Re: OS Book Club Pt II
As much as I really enjoyed the first two entries in the series (especially the 2nd), the ending of book two killed the series for me.
Mistborn: The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
Whatever flaws I had found in the first book of the trilogy were thoroughly addressed in the second installment. As a result I loved this book from start to finish. The action, as he had established in The Final Empire, remains imaginative and thrilling. I love the system of "magick" Sanderson has developed and he uses it to great affect throughout as he weaves into the narrative and continues to build upon the established lore. The lore of the universe continues to build upon itself and finds inclusion throughout the narrative in very satisfying ways as characters find themselves connected to the world they're now shaping. The balance of intrapersonal and interpersonal struggles is fascinating as the simple caper story of the first novel is replaced by ideological and political balancing acts.
Most impressive to me, however, was how greatly the writing improved as a whole from the first book. The narrative remained nuanced, the world continues to be fleshed out, the characters continue to develop in fascinating ways, but the writing felt like it had room to breathe in The Well of Ascension (no pun intended). Perhaps it's because Sanderson had already created the separate parts of the Mistborn universe or maybe it's an author starting to come into his style, but whatever the case it's a noticeable improvement. There's time for thoughtful phrases, nuanced detail that comes off more off-offhandedly, and none of the screenplay script feel from The Final Empire.
To be honest I'm surprised this grabbed me by the nape of the neck like it did. I enjoyed the first book and it's ambitious imagination, but felt it was lacking in some areas compared to other fantasy series. Admittedly the writing quality picks up, but the story itself is what really grabbed me from start to finish. A siege standoff with political maneuverings and character drama. It sounds like the summary of Game of Thrones, but Sanderson does an amazing job of handling all the pieces and putting them in place by the end. I think this is one of those rare instances that not only improves upon it's predecessor, but also makes the predecessor better. To me it felt like I was reading one of my favorite Harry Potter books for the first time and I would put it on par with any of the genre's best offerings.
She also liked the night. During the day, Luthadel was cramped and confining despite its size. But at night the mists fell like a deep cloud. They dampened, softened, shaded. Massive keeps became shadowed mountains, and crowded tenements melted together like a chandler's rejected wares.
Plans, successes, and even goals were like shadowy figures in the mist, formless and indistinct.
When you struggle so hard for life, you grow strong - but you can grow harsh, too.
Good men don't need to become legends. They just do what's right anyway.
Manipulation works so well on a personal level, I don't see why it wouldn't be an equally viable national policy.
That was one nice thing about books and notes. They could always wait for another time.
Mist twisted in the sky, different breezes forming silent streams of white, like rivers in the air. Vin skimmed them, burst through them, and rode them like a bouncing stone cast upon the waters.
A man was defined not by his flaws, but by how he overcame them.
A man can only stumble for so long before he either falls or stands up straight.
The others call me mad. As I have said, that may be true.
At first glance, the key and the lock it fits may seem very different. Different in shape, different in function, different in design. The man who looks at them without knowledge of their true nature might think them opposites, for one is meant to open, and the other to keep closed. Yet, upon closer examination he might see that without one, the other becomes useless. The wise man then sees that both lock and key were created for the same purpose.
Whatever flaws I had found in the first book of the trilogy were thoroughly addressed in the second installment. As a result I loved this book from start to finish. The action, as he had established in The Final Empire, remains imaginative and thrilling. I love the system of "magick" Sanderson has developed and he uses it to great affect throughout as he weaves into the narrative and continues to build upon the established lore. The lore of the universe continues to build upon itself and finds inclusion throughout the narrative in very satisfying ways as characters find themselves connected to the world they're now shaping. The balance of intrapersonal and interpersonal struggles is fascinating as the simple caper story of the first novel is replaced by ideological and political balancing acts.
Most impressive to me, however, was how greatly the writing improved as a whole from the first book. The narrative remained nuanced, the world continues to be fleshed out, the characters continue to develop in fascinating ways, but the writing felt like it had room to breathe in The Well of Ascension (no pun intended). Perhaps it's because Sanderson had already created the separate parts of the Mistborn universe or maybe it's an author starting to come into his style, but whatever the case it's a noticeable improvement. There's time for thoughtful phrases, nuanced detail that comes off more off-offhandedly, and none of the screenplay script feel from The Final Empire.
To be honest I'm surprised this grabbed me by the nape of the neck like it did. I enjoyed the first book and it's ambitious imagination, but felt it was lacking in some areas compared to other fantasy series. Admittedly the writing quality picks up, but the story itself is what really grabbed me from start to finish. A siege standoff with political maneuverings and character drama. It sounds like the summary of Game of Thrones, but Sanderson does an amazing job of handling all the pieces and putting them in place by the end. I think this is one of those rare instances that not only improves upon it's predecessor, but also makes the predecessor better. To me it felt like I was reading one of my favorite Harry Potter books for the first time and I would put it on par with any of the genre's best offerings.
Spoiler
She also liked the night. During the day, Luthadel was cramped and confining despite its size. But at night the mists fell like a deep cloud. They dampened, softened, shaded. Massive keeps became shadowed mountains, and crowded tenements melted together like a chandler's rejected wares.
Plans, successes, and even goals were like shadowy figures in the mist, formless and indistinct.
When you struggle so hard for life, you grow strong - but you can grow harsh, too.
Good men don't need to become legends. They just do what's right anyway.
Manipulation works so well on a personal level, I don't see why it wouldn't be an equally viable national policy.
That was one nice thing about books and notes. They could always wait for another time.
Mist twisted in the sky, different breezes forming silent streams of white, like rivers in the air. Vin skimmed them, burst through them, and rode them like a bouncing stone cast upon the waters.
A man was defined not by his flaws, but by how he overcame them.
A man can only stumble for so long before he either falls or stands up straight.
The others call me mad. As I have said, that may be true.
At first glance, the key and the lock it fits may seem very different. Different in shape, different in function, different in design. The man who looks at them without knowledge of their true nature might think them opposites, for one is meant to open, and the other to keep closed. Yet, upon closer examination he might see that without one, the other becomes useless. The wise man then sees that both lock and key were created for the same purpose.
Spoiler
I thought it just spoiled the entire series when the love interest was given the same powers as Vin at the very end of the book. It just seemed to diminish all the work and character building done to take her from meek street rat to a very powerful mage. Vin had really come into her own by the end of that book, and then the love interest was suddenly given an "easy" button to bring her up to the same level as her.
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