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| Categories | Action & Adventure |
| Author | Brandon Sanderson |
| Publisher | Tor Books (February 14, 2023) |
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 640 pages |
| Item Weight | 1.35 pounds |
| Dimensions |
6.1 x 1.1 x 9.15 inches |
I. Book introduction
Mistborn: The Well of Ascension is a fantasy novel written by American author Brandon Sanderson. It was published on August 21, 2007, by Tor Books and is the second novel in the Mistborn trilogy. It is preceded by The Final Empire in 2006 and followed by The Hero of Ages in 2008.
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.
They did the impossible, ending the thousand-year reign of the godlike Lord Ruler. Now Vin, the former street urchin turned powerful Mistborn, and Elend Venture, the idealistic young nobleman who loves her, must build a healthy new society in the ashes of an empire.
As tensions grow in the wake of the uprising, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the Well of Ascension or what manner of power it bestows.
It may just be that killing the Lord Ruler was the easy part. Surviving the aftermath of his fall is going to be the real challenge.
Plot
A year after the events of the first novel, the Final Empire is in turmoil as various regions descend into anarchy following the Lord Ruler’s death and the disappearance of the Steel Ministry. Elend Venture has claimed the crown of the capital city, Luthadel, and attempts to restore order, but various hostile forces converge on the city. Three armies lay siege to Luthadel because of its rumored wealth of atium and political influence. The first army is led by Straff Venture – head of House Venture, and Elend’s father. The second army is led by Ashweather Cett, self-declared king of the Western Dominance. The third army consists of Koloss, massive, brutish blue creatures once controlled by the Lord Ruler, and is led by Elend’s former friend Jastes, who is buying the Koloss’ obedience with counterfeit coins.
Vin and Elend discover a set of discarded bones in their keep, and with help from Vin’s shapeshifting Kandra, OreSeur, realize that another Kandra has taken the form and identity of one of Kelsier’s crew to spy on them. Vin becomes increasingly suspicious of everyone around her. At night, she begins sparring with Zane, Straff’s Mistborn son and Elend’s half brother. In the South, Sazed has come across suspicious deaths that appear to be caused by the mists. Marsh – Kelsier’s brother and a Steel Inquisitor – leads Sazed to a Ministry stronghold called “The Conventical of Seran,” the former base of the Inquisitors. They discover an engraving that was authored by the Terrisman who once claimed to have found the Hero of Ages, which begins “I write these words in steel, for anything not set in metal cannot be trusted.” They leave quickly, Sazed taking a charcoal rubbing. On their way back to Luthadel, Marsh disappears.
The Terris keeper Tindwyl arrives at Luthadel to train Elend to be a better king. Despite his personal improvements, the Assembly votes to depose Elend, using the very laws written by Elend, and elect Lord Penrod as their new king. Zane pressures Vin to kill her enemies and flee with him, abandoning the city. Misting assassins attack Elend at an Assembly meeting, and when Vin brutally kills them in front of Elend, their relationship deteriorates. At Zane’s urging, Vin lashes out, slaughtering hundreds of Cett’s soldiers at his temporary Luthadel mansion. She becomes disturbed by her actions and flees without killing Cett, who decides to leave the city and abandon his siege. Vin decides to choose Elend over Zane and refuses him. He tries to kill her, and reveals that the real OreSeur is dead, having been replaced by Zane’s kandra, TenSoon. TenSoon has grown to like Vin, however, and he helps her kill Zane before returning to the kandra homeland. Feeling liberated, Vin accepts Elend’s longstanding marriage proposal. Sazed and the rest of the crew scheme to get Elend and Vin out of the city before it falls, and Sazed creates a false map to the Well of Ascension, which Vin is convinced may be able to save them.
Sazed and Tindwyl have been studying the mysterious text left by the Terrisman Kwaan, which explains the events of the Lord Ruler’s ascent. Kwaan had believed he had discovered the Hero of Ages in the person of Alendi, who rose to become a feared general and ruler known as the “Conqueror”. However, Kwaan had become fearful for an unknown reason, believing that Alendi was not actually the Hero of Ages and became afraid of what would happen when he reached the Well of Ascension and tried to use the power within. To prevent this, Kwaan had instructed his nephew Rashek to mislead Alendi or kill him if he needed to. Rashek obeyed his uncle’s command, but instead claimed the power for himself and became the Lord Ruler. Sazed and Tindwyl’s research is complicated by their disagreements over the nature of the Hero of Ages prophecy, and Sazed becomes convinced that Vin herself is actually the Hero of Ages. At some point, one fragment of the text Sazed has transcribed from his metalminds is mysteriously ripped off.
