The Hero of Ages: Book Three of Mistborn

The first couple of chapters of book one were a little bit hard to get into as the "magic of the Mistborn World" was being incorporated into the story line, but the books just got better and better and I did not see the ending to this story coming as I have in so many other books, yet it was satisfying and logical.

This is a series for the ages.

Not since The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan in 1993 have I read any book with such ferocious speed fueled by immense intrigue and excitement; the plot, magic system, and the pure art of making the puzzles click into place in your mind as you turn page by page at 3AM... I can absolutely now say that A Memory of Light is in good hands.

After four nights of little sleep, I finally put this down with tears of ultimate contentment and a hint of sadness. If I can, I would force Sanderson to write 12 books of Mistborn. The story is that good. If only he had a flare for Jordan's world description and character building, I can imagine at least 6 books that fleshes out lovely Vin, Elend, Ham, Breeze, and co to great complexity, thus making the ending so much more enjoyable. Regardless, as each puzzle clicked into place, aided by the excellent narrative of one of the my favorite characters to start each chapter, and as the world stormed furiously towards its end, I felt that I came to love the characters and what they represent.

I fully disagree with another review: I love prolonged, detailed endings that leaves little doubt in your mind. Hero of Ages fulfills this happily, for the most part, but not enough! All good things come to an end. Hero's ending was shocking, yet at the same time exceedingly fulfilling as it ties up all loose ends, major and minor plots, and explains most questions up to this point.

As with finishing any other great work, I now sit here, content yet feeling empty because the series is complete. To use a line from the book...

How have I ever lived without Mistborn?

*Edit 10/22/08*
Brandon Sanderson IS writing more of Mistborn!!! His blog at [...] and also his posts on his favorite forum confirms this--at least one more trilogy of Mistborn, set possibly within 200 years from the end of Hero of Ages! Also, he mentioned that a trilogy set in the distant future is also possible.

For those of you that haven't heard the word, Sanderson is currently in the midst of a US book tour, so visit his website and go support this amazingly talented, young author at your local bookstore; I know I will. Some of you might wonder about 2 metals...check his blog. =)

Finally, I feel that RJ can rest comfortably with AMOL in such good hands. Now I want to see more world building, Brandon!

Well written. Good story. Burned through the entire series in about three weeks. I'd recommend this book to others. It isn't Robert Jordan epic or detail oriented which may be a plus to many readers.

I've never written a review for a book before. Usually I don't care enough either way. This time I feel strongly enough to write one. I started off the Mistborn series feeling impressed by Sanderson's attention to detail and the complexity and originality of the magic system that he implemented. I mean sure, the characters were a little flat and the dialogue was a little inane, but hey, it was better than most of the things being published lately. I finished the first book in one sitting and rushed to purchase the second. About 1/4 of the way through the second book (Well of Ascension) I began to feel as if I had been cheated. The book was LONG, more importantly, it was UNNECESSARILY LONG. There was entirely too much introspection, too much repetition and almost no action. With all that introspection, the characters should have felt more developed, more real. They didn't. I found myself wanting to slap both Elend and Vin in the face and tell them to get over themselves. The most interesting characters in my opinion were Vin's kandra and Sazed (although in book three Sazed becomes just as whiny and self-absorbed as Elend is in both books). Book three was unfortunately more of the same. Much, much, much more of the same. It was actually excruciatingly painful to read. There were times that I put the book down and walked away for days. There were times that I skimmed through entire chapters looking for anything of interest in the story. The ONLY reason that I finished is because I have an obsessive need to finish any series that I start. It is my heartfelt opinion that if all of the filler were cut out, books two and three could have been combined into a story that was actually interesting. In my opinion, the only reason that these are two separate books is the fantasy world's current obsession with the trilogy. It's a freaking marketing gimmick and they got over on me. I honestly wasn't even satisfied with the way that the story ended. It left me with one eyebrow in the air and an incredibly sarcastic "really?!" on my lips. If you are thinking about starting the Mistborn trilogy, my advice to you is not to.

I habitually buy books and often don't end up reading them for an extended period of time. I bought Hero of Again along with the 1st and 2nd books of the trilogy and just started reading it. Surprisingly I found that the book is obviously a damaged printing straight from the publisher. This is one photo of content cut by the printers and there are multiple sections within the book with as damaged pages. It's a sad feeling to recieve a book and not actually be able to enjoy 100% of its contents.

