The Hero of Ages - Brandon Sanderson

Published by Dragonsteel Entertainment/Tor Books: New York, NY, 2008.
The third book in the 'Mistborn' trilogy: 'The Final Empire'; 'The Well of Ascension'; 'The Hero of Ages.' 

It wasn't long until I got out book three (spoilers for book two will follow).

The Hero of Ages wraps up the first Mistborn trilogy, following Elend, Vin and their allies as they seek to defeat the ever-expanding reach of the mists, as well as facing the increasing power of Ruin, a dark 'god' who Vin inadvertently released from its prison in the second book. Now that Elend is a Mistborn Allomancer as well, he is finally able to be more hands-on in the warfare side of the struggle, and the dynamics between he and Vin are more complicated than before, but also more trusting. This is particularly important because Ruin is able to hear whatever someone speaks, meaning that the duo must occasionally keep their plans secret even from one another.

Between books two and three Vin and Elend have begun following clues left by the Lord Ruler that they hope will enable them to defeat Ruin, and this leads them to siege Fadrex City, something that Elend feels conflicted about; as the book progresses he is repeatedly challenged by how much like the Lord Ruler he is needing to become.

This book also makes room for a subplot involving Spook, who until now has been a minor player. A strange accident and a vision of a fallen friend grants Spook a new talent, and with it the chance to influence a city towards rebellion against its tyrannical ruler. Meanwhile, separately, Sazed is struggling with a crisis of faith. Having lost his love in book two, he has also lost motivation. He is now taking the time to go through the ancient religions he has stored in his metalminds and eliminate them one by one whenever inconsistencies turn up. These two sub-plots are where Sanderson puts most of his philosophical and religious discussion this time around, until the end, when it takes centre-stage for the first time in the trilogy.

Another well written and interesting book, though perhaps not quite as thrilling as the first two installments. The philosophical and religious discussions are also interesting, although where Sanderson ends up in this book speak to me of some of the peculiarities of his Mormon background, rather than being elements I relate to. This is definitely a trilogy I enjoyed, and one that I may even return to in the future.

I happen to own the first book in a sequel trilogy, and will be checking that out soon. 

Completed 11 December 2022.

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