Final Empire Author: Visit Amazon's Brandon Sanderson Page | Language: English | ISBN:
0575089911 | Format: PDF
Final Empire Description
- Paperback
- Publisher: Gollancz; paperback / softback edition (2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0575089911
- ISBN-13: 978-0575089914
- Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 7.8 inches
- Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
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.
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.
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