsier were the most fully-drawn characters. Other characters- Marsh, Breeze, etc- were more shallowly drawn. Again, I'm not talking about the need for Jordanian descriptions, but, within the context of a 3rd person-limited perspective, I'd like to gain a bit more insight into how the current person (aka Vin) feels/knows/sees of these other important secondary characters.

So, take that as you will, but, no matter what: buy and enjoy the book. For an author's second work, it's fantastic. I look forward to reading Elantris, and, also, book 2 of this series.

I really wish that amazon would introduce a more intricate rating system than five stars, as this would get about 4.5 stars from me. After many failed attempts at starting up various fantasy series, Brandon Sanderson has delivered something refreshing and vastly entertaining. This is very nearly a five star novel, though there are a few simple discrepencies that keep Mistborn from being legendary.

Pros:
- I was immideately pulled in by the bizarre world environment here. The idea of a land completely covered in ash at all times is strange and interesting.
- The "magic" system, if it can be called that, is unique and a breath of fresh air. For me, a lot of fantasy is ruined by overuse of magic and lack of explanation about how magic works. His use of metals and Allomancy is genius and it's apparent that Sanderson invested a lot of time into this system. It's fun and believable.
- Sanderson displays great world-building talents in Mistborn. Not only to we have a strange backdrop in the environment, but good history to fill it with. The mists and the Mistwraiths are weird and different.
- There is no lack of action here. While I might have liked a little more description on the larger battle scenes, the Allomancy battles were just plain fun to read. With the characters using their abilities to push themselves through the air and hurl large metal objects, it was almost as if they were battling superheroes, and strangely enough this really works. He paid great attention to the rules and science of the Allomancy he created and applied them to these battle scenes well.

Cons:
- As others have noticed, characterization could use a little work. While Vin, Kelsier, Elend and Sazed were descriptive characters, a lot of the others on the crew (Dockson, Clubs, Breeze, Yeden) felt a little too cookie cutter and I found it hard to remember exactly what those characters did and what their individual roles were.
- Some of the dialogue is a little too typical as with many other fantasy books. This is one aspect that I rarely find to my liking in fantasy -as few authors seem to do it very well- and it isn't so bad here, but a lot of the conversations seemed a little unbelieveable. There were a lot sappy moments between the characters, some of which I find hard to swallow. (Perhaps I've become spoiled by Martin and Hobb, where distrust and hate between a lot of the characters make dialogue and character drama more believable.)

The flaws with Mistborn were hardly enough to keep me from thourougly enjoying it. Every great fantasy author has their strengths, and Sanderson's are apparent. This book is unique with a lot of great ideas. The only thing that's very typical is the tyrannical Lord Ruler and his thousand-year reign, but the author handles it very well and shows that cliche isn't always a bad thing. And the conclusion to Mistorn was fantastic. All of the plot threads were handled well and in clever ways, the action and final confrontations were great.

I will look forward to reading whatever else Sanderson has to offer. Read it, enjoy it and tell others. Good fantasy in a sea of mediocre deserves praise.

Mistborn: The Final Empire is a fast-paced adventure with some fun characters, combining political intrigue with magical battles. The characters are interesting and the plot takes some unexpected turns.

The magic system is, perhaps, the element (pun intended, as you'll soon understand) that stands out most in the novel. Too often, the magic used in fantasy novels tends to either follow some rather stereotypical rules (casting verbal [often rhyming or using an ancient language] spells, potions, etc.) or to lack much in the way of discernable rules at all.

In the world of Mistborn, the magic system is based on swallowing certain metals that are then "burned" to provide the particular power granted by that metal. It means that in the strictest sense, the number of things that can be done with magic is limited by the less than a dozen known allomantic metals. (For example, pushing metal away is one power, and pulling metal toward you is another.) But by ingenious use of the various metals, Mistborn allomancers can do a lot of different things.

This is the first book of a trilogy, but fortunately it works well as a standalone novel as well. I've come to dislike being left hanging off a cliff at the end of a book.

I picked up Brandon's books in an attempt to learn about his writing, as I'd heard he would be finishing the Wheel of Time series. I was nervous, and went into it with my standards set high.

I came out of it extremely pleased and no longer worried about what would happen to Wheel of Time at all. There were several things I liked about this book and the series in general.

Pros:
-The magic system is amazing. Seriously amazing. It's new, which is always nice in the fantasy market, where everything tends to get reused.
-The characters are very believable. They act as fits their personality, and don't do anything that someone with their character traits wouldn't do just because it's convenient.
-The world is described in great detail, which allows you to immerse yourself and really imagine the story taking place.
-Though it is the first in a trilogy, it gives enough resolution to be very satisfying and leaves the reader wanting more.

Cons: There are some characters who do not get as much screen time as I would like.These characters are developed further in the second book in the series.
-It took me a few chapters to get really involved, though I was interested right from the start.

Overall, one of my favorites, and definitely a keeper. I'd recommend it to anyone, but especially to fans of Robert Jordan, George R R Martin, Robin Hobb, and Terry Pratchett.

