Written by Brandon Sanderson, 2006
Synopsis: Left to pay off her brother’s debt to a thieving crew, Vin can’t imagine any life beyond starving in Luthadel’s underground. Everything promises to change, however, when she’s recruited by another crew to help pull off the greatest job in history. The charismatic Kelsier believes he can overthrow the immortal, omnipotent Lord Ruler and improve the lives of the oppressed skaa race across the empire. That gives Vin one year to infiltrate high society and to master the eight magic abilities she possesses as a Mistborn, while her comrades raise an army and dismantle Luthadel’s garrison. It’s an impossible mission. Especially for a skaa orphan.
Review: Of course, the first book of this instant classic fantasy trilogy follows an orphan who later finds out she has noble blood and incredibly strong magic. However, Sanderson has protagonist Vin share the spotlight with a team of well-developed characters—one of whom, Kelsier, has just as much claim to be the story’s main character. Kelsier and his crew fill what turned out to be a huge gap in fantasy: middle-aged characters, old enough to have cultivated their powers but young enough to excitedly participate in the action and make mistakes while doing so. The dynamic between Kelsier, a lifetime eccentric and only recently a hero, and his brother who labored silently for decades to help skaa, was especially clever.
While I’m unhappy with Vin’s cliche extra strength in the final battle, the magic system in The Final Empire was otherwise fair and unique. Kelsier and Vin have access to more abilities than most other characters, but those forced to specialize are much more powerful in their niche. The lesson each crew member gives Vin about his ability also shows his distinct worldview, serving as a clever device to bring the reader further into these characters and the magic at the same time.
On the whole, Sanderson’s pacing is perfect. Emergencies that surprise the characters similarly interrupt the reader’s expectations for a scene, and the book feels like it takes place over the full year that the plot describes, rather than having long gaps between stand-out days. Sanderson also intentionally opens up new questions about the world as he answers others. I walked away from the last page with closure for the plot but ongoing concerns about the magic and history, which I’m motivated to explore in the rest of the trilogy.
Strengths:
Every death had weight. We watch characters wrestle with both grief and with the practical concerns that losing that specific person created. Compared with most action movies just flaring a character's drive for vengeance, the shift in attitudes here was more nuanced and evolved over time.
It’s worth restating how well Sanderson wielded a team of characters, many of whom participate off-screen.
Weaknesses:
Some readers will be bothered by not fully understanding how characters’ powers work until more than halfway through the book.
For all the sense that the magic system ultimately made, it could’ve made a little more.
Rating: 19/20 different skeletons making up one mistwraith
Ideal Setting: Read this when you’re sick of traditional chosen-one stories.
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