Hardcover, 544 pages
English language
Published Aug. 7, 2006 by Tor.
For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison.
Kelsier "snapped" and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark. Kelsier recruited the underworld's elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Only then does he reveal his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, …
For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison.
Kelsier "snapped" and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark. Kelsier recruited the underworld's elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Only then does he reveal his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the divine despot. But even with the best criminal crew ever assembled, Kel's plan looks more like the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into his life.
Like him, she's a half-Skaa orphan, but she's lived a much harsher life. Vin has learned to expect betrayal from everyone she meets, and gotten it. She will have to learn to trust, if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed.
This saga dares to ask a simple question: What if the hero of prophecy fails?
Interesting setting, but the storytelling was lacking. All mayor conflicts seemed to be resolved by a sudden rescue appearance by a character who just showed new "amazing" powers. Lazy writing.
I'm so happy I finally read this. It's been on my list for years but I hadn't gotten around to it. And the audio version was fantastic.
Vin is my kind of reluctant hero. Flawed, she (mostly) does the right thing, even when she doesn't want to. I really enjoyed her progression throughout the story. Great character arc. And Kelsier. Oh, Kelsier. So many things I want to say, but I won't for fear of spoiling the story for someone. Let's leave it at I love you and your crazy band of misfits.
This is a book that needs to be experienced, so I will not say much more. If you enjoy epic fantasy, magic, political intrigue, and people fighting to make a better world, you should start this series. 4.5 stars. Maybe 5 if I'm rounding up. Just read it.
Ah, nothing like good fantasy to get you hooked.
Good world-building, strong characters, sensible physics for the magic elements, very plausible political system, a satisfying end, and a good hook for the next book.
Sanderson's prose felt a little underwhelming for me though, but that's mostly nitpicking. His story development is very good.
On to the next book!
I am surprised The Final Empire is from 2006. It reads like "good old fantasy". It does not try to address any controversial or philosophical issues. It does not pull literary tricks on you. It is just good solid entertainment.
I liked it very much for what it is. The best feature I think is that it transports you into a 100% different world. There are no elves, orcs, zombies, old wizards, knights in shining armor, or warrior monks here. (There are not even flowers or blue skies.) The world is very nicely put together. A lot of questions, a lot of answers. All very coherent.
Features that perhaps reveal its modern origin are the social structure (decadent elite terrorizing the poor) and the main character (young woman from the most oppressed class). Indeed it was published two years before [b:The Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)|Suzanne Collins|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1447303603s/2767052.jpg|2792775]. …
I am surprised The Final Empire is from 2006. It reads like "good old fantasy". It does not try to address any controversial or philosophical issues. It does not pull literary tricks on you. It is just good solid entertainment.
I liked it very much for what it is. The best feature I think is that it transports you into a 100% different world. There are no elves, orcs, zombies, old wizards, knights in shining armor, or warrior monks here. (There are not even flowers or blue skies.) The world is very nicely put together. A lot of questions, a lot of answers. All very coherent.
Features that perhaps reveal its modern origin are the social structure (decadent elite terrorizing the poor) and the main character (young woman from the most oppressed class). Indeed it was published two years before [b:The Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)|Suzanne Collins|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1447303603s/2767052.jpg|2792775]. The zeitgeist must have been strong.
The main character is pretty much the only woman in the story though, except for a few that make sandwiches for the men. So this is quite safe to read if you have feminist-phobia :). (Is there perhaps an in-universe explanation? The most influential figures in this world are supposed to be chosen at random, by inheritance of a genetic trait. A patriarchy should be unstable in these circumstances.)
A lot of the first half of the book is like a video game tutorial. Magic ("Allomancy") is based on 8 different metals. The hero and the reader have to learn about each, so we just get started and go through each of them. Thankfully it is presented with a fair amount of action, and the action continues throughout the book.
As the end of the book was drawing near I was afraid how much of a closure we would get. This is the first novel of a fairly large series of novels, right? Wikipedia says an expected 32-36 books will make up the "Cosmere". But the book's ending is awesome! It gives complete closure. It leaves a few questions open, but answers everything you wanted to know badly. Thanks for that!
Rating of 4/5 stars is tentative. May adjust to 5/5 stars depending on my thoughts in the coming days.
