Mistborn – Secret History: Post #4

What point of view does the author use? Does the author use point of view primarily to reveal or to conceal? Explain.

The point of view that Sanderson uses, first-person from exclusively Kelsier’s view, is definitely used to conceal information. Technically, not just for this book, but for all the Mistborn novels. From the moment the book begins, we’re placed in Kelsier’s shoes at the time of his death, and are as clueless as he is as to what exists on the other side, or what rules and properties this other plane of existence has.

Now I do admit, you can sort of guess as to what’s going to happen as you’ve most likely have read the original Mistborn trilogy before diving into this. But the point of this novella isn’t to introduce a new storyline, but rather introduce an entirely new backstory happening parallel to the original story, as well as delve into the strange world of the Cognitive Realm and giving more character to the “shard” holders, Ruin and especially Preservation (Who got nearly no speaking times during the third book). As such, we’re thrust into an entirely new world and are as clueless as Kelsier when he attempts to figure out and understand it, as well as the readers attempting to piece together how Kelsier, a man dead for most of the trilogy, fits in with all this.

It really is an unexpected novella, something that presents an entirely new side to an older story that you may have no idea even existed, but it fits in so well, as if the original trilogy was written to fit this in like a puzzle piece. Even Sanderson was very secretive about the contents of this novella, stating it to be a companion story and nothing more in the book’s actual description. As such, you have no idea what the plot is even like before you begin reading. Clueless, you jump in, and try to fit the pieces together from Kelsier’s confused, lonely point of view.

Sanderson, Brandon. Mistborn: Secret History. Tor, 2016. Google Play Edition.

Mistborn – Secret History: Post #3

Choose a character who is not the protagonist. How does he/she change or affect the plot? If this character did not exist in the novel, how would the plot have been different?

To say Preservation is a pretty important character is an understatement.

Now, we never learn what the real name of Preservation, Preservation simply being the name of the power that the vessel possesses. The vessel leaves behind the power when it dies, the power can never be destroyed. But still, Preservation, which Kelsier nicknames “Fuzz,” is a very important character in the story, as the vessel is in control of the exact opposite power as Ruin.

Fuzz greets Kelsier when he dies, acting as a “God” to greet the souls of those who had just died. Kelsier, being the stubborn man he is, punches Fuzz across the face, demanding why he’s letting all the people in the physical realm suffer at the hands of Lord Ruler. Fuzz is the reason how Kelsier learns of a way to stay bound to this realm, by trapping himself in the Well of Ascension. Fuzz helps Kelsier learn more about this plane of existence and speaks with him on occasion during his lonely months trapped in the Well and after he is freed. Heck, Preservation and Ruin made a deal to create their planet in the first place, so without Preservation, we wouldn’t even have a story here.

But let’s just say that Preservation somehow died before Kelsier passed through (Don’t ask me how, Ruin isn’t even released yet). Kelsier would pass on through the cognitive realm, have no one greet him, and before he knows it, pass onto the Beyond without the guidance of Fuzz. Without nothing worthwhile opposing Ruin, no Preservation, no Kelsier working behind the scenes, no one to guide Vin into taking in the power Preservation (Assuming the Ire hadn’t yet taken the power for themselves), nothing would be able to stop Ruin, and their world would end.

Does a book exist that portrays the world slowly ending through a fit of chaos and decay, and nothing saves it? Because if there is, I can’t imagine that being fun or rewarding to read.

Sanderson, Brandon. Mistborn: Secret History. Tor, 2016. Google Play Edition.

Mistborn – Secret History: Post #2

What is the setting of the story?  Does the setting create an obstacle for the characters? How?

This book tries to present a very… strange setting for the story.

