BOOK REVIEW: The Well of Ascension
Title: The Well of Ascension
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Series: Mistborn (Book Two)
This review has spoilers for Mistborn, but no real spoilers for it's sequel, The Well of Ascension.
Vin and her companions have finally defeated the tyrannical Lord Ruler, and supplanted him with the kind, but fair Elend Venture. Unfortunately, taking down the all powerful Lord Ruler may have been the easy part. Elend may have the best of intentions, but he lacks the authority of a good king. He can barely keep his own assembly under control, never mind the two armies that have shown up on his doorstep to take over. The only thing that stands in the way is Vin, the powerful Mistborn who defeated the Lord Ruler. Unfortunately, Vin finds herself distracted by another problem. There's something strange happening in the mists. In order to find the answers, it will be necessary to look deep into the past.
I loved Mistborn (sometimes listed as The Final Empire) when I read it a little over a year ago, but for some reason, it's taken me a while to get to the sequel. Fortunately, The Well of Ascension is very easy to get into. There's even a summary of the events in the Mistborn located (strangely) in the back of this book. Similar to it's prequel, The Well of Ascension is well put together on pretty much every level, from the action sequences, to the worldbuilding. I will admit that it's structured somewhat strangely. The book almost seems to end about a hundred and fifty pages before it actually does, and then keeps on going. Fortunately, it does end up working out for the best in the end, and I still found the novel consistently enjoyable.
Brandon Sanderson does a lot right with this series. The two connected magical systems, allomancy and feruchemy, are really unique, and result in a lot of fantastic, showy fight scenes. When it comes to plotting, Sanderson has a real knack for creating effective twists and turns, many which directly contradict what we, as fantasy readers, have come to expect from this type of stories. These surprises, combined with the action packed plot, result in a very fast paced storythat I plowed through pretty quickly, despite the fact that at over seven hundred pages, it's a somewhat weighty tome. As far as the characters goes, I continue to really like Vin as a protagonist. Not all male writers can handle writer a female lead, but Sanderson does really well with her, giving her flaws and vulnerability that do not mar her strength and overall badass-ness. I know that Elend is not everyone favorite character, but I found that I really liked the guy. As someone who has suddenly found themselves in an unexpected position of leadership (albiet on a much smaller scale), I connected well to his storyline. His struggle to balance his idealism with the difficult nature of the world felt realistic to me. It's also worth noting that the book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. If that's not your thing, you might want to keep book three Hero of the Ages, close by.
Final Thoughts: The Well of Ascension may not be quite as strong as the first book in the Mistborn series, but it's compelling characters, inventive magic system, and surprise filled plot will keep the pages flying fast. I look forward to see how Vin and her companions manage to take down their next challenge in Hero of the Ages. Four and a Half Stars
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Series: Mistborn (Book Two)
This review has spoilers for Mistborn, but no real spoilers for it's sequel, The Well of Ascension.
Vin and her companions have finally defeated the tyrannical Lord Ruler, and supplanted him with the kind, but fair Elend Venture. Unfortunately, taking down the all powerful Lord Ruler may have been the easy part. Elend may have the best of intentions, but he lacks the authority of a good king. He can barely keep his own assembly under control, never mind the two armies that have shown up on his doorstep to take over. The only thing that stands in the way is Vin, the powerful Mistborn who defeated the Lord Ruler. Unfortunately, Vin finds herself distracted by another problem. There's something strange happening in the mists. In order to find the answers, it will be necessary to look deep into the past.
I loved Mistborn (sometimes listed as The Final Empire) when I read it a little over a year ago, but for some reason, it's taken me a while to get to the sequel. Fortunately, The Well of Ascension is very easy to get into. There's even a summary of the events in the Mistborn located (strangely) in the back of this book. Similar to it's prequel, The Well of Ascension is well put together on pretty much every level, from the action sequences, to the worldbuilding. I will admit that it's structured somewhat strangely. The book almost seems to end about a hundred and fifty pages before it actually does, and then keeps on going. Fortunately, it does end up working out for the best in the end, and I still found the novel consistently enjoyable.
Brandon Sanderson does a lot right with this series. The two connected magical systems, allomancy and feruchemy, are really unique, and result in a lot of fantastic, showy fight scenes. When it comes to plotting, Sanderson has a real knack for creating effective twists and turns, many which directly contradict what we, as fantasy readers, have come to expect from this type of stories. These surprises, combined with the action packed plot, result in a very fast paced storythat I plowed through pretty quickly, despite the fact that at over seven hundred pages, it's a somewhat weighty tome. As far as the characters goes, I continue to really like Vin as a protagonist. Not all male writers can handle writer a female lead, but Sanderson does really well with her, giving her flaws and vulnerability that do not mar her strength and overall badass-ness. I know that Elend is not everyone favorite character, but I found that I really liked the guy. As someone who has suddenly found themselves in an unexpected position of leadership (albiet on a much smaller scale), I connected well to his storyline. His struggle to balance his idealism with the difficult nature of the world felt realistic to me. It's also worth noting that the book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. If that's not your thing, you might want to keep book three Hero of the Ages, close by.
Final Thoughts: The Well of Ascension may not be quite as strong as the first book in the Mistborn series, but it's compelling characters, inventive magic system, and surprise filled plot will keep the pages flying fast. I look forward to see how Vin and her companions manage to take down their next challenge in Hero of the Ages. Four and a Half Stars