The Final Empire is the first book in the Mistborn saga by fantasy powerhouse author Brandon Sanderson. I really enjoyed reading this book, even though the copy I have bleeds ink like crazy and made my hands all grey. The girl at the bookstore told me that these were "like Tolkien but less dry," and she was absolutely right.
Summary
Kelsier is a revolutionary. He seeks to use his Allomantic powers - the ability to ingest and use metals to manipulate other energies - to overthrow the Final Empire, which has stood for a thousand years. The apparently immortal Lord Ruler supposedly defeated a mysterious enemy known as the Deepness a thousand years ago and has been imposing his tyrannical rule over the people ever since.
Vin is a skaa, the lowest class of people in the Final Empire. She is part of a thieving crew, moving from job to job to get enough money to make it through the week. Her goal in life is just to stay alive - until she meets Kelsier. Unbeknownst to her until now, Vin is a Mistborn - she can manipulate all 10 Allomantic metals instead of just one. Kelsier adopts her into his fold of revolutionaries, all skaa who wish to throw off the oppression of the Final Empire, and trains her to use her powers as a Mistborn. Together, they seek to infiltrate the courts of the nobility and take down the Empire from the top - by eliminating the Lord Ruler.
Initial Reaction
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The magic system and political/religious structure were somewhat difficult to understand, but it made it a bit like a scavenger hunt trying to find the different pieces to put the systems together. I'm left with some questions at the end of it, but because it's setting up a 7 book series, that seems typical to me. Overall, I thought it was a really great book and I had a good time reading it.
What's Important
The magic and political/religious structures were what stood out most to me in this book. This world is set up in such a complex way that learning it was a bit like hunting for the details. The explanations we are given are due to the nature of the main characters, Vin and Kelsier - the student and teacher. I've always found that this is a good way to introduce lore - to have a more knowledgable character explain it to a newbie. I'm excited to see what comes in the next six books.
Rating
I give the first Mistborn book by Brandon Sanderson 4 out of 5 stars. It didn't hold my attention as much as other books that I've read, probably because of the density of the material, but it was still very enjoyable. I think the next books will be easier to read since I know about the lore and magic systems now. Looking forward to the next books!