Throughout almost the entirety of the book, Kelsier is trapped inside the Cognitive Realm, the realm between the Physical and Spiritual Realms. And this cognitive realm seems to have some… very strange rules or properties to it, to the point where I’d have a hard time explaining. Kelsier has absolutely no influence on the physical realm, yet still resides in it. His new “body” never tires, and can phase through most objects and walls in the physical realm. That doesn’t mean he can teleport though, meaning he actually has to walk to anywhere he wants to go. Everything is hazy, misty looking to him, only able to make out what stuff truly looks like when he’s up close to it. This lack of contact with the real world creates an… issue when dealing with the conflict.

Ruin is wreaking havoc in the physical realm, and there’s nearly no ways to contact the people inside the physical realm from the cognitive realm. This presents quite the issue to Kelsier, as there’s so much he wants to influence or say, but he either simply can’t, or Ruin bats him away (Especially true during the time of which Kelsier holds the power of Preservation, Ruin’s attention on something allows Ruin to push him away). So, with little options, Kelsier is rather desperate in finding a way to helping fix everything.

It must be frustrating, to still be chained to the world you once lived in, but you are, in fact, dead and alone, and are forced to watch the destruction of your world around you. You can travel almost anywhere you want, but it wouldn’t do any good, especially up against a god-like force like Ruin. It’s this very surreal obstacle that Kelsier has to work around, and something he’s still trapped in, and likely forever trapped in, by the end of the story. But, after gaining the power of Preservation and influencing the world in small ways, he was able to lead up to the events that led to Vin defeating Ruin. If not for Kelsier, that wouldn’t have happened. The lost man behind the scenes of everything had played his part and helped save their world.

Sanderson, Brandon. Mistborn: Secret History. Tor, 2016. Google Play Edition.

Mistborn – Secret History: Post #1

Denouement: What is a “conflict” in literature? What is the main conflict in your book? How does the ending resolve (or not resolve) the main conflict? (Is the ending happy, unhappy, or indeterminate?) Was the ending an appropriate ending for the book? Explain.

Conflict is the diving force in literature. In nearly any story, something is wrong, and it must be solved or fixed. That’s conflict, the concept of clashing against something or an idea, maybe a difference in interest between two things. Without conflict, there would only be a single idea or emotion in a story—and that’s boring. A conflict can be either very complex, or very simple, but it is almost always there in a story.

Mistborn: Secret History is a companion novella to the original Mistborn series. In this story’s case, all events in this book happen parallel to the events in the main series. To be more accurate, all events that occur in this book happen in the background, as to explain the more mysterious circumstances in the trilogy. In fact, it fits perfectly within the original story, as the author, Brandon Sanderson, had been planning this side-story ever since the very first Mistborn novel was released back in 2006. Nearly 10 years later, this novella was released January of 2016 as an e-book, that’s quite the dedication to a short side-story! It makes sense too, as this is an important story to tell, following an important character, and acts as a possible way to connect Mistborn to many of Sanderson’s other works, most of which take place in the same universe.

Secret History, however, is a very… strange tale. While reading it, I felt like it had a very different feel than the rest of the Mistborn series. There wasn’t a whole lot of fighting and action, but rather a lot of worldbuilding and building upon the lore of the series.

The story follows Kelsier. The book begins at the event of his death.

Just like in the first book, Kelsier confronts the Lord Ruler, and the Lord Ruler kills him. But much to Kelsier’s surprise, his death is not, in fact, the end of him. He finds himself in what he believes to be an afterlife, though still tied to this world. Someone appears before him, calling themselves “God” (Which we later learn is actually the force of Preservation), to greet Kelsier before he passes onto the “Beyond.” Kelsier, not wanting to move on yet, refuses, and desperately searches for a way to stop himself from fading onto the Beyond. He eventually comes upon the hidden Well of Ascension, and traps himself in it. It stops him from passing on, but by permanently binding him to this world—trapping him in the Well of Ascension. The same place where the being of Ruin is currently imprisoned.

If you’ve read the original trilogy, then you know what eventually happens. After nearly a year trapped inside the Well in an almost ghost-like state, with Preservation to often come and speak with him, Vin eventually discovers the Well for herself and releases the power inside it, just like the events at the end of the second book. This act frees Ruin, but also freeing Kelsier to walk the land in his ghostly state.

