Book bites: Mistborn
You know what I’ve been craving lately, book-wise? A hefty, tome-sized epic fantasy. You know the kind: a cast of at least ten characters, if not more; a fully fleshed-out and original world; a hero or heroine on some sort of quest; some goosebump-inducing baddie. Oh, and it should preferably come in a trilogy format.
I
t is with such a desire that I started Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn, and I’m sorry to report that I was not that impressed. Although my requirements may seem like a tall order, honestly all I’m looking for is a well-told, richly detailed story and Sanderson’s delivery leaves much to be desired. The premise of Mistborn covers well-worn ground in the fantasy genre: an oppressed, downtrodden population, known as the skaa, finally rises up to overthrow its depostic, cruel masters, who for centuries have controlled them through brutality, fear, and metal-based magical powers known as Allomancy. The rebellion’s leaders are a half-noble, half-skaa band of thieves and cutthroats; at its head are two key Mistborn (i.e. those who can wield all the metals of Allomancy): the charismatic Kelsier, who is the only skaa to have survived the Pits of Hathsin; and the reticent young Vin, who must learn to harness her powers.
I have no problem with a familiar plot-especially because they are what make epic fantasy, well, epic fantasy-but my main problem is that it’s too cookie-cutter: from the plotting right down to characterization. I think Sanderson has fallen prey to investing all of his creativity into describing Allomancy’s particular rules and restrictions (mainly that each metal grants a Mistborn certain powers, like awesome strength or keen senses) that his character development and his storylines really don’t bring anything new to the epic fantasy genre.
Take, for example, the key leader of the rebellion, Kelsier. A former skaa slave, he is the ever-optimistic, tireless leader with superhuman powers. Sanderson repeatedly describes him as “smiling a lot,” because that’s one way Kelsier subverts the crushing power of the Lord Ruler. But as the nearly 700 page story progresses, Kelsier’s character development remains stuck at this level, so that even when he does reveal a tragic tidbit about his past, such as his wife’s suspected betrayal and death, it’s hard to buy it as genuine. As for the other characters, it’s mostly hit-or-miss: Vin’s journey from street urchin to high society spy shines, but the rest are unmemorable.
My hunt for a riveting fantasy book will have to be continued…