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| Categories | Science Fiction & Fantasy |
| Author | Brandon Sanderson |
| Publisher | Tor Books; Reprint edition (March 14, 2023) |
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 608 pages |
| Item Weight | 1.25 pounds |
| Dimensions |
6.15 x 1.05 x 9.2 inches |
I. Book introduction
Mistborn: The Hero of Ages is an epic fantasy novel written by American author Brandon Sanderson. It was published on October 14, 2008, by Tor Books and is the third and final novel in the Mistborn trilogy. It is preceded by The Well of Ascension in 2007 and followed by The Alloy of Law in the Mistborn: Era 2 series, Wax and Wayne in 2011.
Now with over 10 million copies sold, The Mistborn Series has the thrills of a heist story, the twistiness of political intrigue, and the epic scale of a landmark fantasy saga.
Vin fulfilled the prophecy and released the power gathered in the Well of Ascension. But it was all a trick, and now the godlike being Ruin has been unleashed on the world, bent on its destruction by earthquake and Fire.
Having escaped death only through becoming a Mistborn himself, Emperor Elend Venture now hopes to find clues left behind by the Lord Ruler that will help them fight back. Legends speak of a hero, but were any prophecies not corrupted? To make up for being duped, Vin must unravel the truth so she can become the Hero of Ages before Ruin can wipe out all life on the planet.
Plot
The Hero of Ages is the prophesied savior of the Terris people, foretold to find and give up the power at the Well of Ascension, in a selfless act to save the world from the Deepness. A thousand years before the fall of the Final Empire, the Terrisman Worldbringer Kwaan believed that he had found the Hero of Ages in Alendi, a blacksmith’s son who rose to become the last ruler of Khlennium. However, as Alendi’s quest for the Well continued, Kwaan discovered that the Terris prophecies had been altered by a mysterious force called Ruin, whose power was contained within the Well. If the Hero of Ages released the power as the prophecies claimed needed to be done, Ruin would be free to destroy the world. Kwaan betrayed Alendi, instructing his nephew Rashek to kill him. Rashek then claimed the power for himself, remaking the world and forming the Final Empire which he ruled as the immortal Lord Ruler. A thousand years later, the Mistborn Vin defeated the Lord Ruler and, tricked by the same prophecies, released the power from the Well of Ascension, freeing Ruin.
Ruin wanted to destroy the world instantaneously but his power was too weak, as part of it had been taken and hidden by the opposing force, Preservation, long ago. Freedom from the Well of Ascension enabled Ruin to directly affect the world more, increasing ashfall from the ashmounts and summoning earthquakes to break the world apart; he could also influence people and control entire koloss armies. He used his thousand years of imprisonment to plot his escape and the subsequent destruction he would reap.
The Lord Ruler, in preparation of such an event, created storage caches containing resources such as food and water in cave complexes beneath certain cities, each one providing directions to the next. As Vin and Elend struggle to consolidate the remaining outposts of humanity, they hunt the storage caches, seeking hints left by the Lord Ruler and the missing atium stash. As they journey from cache to cache, the world itself begins to crumble, ash spewing forth in greater quantities, while the mists claim more people. The last two major unconquered cities are Fadrex City, which has reverted to the Lord Ruler’s old structure of mass oppression under the obligator Yomen, and Urteau, a rebel city where the Skaa are free, the nobility overpowered, and a former commoner titled the Citizen rules with increasing violence.
Sazed tries to establish diplomatic relations with the people of Urteau, while continuing to struggle with trauma from the recent death of his beloved, the Terriswoman Keeper Tindwyl. He studies religions, but has lost his own faith and yearns to find a religion that makes sense to him. He and Breeze work with Spook (who has developed strange abilities) to try and help Elend secretly take over Urteau. Meanwhile, TenSoon the kandra is imprisoned and sentenced to death by the kandra elders, while still trying to convince them that the kandra prophecies of the world ending are now happening, and that they must work together with the humans to save the world.