This is one of those cannot-put-down fantasy books that are so much fun to read :)
The dialogue is hammy, the characters are flat, and the plotting is straightforward, but the book was so compelling I all but read it in one sitting and ordered the rest of the series the next day.
Very cool book about organizing a revolution against a supposedly divine ruler and his highly hierarchical and oppressive society. In the book the revolution is organized by a small group on insurrectionists, but eventually is implemented by the people. A large part of the story is the lively characters, all with their doubts, concerns, and fears, which get together in what initially seemed an impossible undertaking. And of course the supposed magical powers of the rulers and the insurrectionists' overcoming of these. In general - a totally enjoyable political fantasy.
I really liked this book. I felt that the author did a superb job of giving multiple people's perspectives and motivations. It was a really enjoyable book and I can safely recommend it if you like fantasy books.
第一巻（上巻？）に比べては、ストーリーの進歩が若干遅い気がしますが、新しいキャラクターや「伝金術」のことが紹介されたり、十分新しいものに出会えて良かったと思います。
Well, this probably won a place in my favorite series. I had really liked what Sanderson did with the end of Wheel of Time, and I had told myself I should read some more of his stuff - now this is done, and I didn't regret it. Vin's world is divided into the skaa (and Vin is skaa), who are essentially the slaves of the ruling class, which is itself ruled by Lord Ruler since a thousand years or so. Vin meets a band of thieves that has a completely crazy idea: to overthrow said Lord Ruler so that the skaa daily life improves a bit. Add to this a magic system that is original, believable and awesome (the magicians or "allomancers" eat metal and burn it to get different effects depending on the metal) and you get a truly great book. Highly recommended.
2022 Re-read: In anticipation of Era 2 concluding in November 2022 I found it appropriate to re-read from the beginning, and I'm glad I did, because this book is still a knockout.
Don't forget the ash because you see a little silk.
I remembered the key points of the story but the moments between those stunning sequences are what make this book so enjoyable. The setup for the rest of Era 1 and implications with other series in the Cosmere are such a pleasure to experience, and in some ways it feels like I am reading the book again for the first time.
Our belief is often strongest when it should be weakest. That is the nature of hope.
I stand by my original five star rating, this book is incredible on the first read through and continues to entertain nearly a decade later.
2018 Re-read: Hit a …
2022 Re-read: In anticipation of Era 2 concluding in November 2022 I found it appropriate to re-read from the beginning, and I'm glad I did, because this book is still a knockout.
Don't forget the ash because you see a little silk.
I remembered the key points of the story but the moments between those stunning sequences are what make this book so enjoyable. The setup for the rest of Era 1 and implications with other series in the Cosmere are such a pleasure to experience, and in some ways it feels like I am reading the book again for the first time.
Our belief is often strongest when it should be weakest. That is the nature of hope.
I stand by my original five star rating, this book is incredible on the first read through and continues to entertain nearly a decade later.
2018 Re-read: Hit a rut in books so thought I would revisit a favorite series that I read nearly five years back...
...and after finishing the book it still deserves a five star rating. Five years later I'm still impressed with the Allomancy and how Sanderson uses it in the story. Great book and glad to see it still holds up after thousands of other Sanderson stories (namely Stormlight Archive).
No, this night was not a waste. Even if he hadn't found the atium, any night that ended with a group of dead nobleman was a successful one, in Kelsier's opinion.
Simply put, this book was amazing. I was immediately drawn in by the well crafted world, the story takes you in baby steps as you receive bits of information on the narrator and the people around them. but you are immediately hooked. As the world unfolds you learn about a complicated, but easy to understand, magic system and the book is off and running. I had a hard time putting this book down and will definitely be reading the remainder of the Mistborn stories.
Fantastic book, in my opinion. The concept of manipulation of metal using Allomancy Feruchemistry is pretty brilliant. Great character development and world building. I look forward to continuing the series!
I have my qualms with some plot holes and the decidedly typical main plot (lowly child with hidden ability is tasked with saving the world), but those go out the window when I take into account how much I enjoyed the last quarter of the book (YAY ACTION SEQUENCES!!). Sanderson's great at world-building and creating interesting magic systems, and that was enough to get me to immediately order the next two books in the series. Hopefully I won't be disappointed...