The main conflict, similar to the third book of the original trilogy, is that Ruin threatens to bring an end to the world, a looming threat with seemingly no way to stop it, yet Kelsier is determined to help stop Ruin to save his friend and the world. It is, in a sense, good vs. evil. Yet Keliser feels almost helpless to it all, as he is simply a lost soul in the background of this impending chaos. He speaks with Preservation when he can, though Preservation is slowly dying, it simply does not have the power or strength anymore to face Ruin.

It’s this… helplessness in the face of destruction, yet this determination to fix everything, is the conflict that drives the plot in this story. And unlike the original trilogy, this novel tackles that conflict at a very spiritual level, with the main character literally acting as a spirit. With minimal contact with and influence to the real world, Kelsier is determined to find a way to stop Ruin before it’s too late.

Eventually, Kelsier learns about the Ire, a group of people who have set up a fortress in this world, the world between worlds. They are from another planet, in a sense, and have powers that I can only assume are further explained in other Brandon Sanderson works. Kelsier travels to their fortress in secret, as he was told they might be able to help stop Ruin. After sneaking around the fortress for a bit, he learns that one woman intends to take Preservation’s power when he soon dies using a particular device in the form of a glowing orb. As she heavily guards that orb, Kelsier decides that he must be rather crafty in order to obtain it from her. While her and her guards trek out to where Preservation is, Kelsier tricks them into thinking Ruin has discovered them, separating the women from the group and Kelsier confronts her, demanding she give him the orb. She complies.

When Preservation dies, Kelsier uses the orb himself to absorb the powers of Preservation, much to Ruin’s surprise, but the power rejects him, he can barely control it or have much use for it, Ruin is still in control. But with these powers, Kelsier now has a much better view of the physical realm. Influencing small things here and there, his actions ultimately leads to Vin’s earing, the spike Ruin was using to influence Vin, to be ripped from her ear. It is at this moment Kelsier gives up the power of Preservation, allowing Vin to take it in and Ascend. Vin and Ruin clash, killing each other, Sazed takes in both the powers of Preservation and Ruin to become Harmony, and the world is reshaped, just like the end of the third book.

In the ending, Kelsier is able to greet Vin, plus her husband Elend, one last time before they pass on to the spiritual realm. It’s a rather happy ending, though it’s sad to see Kelsier watch Vin leave in front of his very eyes. They exchange some words, and Vin leaves to be with Elend in the Beyond.

I’d say it’s a rather appropriate ending, and falls right in line with the ending of the original trilogy, only from Kelsier’s odd perspective. In the Epilogue, it also leaves a hook for Mistborn’s currently running sequel trilogy, that Kelsier’s story is far from over and that we will continue to have his influence despite being trapped in the in-between world. It helps bring some closure to Kelsier’s story, which so abruptly ended back in the first book. A welcome closure to one of my favorite characters from the first book.

Sanderson, Brandon. Mistborn: Secret History. Tor, 2016. Google Play Edition.

3: Mistborn – Hero of Ages: Post #4

“How do any of the following play a part in the plot of your novel: Chance or coincidence? Mystery? Dilemma (when a character has an important decision and can’t decide what to do)?”

There’s a sense of mystery in this story, but only in the sense of Ruin’s influence on the world, Ruin and Preservation’s powers, and their origins. The true theme of this story is dilemma.

Many characters are tasked with difficult decisions, or are literally going through a dilemma in their lives. After the events of book 2, Sazed has lost faith in all of his beliefs, and is struggling to find the “correct faith” out of all the beliefs he has stored. Once a keeper who kept track of many religions in his copperminds and favored them all equally, this was destroyed for Sazed once he learned that many of his beliefs in his race’s religion, the Terris people, were mostly falsified, tampered by Ruin. Now, he doesn’t know what to believe. It’s almost sad seeing the character he’s transformed into since book 1, but to be quite honest, book 3 is really where he shines because of this dilemma that he has.