Vin and Elend try to conquer the city of Fadrex and discover more about how their world works; they discover strange patterns in the numbers of people dying after being exposed to the mists, as well as secrets regarding the art of Hemalurgy, which is used to create the koloss, the kandra, and the Inquisitors. Fearing that Ruin will discover their plans, they are unable to discuss their plans with each other. Yomen, the King of Fadrex City, captures Vin on an infiltration mission gone wrong. Elend, left without any choice, takes another koloss army under his control, but the last remnants of Preservation appear to him, warning him to not attack the city. Shortly later, Preservation finally dies. On the verge of the attack, Vin escapes, and Ruin reveals his ability to seize ultimate control over the koloss. Ruin turns the koloss against Elend and Yomen’s human armies, but before he can destroy them, Vin leads Ruin’s attention and armies away to Luthadel. There, Marsh and the remaining Steel Inquisitors (who are under Ruin’s control) battle Vin. On the verge of her death, Marsh briefly reasserts control and removes Vin’s earring (which is actually a Hemalurgic spike), allowing Vin to draw upon the true power of the mists, Preservation’s power. Vin ascends to become Preservation, trapped with Ruin upon another plane of existence, watching the world.
The kandra finally accept their doom, and Sazed finds his faith in the ancient Terris religion and the Hero of Ages. Urteau is saved, at a great physical cost to Spook, who has discovered that Ruin was influencing him with Hemalurgy. Elend leads the last of humanity to the Kandra homeland, the Pits of Hathsin, where Ruin’s power, or body, has been stored. Ruin has been fooling Vin and Elend into leading him to his body, which turns out to be the atium stash, hidden in the Kandra homeland all along. Surrounded and outnumbered, Elend realizes that the Mists have been snapping mistings, and that he has been provided with an army of atium mistings. He leads a desperate battle against the koloss, in vain. Marsh appears again and faces down Elend. Though Elend receives mystical aid from Vin, giving him unlimited metallic power, Marsh strikes Elend in the chest with an axe, which proves fatal. As he is dying, Elend reveals that his soldiers have burnt away all of Ruin’s body, the atium, in battle, so now Ruin can never recover his missing power. Vin realizes that Preservation gave of himself to create mankind so that mankind would be able to manifest both Preservation’s ability to create and Ruin’s ability to destroy. Having both abilities within her, Vin attacks Ruin directly, killing herself/Preservation, but also destroying Ruin.
Vin and many others thought that she was the Hero of Ages, but it is revealed to actually be the Terris Keeper Sazed. One major prophecy, “The Hero will bear the future of the world on his arms”, referred to Sazed’s Feruchemical copperminds on his arms. He uses the knowledge in these copperminds, along with the combined power of Preservation and Ruin, claimed from the fallen bodies of Vin and Ruin, to help reshape the world, re-aligning the sun and planets to stabilize the world, changing the red, volcanic ecology into a new paradise of blue skies, green foliage, gentle warming sun and rainbow flowers. Spook, Ham, Breeze, and the other survivors emerge to this newly reformed world, finding Vin and Elend’s reformed but still lifeless bodies in a field of flowers. A thick tome is found, written by Sazed, explaining his role as the Hero of Ages, the history of Ruin and Preservation’s conflict, and extensive knowledge about the Three Metallic Arts. A note is also left for Spook, revealing that Sazed had made him a Mistborn and healed the damages he had done to his own body over the course of the book, as well as the revelation that there are two metals which have yet to be discovered. Under Spook’s leadership, they begin their mission of rebuilding society.
About the Author (Brandon Sanderson)
Brandon Sanderson (Brandon Winn Sanderson, born December 19, 1975) is an American author of high fantasy, science fiction, and young adult books. He is best known for the Cosmere fictional universe, in which most of his fantasy novels, most notably the Mistborn series and The Stormlight Archive, are set. Outside of the Cosmere, he has written several young adult and juvenile series including The Reckoners, the Skyward series, and the Alcatraz series. He is also known for finishing Robert Jordan’s high fantasy series The Wheel of Time. Sanderson has created two graphic novels, including White Sand and Dark One.