Straff withdraws his forces, allowing the koloss army to attack Luthadel, planning to rescue the city after the koloss have destroyed most of it and suffered casualties. Jastes loses control of his army; he flees and is killed by Elend. Vin returns to Luthadel just in time to save Sazed and most of the city’s civilians, though Dockson, Tindwyl, and Clubs are killed. She discovers that she can control the koloss using her Allomancy; she stops their slaughtering and turns them and Luthadel’s army against Straff’s army. Vin kills Straff and his generals as Cett decides to ally himself with Luthadel. Vin forces Cett, Penrod, and Straff’s last general to swear allegiance as kings under Elend, whom she names emperor.
Vin realizes that the Well of Ascension is in Luthadel itself; Rashek had transferred it from Terris to his stronghold when he had remade the world after claiming the Well’s power, ensuring that he could keep it close and hide it from others. Vin, Elend and Spook find a hidden doorway in the Lord Ruler’s castle that leads down to the underground Well of Ascension, where a man made of mist stabs Elend. Meanwhile, a similar spirit approaches Sazed, revealing the fragment of text which had disappeared from his and Tindwyl’s transcription: Alendi must not reach the Well of Ascension, for he must not be allowed to release the thing that is imprisoned there. Sazed attempts to stop Vin but is attacked by Marsh, who appears to struggle with his quest to kill Sazed. Sazed is saved by Ham, and Marsh escapes. Meanwhile, Vin is tempted to use the power in the Well to heal Elend, but ultimately follows the instruction of Sazed’s rubbing, releasing the power for the good of the world rather than seizing it for herself. The moment she releases it, a powerful entity escapes, shouting out that it is now free. The Mist figure encourages Vin to feed Elend a bead of metal she finds in the room, which makes him a Mistborn; his life is saved through Allomancy by burning Pewter.
Two months later, Sazed returns to The Conventical of Seran and inspects the engraving. He discovers that the words of the rubbing have been changed, finally explaining why Kwaan had inscribed it in metal where it could not be altered. Even the text in Sazed’s metalminds had been manipulated, presumably by the mysterious entity working to secure its own release. Realizing that he had been manipulated and the entire Hero of Ages prophecy had been a lie designed to release the power hidden in the Well of Ascension, Sazed loses his faith.
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 Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
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1. JESSICA reviews The Well of Ascension
this had the potential to be a 5 star reading experience if i hadnt accidentally spoiled the ending for myself. :/
once again, the end is where BS really makes his stories shine. the bulk majority of this sequel is about government, politics, and strategy; which makes sense considering how ‘the final empire’ ends. its a logical next step, but this type of content isnt my favourite as it tends to overshadow fantasy elements. so where i found my enjoyment was in the characters.
i love all the character development in this, particularly for vin and elend. they both started to feel like completely different characters than the ones i met in the previous book, but in a good way. i could see exactly how they grew and why and i understood the circumstances and events that caused that change. it was a journey seeing them develop, all the way to the last page.
which brings me back to the ending. beyond the war and lawmaking, i already knew a big thing was coming, and its pretty major in terms of a certain characters identity and the fantasy elements. had i not already known, it would have completely blown my mind and would have made the previous 700 pages worth it for me. so its unfortunate i didnt get to experience the full effects of a really shocking ending.
so heres me, trying not to accidentally spoil the next book and hoping for more character development and fantasy elements.
↠ 4.5 stars
2. THARINDU DISSANAYAKE reviews The Well of Ascension
“My name is Kwaan. Philosopher, scholar, traitor.”
The naïveté of me to think that The Final Empire was thrilling and eventful… turns out that was just Sanderson warming up the audience.
“This last year I’ve read every pertinent book on leadership and governance in the four libraries.”
Yes, there were some loose ends by the end of Book 1 along which he could’ve easily continued here in the second book, but I thought at least the author would not be able to sustain that incredible pace for another lengthy novel. But Well of Ascension clearly shows that The Final Empire was only a strong foundation: As eventful as the latter was, I felt like this second book is where the reader gets a clear idea of what the series is actually about. This second installment has been nothing short of a massive concoction of mystery, adventure, politics, chaos, success, failure, disappointment and war.
“Do not deride someone’s faith simply because you do not share it.”