I’ve already talked about Elend in Post #3, how he’s tasked with many moral decisions as king. With the world ending and you have no idea what to do, I’d say that’s quite the dilemma.

Meanwhile, the main dilemma, of course, is Ruin, the end of the world, and Preservation. How can we face a god? How can we stop the end of the world? How can we survive and live through this if we can’t stop it? How will we grow food if the sunlight is blocked out by the mists? What about the Steel Inquisitors that have been killing many people by Ruin’s command? This story is full of dilemmas, and I’ve said this before in my blogs about the first book, but this series is just so good at portraying a sense of despair and hopelessness. You’re at the edge of your seat to find out how your beloved characters are able to pull through.

And that’s exactly what makes these books fun and engaging to read.

Sanderson, Brandon. The Hero of Ages. New York: Tor, 2008. Print.

3: Mistborn – Hero of Ages: Post #3

“Are any of the characters a developing character, changing over time? If so, is the change a large or small one? Is the change believable for the character in his/her situation?”

Elend.

All of the main characters develop in some shape or form throughout the books. But I choose Elend because he seems to have a lot of focus in this final book (If book 2 wasn’t enough) and he really does develop as a character.

In book one, Elend was simply a nobleman heir to one of the noble houses. Vin made him get all tied up with the “overthrowing our god emperor” stuff, and eventually they fell in love. Book 2, he becomes king of the city… but he isn’t a very good king, and pressures from combined armies several times bigger than his own threaten the city, causing stress to all. He gets pushed from the position from his people… then pretty much becomes king again thanks to an aggressive Vin stopping all the armies. In book 3, Elend, who is now a mistborn from the climax of book 2, is coming to control his powers and has a… very different personality than before.

With the threats of the world crumbling around him and his city, Elend slowly stops becoming the fair ruler he is, in a sense, and becomes more… insisting. For example, Elend and Vin, along with their army, are following the storage cashes that the Lord Ruler left, hoping to find a clue to stopping Ruin. The final cash is in a city known as Fadrex City, with a man named Yomen leading the city, and Elend is forced to besiege the city in order to gain access to the cash. Now, Elend normally isn’t one for aggression, but when the pressures of king and the end of the world are on your back, you tend to need to get serious or you simply will not survive. The stress of it all really gets to Elend, and he’s forced to make decisions he simply doesn’t want to make. Other issues he is forced to decide for are letting loose a bunch of warlike beasts on Fadrex City, killing many innocent citizens in the process, as well as “mistproofing” his arming from the killing mists by putting his entire army out into the mists to see who dies, who seem to only attack specific people.

So is this character development believable for Elend? Well, you tell me what you’d do in a stressful situation like Elend’s, as king.

Sanderson, Brandon. The Hero of Ages. New York: Tor, 2008. Print.

3: Mistborn – Hero of Ages: Post #2

“Is the ending happy, unhappy, or indeterminate (just ends, leaves you hanging, the conflict is not clearly resolved). Is the ending the appropriate ending for this book?”

It’s a rather happy ending, and the character do get exactly what they want in the end.

A reborn world.

Well, of course with some sacrifices along the way. Vin and Elend, some of the main characters from the Mistborn series, die in the climax, both as a form of some kind of sacrifice. It is unknown if there is any sort of afterlife, but the two will be greatly known in the history of the series.

After Sazed ascends as Harmony, he reforms and, in a sense, heals the world. The dark setting of the books, with ash falling from the sky, mists coming out at night, dark colored plants with no color… everything is purified. Flowers are returned to the world, the color returns to the grass and all plants, the ash disappears, the sky becomes blue and clean again, and more. The days of the Lord Ruler are over, and after the threat of the end of the world by Ruin, it is time to start anew.

I feel as though the mythology of the world was much more interesting than the ending-though, technically, part of the mythology was the ending, which helped it be more interesting. But the true ending of this is the goal of fixing the world… and it dates back to book 1.

