Phew, I literally only just finished this trilogy in time for a review this week. It was cutting it fine, but I just about made it - I definitely thought I'd have more time for reading over the Christmas break, but between house renovations and unseasonably good weather that couldn't be ignored, it didn't leave me much time to relax with a good book! I can't even remember how many people have recommended this trilogy to me as a fantasy fan, both online and in person, and to be honest it seemed pretty criminal that I hadn't, considering the level of praise it - and Brandon Sanderson in general - gets. But in all honesty (and let me dig a foxhole for shelter from the potential backlash here), I just wasn't blown away by it; the weather and the rest of life weren't the only reasons I didn't get as much reading as I'd hoped done. I just wasn't hyped to pick these up.
A short synopsis so as not to give away too much of the 2nd and 3rd books:
In the Final Empire, the Lord Ruler is both Emperor and God, an all-powerful immortal being who keeps his noble citizens in check and the Skaa peasants enslaved. For 1000 years, this has been the way of things, while ash falls from the red sky during the day, and sinister mists creep over the land at night, the Lord Ruler has governed with an iron fist, terrifyingly invincible.
1000 years, but the Skaa have not lost hope. A new revolutionary leader has arrived in the capital of the final empire a brilliant criminal mastermind with the power of Allomancy. Mistborn Kelsier, his street urchin protégé Vin and his crew of thieves and conmen, are hellbent on overthrowing the authoritarian dictator, but what if the devil you know is better than the devil you don't? Revolution is one thing but what if the Lord Ruler, as evil as he is, is actually holding something far, far worse at bay?
Okay, so what was good? Something that a lot of people bring up when they praise Sanderson is the magic, and how logical it is. I can't fault that. It's an interesting, unique concept - certain people are able to "burn" metals, and the magical powers gained from this burning is dependent on the metal in question: burning steel gives you the ability to "push" metals away from you, while its counterpart, iron results in the ability to pull metals towards you. Burning pewter increases physical strength and dexterity, while tin increases senses etc. Most people - Mistings are only able to burn and utilise one metal, while the very rare, and special Mistborns can use all the metals available, making them formidable foes and incredible warriors. This also means that the fight scenes are fantastic. I love a rich, intense, blow-by-blow fight scene, and will happily read pages upon pages of them. The worldbuilding is great, there's huge amounts of depth there, and this red-skied, mist-bathed and ash-coated land that Sanderson creates really comes to life. Unfortunately, I just didn't feel like the characters came to life within it.
Don't get me wrong, there were some characters I really gelled with - I liked Spook more and more as the Trilogy progressed, Kelsier was fantastic - a charming rogue, my favourite kind, and in the second half of the trilogy the Kandra came into their own - particularly TenSoon. However, considering Vin is meant to be the main character, I just wasn't interested in her. There's a lot of teenage angst for something that isn't a YA book, and it really doesn't seem like the other characters are particularly interested in her either - in fact, throughout the second book, and even after she's more than proved she's an incredibly strong, capable Allomancer, many of the other characters talk over Vin, discuss her as if she's not there and (my least favourite) ignore her valid points and concerns about the enemy, instead opting to tell her how gorgeous she is.
I did enjoy the first book, but I can remember my main feeling after finishing the first book a few weeks ago, and it mostly centred around "are you trying to tell me that there are absolutely no other women in the Underground? Not a single other woman is capable of or willing to be recruited for the cause to overthrow the Lord Ruler?" The severe lack of female characters is somewhat rectified in the second and third book, but at best, none get the character development afforded to the male side characters and at worst, seem to only be around to drive the character development (/existential crises/love sideplots) of the men. Speaking of love, one of my biggest pet peeves in any form of media is being told repeatedly that two characters are in love, but not being shown it. The relationships between most of the romantic pairings seem to spring from nowhere with little basis (stalking doesn't count, Spook), and the biggest offender is Vin/Elend. Maybe it's just me, but I don't feel the chemistry here at all, except for their first couple of meetings. After that actual meaningful interaction is discarded in favour of the characters just ruminating on how in love they are, but yet don't deserve each other - without actually allowing us to see that love first hand, instead just becoming insufferable mopes.
Oh my GOD these books were too long. By halfway through the second book (which definitely suffered from middle book syndrome anyway), it felt like Sanderson was trying to hit a word limit - every other paragraph was a completely unnecessary recap of past events/lore or a character reminiscing the same events repeatedly or reminding us of the laws of Allomancy. As if he didn't trust us to remember his complex story ourselves, he had to make sure we were reminded every two minutes. This was just tedious, and I often found myself skimming paragraphs to skip past the recapping - never a good sign. There's absolutely nothing wrong with a big chonky book, but when you finish each instalment with the impression that the same story could have been told in 400 pages instead of 700, someone needs a word with their editor. Luckily it kinda pulled it all back in the last 100 pages or so; Sanderson turns the volume up to 11, puts the pedal to the metal, and other overdrive related phrases, and absolutely hurtles through the end of the story. An ending which I definitely did enjoy and stopped me from walking away with a bitter taste in my mouth. I'm glad about the ending, I am. I did really enjoy the first book, but the second two just wore. me. down, so it was great to see a return to the original quality. If only the whole trilogy had been that good. When Sanderson gets to the action, he really gets to the action. It's just a shame we have to sit through so much dry exposition before we get there.
Overall, I can see how people love this series, but I just don't think Sanderson is for me. I'll be the first to put my hands up and say I don't have flawless taste, and my favourites certainly have their issues - each to their own. I do think it's worth reading, and maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I'd spread it out instead of binging all three books close together, but I can't see myself picking up any more Sanderson, unless someone convinces me that his other books are better.
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