THE HERO OF AGES by Brandon Sanderson

Disclaimer: There are spoilers for the previous books in the series. If you have not read them yet, you might want to check out my book reviews of The Final Empire and The Well of Ascension instead.

The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3) by Brandon Sanderson • contains 724 pages • published October 14, 2008 by Orion Publishing Group • classified as Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, General Fiction • obtained through purchase • read as paperback • shelve on Goodreads

Synopsis:

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.

A New Favourite

With such a stellar conclusion to the first Mistborn trilogy, The Hero of Ages has firmly established itself as one of my favourite books. The trilogy consistently wowed me and I can’t stop emphasising the sheer brilliance of it. There is no other trilogy in which I rated all three books with 5 stars. That’s why I’m absolutely glad I picked it up despite my initial reservations. Thanks to these books, I have made it my quest to read Brandon Sanderson’s other works. He’s clearly a master plotter dedicated to his craft. There’s something to be said about the complexity of the worlds he’s capable of building.

Constant Surprises

The Hero of Ages was filled with tons of surprises. Some things I guessed but there still was a lot to be learnt in the details. Most of the time though, I sat there, appreciating the creativity with which Sanderson approached the Mistborn series.

Finding out more about the kandra particularly enthralled me. Not quite beast with their human instincts, I had been curious what lay beneath the exterior. In The Well of Ascension TenSoon hinted to Vin that there was much more to them than their Contracts that made them servants to humans. His return to his homeland and the grotesque discoveries had my eyes bulging half the time.

Metals were the basis of the natural order from the very first page of The Final Empire. In The Hero of Ages, the knowledge was advanced even deeper than before. That went beyond Allomancy and Feruchemy, which fascinated and horrified me too. The way metals could be controlled and the way they could influence was amazing.

Amazing Cast

I know a lot of you loved Kelsier in The Well of Ascension and wished he hadn’t died. Even though his legacy lived on, Vin and Elend took over. I got a little tired of their insecurities towards one another in the previous book. Thankfully, their whining subsided in The Hero of Ages as the need for survival became much more dire. In fact, despite the strong connection that they had, their romance hardly was a concern anymore. I much preferred it this way. Their world was so close to destruction, I cared more about how they would come to save it.

Personally, Sazed enamoured me throughout the trilogy. His search for the true religion continued, which gave rise a lot more discussions and theorising. I loved that intellectualism propelled the plot. I have such respect for authors who manage to entertain while engaging readers’ thoughts and putting their world views into question. In that aspect, he made excellent use of the Keeper of knowledge. Sazed’s trajectory especially satisfied my heart.

Spook also broke out in this book. I must say, I enjoyed how every character in Kelsier’s crew had their shining moments. Some came sooner, others later but every one of them mattered in some way. Spook, who had been such a quiet lad, came to be quite a force that surprised even his friends. It was fun to see him pull his stunts.

The Heartache

Throughout the book, my heart ached so much. The twists and turns wouldn’t stop. My mind got so twisted, I couldn’t tell up from down anymore. My heart ached for the casualties, the ones who died that others may survive. As sad as I was though, I also respected them for their sacrifices and loved them even more. They knew their wars were hopeless, yet they bravely faced the fronts.