Waaaaay back in book 1, Kelsier holds and talks about an old surviving drawing of a colorful flower that was given to him by his (now dead) wife. He laments that the grass and trees should be green, and that he wishes to return this color to the world if he can be overthrowing the Lord Ruler. Things didn’t go anything near as smoothly as expected, though this drawing pops up from time to time in all of the books, a sign that “the world shouldn’t be this way.”

And in the end, they fixed the world. For something foreshadowed and talked about the whole series, I’d say it’s an appropriate ending.

Sanderson, Brandon. The Hero of Ages. New York: Tor, 2008. Print.

3: Mistborn – Hero of Ages: Post #1

“Is the main conflict between sharply differentiated good and evil, or is it more subtle and complex? Sharply differentiated means that it is easy to see the contrast and the characters are clearly good or evil.” 

The main plot is pretty much good vs. evil… kind of.

In this climactic ending to the original Mistborn trilogy, the god of Ruin has been released and has been slowly destroying the world. Common earthquakes, the mists have started killing and coming out in the day, ash has fallen at a rate where it covers several feet of the ground in same areas, and more. It really does seem like the world is going to end… and his release was all Vin’s fault (End of Book 2). Not that she alone should be blamed, but everyone was deceived by Ruin’s plan.

However, just like allomancy, for every push, there is a pull. The god of Preservation is the pull to this push. Many years ago, the gods of Ruin and Preservation met, which could be seen as a meeting of good and evil… except not really. Ruin can only destroy, and Preservation can only preserve and protect. One takes, one keeps. Perhaps not a blatant good vs. evil setting, but for everyday humans, they sorta want to survive. Ruin cannot create life, and neither can Preservation. However, both of them working together can create life. And so, the two gods make a deal: They will create their own world, with the promise that Ruin can eventually destroy it. That way, they can both be pleased in the end.

However, Preservation wasn’t exactly going to let this be, and at some point, spent so much of their power to imprison Ruin at the Well of Ascension, the same well that gave the Lord Ruler his powers (Though, the well contains Preservation’s powers, not Ruin’s). Once Ruin was eventually able to escape with the help and manipulation of Vin, Preservation was too weak to do anything… and dies.

That is so say, the original control of the power of Preservation dies. Their power… is still present. And it chooses Vin as a host.

Vin ascends to god-hood, and goes face to face with Ruin. They are literal opposites, and if they collided, they’d destroy both of themselves. But after Vin’s husband dies protecting the one last piece Ruin needs to become whole, Vin realizes she has nothing to live for and collides with Ruin, destructing the both of them. With Vin’s sacrifice, their world is saved.

Sazed, another important character of the book, comes upon the powers of Ruin and Preservation. He then realizes that he is, in fact, the true Hero of Ages that the prophecies talked about, and take these two powers. Together, Ruin and Preservation combine to form… Harmony. Sazed ascends to godhood, and with the combined powers of two gods, reshapes the world and restores the planet to the life-filled state that was before the Lord Ruler.

I feel like this story in particular is rather interesting, as it’s not exactly a total fight of good vs. evil. Sort of, but not really. Ruin was an absolute force of destruction. He was not mindless, in fact Ruin was in a sense simply a person controlling this immense power. He saw no worth in the lives of all those he helped create, and wondered why Preservation had such an interest in such things. Preservation, on the other hand, seems good… but is it really? Total preservation would mean that nothing changes. Everything stays the same, never dying and rarely developing. Is that really the world to live in?

That’s why life and death must work together. Without both, there is an imbalance. Too much Ruin would be destructive and lead to the literal end of the world, but too much Preservation… would lead to an eternal world with nothing changing. Sazed takes both of these, and becomes… Harmony, a literally harmony between the two extreme opposites.

In a sense, this is as much as good vs. evil as it is from left to right. Both are absolute opposites, but neither single one is suitable. With the combined powers… the world is allowed to evolve and thrive.