A New York Times best-selling author, Sanderson created Sanderson’s Laws of Magic and popularized the idea of “hard magic” and “soft magic” systems. In 2008, Sanderson started a podcast with author Dan Wells and cartoonist Howard Tayler called Writing Excuses, involving topics about creating genre writing and webcomics. In 2016, the American media company DMG Entertainment licensed the movie rights to Sanderson’s entire Cosmere universe, but the rights have since reverted back to Sanderson. Sanderson’s March 2022 Kickstarter campaign became the most successful in history, finishing with 185,341 backers pledging $41,754,153.
II. Reviewer: The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
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1. OYSHIK reviews The Hero of Ages
The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
What an excellent read!! In this story, the plot was so intricate that it was difficult to guess. Before that, Sanderson weaved a complex world with a unique magic system. And the character development was so well in the whole series. The ending has such bittersweet, emotional moments that I couldn’t hold back my tears. It’s a perfect conclusion to a trilogy.
Lately, I feel like my life is a book written in a language I don’t know how to read.
Epic.
2. JESSICA reviews The Hero of Ages
omg. this series ends exactly the way ‘lost’ did and you cant convince me otherwise.
vin = jack
preservation = jacob
ruin = the man in black
sazed = hurley
that epilogue is basically when everyone meets at the church in the final episode. i teared up when i watched it then and i teared up as i read it now.
what made ‘lost’ such a great show was being able to follow how the characters found a sense of purpose and meaning in their lives and thats exactly what this series does.
i love the first book for the plot and world-building, the second for the characters, and i love this final installment for how it all comes together. its such a great mix of prophesy and free agency, legend and reality, hope and despair. kelsier taught vin that there is a consequence for every action, every push has a pull, and i think BS not only shows this balance in the physical aspect of allomancy, but also in the desires and development of the characters. what a rewarding feeling finally seeing how each characters journey concludes compared to how they first saw themselves and then how they finally accepted their role in everything.
overall, an amazing ending to a really unique and immersive series.
PS. on a completely unrelated side note, i hate how my brain sees taylor swift every single time i look at this cover. lol.
↠ 4.5 stars
3. THARINDU DISSANAYAKE reviews The Hero of Ages
“It’s been a while since I’ve been to a ball.”
From the magnificent outset of The Final Empire, then the masterful re-alignment of plotlines in The Well of Ascension, it’s time for the big finale of Mistborn Era 1. I had thought that I might end up expecting too much from The Hero of Ages, but who am I kidding… Sanderson ALWAYS delivers!
“An easy life taught one very little.”
The author’s consistency in world building, character development, story-telling, and everything else is unbelievable. Usually, it is somewhat expected for a reader to feel the repetitive nature of these elements by the time they arrive at the end of a trilogy, but not so with Mistborn. There is always something new, and mysterious that will keep you fully immersed. But to keep things short, I’ll not repeat the lengthy praise I did for the first two books.
“Koloss sighted!”
Most readers will start this third book with the anticipation of the big battle that had been in the making during The Well of Ascension… and you will experience it, from the beginning to the end, distributed among a series of small battles, each getting more and more thrilling. Sanderson’s vivid narrative continuously bombards us with a non-stop sequence of action-packed, fast-paced, and entertaining encounters among multiple parties, working slowly its way towards a final battle.
“Belief isn’t simply a thing for fair times and bright days, I think. What is belief – what is faith – if you don’t continue in it after failure.”
Sanderson still manages to narrate the events in multiple fronts with different POVs, while not letting the reader get too distracted from the happenings of one particular sequence. This is something I’m always worried about, because when one is invested in one particular plotline, it is easy to skim over the next chapters until you are back at your favorite. But each thread here was equally entertaining and immersive, which kept me equally engaged throughout the entire book.
”I have delved and searched, and have only been able to come up with a single name: Adonasium. Who, or what, it was, I do not yet know.”