Okay I do not normally buy into this is a GREAT read you should buy kind of stuff from publishers and critics; but unfortunately I could not find one single review for this book. I would much rather trust my fellow readers than someone who gets paid to read (that is the sound of me being jealous of those who do get paid to read by the way) and I even broke one my own major rules.

I bought Mistborn and Elantris new, never having picked up the author before and I started reading and reading and reading and reading. I loved this book; I hated putting the thing down to do such mundane things as eat and sleep and not walk into walls. Sanderson has brought characters to life, true life not just the oh what a nice description of someone doing something kind of thing... He has me folks, I'm purchasing The Well of Ascension on my next paycheck, I hate the fact that I've devoured this man's work in such a short amount of time, but Mr. Sanderson's work can be revisited and more nuances found in the slower reading than in the quick estatic jump that I made of my first reading.

Kelsier is a wonderful character, the group of criminals (in the law's eyes anyway) that he surrounds himself with are just as vibrant and intriguing as he is. Life under the Lord Ruler is harsh, possibly short and always dangerous for those who decide to live rather than simply exist; but these men and women do it and do it with style. The type of magic that Mr. Sanderson has come up with is believable and it works, your brain just nods along and agrees with the things that the characters can do.

Vin and Elend will have their stories fleshed out in the Well of Ascension and I can not wait to jump into that pool, but this was a great introduction for me to a great story teller. Again guys, I'm not trying to spoil the book for you I'm trying to get you itching enough to go and buy it. Trust me you will not regret it and you will be helping a wonderful storyteller get his story's out.

For a thousand years, the Final Empire has been ruled by an immortal tyrant, but amidst the cities plagued by ashfalls, and a society torn by brutal class divisions, Kelsier, a charismatic underground leader, has devised the ultimate con game--a plan to overthrow the Lord Ruler himself.

The novel's lackluster premise is chock-full of genre stereotypes--the Hero, the Dark Lord on his Dark Throne, the oppressive empire. Eliza of the Pygmalion manifests yet again, as a young street girl puts on a gown and infiltrates the nobility--who have nothing better to do that backstab each other during endless balls. The Good Guys are immediately recognizable from the villains, and grey characters are an extreme rarity.

But as the story begins in earnest, the second half makes the book worth reading; once I read past the first 100 pages, I was reluctant to put MISTBORN down--I didn't, in fact, until I had finished the book. The author develops a magic system that is actually original and interesting, the characters' personalities deepen, and the plot takes unprecedented turns. Kelsier is no Locke Lamora[The Lies of Locke Lamora], but his bid for a military coup is far better thought out than he originally lets on. The ending is well done, with several clever plot twists, and I actually liked how the story behind the Lord Ruler played out.

All in all, MISTBORN is by no means a _great_ book, but it is definitely an _entertaining_ one, and I look forward to reading more novels by Brandon Sanderson in the future.

My dear Mr. Sanderson, but you do continue to amaze! I was one of the foremost to come out and say the hype of "Elantris" was a bit much and lets not call you the next Tolkien yet (or ever hopefully, the poor man needs his rest what with being reincarnated every time a good fantasy novel comes out) but you do continue to impressed. Nothing more so than the fact that you improved with your second novel (a surprisingly hard feat) and any doubts about your ability were washed away in the face of this wonderful work.

"Mistborn: Final Empire" does away with every problem I had with "Elantris". Your theme was just as plentiful without being obvious, instead using the characters and the plot to get the point across. Your characters are far from "perfect" this time, failing, succeeding, thinking the wrong thing, being fooled, and all of the POVs are equally interesting without a weak point among them, leaving that horrible "let me look and see how many pages till I get back to that person" feeling from appearing.

And to this novel itself, what a great story with a truly original magic system that really added to the world and made the Final Empire seem like a living breathing place, with its own rules to be broken and remade.

Usually I'd ramble for another four hundred words or so, but I don't feel the need, the other reviews have talked specifics, I just wanted to add my small voice to theirs. Best of luck on the next volume, Mr. Sanderson.

Final Thought: Buy it. Especially if it happens to be in paperback by the time you've read this. Martin, Jordan, and Goodkind (sadly) might hold the heights of fantasy at the moment but five years from now Brandon Sanderson is going to be one of the guys everyone is talking about.

It's always hard reading the follow up to an amazingly good book--particularly when it's the author's debut. Mistborn is a completely different book from Elantris, but Sanderson continues to demonstrate that he is one of the finest world builders writing today. While Elantris was more introspective and subtle, Mistborn is more of a traditional adventure story. If Elantris was Blade Runner, Mistborn is Raiders of the Lost Ark.

To be honest, about 60% of the way in I started to wonder if some further editing should have been done. But the beauty of this book is it really does keep you guessing throughout--where is the story going? How will it end? Most book flaps toss out these teasers without meaning, but Mistborn is the first book I've read in a while that steps up to the plate.

It's not perfect--I would have liked Sanderson to spend more time describing the world, and many of the concepts are repeated unnecessarily--but it's just so much better than most of what's out there that these are minor complaints.