Sanderson, Brandon. The Hero of Ages. New York: Tor, 2008. Print.

Mistborn – The Final Empire: Post #3

How do any of the following play a part in the plot of your novel: Chance or coincidence? Mystery? Dilemma?

The entire story of Mistborn is a series of dilemmas. It puts the main characters of the story in a position where it’s incredibly hard to see their way out of it. Their world is ruled by an almighty god-like ruler that brings suffering to the skaa, what is Kelsier’s crew going to do about it? They form an army over nearly a year, only to have it slaughtered before it’s anywhere close to its original intention? So many losses and setbacks, how will they ever pull through in the end, succeeding in this impossible task? Mistborn – The Final Empire is filled with these dilemmas, these physical obstacles, facing the main characters against seemingly hopeless tasks. In fact, in some points, everyone was ready to give up if not for Kelsier pushing and motivating them to continue, reworking his plan.

This book is great at portraying a hopeless situation, and that only makes it all the more exciting and tense to read. May it be Vin fighting a more experienced Mistborn, facing and escaping from an unbeatable opponent such as a Steel Inquisitor, or when Kelsier’s plan completely falls apart. Yet hope holds it all together. Hope drives the team forward. Hope that they could one day change the Final Empire forever and make it a better place, no matter the odds, no matter what stands in their way.

Chance and mystery play a part in the story as well. In a way, Vin, Kelsier, and the crew is taking a huge chance or risk by taking on this plan, one that could very well get them all killed. A majority of the crew believes this too, and only stay for a few reasons, such as wanting to damage as much as they can in the empire before they die or that they’d take pride in dying while fighting the empire. But yet they go on, and with Kelsier and the crew’s hope and dedication, to push through to the end. Kelsier even took a big risk when he planned to get killed by the hands of the Lord Ruler, while keeping that fact secret from the crew, even Vin. With the kandra imitating Kelsier after his death, he wanted to be seen as a god by the people, a god of hope to go against the nobility, the Lord Ruler, and the Final Empire. He hoped that all the people in the city would follow him… and by taking that risk, he helped the skaa rebellion band together and succeed after being pushed down for so long. He took the chance and gave the skaa hope.

Mystery, on the other hand, takes place in the form of the huge, in-depth world that the novel creates. So much information has been lost, either by time or by the hands of the Lord Ruler. And, of course, the mystery of the Lord Ruler himself. What is his origin? What’s going on in the logbook? What is the Deepness? What actually did happen at the Well of Ascension? What is inside that room that the Lord Ruler goes into every 3 days? What is the secret to killing him? Where does he keep all the atium? So much mystery surrounding these characters, these races—and some of them aren’t even answered in book one. Even going into book two, the logbook is brought up and studied again, as previous mystery start to be shown in a new light. It’s these mysteries that drive the reader to push forward, to turn to the next page, in suspense to hear the truth.

In a way, this book includes nearly all of these themes, and that only helps it become an interesting, suspenseful, and often tense book.

Sanderson, Brandon. Mistborn – The Final Empire. N.p.: Tom Doherty Associates, 2010. iBooks.

Mistborn – The Final Empire: Post #2

Is the ending happy, unhappy, or indeterminate? Is the ending an appropriate ending for this book?

So how does one take down a immortal god-like man and his powerful empire?

By breaking his secret.

The Lord Ruler is just a man, not a god. Well, an immensely powerful man, but there’s a secret to his immortality, to all his power. But how would you ever find it out? This ruler erases all knowledge that opposes him in the land, controlling the people in ways he seems fit. So much was lost to time, but that’s also because the Lord Ruler sought after and killed all those that didn’t worship him.

However, there’s a lot of hints throughout the book that lead to the overall conclusion, and when the pieces are put together, along with some help, causes the entire Final Empire to collapse.