And that’s not all! In addition to all the battles, a major part of the book is devoted to finally explaining the underlying principles behind Hemalurgy, Feruchemy, Inquisitors, Koloss, and Kandra. Most of the things that went unsaid with the first two books finally began to make sense by the end of this final book. The post-climax chapters and the epilogue did a nice job of making sure most of the unexplained elements were properly explained.
”There’s always another secret.”
For me, Mistborn has been the perfect fantasy series. It’s no wonder that so many readers have come to love this series, becoming completely invested in all the characters and the world. It doesn’t happen often, but I think I have a new measuring-stick to evaluate all my future fantasy reads. Time for a small detour to Elantris, before I resume the Era 2.
“In the end, they will kill us. But first, they shall fear us.”
I actually think everything is going to be all right. Finally.
4. TOBY reviews The Hero of Ages
Riveting read with unexpected conclusions
I’ll start by saying this book is not my favorite Brandon Sanderson book, but continues with riveting plot reveals and satisfying character archs that make the read worth the time. The conclusion of this trilogy with this book is unexpected. Nothing about the outcomes are remotely predictable which is makes this novel a success. Familiar characters with a driving plot force of how can this possibly play out . Overall this book was enjoyable, paced well, and provided character development of some characters that were not fleshed out well in earlier books.
5. KELSEY BOWMAN reviews The Hero of Ages
Incredible
This series was my introduction to Sanderson. While most people I know who have read the series did so pretty quickly, it took me longer than I had anticipated to get through the books. I think it is because Sanderson is such a thorough storyteller and I wanted to absorb everything. This was one of the most beautiful endings to a series I have read. These characters will stay with me for a very long time and I believe that when they begin to fade from my memory, will read this story again.
6. RICK PINE reviews The Hero of Ages
Wonderful well thought out story hours of pleasure
I have yet to be disappointed with any Brandon Sanderson book. The world said he has created our well thought through and often through their story raise questions that are essential to mankind such as who is God who are we in relation to God ,what is important in life, loyalty, compassion and many other ideas. Thank you for an incredible ride.
7. ROB reviews The Hero of Ages
Mind = blown!!!! COSMIC!
I recommend getting the 6×9 size! I got the smaller ones at first and the spine just can’t take the abuse of a single, gentle read-through. And these are SO PRETTY and take up less shelf space! Worth the extra $! After reading the first two books in the series, I did NOT expect the story to take such an epic, cosmic turn! This is the most satisfying “end” to a series I have EVER read!! I am now a Brandon Sanderson fan for life and plan to read ALL his books! In order the books I have read so far are, Mistborn, The Well of Ascension, The Hero of Ages, Elantris, and The Hope of Elantris (a short story from Arcanum Unbounded). I am now reading the White Sand omnibus and have The Most Boring Book Ever on pre-order! My collection is rapidly growing and looks beautiful on my shelf!
8. VAL reviews The Hero of Ages
Wow.
Well, that ending was both beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. I am in mourning for so many of the characters I came to love over the many pages of this series, but I feel at peace as well.
There are already SO many reviews out there for this and I am sure I have nothing original or all that thought-provoking to add…but I will say that I am amazed at Sanderson’s skill and planning in crafting this series.
I can’t wait to tackle Stormlight once my heart has recovered a bit.
PS…It’s reading books like this that make me want to be stingier with my star ratings in general. Because THIS and some of the trash I’ve 5-starred are just not in the same league. Thank God for the smut scale so I feel better smashing the stars on my smut books; however, another good reminder for me to be a little more discerning with my non-smut ratings and not feel bad about it.
9. ANNA reviews The Hero of Ages
5th read. I think I need to read this once a year. 2020: “I tried to channel every bit of apocalyptical fantastical idea I’d had over the years, holding nothing back.” (Sanderson) No, you truly held nothing back: this series is just freaking brilliant, amazing, magnificent, mind-blowing, heart-stopping… *checks thesaurus and finds there are no words to better describe it*. So yes, Mr. Sanderson, you more than managed to “stick the landing with this book” (cf. preface).