I would hope that the store or whoever sells here would have product checks in place to screen this stuff.

Great Book. Need to read the first two in the Mistborn series first. Excellent series, excellent book. Sanderson does a wonderful job keeping you capatived through the whole series, waiting to see what will happen next.

My son got this as a Birthday present. He reads a lot of fantasy novels, and says that they sometimes become formulaic and predictable. He LOVED this series though, and was really impressed with this book. He couldn't recommend it any higher :)

Sanderson set up one of the most remarkable and memorable stories ever conceived in the first book of the Mistborn Trilogy, an enthralling story that drew me in, aided in no small amount by his top-class writing skills. It is uncontestedly a story of the ages, but the final book ultimately does not live up to its vast potential. If it weren't for Sanderson's incredible prose, dialogue, and characterization, this would be a one-star book.

Sanderson has a remarkable story loaded with revelations and complexity, no doubt about that, but after the first book he began to trip up in the structuring of it. Though an excellent storyteller and wordsmith, Sanderson is not good at pacing a story and never has been. THE FINAL EMPIRE was unharmed thanks to an excellent, action-driven plot loaded with excellent characters. Starting in THE WELL OF ASCENSION, however, things began to go downhill. Sanderson began to focus less on character relationships and interaction, less on the overall stories and plots, less on the stellar themes, and more on politicking and the happenings our heroes face as they go about the world. In both these two last books, the story is barely present in the narrative until the final 150 pages, which is inexcusable late. Why do we have to suffer through the rather boring first halves of the characters wandering about to get to the good stuff? I'm not interested in gratuitous political dilemmas: I want to read about Allomancers and Kandra and prophecy twists and Ruin, and Vin and Elend fighting back-to-back against hordes of koloss and Inquisitors. I want to read about the events at the end of the world and the twists and turns that drive it. I want more story and less filler, okay?

I absolutely loved the story, dialogue, and characterization. However, I hated the decreased focus on Vin and Elend's relationship in favor of a political struggle with Yomen, a faith crisis for Sazed, and a sub-plot involving Spook, the former two being as boring as an old bowl of prunes and the latter not getting good until its conclusion.

The final sections, "Beautiful Destroyer" and "Trust" were filled with action and saturated with the story, and unsurprisingly were my favorite parts. However, it is kind of depressing when in "Beautiful Destroyer" Vin realizes who the villain is and that she needs to stop him. I wanted to just shout, "OH, IT TOOK YOU THIS LONG TO GET STARTED?!"

The climax was filled with everything from battles, to koloss, to Kandra, to battles between GODS. Unfortunately, the ending proved to be the worst part of this book. What. The. Hell. Sanderson! Did Ruin get a hemalurgic spike in you and demand that you change the ending to something much more depressing?

Perhaps it's a curse, and I came to love the characters too much. Perhaps the poor pacing was supposed to Balance out the excellent story and writing. The Mistborn Trilogy, despite the horrendous pacing, has been one of my favorite series, but the ending took all of my joy from the whole series and just totally flushed it down the toilet.

By the end of the book, nearly all of the characters are senselessly dead, and Sazed (who spends this entire book sulking and generally being useless) steps over their corpses to claim all the glory and the power for himself. The "epilogue" if it could be called that, is unduly short, little more than a post-script to confirm that everything turned out okay for the maybe 3 minor characters who actually survived the hell of the plot. I was disappointed, greatly. I felt depressed for days afterward, as if a family member had been murdered in front of me. Sanderson is holding the axe. Strange for a series that has always championed perseverence, survival, hope, and prevailing against all odds as its themes.

The Mistborn series had the potential to be the best fantasy series ever, but it fails to live up to that, though bad pacing and a horrific, senselessly tragic ending, reducing what would be a spectacular series down to something much less.

P.S. Marsh's ending was a complete letdown as well, especially considering how Sanderson had set up his character all through THE HERO OF AGES. And the revelation of who the Hero really was totally sucked.

