The Well of Ascension
Book - 2007
The impossible has been accomplished. The Lord Ruler -- the man who claimed to be god incarnate and brutally ruled the world for a thousand years -- has been vanquished. But Kelsier, the hero who masterminded that triumph, is dead too, and now the awesome task of building a new world has been left to his young protégé, Vin, the former street urchin who is now the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and to the idealistic young nobleman she loves. As Kelsier's protégé and slayer of the Lord Ruler she is now venerated by a budding new religion, a distinction that makes her intensely uncomfortable. Even more worrying, the mists have begun behaving strangely since the Lord Ruler died, and seem to harbor a strange vaporous entity that haunts her. Stopping assassins may keep Vin's Mistborn skills sharp, but it's the least of her problems. Luthadel, the largest city of the former empire, doesn't run itself, and Vin and the other members of Kelsier's crew, who lead the revolution, must learn a whole new set of practical and political skills to help. It certainly won't get easier with three armies – one of them composed of ferocious giants – now vying to conquer the city, and no sign of the Lord Ruler's hidden cache of atium, the rarest and most powerful allomantic metal. As the siege of Luthadel tightens, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the Well of Ascension or what manner of power it bestows.
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Publisher:
New York, NY : Tor, 2007.
Edition:
1st ed.
Series:
- Mistborn - #02
ISBN:
9780765356130
0765356139
9780765316882
0765316889
0765356139
9780765316882
0765316889
Call Number:
SANDERSON
Characteristics:
xii, 796 p. : maps ; 18 cm.
Subjects:
Courts and courtiers -- Fiction.
Sieges -- Fiction.
Fantasy fiction.
Sieges -- Fiction.
Fantasy fiction.
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gerieowens
Jan 19, 2012
gerieowens thinks this title is suitable for between the ages of 11 and 31
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Add a CommentSanderson seems to be gaining broader recognition and it is well-deserved. The Well of Ascension, for example, is a huge tome that primarily deals with political maneuvering and emotions, but it's still a page-turner. Looking back, I could probably sum up the plot in a few sentences, but the pacing (almost) never felt like it was dragging and while there is relationship drama, it isn't that false teen angst that drives me insane.
Vin and Elend are a sum greater than their parts as Elend tries to rule his country from the capital of Luthadel, after the death of the Lord Ruler. Vin is pragmatic, preferring action over analysis. Elend seems to have a bit of analysis paralysis, trying to make his country as fair as it can be, and always the optimist. However, the nobility of old isn't going to give up their positions of power without a fight...or assassins. Whatever does the job.
The pair rely on their old comrades to help them become the leaders the people need them to be, while Vin becomes more disturbed by the mists that are increasingly ominous and pervasive. Vin and her dead master Kelsier are the central figures of a new religious movement. A movement that Vin is completely uncomfortable with, but that Elend knows he will need to use to sway his people. Meanwhile, the city is under attack from multiple sources looking for the atium supplies of the Lord Ruler. Okay, maybe I couldn't explain the whole plot in a few minutes. There's a lot of plot. But all these forces are pulling on Vin and Elend in different ways, and they both wonder if they have betrayed, or let down, the other in some way.
A star off for: extended navel-gazing. Yes, it does get overwhelming sometimes. Also, if you're looking for any sort of diversity, you're not going to find it here. This is a milquetoast world. And, can we talk about these covers? Who stole these covers off of 1970s sci-fi? Horrible.
Sanderson takes the time to create characters that are full and developed, even as he drives the plot forward. I'm not a big reader of these long fantasy cycles, but this is a series I will keep reading and an author I will look for again and again.
Book 2
The twists, turns, mysteries, reveals, and dynamic character development and world-building continue in the second book of the Mistborn trilogy. The complexity and depth make it clear the author REALLY knows his business and seriously thought this saga through. The ending promises a genuinely epic third installment which you will certainly want to dive into as soon as possible.
Bloated book that seems to never end. Good enough to want to find out what happens, but bad enough that I wished I had never started.
The ending of this book is so unexpected. It is an amazing ending!
Excellent - keeps you guessing. Good plot.
As well as being high fantasy, this book was a wonderful read. i usually prefer my main character to be male, but Vin was a wonderful piece of character i had yet to see. The way the characters grow and learn from their mistakes are what truly put this on my Favorite Books list.
I can't stop reading this series! The plot is so intriguing, and the twists in the story keep making me re-think everything. This book seemed like it rambled on way too much making it hard to read, but I enjoyed it.
An amazing book! Brandon Sanderson writes so well. He has shades of Tolkien's master fantasy story telling and shades of Charles Dickens subtle hints and suspense, yet he is still his own unique author with a unique, awesome magic system.
The second book in the Mistborn trilogy - this really could have used an editor with a stronger hand. It just rambled on for so long. Just under 800 pages, it was okay but I never felt that it was that interesting that it justified the pages and time spent reading it.
Just too much time narrating fight scenes of all things and so much navel gazing. I like insight into characters as much as the next person but please make it interesting.