The Final Empire, by Brandon Sanderson, starts with a bang and ends in suit but it suffers in the middle. Originally released in 2006 this epic fantasy book came out right when the genre was being revitalized.
By Patrick Pane
Mistborn came out at just the right time about three years after The Lord of The Rlngs: Return of the King, a hugely successful film in the popular movie trilogy, Sanderson’s Mistborn is unique within what has become a bloated genre. Something that largely makes Sanderson unique in what has become something of a bloated genre is his attention to detail. Everything in Mistborn seems to have been planned out from the start, with sensible twists and turns throughout the story. Sanderson’s magic systems also stand out with their rigid rules that make it clear what can and can’t be done. The characters use their abilities creatively in ways that are within the boundaries that Sanderson has developed. This attention to detail underllnes space as a geek first, author second. By no means is this an insult. Rather, it means that Sanderson is interested in considering the kinds of minutia that are essential within the fantasy genre. In other stories there is almost typically a plot hole or some kind of continuity breaking event that disrupts the set rules of the universe. In Mistborn, however, this never happens. Anything that seems out of place within the ruleset given has a sensible and clear explanation.
While attention to detail is all well and good, one might expect a second book by such an author to be less amateurish. The writing within the story is bland and lacks the flowery speech of Tolkien’s work. Mistborn is sometimes too bland, leaving the reader with the sense that they just left the classroom in some sections. Furthermore, the dialogue is monotonous and one sided. In Sandersons attempts to spell out the rules of the universe (through the wonderful Kelsier) he makes the dialogue a one sided info dump. To Sandersons advantage, though, the things being stated are interesting enough to keep someone invested, but the pacing certainly does suffer for it. The dialogue is also somewhat unrealistic with the way characters speak to each other being extremely formal. This formality seems quite unlike the main character Vin, a thief with special powers.
Along with the dull dialogue there is also a romance, one that could be interesting but for Sandersons romantic writing ability. Sanderson, when it comes to romance, seems to go by the idea of tell don’t show something even more egregious(Mcdonaldsn the later books. The romance is full of constant thought about it but little action, the protagonist thinks and mulls over her feelings constantly but does little to show how she feels until the end.
On a positive note, the storytelling capability of Sanderson is still fantastic. While the story is mostly confined to Vin’s point of view there are other points of view scattered about adding to the depth of the world. Kelsiers POV’s were a constant highlight and they gave a great view into a fascinating character’s thought processes. The climax of the story is also absolutely fantastic with revelation after revelation and some of the best written combat scenes I have ever seen. No other author seems to be able to match Sandersons fights; they are detailed, intricate, and offer glimpses into the characters who fight akin to their personalities.
The story is overall fantastic and while there are certainly hiccups along the way, the book is truly amazing and an interesting view into another world. Mistborn the Final Empire is a great start to a great series and I would recommend it to any fantasy fan.