Series: Book 1 in the Mistborn series
Rating: ****
Tags: Fiction, General, Fantasy, Fantasy Fiction, Epic, Courts and Courtiers, Women Revolutionaries, Lang:en
Summary
Sanderson's eerie second fantasy (after 2005's
Elantris), set in a mist-haunted, ash-ridden world,
pits Kelsier, "the Survivor of Hathsin," against the immortal
Lord Ruler's 1,000-year domination of both the Great Houses
and their serflike "skaa." Through Allomancy acquired in the
Ruler's most hellish prison, Kelsier can "burn" 10 metals
internally, fueling superhuman powers he uses to assemble
rebels in a loose plan to destroy the nobility, the empire
and the Lord Ruler himself. Kelsier uses Vin, a street urchin
with the same Mistborn powers Kelsier possesses, to
infiltrate the Great Houses' society, where she falls in love
with philosopher prince Elend Venture. This
mystico-metallurgical fantasy combines Vin's
coming-of-age-in-magic and its well-worn theme of revolt
against oppression with copious mutilations, a large-scale
cast of thieves, cutthroats, conniving nobles and exotic
mutants. The fast-paced action scenes temper Vin's
interminable ballroom intrigues, while the characters, though
not profoundly drawn, have a raw stereotypic appeal.
(July)
The Sliver of Infinity, the Lord Ruler, is the locus of
religious and temporal order in a world in which the skaa are
slaves or worse. Half-skaa erstwhile thief Kelsior is the
only person to survive and escape the Lord Ruler's most
brutal prison, in which, however, he discovered he has the
powers of the Mistborn, which are based on the internal
"burning" of certain metals, all of which the Mistborn can
use, while most others can burn only one. Now Kelsior plans
his most daring raid ever, into the center of the palace to
discover the secret of the Lord Ruler's power. Beforehand,
his band finds the half-skaa orphan Vin in another thieving
crew, where she's useful because she brings good luck. She is
also Mistborn and, if she can master and learn to trust her
powers, will enable Kelsior's crew to infiltrate the nobility
and possibly overthrow the status quo. Intrigue, politics,
and conspiracies mesh complexly in a world Sanderson realizes
in satisfying depth and peoples with impressive characters.
Regina Schroeder
From Publishers Weekly
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