Fantasy Book Club Series discussion
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The Well of Ascension
Mistborn
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Well of Ascension Part II-Ghosts in the Mist
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Wow this section was hard to put down. I am already mostly through the next bit. I really like the way Sanderson breaks his sections and they seem to have overarching motivations. Part 1 was about resetting the setting/conflict. Part 2 was about establishing new conflicts... I like the evolution of Elend (with the help of Tindwyl). I feel like she says a lot of poignant things about leadership as well. Then of course she and Vin go shopping! Awesome!
We also get a short scene/look at how Allomancers would be used in battle (with the attack on the walls). It seems like every Misting has a well thought out role in battle and that was fun.
The fight scenes between Zane and Vin are also amazing. Real neat stuff. I can't wait to see how the magic system evolves.
Maggie, I can understand you about the dresses thing. On one hand I'm very much not interested in what I sometimes judge as overly feminine things. However, there are plenty of women who are. To always have tough female characters who don't care for clothes or make up or boys would be just as false as always having female characters being interested in these things. She's still annoying to me though.I like Tindwyl too. And crazy Zane is very interesting.
Mod
It seems there is some history with Tindwyl and Sazed to find out about as well...
Just reading this now. Zane is certainly interesting, I see the beginnings of the XMen story line here. Is his ultimate goal to unite all the mistborn together? It seems likely so far. He has spent time measuring her, helping in some cases and whilst fighting has not really tried to hurt her. Just testing.The sazed character is good. I enjoy reading his story, Sanderson manages to put an emphasis on intensity with Sazed, You always know when you reading him that it will be thoughtful and intense.
Must say, Sanderson writes a very easy style, it is simple to pick up and carry on, I have never felt bogged down in anyway. Ironically, as a person who sometimes complains about over descriptive prose (China Melville), I am a little sad that we have not had more visualisation of the world. I had almost forgotten about the ash and the lack of colour until it came up again about green trees. I think I need reminding just what kind of world it is some more again.
I am not reading this book now but i remember disliking Elend alot, and i did not find his relationship wth Vin believable. The whole "he don't love me" insecurity thing annoyed the heck out of me.Zane was the most realistic person in the book. He's chapter's were great.
I just finished the book and for some reason I'm really hating Vin this time. A lot. Elend doesn't bother too much on his own but with Vin...I'm just not liking the love story at all. Now the rest of the book I love.
This was a good part to read. My initial complains subsided after the part where Vin and OreSeur talked about their hate toward each other (or rather Vin's hate toward OreSeur), finally Vin realizing her hostility toward kandra was very unjust. I loved how they started to get along better and finally making an effort for real teamwork. In this chapter I don't dislike Vin :D Now that Tindwyl is here, I can tolerate Elend-Vin couple better. Zane is an interesting character, I liked reading his part in the story. I have found myself wishing a proper romance between Zane-Vin, mainly because Vin and Zane's interactions are more believeable route for a romance unlike Elend-Vin.
One thing that bothered me this time that crew takes their sweet time to catch the impostor spy. They don't have the luxury to let their strategies be leaked to Straff like that. Meeting with Straff was almost a big fiasco and Elend still have to think why his father didn't react the way he thought...hello? Maybe a spy leaked your plan to him? A spy you 100% sure is somewhere in the Keep Venture and highly suspect he can be someone in the heart of the operation.
Breeze made me laugh a lot. Cett's daugher coming after him like that. I can't help suspecting her, though. She acts a bit too naive for a lady of her station.
Mod
Mach wrote: "I am not reading this book now but i remember disliking Elend alot, and i did not find his relationship wth Vin believable. The whole "he don't love me" insecurity thing annoyed the heck out of me...."Interesting. Normally I get quite frustrated by romantic subplots in books, especially the mutually-insecure, screw-it-up-because-neither-of-you-think-you're-good-enough-for-the-other type. However, I thought that Sanderson handled it quite well, exploring the issues and character traits involved, but wrapping it up quickly enough that it didn't become aggravating.
I thought that, after a bit of a slow start, the 2nd novel was better than the first. I never really clicked with Kelsier (a bit too cavalier, in his lethal manner), and all the relationships seemed kind of frivolous or shallow to me. I find it curious that Sanderson seems to take care to avoid graphic description of details, while at the same time huge numbers of people are being killed. I was originally irritated with the excessive description of which metal was doing what, but I either finally settled into Sanderson's narrative style, or the story got better. No question that it's a fairly complex plot. I'll not be putting this series on my top-shelf list, but yes, I will read the third book ;-)
No spoilers, but I will say I wasn't as impressed with the first two as I was when I first read them. But the third is fantastic so far.
* Meant out of the entire series. Actual book three not section three of book two. That's really confusing. :)
Glad to hear that about the third book, Traci. I'll start on it as soon as I finish The Girl Who played With Fire. (but wait---I also have the most recent George RR Martin and Patrick Rothfuss novels awaiting my attention. Ack!)
I also like the sparring between Zane and Vin, he does seem to be teaching/saving her. I wonder if he hears the voice when he sees her. I can't remember if Sett's daughter turned up before the second set of bones? I seem to be racing through the book all of a sudden and might have to read on.
@ Helen, Cett's daughter shows up after the bones.
So much going on here. I am especially interested in the koloss army and how that will play out. I see Vin and Elend beginning to be not so close. I think that some of what Zane is saying about being different and often being used by others is getting to her. I also wonder about Zane and his relationship with Straff. I just can't see him being very loyal to Straff, I mean, he was apparently sent to the mines by his own father and is now certainly being 'used' by Straff. Curious to see how this part of the story works out. All in all, I am still very much into the story and find myself looking forward to more.
So much going on here. I am especially interested in the koloss army and how that will play out. I see Vin and Elend beginning to be not so close. I think that some of what Zane is saying about being different and often being used by others is getting to her. I also wonder about Zane and his relationship with Straff. I just can't see him being very loyal to Straff, I mean, he was apparently sent to the mines by his own father and is now certainly being 'used' by Straff. Curious to see how this part of the story works out. All in all, I am still very much into the story and find myself looking forward to more.
Vin and Elend seem to be growing apart with their different views on dealing with city seige. Elend is to nieve to be a king. Everyone seems to be doing their own thing around him.
I really enjoyed Sanderson's description of the koloss. They are delightfully gruesome and I'm really impressed by Sanderson's imagination with these!Also Zane is my favorite character so far, I hope we get more parts from his POV.
Thanks Stephen, I was trying to work out the identity of the spy, I failed.
I think things are really starting to move along here!
Vin and OreSouer seem to be more in accord...
The politics are very real-world frustrating!...
the mystery of 'who is the kandra spy' is intriguing,
and the tension re: the ghost in the mist is good.
I am loving that Sazed is back!
I know the issue of Vin having a thing for dresses bothers a lot of you. IMO, it kind of makes her more human, and makes me like her better....