Sunday, March 30, 2008

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson


Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn)


The Final Empire (Mistborn, Book 1)
by Brandon Sanderson


Mass Market Paperback: 672 pages
Publisher: Tor Fantasy
First Released: 2006


Source: Bought from Amazon

Back Cover Blurb:
The Mists rule the night.
The Lord Ruler owns the world.

For a thousand years, the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years, the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years, the Lord Ruler reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Every attempted revolt has failed miserably.

Yet somehow, hope survives. A new kind of uprising is being planned, one that depends on the cunning of a brilliant criminal mastermind and the courage of an unlikely heroine, a Skaa street urchin, who must learn to master Allomancy, the power of a Mistborn.

Review:
This is a "mystery fantasy" where the main characters perceive their world in a certain way, but the more they learn, the more they realize they haven't understood the truth about their world. The world-building in this book is excellent as is the pacing. Despite the thick spine, the prose is remarkably free of filler or repetition and every scene moves the story forward. The characters change realistically throughout the book. The romance in the story develops slowly. There is a kiss at the end, but no sex. I don't recall any modern curse words being used. Overall, I'd recommend this as "a good, clean fun" novel.

Excerpt: Chapter One
Ash fell from the sky.

Vin watched the downy flakes drift through the air. Leisurely. Careless. Free. The puffs of soot fell like black snowflakes, descending upon the dark city of Luthadel. They drifted in corners, blowing in the breeze and curling in tiny whirlwinds over the cobblestones. They seemed so uncaring. What would that be like?

Vin sat quietly in one of the crew’s watch-holes--a hidden alcove built into the bricks on the side of the safe house. From within it, a crewmember could watch the street for signs of danger. Vin wasn’t on duty; the watch-hole was simply one of the few places where she could find solitude.

And Vin liked solitude. When you’re alone, no one can betray you. Reen’s words. Her brother had taught her so many things, then had reinforced them by doing what he’d always promised he would--by betraying her himself. It’s the only way you’ll learn. Anyone will betray you, Vin. Anyone.

The ash continued to fall. Sometimes, Vin imagined she was like the ash, or the wind, or the mist itself. A thing without thought, capable of simply being, not thinking, caring, or hurting. Then she could be . . . free.

She heard shuffling a short distance away, then the trapdoor at the back of the small chamber snapped open.

"Vin!" Ulef said, sticking his head into the room. "There you are! Camon’s been searching for you for a half hour."

That’s kind of why I hid in the first place.

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