It’s not just the complex world-building and mythology, the layered characters and the intricate plot I’ve praised before that leave me in awe of the author’s imagination and literary genius; it’s also how brilliantly the language fits this apocalyptic world – it’s not poetic, ornate, elaborate – it’s utilitarian, it’s stripped down. It’s bleak, it cuts to the core. It’s a knife to the heart. And it’s all done so freaking casually!
For those few of you keeping track, this has definitely made into into my special reading happy place, despite (or maybe because of?) the fact that it had me frequently quite HAPPILY UNHAPPY. And, by the way, the talented Michael Kramer reading the audiobooks is almost as magical as the great Stephen Fry reading HP.
My advice: If you haven’t read this series, you’re truly missing out on life!
Not convinced yet? Let me sway you 😊:
The Final Empire
The Well of Ascension.
PS: The only thing I would change is my horrible timing – I really should have saved this masterpiece for a time I’m not swamped with work. And yet, I will still read the next Mistborn book ASAP (set 300 years later and with different protagonists) despite it. I just can’t help myself and will most likely curse myself for it – again.
PPS: I’m still Anna, the Bran. San. Stan.
10. GILLIAN reviews The Hero of Ages
“Faith means that it doesn’t matter what happens. You can trust that somebody is watching. Trust that somebody will make it all right.”
4.5 stars!
This book was great! I was completely immersed in this action-packed and intriguing fantasy from the very beginning. This book was a great conclusion to an epic series. I was engaged in the story the whole time and and plot was very interesting. The world building was excellent, the author spent a great deal of time explaining even more of the past and providing several shocking revelations. The writing was very descriptive and cinematic, I felt I was watching the whole story unfold in my mind. I felt so many deep emotions, I smiled and I cried. The plot twists and reveals kept me at the edge of my seat. This book reminded me why I love fantasy so much; the world building, the character development and the plot were all excellent.
The characters were very complex and developed. I love Vin, she has a great deal of determination, strength, kindness and fierceness. I loved watching her grow in her strength throughout these books. She is a relatable and inspiring character. I also love Elend, he has changed a lot during this series especially his confidence, strength and finding the balance between kindness and grit. The side characters all have my heart as well especially Sazed, Spook, Ham and Breeze. I really enjoyed the romance between Elend and Vin, they understand each other and are protective of one another. I wished that there were more romantic scenes between Elend and Vin. The ending was heartbreaking and also beautiful.
Overall I recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy, awesome characters and excellent world building.
III. The Hero of Ages Quotes by Brandon Sanderson
The best book quotes from The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
“A man is what he has passion about,” Breeze said. “I’ve found that if you give up what you want most for what you think you should want more, you’ll just end up miserable.”
“The nature of the world is that when we create something, we often destroy something else in the process.”
“Never let your life depend on the competence of someone whose life isn’t also on the line.”
“Somehow, we’ll find it. The balance between whom we wish to be and whom we need to be. But for now, we simply have to be satisfied with who we are.”
“If you give up what you want most for what you think you should want more, you’ll end up miserable.”
“Elend smiled. “Oh, come on. You have to admit that you’re unusual, Vin. You’re like some strange mixture of a noblewoman, a street urchin, and a cat. Plus, you’ve mangaged – in our short three years together – to kill not only my god, but my father, my brother, and my fiancée. That’s kind of like a homicidal hat trick.”
“Lately, I feel like my life is a book written in a language I don’t know how to read.”
“Faith means that it doesn’t matter what happens. You can trust that somebody is watching. Trust that somebody will make it all right.”
“Well, Vin says that there’s something behind all this, right? Some evil force of doom or whatever? Well, if I were said force of doom, then I certainly wouldn’t have used my powers to turn the land black. It just lacks flair. Red. Now, that would be an interesting color. Think of the possibilities–if the ash were red, the rivers would run like blood. Black is so monotonous that you can forget about it, but red–you’d always be thinking, ‘Why, look at that. That hill is red. That evil force of doom trying to destroy me certainly has style.”
