The trilogy includes The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, and The Hero of Ages but there are later spin-off books that take place within the same world. This review is focused on the trilogy.
Image via Google |
Image via Google |
The scene is now set. In the first book, we meet a group of thieves who, through a twist of events and the ambitious idea of a man named Kelsier, take on the task of overthrowing the Lord Ruler. There is so much that I could say here, but I really don't want to get into the nitty-gritty and accidentally spoil part of the book. In sum, as they proceed forward with their plan, certain factors lead them to question whether the Lord Ruler should have been overthrown in the first place. Does he in fact stand for a greater good? And is there something worse waiting to attack?
Likes
As with the last few fantasy epics I have read, I found myself really enjoying the creativity of the world. I felt like I was falling through the pages and into the ash covered world. I could feel the skaa's frustration and I wanted to help them fight for their freedom. I found, too, that the world itself was very unique from the fantasy series that I have read before. Like the world found in the Death Gate Cycle, I can't say that I can compare it to anything I have read.
I also really liked the characters. I really wanted to follow their story and learn how it ended. They were very distinct with their own quirks. I found myself attached to young Spook in the third book. He doesn't play as big roles within the first two books and when his perspective came around, I was cheering him on. TenSoon, a creature called a kandra (they can ingest dead bodies and in doing so become a copy), was also one of my favourite characters.
Dislikes
Of the three books, the second was my least favourite. It was like the interim period and there was a bit of a lull in the plot and I felt like I was waiting a long time before we really got into the main events in the story. While I still enjoyed the book, it was not as engaging as the first and the third. I know that some people are not a fan of books that switch perspectives every chapter or so, and so that could also be seen as a negative. However, this strategy worked well for Sanderson's story and I can't see how he could have delivered the story as well without the changing points of view.
Overall
I think that this series has favourite potential. I'm not a big "book favouriter," and my two main criteria are (1) would I read it again/have I read it again or (2) has it left my brain spinning, in awe and in a contented place. This series satisfies the latter. While I could predict at times certain events, there were many more that surprised me until the end. And the way it ended. Whoa. Whoa-whoa! A definitely recommended for fantasy lovers.
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