The Final Empire
The Final Empire, by Brandon Sanderson, is the first book in the Mistborn series. In a fantastical land where ashes rain regularly from the sky, people are enslaved by a ruler. The world is ruled by Lord Ruler, a powerful godlike figure that no one dares to defy. Under him are his nobles, Inquisitors and obligators. Everyone else is a skaa, a slave forced to endure terrible conditions. Some are work in plantations were they are worked and beaten to death. Others band together in crime organizations, but are always at risk of being killed or betrayed. Any child of a skaa and a noble is immediately killed. Beaten and hopeless, the skaa had remained subservient to the Final Empire for many years. Now, one man is planning to do the one thing that everyone thought was impossible. He gathers a team of gifted individuals and thieves to overthrow the final Empire and kill its Lord Ruler.
While not the only narrator, Vin is the main protagonist. She lived an extremely hard life as a thief in a thieving crew. Her hard life is only eventuated by the many betrayals she’s endured and the lessons of survival that were beaten into her by her older brother. It is extremely hard for her to trust anyone. One day, Kelsier rescues her from her hard life and shows her the amazing power that she has inside. She is made a part of a crew that plans to overthrow the empire and is given a better life. Unlike her previous crew, this Kelsier’s is built on trust and cooperation. Even though everyone is kind to her, she struggles with her feelings of mistrust while being forced to rely on others around her. Eventually, she starts to learn the value of trust and friendship. The Final Empire is a great book. Brandon Sanderson masterfully creates a fantasy world that is deep and immersive. The amount of detail that went into making this well-crafted world is visible. The story draws you in and lets mystery and secrets haunt your mind. There is also a unique and interesting magic system that involves ingesting and manipulating metals. The basics of the magic system and its limitations are explained very well, yet there are some mysteries that can be explored in future installments. He creates several multidimensional characters, each with their own motives and beliefs. Each character is well developed in independent. Their banter often makes the book seem lighter and happier. The book is full of action and well written. Mistborn is a heist novel, meaning that there is a lot of careful planning and smaller missions leading up to something big. The pacing is magnificently done, balancing fast paced action with slower bonding and character development. The book never seemed to be boring. I give this 537 page book 5 stars. |
Mistborn SeriesFor hundreds of years, the Final Empire has been ruled by its godlike and uncreatively named, Lord Ruler. In this world there is a magic system that revolves around consuming and manipulating metals. People who can manipulate one metal are mistings, while people who can manipulate all the metals are mistborns. There is also a huge class divide in this world. The nobles are pompous while the skaa are treated like slaves.
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