Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1) in Fantasy-Faction.com

Jul 01, 2018 Sarah E B rated it it was amazing

Shelves: most-depressing-dark-literature, series-continue, most-interesting-magic-system, some-kinda-magic, most-interesting-worlds, favorites, magic-user, bookception, books-about-books, read-2018

Reread, 12.31.2024

Having now reread The Final Empire for the third time this is what I have to say.. I'm still very really impressed with it. It holds together really well as a whole and unlike some other books I've read I don't recall any parts that seemed particularly weaker than the others. It's a hefty book but it has the same quality throughout, and then when the climax hits... it's like a season-long final battle with twists and turns that keep you engaged through the whole thing.

At least Reread, 12.31.2024

Having now reread The Final Empire for the third time this is what I have to say.. I'm still very really impressed with it. It holds together really well as a whole and unlike some other books I've read I don't recall any parts that seemed particularly weaker than the others. It's a hefty book but it has the same quality throughout, and then when the climax hits... it's like a season-long final battle with twists and turns that keep you engaged through the whole thing.

At least the last 3 hours of the 24-hour audiobook were all final battle. Naturally that's not possible for an 8-hour audiobook (a lot of YA is I think around 8-12 hours in audiobook form, though I could be wrong), but holy moly. I think a reason the audiobook is that long is partly because Sanderson's style is dense. There's a lot of character in the writing and I appreciate that a lot. One of Sanderson's strengths, in my opinion, is that he has a talent for showing you what the viewpoint character sees and only that, leaving the reader to guess and work out what's going on in their heads along with the character. It's an excellent use of limited point of view that keeps the story moving forward and the uncertainty works well to keep the reader engaged.

Also it has a fantastic magic system. I know Brandon Sanderson basically (as far as I know) created the theory of hard vs. soft magic systems but this is a masterclass in balance; what allomancy can do, particularly physically, is limited but can be leveraged in dozens of ways, which helps maintain the sense of awe and wonder. I am a huge fan of magic systems with hard limits, but this has to be one of my favorite solidly fleshed-out systems, up there with bending in Avatar: The Last Airbender and alchemy in Fullmetal Alchemist. It also has one of the best introductions to a magic system; it introduces the hard limits first, makes the magic finite and dependent on a specific source, which can run out... and then later on you find out that there's more complexity to it. In my opinion, that's one of the best ways to do it; first show the core functions and tenets, and then gradually introduce the ways that the assumptions surrounding that system are wrong, or technically correct yet misleading... much like advanced science courses.
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"re-read": 07.29.2021
Really cool read. I read this way back in late 2017 without knowing it was a series until much later. Without any spoilers, it went from a pretty unique and engaging storyline. It has some dry spots but overall a very nice read. It was this book when I become a fan of Brandon Sanderson's work. There is so much to love to the world-building/ magic system, to the characters. The only problem I have is how the romance between Vin and Elend. It just feels way too fast for me. I have heard that it does get more flushed out in the next book.

If you are a fan of fantasy, I would recommend this book (or anything else of Brandon Sanderson's). ...more

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Feb 28, 2014 Andrew Mulnix rated it it was amazing

I enjoyed it more this second read-through.

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Jan 11, 2013 Maikel rated it really liked it

Shelves: epic-fantasy

Well I have to say this book was a really pleasant read (not that I'd have expected anything else by Sanderson).
It's a pretty typical fantasy book with a couple of twists that at least I did not see coming which makes it interesting and hard to put down. There are plenty of lovable characters with enough depth to make them believable (though they could have been equipped with a couple more quirks to make them work perfectly for me), leaving us with a book that is hard to put down.
If you liked ot Well I have to say this book was a really pleasant read (not that I'd have expected anything else by Sanderson).
It's a pretty typical fantasy book with a couple of twists that at least I did not see coming which makes it interesting and hard to put down. There are plenty of lovable characters with enough depth to make them believable (though they could have been equipped with a couple more quirks to make them work perfectly for me), leaving us with a book that is hard to put down.
If you liked other Sanderson books you will probably enjoy this one as well. Same is true for readers new to fantasy. Those who are hoping for something on the scale of The Malazan Book of the Fallen, however, will probably be disappointed.

(view spoiler) ...more

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Sep 30, 2013 Roland rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2016

Typical Sanderson. This one while good did require a bit of time to read. I would only want to read 20-30 pages at a time. The concept of The 2 magic systems here is amazing. Series is interesting enough for me to continue at a future time. Elend and Vin are great characters and I want to see where it goes from here.

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Feb 24, 2013 Shaad Zaman rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: the-big-book-challenge, favorites, epic-fantasy, 2013, own, thieves-assassins, rereads

AThis book was AMAZING! What a fascinating world/magical system Alloamancy is? I have to say its probably one of the more unique magical system in fantasy! This is another 5 star! Cannot wait to start the next book! Have reading waytoo many fantastic novels lately!

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