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Published: 2006 Acquired: July 2020 Read: September 2020 |
My sister has been after me to read Brandon Sanderson-- her favorite fantasy writer-- for years, and finally she bought the Mistborn trilogy for me to force me to read him. I found it hard to get into at first; the exact focus of the book was difficult to discern. Was this is a quest book about defeating a Dark Lord? The back cover of my Tor Teen edition made me think so, but no. Was it a heist novel? Seems like it for a bit, but no. I couldn't calibrate my generic expectations for what felt like too long. Once I figured out what the book was-- this long-term plan for rebellion alongside the growth and development of Vin as a character-- I came to really get into it and enjoy it. I also liked how, though not a quest novel, it played with the conventions of a quest novel, given what we ultimately learn about the origins of the book's Dark Lord. (Whose identity I called, though I don't know if I would have picked up on the clues without Sanderson's ostensibly spoiler-free chapter-by-chapter on-line annotations.) But if it's not a heist novel, then I think it doesn't need the large cast of characters with a diverse set of skills, many of whom never contribute much and who don't distinguish themselves. I did really like Vin, though, and Kelsier turns out to be pretty interesting... and my favorite character was Sazed, the loyal and thoughtful companion.
People-- such as my sister-- praise Sanderson for his worldbuilding. I agree that he has very thoughtful worldbuilding, and I enjoyed the ways he thought through some of the consequences of allomancy, with ideas such as the metal "roads" between cities, and how people avoided metal jewelry, and so on. But the way this was communicated was confusing, especially at first. Was allomancy a widely known skill that shaped society (as many details indicated), or something talked about in hushed tones (as Vin's lack of knowledge indicates)? I thought it confusing that the idea of Mistborn was introduced first, and then the idea of Allomancers was introduced, given that Mistborn have all the powers, and Allomancers have one each-- it's like Avatar: The Last Airbender beginning by explaining who the Avatar is, and then going back to explain what bending itself is later. And thank God for that metal chart in the back of the book, because I found all the pushing and pulling, internal and external stuff hard to keep track of.
All of this makes me sounds grumpy. But though I had trouble getting into it, I enjoyed it more the more I read it. The reveal of Kelsier's true plan was a good one, and the last chunk of the novel had me on the edge of my seat. It's a solid fantasy novel if not a great one, and I am willing to keep reading based on the assumption that given this was Sanderson's second published fantasy novel, he must have got even better as time went on.
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