Just like with The Final Empire, world building, magical system, characters, plot, story-telling and everything else (with the exception of romance… again) are phenomenal. To avoid making this review unnecessarily long, I’ll link my review of Book 1 here. Everything is as good as it was with Book 1, if not better, most significant improvement being the continued expansion of magical system. I love the reasoning and logic behind Allomancy and it looks like we have yet to discover a lot down the line.
“You know, Ham, the only thing about your jokes is how often they lack any humor whatsoever.”
Now, for the major changes: One of the most noticeable changes for me was Sanderson’s frequent use of humor this time. True, there were many witty remarks from Breeze, Ham and the like in first book, but it wasn’t as predominant as here in The Well of Ascension. The author handled it quite well in my opinion, while never letting those small respites affect the flow nor changing the overall emotional tone of the story. Although, considering the way things ended here, I don’t think I should be looking forward to more humor in the next one. Still, this has been a nice change.
“Slovenly clothing invites other slovenly habits – such as your posture.”
We also get introduced to a new set of characters, bringing some additional complications to the plot. I don’t think any of them surpassed my favorites from Book 1, but they did a wonderful job here in exploring some new areas. It was also great to see the growth of Vin’s character, as well as Elend’s. With Kelsier no longer belonging in the cast, the extra bit of attention was dedicated to Sazed, which, for me, was a great thing, for, the Terrismen happens to be one of my to favorites so far. However, considering how things ended here, I’m beginning to think that I should be careful as to how much I should become attached to them: It looks like Sanderson has a way of making the endings more realistic by creating a scary balance between victories and losses, and the latter continuing to dish out some major grief. I’m already beginning to fear how the Book 3 would end.
“When you struggle so hard for life, you grow strong – but you can grow harsh too.”
It has been quite a while since I have become this invested in a series, this quickly. And with the amount of loose ends and mysteries which have yet to be explained, I don’t think I’ll be able to rest well until I’m through with the last book. Perhaps I should remember this when reading Sanderson’s future books if the series in question is not yet complete, for it’s hard to imagine how I’d be able to cope with waiting for a next-in-series to be released..
“A man was defined not by his flaws, but by how he overcame them.”
3. WARDA reviews The Well of Ascension
5th reread and this will probably be the best, my top fantasy story I will have ever read.
——————————–
1st read: Nov 2014
2nd read: March 2015
3rd read: April 2016
This trilogy is becoming as loved and cherished as Harry Potter.
First off, if you haven’t read this trilogy, get it together, read it. And you’re welcome, in advance. 😀
Secondly, as I’m reading this book again for the third time round, I keep thinking how incredible it is that it still has the capability to blow my mind! I still can’t, and probably never will, be able to fathom how Brandon Sanderson is able to come up with a world so vast and intricate, where every detail of the story just fits and comes together so beautifully, and how he is able to explain and fill every plot hole. He is an absolute mastermind! Flawless in every sense of the word.
4. OVIUM reviews The Well of Ascension
Fantastic Sequel in the Mistborn Trilogy
I have one simple word after this. Wow. This was such an epic sequel to the first book and I can say I enjoyed it just as much!
There wasn’t anything predictable for me like most sequels tend to throw at you. All the cast of characters were fantastic in their roles. Each chapter had me hooked whether it was with the impending threat or political issues presented. The action scenes were thrilling and brutal. Vin is such a badass! The twists were great and didn’t see them coming. The emotional moments were there for me and I felt every bit of pain. Sazed…oh man…
This is shaping up to be an absolute blast of a Trilogy. With relentless pacing, dastardly twists, and some great depth of story and character development, this makes me even more excited for when the time comes to jump into The Stormlight Archive.
5. TOBY reviews The Well of Ascension
A sequel, with relentless pacing, depth and twists
The first mistborn book took some time to grow on me, but then when it started going it was going. This book had no pacing issues from the start. In it Sanderson tackles real world questions, like how does a collective deal with loss, what do you do after a rebellion is over, how does that change people. The character development is detailed and believable. the plots twists are enough to make your jaw drop. Highly recommend this book. As the storm light archives is my favorite fantasy genre ever, after this book, mistborn might have endangered its lead. Brandon Sanderson is a fantasy genius inhabiting a world that is fictional with characters who feel real and who’s motivations feel real. He doesn’t shy away from darkness in story telling yet still elevated nobility as a virtue. Can’t wait to read the next one.
6. RUTH reviews The Well of Ascension
This is a masterpiece
Damn you, Sanderson, for keeping me up until 3:50 am!
I reached the 80% mark and could not, for the life of me, put it down.
The first half of the book felt a little slow- I was often frustrated with how things were moving, with the many subplots I wasn’t fully interested in, and with the direction I foresaw this plot going.