There are very few authors whose next works I eagerly await (Neal Gaiman being one of them), and Sanderson is definitely in that group. There's a lot to this world, and I look forward to the other two planned books.

Mistborn: The Final Empire is a 2006 fantasy novel by Brandon Sanderson. It is part of the Mistborn trilogy, but is a complete story on its own (although not everything is wrapped tidily at the end) and can be read as such. In the Mistborn world, an immortal tyrant has ruled the empire for a thousand years. Now, a group of thieves and magic users undertake a plot to overthrow him.

Mistborn's magic system is refreshingly novel. Most magic users have access to one of eight special abilities, which they activate by ingesting trace amounts of the appropriate metal. The more powerful Mistborn have access to all eight metal-based abilities, plus more, making them in essence a poor man's hybrid of Professor Charles Xavier and Magneto. Mistborn's main character is Vin, a sixteen year old petty thief who has just discovered that she is a Mistborn, and who has joined this conspiracy to overthrow the empire.

Most of Sanderson's supporting cast has been drawn from the bin of generic, flat, cookie-cutter fantasy characters. His treatment of Vin, though, makes us wonder what he was thinking. Particularly early on, both Sanderson as the narrator and his characters point out repeatedly that she is timid and has low self-confidence. But Sanderson doesn't write her that way - Vin is headstrong, stubborn, nosy, fussy and sarcastic. This is not the only time that what the characters do and what the narrator says about them do not agree. Either way, Vin isn't a particularly interesting or likeable character.

Sanderson's writing keeps him from getting the most out of his story, which is a shame because the magic is interesting and the plot is perfectly good. The story develops slowly. Sanderson spends the first 150 pages of the novel belaboring the magic system and having his characters speak in stiff, expository history-lesson paragraphs, almost as though he were writing this so it could be followed by small children. At 530 pages, Mistborn is at least 100 pages too long, and it's often tough to get through.

Mistborn does get it together over the last 100 pages and has a genuinely solid and reasonably satisfactory climax. There are flashes of brilliance here, but it may be too little, too late to persuade readers to read the sequels.

In On Writing, Stephen King said, "The adverb is not your friend." But the adverb is Sanderson's very good friend indeed. He flings them liberally, distractingly, throughout the novel, and not only are there too many, he often makes some jarringly curious choices. And Sanderson's dialogue throughout the novel is wooden and clunky - bad to a degree one typically finds only in world-building genre fiction like this.

Sanderson has done a good job constructing his world and his magic system, but he's done a terrible job actually telling the story, making Mistborn: The Final Empire a frustrating and disappointing work.

Mistborn is part Epic Fantasy and part Superhero Origin Story. Taking place in a unique world, Mistborn delivers action, adventure, and drama.

Plot:
An omnipotent lord rules the land with brutality and terror. Armed soldiers take joy in beating a helpless population into submission. Magic wielding Inquisitors strike fear into their hearts through torture and death. Wealthy aristocratic houses attempt to outmaneuver each other politically and economically. The Skaa, a once proud race, have been conquered, enslaved, and worked to death in slums, plantations, and mines. But hope lies in the mists as rebels plan a revolution.

World:
Brandon Sanderson does an excellent job creating and building an exciting new Fantasy World complete with its own magic system based on consuming metals. In the day, ash falls from blood red skies. At night, the land is engulfed in darkness and mist. Mistwraiths haunt the lands at night, and the Inquisitors roam the city streets in the day. Those who are Mistborne use a magic system called Allomancy and consuming types of metal gives them powers. Pewter enhances physical abilities, Tin enhances perception, Steel pushes metals with tremendous force... Imagine a coin going right through someone's head. This book is worth reading based on the unique universe and magic system alone. The book also features a useful glossary at the end that explains the types of mages and magic.

Characters:
The main character is a street urchin named Vin. She's likeable, clever, and tough. For the most part, the characters are well written. There are some that could use more screen time and the dialogue could have been a bit better at times. But overall, they're good.

Action:
This book contains some very unique action scenes that may be described as a cross between The Matrix and The X-Men set in a fantasy universe. There are some fairly long breaks in the action, but when there is action, it's great.

Balls:
This book has Balls; the expensive, fancy dress, snooty, dancing kind. This is where the political aristocratic house warfare takes place. These chapters could be annoying for angsty fantasy fans that want pure action. These scenes slow the pacing of the book just a bit. But if you're mature enough to enjoy a glass of wine, you'll like these scenes. To the angsty action fans (like me), they're not so bad and trust me; you'll really want to get to the end of this book!

Overall:
This is a refreshingly original fantasy adventure with action, subterfuge, and magic. I'd give it a 4.5 outta 5!

If you like fantasy books that have world building, originality, action, and BALLS pick this one up! You'll enjoy it!

If you want traditional fantasy with elves, dragons, castles, knights on a quest, or you aren't a fan of balls, then you can avoid this one.
(But you'd still probably enjoy it, if you gave it a shot.)