The FINAL EMPIRE by Brandon Sanderson is the first book of the MISTBORN trilogy.
PUBLICATION YEAR-2006
GENRE- FANTASY
PAGE COUNT- 643
FORMAT- Paperback
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While I was in my reading quest of exploring new genres, I
came across something called epic fantasy or high fantasy . These are fantasy themed books which are literally
“epic” in terms of their world setting ,
content and characters. One of the best
example of this genre is The Lord of The Rings by J R R Tolkien. Fortunately I found The Lord of The Rings in my local library but I could not muster the
courage to read more than 3 pages . It was huge and too difficult for me to
read. I was disappointed and started
searching for some other books belonging to this subgenre of fantasy. That is
how I came across “The Final Empire” by Brandon Sanderson.
I was hugely intimidated by this book at first. It took me
weeks to finally start it. With around 650 pages , this book was dense and the
tiny font size did not help either. 😊
But I have to admit that once I started reading , I could
not put it down. It took me a further two weeks to finish it but that is not a
bad thing because throughout these two weeks , I thoroughly enjoyed each and
every bit of it. I was totally immersed in its mind blowing world with its
superb magical elements and of course the thrilling plot.
The story is based on a world where the Dark Ruler( the main villain) has
been ruling the people for thousands of years.
In this world, Ash falls from the sky and mists at night. People are
divided into groups – Noblemen and
Skaa. Skaa are the ones who are treated
like slaves and noblemen constitute the elite class . Some people have magical
powers which is called Allomancy which means they have the ability to consume
certain metals . Upon ingesting these
metals , they acquire specific powers . For instance, consuming tin enhances
your senses , brass soothes emotions
and pewter enhances strength . The
people possessing these magic are called mistings and Mistborn are those who
have some extra powers . I know it sounds very scientific and complex but once
you go through the first 100 pages of the book , everything becomes easy
breezy. Also the reference chart at the end of the book is of great help in
order to understand this complex magic system .
The story follows the two main characters – Kelsier and Vin
on their quest to overthrow the Dark Ruler. It is kind of a heist story where
both these characters accompanied by a spectacular crew try to bring justice to
the people by going head up against the
Dark Ruler of the Final Empire. Both these characters possess magical
powers to achieve their goals.
Kelsier is a man who is loved and respected by almost
everyone due to his strength and will power. He was even a legend to some. He
successfully assembled a group of people/rebels
including Vin to help him carry out this magnanimous plan of defeating
the evil Dark Ruler. He possessed great
leadership qualities to keep his crew together . His determination to
overthrow the powerful Dark Lord was
inspiring . Just the thought of
“taking down the Final Empire” is so gutsy . 😄
I personally enjoyed the female lead in this story- Vin.
According to me, she was the life and soul of the plot. I absolutely loved
her incredible transformation from being
a hopeless mistreated thieving crew to basically becoming a
Hero who wants to overthrow the Lord Ruler. The character growth of Vin
is extraordinary. At first , we see her as an introvert who keeps it to herself
and follows orders of her superior . Then she grows as a strong headed
determined person who is not afraid of anyone or anything. Her internal struggles were so compelling
that you cant help yourself but feel empathy.
But the only thing that bugged me about her was that I found
her to be too good at the magic system . There was no explanation as to why and
how she was so good at something that
she never attempted before. Infact she is apparently better than
someone like Kelsier who has had years of practice in the Allomantic
world. But I am pretty sure this will be explained in the next two books in the
series.
The other flaw that I noticed in the plot is again related
to Vin. I was not totally convinced with her love story . It was a little under
developed . Loving and trusting someone only after a few brief meetings is a
little surprising for me.
Apart from the two main lead , we get to meet a few other
interesting characters who have significant roles to play. I particularly loved
Sazed who plays a significant role in the crew. The Dark ruler had very few
scenes but you could feel his presence in the narrative throughout.
The best part about the book was the well structured plot.
There were enough twists and turns in the book that kept me engrossed. The most
important thing was that All these plot
twists were not deliberate . I feel like a lot of authors try to put
unconvincing plot twists in order to make things interesting. But this was not
the case with this one. The plot twists
took the story forward making it a satisfying read. The last chunk (200
pages or so) of the book were simply
extraordinary. It kept me entertained till the end.
Even after finishing the book , I was left with questions
which I am sure will be answered in the
next two books . There was no cliff-hanger situation in the climax , so this can
also be read as a standalone book. But I personally cannot get enough of this
world and the characters , so I have enough reasons to go ahead and grab the next book in the series.
Overall , it was an epic read for me. Those who love fantasy
are definitely going to enjoy this . And those who don’t may find the first few pages of this book as some kind of a brain
exercise . But once the magic system and the fantastical elements are explained
, it will grow on you .
RATING- 🌑🌑🌑🌑🌓 ( 4.5 / 5 )
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