But then the second half, or more accurately the last third- of the book arrives and it all starts happening. Everything pieces together so beautifully and surprisingly.
I realised I was wrong in most of my predictions while reading, which is always a delight.
And the ending… I have never been so shocked, so many times in so few pages.
Bottom line is- I’m realising that with Sanderson, it’s a ‘trust the process’ kind of journey.
It might feel a little slow in the beginning, but when it all starts piecing together and starts making sense, it’s worth it.
Can’t wait to read the last one and get my many questions answered.
7. BEA reviews The Well of Ascension
Even with its annoying faults, I don’t think I can give this less than a 3.5 star rating.
THAT ENDING THOUGH.
Overall I’d say this was a good continuation to the series, this one focuses a lot – like A LOT more on politics than actual action like the first book did. However it also focused on character development for both Vin and Elend, the two main characters which Sanderson managed to do fairly well.
Sazed is my favourite character in this series. Continuing on from the first book he just has a heart of gold and most importantly, he loves telling stories and tales! His relationship with Tindwyl, who I loved as a character was also so well developed and beautiful till the very end.
My main grudge with this book is that it really didn’t need to be this long. The first 200 pages or so were just.. talking? And the middle of the book was again talking, but with a little more action and then finally, the ending is FULL of action! Less of that beginning would’ve been better! A lot of it really wasn’t needed!
Another grudge I have is that so much of this was Vin moaning and complaining about her feelings from her relationship with Elend and there was just too much of that in my opinion. She kept and kept on switching between ‘he loves me’.. ‘he loves me not’… and at times it just got irritating. Stop that Vin, he adores you!
I cried twice during this book, Sazed finding Tindwyl’s body (WHY ARE YOU MESSING WITH MY HEART SANDERSON) and when Elend gets attacked at the Well of Ascension. Soooo many feelings!
8. FEYRE reviews The Well of Ascension
“It’s easy to believe in something when you win all the time…The losses are what define a man’s faith.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Well of Ascension
Sanderson does it again. This book is absolutely amazing !!
All in all, “The Well of Ascension” is an exciting sequel to “The Final Empire”, full of what made the first book so compelling: a great cast of characters, amazing development, an eerily magical world and a thrilling storyline. I will definitely be reading the final book of the trilogy, “The Hero of Ages” as soon as possible.
9. MARZUQA reviews The Well of Ascension
If you’re talking Brandon Sanderson, you must be talking perfection. What can I even say that hasn’t been said already? So I’m not gonna say too much except that this felt like nothing short of a piece of art. Just flawless. 💕
10. GILLIAN reviews The Well of Ascension
This book was so good! This was an intriguing and exciting fantasy about finding your path, trusting the people close to you, power and betrayal. The Well of Ascension follows Vin and picks up where the first book ended, now that one enemy has been defeated several new enemies have risen. Vin and Elend must find strength and determination in themselves to defeat the new enemies. Both characters develop in many ways and learn more about themselves during the process.
It took me a while to become immersed in this book, but once I did, I couldn’t leave this world and the great characters. The plot was interesting, although the plot did drag at times. The world building was great, I enjoyed learning even more about the unique magic in as well as the history of the world. I immensely enjoyed the politics and alliances in this book, which showed a realistic vision of war and everything that is affected by it. The writing was very descriptive and cinematic, I felt that I was with the characters experiencing everything that they did. The banter was so great in this, although it didn’t have quite the same vibes as the first book. The characters are extremely complex and realistic. I love Vin, she is fierce, strong, brave, determined, stubborn, and resilient. Vin went through so much in this book, but she made it to the other side stronger and more determined than ever. Vin’s character development was great, she learned what is important to her and how to trust herself. I can relate to Vin because I would do anything to protect the people I love and I am also a very resilient person. I really liked Elend, he is smart, brave, protective, charming, and compassionate. I loved how protective he was of Vin, but also let her be her own person. Elend’s character development was excellent, he became more determined and found his purpose. He was so swoon worthy and the “don’t talk to My Wife that way” vibes were great! I liked Sazed a great deal too, he is caring, smart, polite, resilient, and brave. I enjoyed the other side characters as well especially Breeze and Ham. I loved Elend and Vin’s relationship, they learned to understand each other and both saw the best in each other. I also liked how their relationship developed and how realistic it felt. I felt several deep emotions during this book including happiness, and sadness. The ending was shocking and exciting, but also heartbreaking. I can’t wait to read the next book!