“It’s a mystery,” Vin said, narrowing her eyes and smiling. “We Mistborn are incredibly mysterious.”
Elend paused.” Um…I’m Mistborn too, Vin. That doesn’t make any sense.”
“We Mistborn need not make sense,” Vin said.” It’s beneath us. Come on-the sun’s already down. We need to get moving.”“It sounds to me, young one,” Haddek said, “that you are searching for something that cannot be found.”
“The truth?” Sazed said.
“No,” Haddek replied. “A religion that requires no faith of its believers.”“Why did they believe? Because they saw miracles. Things one man took as chance, a man of faith took as a sign. A loved one recovering from disease, a fortunate business deal, a chance meeting with a long lost friend. It wasn’t the grand doctrines or the sweeping ideals that seemed to make believers out of men. It was the simple magic in the world around them.”
“For now, I only wish to make a simple acknowledgement of the woman who held the power just before me.
Of all of us who touched it, I feel she was the most worthy.”“There has to be a balance, Vin,” Elend said. “Somehow, we’ll find it. The balance between whom we wish to be and whom we need to be.” He sighed. “But for now,” he said, nodding to the side, “we simply have to be satisfied with who we are.”
“I am, unfortunately, the Hero of Ages.”
“Ham smiled. “Cett’s going to be furious.”
Elend shrugged. “He’s a paraplegic. What’s he going to do? Bite us?”“I don’t have much time for stories,” Vin said.
“Seems that fewer and fewer people do, these days.” A canopy kept off the ash, but he seemed unconcerned about the mists. “It makes me wonder what is so alluring about the real world that gives them all such a fetish for it. It’s not a very nice place these days.”“A thing of nature.
For every Push, there is a Pull. A consequence.”“To believe, it seemed, one had to want to believe.”
“I’m an amalgamation of what I’ve needed to be. Part scholar, part rebel, part nobleman, part Mistborn, and part soldier. Sometimes I don’t even know myself. I had a devil of a time getting all those pieces to work together. And, just when I’m starting to get it figured out, the world up and ends on me.”
“Elend started. “Vin!” Then, he smiled. “What took you so long?”
“I got delayed by an Inquistor and a dark god,” she said. “Now hustle.”“Spook smiled. “Elend is a forgetful scholar – twice as bad as Sazed ever was. He gets lost in his books and forgets about meeting he himself called. He only dresses with any sense of fashion because a Terriswoman bought him a new wardrobe. War has change him some, but on the inside, I think he’s still just a dreamer caught in a world with too much violence.”
“That’s what trust is, Sazed thought. It’s about giving someone else power over you. Power to hurt you.”
“Breeze turned to look out the window. “You were always the best of us, Sazed,” he said quietly. “Because you believed in something.”
“Vin, Vin. Why can’t you see? This isn’t about good or evil. Morality doesn’t even enter into it. Good men will kill as quickly for what they want as evil men—only the things they want are different.”
“What kind of woman is still able to trust people after everything she’s been through? If she’d been Vin, she would have stabbed him in the back at the first opportunity, and that would have probably been the right thing to do. Yet, this girl just continued to trust. It was like finding a beautiful plant growing alone in a field of burnt ash.”
“You’ve managed– in our short three years together– to kill not only my god, but my father, my brother, and my fiance. That’s kind of like a homicidal hat trick. It’s a strange foundation for a relationship, wouldn’t you say?”
“People with passion are people who will destroy—for a man’s passion is not true until he proves how much he’s willing to sacrifice for it. Will he kill? Will he go to war? Will he break and discard that which he has, all in the name of what he needs?”
“How did men believe in something that preached love on one hand, yet taught destruction of unbelievers on the other? How did one rationalize belief with no proof? How could they honestly expect him to have faith in something that taught of miracles and wonders in the far past, but carefully gave excuses for why such things didn’t occur in the present day?”
Excerpted from The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
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