Mistborn Boxed Set I: The Well of Ascension, Hero of Ages (The Mistborn Saga)

While I've always read a variety of books, it has been a while since I indulged in SciFi/Fantasy. Seemed like all the fantasy books involved dragons, wizards, elves, animals, and strange worlds, and that just did not appeal to me. But, my son, who inherited my love of reading, thrived on such things. Like a good son, he suggested, repeatedly, that I read one of his favorites. I, giving in finally, in turn made him promise to read In Conquest Born, just to show him that I still could recognize good books and SciFi and that I was familiar with something other than historical romance. He promised he would...and I finally read Mistborn.Wow!There's plenty of reviews and descriptions here, so I'll just stick with a short explanations of why I thoroughly enjoyed the trilogy, why I ordered my own hard copies, and why I will be reading it again and again....and why you will be, too.*It is not magic. Or, it isn't like the traditional magic most people think of. The whole system of powers based on metals is brilliant,detailed, and it makes sense. And, there's three of them! No foolish wand waving here.*The characters are engaging, understandable, real, and well-developed. There's no brooding hero who saves the world, no mysterious savior. Instead, there's a group who, working together, accomplish what appears to be impossible. Each character is distinct and has their own voice. And, thankfully, no one is perfect. These characters have their flaws, doubts, and weak moments. But, they do their best and look beyond just themselves. Anyone, we find, can be a hero.*The story is exciting and amazing. It's not as simple as good vs evil. Sometimes, life is not just black and white...and sometimes it is. Not only is the plot exciting, full of twists and surprises, but it will make you think and wonder.*It doesn't read like fantasy. Obviously, it is fantasy, since you swallow a penny and your parents will worry and watch until said penny makes its way out. Nobody will say, "Burn that copper, kid!" The story is much more than simple fantasy. You get caught up in the people, the adventure, and the world they live in, and don't notice. This is plain, good story-telling.*You can "see" it. By this I mean that the descriptions are rich and so well written, you can 'see' what is going on as you read it. I get lost in few books, but with this trilogy, I was THERE, choking on the ash, in awe of the noble keeps, sick and weary of the fight.*There's romance! Ah, well, I must admit I am a sucker for romance, particularly that involving angst and difficult times. While there's not so much in the first book, be assured there is more to come.*There's values. I am not interested in political science, however I found it fascinating how the author brought it into the story. Being a good leader, whether political or military, is not about following rules and laws or being mighty in strength. Yet, sometimes that is exactly what is most important. At one point in the trilogy, a leader must decide whether or not to follow the letter and spirit of the law, even though it would mean his loss of power. His decision was, for me, one of the most powerful moments in the story. Honor does have a place in leadership and politics.Also, there's an ongoing discussion of religion. While philosophy of this sort might not appeal to some, it is an important part of the whole. However, those who do not find it interesting can just gloss over it without giving it any more thought.*There's humor. I rarely enjoy anything, no matter how well written, if it does not involve humor of some sort. Sanderson manages to bring in quite a bit, despite the bleakness of the story.*There's plenty of it. Each book is about 700 pages long. Even so, you'll want more. And, with so much detail in this well-plotted and thought out world, you can reread it again (and again) gaining more insight and discovering small things you missed the first time around. In this case, knowing how things work out makes rereading it enjoyable since you can look for clues and details.*There's more! Well, sort of. There is a sequel,The Alloy of Law: A Mistborn Novel, set several hundred years ahead. New characters, but there's at least a connection...and the promise of more to come.And, why buy the boxed set? Four reasons:1. Saves you $$. This is the cheapest way to get the set. Who doesn't like saving money?2. After reading vol 1, Mistborn, you will want to read the others, and will certainly not want to wait for them to be delivered. Here ya go- all three, ready to read!3. Hard copies can be loaned or passed on to others. I'm not knocking ebooks- I have a Kindle HD and love it.4. The cover art is lovely. OK, so maybe this is not really a good reason. But, I like the printed covers, and I am the type that pays attention to them and how they relate to the story.I highly recommend the Mistborn Trilogy, whether you buy the boxed set, Kindle editions, or buy each book individually. I'll be paying closer attention to my son's suggestions in the future, for sure. (And, he'd better read In Conquest Born!)

I finished Mistborn yesterday. The only coherent thought I could find to express the way I felt was this:Whoa.Now that I've slept and had time to digest, I've been able to come up with a bit more by way of commentary.First, there is one BIG thing I need to get off my chest. WHAT THE HECK KIND OF BOOK IS THIS THAT <spoiler> AND IS STILL ABLE TO LEAVE ME FEELING SATISFIED WITH HOW THINGS TIE UP BY THE TIME I TURNED THE LAST PAGE?I'll tell you what kind of book this is . . . it's Incredible. Powerful. Meaningful. One in a Million. Destined to Become a Classic.Here's what I loved--The Story!When I say Mistborn, what I really mean is the three books that make up the Mistborn Trilogy: The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, and The Hero of Ages. Book one introduces the reader to a land ruled by a tyrant known as The Lord Ruler. The Lord Ruler, immortal and a self-proclaimed God, has ruled unchallenged for the last 1000 years. He calls his Kingdom "The Final Empire," implying there will be no more--The Lord Ruler intends to rule for ever. People are divided into two classes: Nobility, with their lavish life styles, and Skaa, the peasants who are slaves to the Nobles. Mistborn is the story of the Skaa revolution--finding the courage to over through The Lord Ruler and learning the hard way that leading isn't as easy as it seems.The Characters!Mistborn doesn't just have one great character--it has several. I hesitate to share too many details for fear of diminishing the reading experience for someone else. I'll simply say for me, strong characters = as strong story, and the heroes and villains of The Mistborn Trilogy are as strong as any I've ever read. They really got to me, and I felt for them. Even now that the story is over, they are still in my head and I want to know more. Really great, great characters.The Writing!Usually when I read a book, I like to notice the writing style of the author. How easy does the book read? Does the dialogue flow comfortably? Do the descriptions seamlessly take me to the place I'm reading about? I was several hours into the book before I realized I hadn't even noticed any of those usual things. Nothing about the writing was getting in the way of the story--no awkward phrasing, no quirkiness, no weird use of adjectives, dialogue that flowed easily. I really felt the writing was so smooth I didn't even notice the words.The Fight Scenes!And speaking of smooth writing--OH MY WORD! The fighting and battle scenes were incredible! Some of the characters have powers that help them do some pretty cool stuff (notice I'm being intentionally vague. I really hate spoilers). Picture a battle between Yoda and The Hulk, written in glorious detail--so much so that your heart starts racing and the hair stands up on the back of your neck and you want to yell out loud when it's over. I'm telling you...it's good.Believe it or not, I actually enjoyed the philosophical parts too--discussions on the purpose of religion and the role of government were integral to the story and made quite a lot of sense.And the ending? Well, imagine yourself reading through all 2000+ pages of an amazing book--dying to get to the end, building up your expectations, thinking you know exactly what is going to happen, knowing exactly what you want to have happen--and then when you finally get there the ending is so big all you can say is...Whoa.Mistborn is now on my Greatest Ever shelf. I hope it makes it to yours as well.There is no language or sex, but it is violent. I won't let my kids read it until they are 14 or 15.Enjoy!

The story, and the pace of his writing are both excellent. This is an emersive trilogy with interesting characters, twists and turns and plenty to keep you engaged. I have only just begun reading fantasy in the last few years, but this is an epic story like Wheel of Time... but maybe better.