III. The Well of Ascension Quotes by Brandon Sanderson
The best book quotes from The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
“Those who take lightly promises they make to those they love are people who find little lasting satisfaction in life. This is not an easy time in which to live. That does not mean that it has to be a difficult time to love, but it does mean that you will find unusual stresses upon your lives and your relationship.”
“Good men don’t need to become legends.” She opened her eyes, looking up at him. “They just do what’s right anyway.”
“Every scholar knew that one of the greatest dangers in research was the desire to find a specific answer.”
“Elend: I kind of lost track of time…
Breeze: For two hours?
Elend: There were books involved.”“It’s easy to believe in something when you win all the time…The losses are what define a man’s faith.”
“Good men don’t become legends,” he said quietly.
“Good men don’t need to become legends.” She opened her eyes, looking up at him. “They just do what’s right anyway.”“…A man can only stumble for so long before he either falls or stands up straight.”
“A man can only lead when others accept him as their leader, and he has only as much authority as his subjects give to him. All of the brilliant ideas in the world cannot save your kingdom if no one will listen to them.”
“At first glance, the key and the lock it fits may seem very different,” Sazed said. “Different in shape, different in function, different in design. The man who looks at them without knowledge of their true nature might think them opposites, for one is meant to open, and the other to keep closed. Yet, upon closer examination he might see that without one, the other becomes useless. The wise man then sees that both lock and key were created for the same purpose.”
“It was amazing how many books one could fit into a room, assuming one didn’t want to move around very much.”
“A man was defined not by his flaws, but by how he overcame them.”
“I write these words in steel, for anything not set in metal cannot be trusted.”
“Vin isn’t…like other women.”
Tindwyl raised an eyebrow, her voice softening slightly.
“I think that the more women you come to know, Your Majesty, the more you’ll find that statement applies to all of them.”“I kind of lost track of time…”
“For two hours?”
Elend nodded sheepishly. “There were books involved.”“Ham turned back, still smiling. “You make it sound so desperate, El.”
Elend looked over at him. “The Assembly is a mess, a half-dozen warlords with superior armies are breathing down my neck, barely a month passes without someone sending assassins to kill me, and the woman I love is slowly driving me insane.”
Vin snorted at this last part.
“Oh is that all?” Ham said. “See? It’s not so bad after all. I mean, we could be facing an immortal god and his all-powerful priests instead.”“That’s the point, isn’t it? We have to live on, no matter how hard it gets. We’ll win in the end.”
“Books have great value, actions have greater value.”
“Do not deride someone’s faith simply because you do not share it, Lord Cladent,” Sazed said quietly.”
“Great, Elend thought. I’ve filled my inner council with a bunch of thrill-seeking masochists. Even worse, I’ve decided to join them.”
“You must love him enough to trust his wishes, even if you disagree with them. You must respect him – no matter how wrong you think he may be, no matter how poor you think his decisions, you must respect his desire to make them. Even if one of them includes loving you.”
“Vin snorted, kneeling in the low tent as she pulled her belt tight; then she crawled over to him. “I don’t know how you read while riding,” she said.
“Oh, it’s quite easy – if you aren’t afraid of horses.”
“I’m not afraid of them,” Vin said. “They just don’t like me. They know I can outrun them, and that makes them surly.”“It is a time of change,” Sazed said. ”Perhaps it is also time to learn of other truths, other ways.”
“Good men can make terrible kings,’ Tindwyl noted.
‘But bad men cannot make good kings.’ Sazed said. ‘It is better to start with a good man and work on the rest, I think.”“What a pair they were – a Mistborn who felt guilty wasting coins to jump and a nobleman who thought balls were too expensive.”
“It was his ability to trust,” she said. “It was the way that he made good people into better people, the way that he inspired them. His crew worked because he had confidence in them – because he respected them. And, in return, they respected each other. Men like Breeze and Clubs became heroes because Kelsier had faith in them.”
“He found insanity no excuse, however, for irrational behavior.”
“It seems that the rebels found the chaos of transition more difficult to accept than the tyranny they had known before. They joyfully welcomed back authority-even oppressive authority-for it was less painful for them than uncertainty.”
“Other men are strong like bricks – firm, unyielding, but if you pound on them long enough, they crack. You… you’re strong like the wind. Always there, so willing to bend, but never apologetic for the times when you must be firm.”
“There are two ways to stay safe, Reen’s voice whispered to her. Either be so quiet and harmless that people ignore you, or be so dangerous that they’re terrified of you.”
Excerpted from The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
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