The "Mistborn Trilogy" are the first Brandon Sanderson novels I've read. I found the concept of creating magic through the use of various metals was unique and fascinating. I enjoyed all three of the Mistborn novels and plan to purchase more Sanderson's soon.

Thoroughly enjoyed all of the books in this series. I would have given this 5 stars but I never read the 5 star ratings so... The length of the series was great, character development was above average and the series lasted long enough to feel like you were getting to know the characters. :0) this is my favorite part, I hate enjoying a book and falling in love with the characters only to have the story end in a day or two.
Enjoy this series.

One must really give props to Brandon Sanderson, the man simply has a natural talent for writing very compelling fantasy. His first two Mistborn novels were proof of this, he created a fascinating world with an interesting mythology and an intriguing magic system. Above all else, he can make characters in a fantasy setting seem believably real, which is something many authors stumble with. While unfamiliar with his other works, his Mistborn novels, particularly The Final Empire and The Well of Ascension, escalated Sanderson to one of my most revered authors. Which is why it's so surprising that I dislike the finale, Hero of Ages to such a degree. It's not that the book itself is bad, its just such a drastic step down from the previous two in storytelling, characters, and overall design. Mistborn fans should definitely read it for closure on the trilogy, but it personally left me disappointed.

It's been a long and hard existence for Vin and the remainder of Kelsier's gang of thieves. They overthrew a tyrannical overlord who fancied himself a god. Then they faced down the vast armies of invading warlords while dealing with their own internal political conflicts. Now they face the greatest threat imaginable: Ruin, a malevolent supernatural being that seeks to destroy everything and everyone. Releasing him has done more than just ensure their demise, it has torn their very world apart. The once subtle ash rains now come in downpours, quenching any plant and wildlife while the mists attack and kill those less fortunate. If they are to survive this apocalypse, Emperor Elend Venture and his wife Vin Venture must rally their forces and secure as many alliances and supplies as they can. All the while searching for any last hope of ending Ruin from the Lord Ruler's ancient research, while Ruin himself manipulates everything from behind the scenes.

I'll begin with what Hero of Ages does right, though the pros unfortunately don't outweigh the cons. For one, as the final act in a trilogy, Hero of Ages does exactly what a conclusion should do, which is provide closure to the story and its various characters. Every mysterious oddity in the world is thoroughly explained in a believable manner that'll leave you satisfied, such as the planet's unnatural state, particularly explanations for the ashmounts and a red sun. The various creatures like the kandra, the kolloss, the inquisitors, and the mysterious origin of all three mystic arts: Allomancy, Feruchemistry, and the newly introduced Hemalurgy, these are all elaborated upon. While everything is explained, Sanderson wisely left a few small tidbits which will indefinitely be brought to light in the upcoming sequels. But Sanderson doesn't cheat the reader, this is the definitive ending of the Mistborn trilogy, you won't find any cheap cliffhanger ending to force you into the next book.

Props must also be given to the story FINALLY LEAVING LUTHADEL! That metropolitan city was a fantastic setting for the high-flying stunts and political intrigue that made the previous novels so entertaining to read, but after over a thousand pages taking place there it's very refreshing to stretch our legs and see the rest of the world. It's here that Sanderson once again pulls the reader into his world with such intricate details that would have made for otherwise inconceivable imagery. The world is being suffocated by a never-ending rain of ash, yet with Sanderson's knack for detail, he creates a mesmerizing sense of beauty to the destruction. There's an oddly welcoming sense of poetic bliss to the eternal blackness, if this would be the way we die, then it would be a peaceful way to see the end of all things.

