544 pages
English language
Published Aug. 7, 2006 by Tor.
For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison.
Kelsier "snapped" and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark. Kelsier recruited the underworld's elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Only then does he reveal his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, …
For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison.
Kelsier "snapped" and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark. Kelsier recruited the underworld's elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Only then does he reveal his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the divine despot. But even with the best criminal crew ever assembled, Kel's plan looks more like the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into his life.
Like him, she's a half-Skaa orphan, but she's lived a much harsher life. Vin has learned to expect betrayal from everyone she meets, and gotten it. She will have to learn to trust, if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed.
This saga dares to ask a simple question: What if the hero of prophecy fails?
I can't say I wasn't entertained, but somehow I wasn't 100% sold. The characters were relatable, and I liked the general comradery of the main characters.
It was a good change from my usual fare, even though the magic system (which was cool) felt a bit too much like science fiction with it's many rules and identifiable patterns.
In the world Vin survives in, ash falls from the sky and streets are filled with dirt and soot. There is no green nor the warmth of sun. The Lord Ruler is the immortal that has controlled the Final Empire for centuries and murdered/enslaved countless people. However, somes slaves are mistborns - people who are able to control metals - and they are preparing to fight back.
I finally finished this book, hurrah! I feel like I spent one century reading about Vin's inner feelings of mistrust towards Humanity in general. However, Vin's world is brilliantly built, allomancy is superbly structured and the characters are profound and easy to like. But I am pretty sure this book could have been told in 300 pages and no one would miss the other 200. I am torn because the whole idea behind the book deserves 5 starts but the actual storytelling only …
In the world Vin survives in, ash falls from the sky and streets are filled with dirt and soot. There is no green nor the warmth of sun. The Lord Ruler is the immortal that has controlled the Final Empire for centuries and murdered/enslaved countless people. However, somes slaves are mistborns - people who are able to control metals - and they are preparing to fight back.
I finally finished this book, hurrah! I feel like I spent one century reading about Vin's inner feelings of mistrust towards Humanity in general. However, Vin's world is brilliantly built, allomancy is superbly structured and the characters are profound and easy to like. But I am pretty sure this book could have been told in 300 pages and no one would miss the other 200. I am torn because the whole idea behind the book deserves 5 starts but the actual storytelling only deserves 3. I am going to settle for 4 and dread to read the 2nd book because it will be slower and I will not care if everyone dies (that is how trilogies work, after all). I may be finished with this trilogy when I am retired in 50 years...