Yet these were the only real positives I could muster about this book. Perhaps my disapproval is due to just how incredible the first two were, especially The Well of Ascension, a book I claimed to be one of the best fantasy novels that I've ever read. My critiques are an amalgam of various issues, ones that The Final Empire and even more so with The Well of Ascension didn't suffer from at all, which makes their appearance in Hero of Ages all the more jarring. These malefactors focus on the use of characters and the book's structure which differs greatly from the establish formula that Sanderson had utilized to this point. In the previous Mistborn novels, Sanderson created a truly absorbing narrative that felt like a roller coaster ride that pulled the reader in and wouldn't let go to the very end. This was accompanied by a very strong group dynamic from several very well-realized characters, each with differing personalities which created compelling discourse among the group. The problem in Hero of Ages is the group's separation due to the book's second issue: the split nature of the overall structure. Where The Final Empire and The Well of Ascension had a single cohesive narrative that involved every individual, the layout of The Hero of Ages is quite different. The story arcs merge, separate, and then some are dropped while others continue. There is a positive side to this, for it broadens the scope of the story and shows us the stakes are unimaginably high. Yet this shift in direction didn't have the same pull that invested me in the previous two novels. Where they each had masterfully illustrated storylines that kept the reader on the edge of their seat, Hero of Ages is very slow-paced with several uneven story arcs that create a very disjointed overall feel. It's quite ironic really that the previous entry which was about a city under siege had more immediacy than a book about the entire world ending.

For the majority of the book there are two major story arcs that the narrative hops back and forth between along with a few minor ones. In order to properly summarize the pros and cons of this book I will need to paraphrase the two major arcs without spoiling anything. Keep in mind, this isn't covering the two minor story arcs involving Marsh and his psychological battle against Ruin and Tensoon's conviction for breaking the kandra pact.

The first story arc involves Elend and Vin attempting to conquer Fadrex City, which is kept under the sovereign rule of the obligator King Yomen. This story arc had both its ups and downs but ultimately was disappointing. What it does right is finally place Elend and Vin on the offensive. In The Final Empire and especially The Well of Ascension, the heroes had always had their backs to the wall from a vastly superior force. Placing them in a position of power raises some very interesting moral questions for the characters. They now have the initiative, but will they use it dishonorably and become the new Lord Ruler? This story arc also perfectly highlights Elend's character development that occurred between books. Through the lessons he learned from The Well of Ascension, Elend has become the Machiavellian ruler that his empire requires him to be. Honest intentions and fair legislation aren't enough to rule a monarchy, a king must be forceful with an iron resolve, even if this means doing some truly unpleasant things for the purpose of maintaining proper leadership. Unfortunately, this arc is painfully slow and the eventual outcome is rather disappointing given its pacing.

The second story arc is vastly superior and is easily the highlight of the book. It involves Spook, Breeze, Allrianne, and Sazed trying to undermine the oppressive dictatorship of the city Urteau. Its regime is led by Quellion, a man who has perverted the actions of Kelsier and used it to create his own personal holocaust targeting anyone possessing a noble heritage. What made this story arc interesting was its focus on the dark side of revolutions, how a single individual can twist the charismatic words of another into creating atrocities. The cycle repeats itself and now the oppressed are now the oppressors. Spook was the star of this story arc and was easily the most interesting character in this book. He's a startlingly relatable character, the ordeals and the personal questions he faced made for a very compelling narrative; one that was only brought to grinding halt by the other story arcs. The biggest flaw of Hero of Ages is that it tries to be so much more than it should be. Instead of shifting to several story arcs that range from good to lackluster, Sanderson should have stuck to his established formula which had a very strong single narrative that involved every character. Splitting the narrative in this manner resulted in less interesting character interactions and a much less compelling plot.

I also must comment on Ruin himself, he's a decent villain but he's not as compelling as the previous ones. He lacks the build-up and mystery of the Lord Ruler and the menace of Thrask and Zane Venture. He's not terrible per say, but like Hero of Ages itself Ruin simply pales in comparison to his predecessors, making his shortcomings all the more noticeable. Yet perhaps my biggest disappointment is the lack of action. Sanderson has established himself in my eyes as the best writer of action scenes in the fantasy genre. With Allomancy, characters would zoom across buildings at incredible speeds, use unorthodox methods and objects, and overall create fight scenes that even Hollywood would have trouble replicating. With the exception of the book's opening, there are very few fight scenes, and what's there didn't captivate me the way the previous ones had. Due to the book's length and slow pace, I merely slogged through the finale.

Let's make this very clear, Hero of Ages is not a bad book. However, I felt that it was quite a large step down from the previous two books in the series and thus I don't feel comfortable giving it a higher score. It did accomplish what it set out to do in that it answered every question that fans were clamoring to uncover. But it didn't have the same sense of awe that pulled me into the other two novels. It simply tried to do to much and strayed away from the winning framework that made the others so incredible. In this case, less is more.