Kelsier’s plan is simple: Gather an army, lead the city’s garrison force outside of the city to deal with another issue far away (also caused by the crew), attack the city with their army of rebels, but not before causing a noble house war with Kelsier assassinating lords in secret and Vin working on the inside by posing as a noblewoman known as “Valette Renoux”. In fact, their whole place of operations is a ruse—They pose as an entire noble house, the house of Lord Renoux. The real Renoux was murdered by Kelsier, and somehow, something that looks exactly like Renoux took its place, working for and with Kelsier. Working on the inside as a less important noble house, they wish to spark a house war, have the city’s garrison leave, then attack with a rebel army in hopes of collapsing the Final Empire, finding and stealing the Lord Ruler’s stockpile of atium, the fuel for the noble house’s economy as well as an extremely rare and powerful metal for Allomancers—one that allows them to see a split-second into the future.

Okay, perhaps it really isn’t simple, in fact it’d likely end in all of them being killed. Forming the rebel army of skaa is the longest part, but it helps that Kelsier is seen as “The Survivor” by the skaa, the Mistborn that had survived “the pits”. Years ago, he had been captured by the Lord Ruler for invading his palace, trying to get into that room which Kelsier believed to hold the Lord Ruler’s atium. He was sent to the pits to work until he died… and something happened there that awoke him: The death of his wife, a Mistborn that was enslaved with him. He realized his Mistborn powers, and with them, he was able to escape—the first person ever to do so. Kelsier is seen highly in the eyes of normal skaa.

Vin, during her time at the house of Renoux, is looked after by a man named Sazed, helping teach her the ways of a noblewoman. As she comes to learn, Sazed is something that calls himself a Feruchemist. Feruchemy is like Allomancy, except rather than drawing powers from metals that Allomancers to, Feruchemists rather use metals to store aspects carried from themselves into the metal, as in, drawing powers from the user. For example, copper, worn on their bodies in the form of bracelets or jewelry, is used to store thoughts and memories, something very important to Sazed as he is a “Keeper”, keeping all kinds of information with him. Other metals are used to store different things too, such as strength, weight, speed, youth, and more by simply reserving that power. Spend awhile incredibly weak, storing that power inside metal, than draw from that power whenever you need it, making you, say, twice as powerful than before. This is what Feruchemists can do—and is the first secret of the Lord Ruler.

During the event where Vin nearly died at the hands of the Steel Inquisitors in Lord Ruler’s palace, she grabbed a book to use as a shield to block incoming daggers flung at her.When Sazed rescued her from dying, he took the book that was with her too. As it turns out, the book is actually a log book written a thousand years ago by the man who is told to be the Hero of Ages, who supposedly later became the Lord Ruler. He seemed like a normal man back then, a good man. How could someone like this become the tyrant that is Lord Ruler? Perhaps something about the power in the well changed him, the power that he was supposed to give up to stop the Deepness, though he kept the power for himself. The Hero of Ages does not give his name in this log, though some people traveling with him were named, most notably Rashek, a Feruchemist packman.

Kelsier also has a secret trick up his sleeve: A fabled 11th metal, which is said to be the secret to killing the Lord Ruler. On his own, Kelsier would meet face to face with the Lord Ruler and use it, hoping that the power from it would somehow be able to kill the god. The legend’s authenticity is questionable, but Kelsier seems determined to use it.

And it all comes down to the end. Most of their amassed army is dead by a mistake, and there seems to be no hope for the plan to go through. But Kelsier never gives up. Maddened with the supposed murder of his brother Marsh, who was working on the insides of Lord Ruler’s obligators, Kelsier returns to the pits where he was once sent year ago, the source of all of nobility’s atium—and destroys all the atium clusters, which won’t regrow for another 300 years or so. In response, Lord Ruler orders another execution to be displayed in the town square of many townsfolk, many innocent, to prove his rule and dominance yet again. But this time, Kelsier attacks. As the prison carts where on their way to the town square, Kelsier intercepts them, killing guards and freeing the prisoners. A Steel Inquisitor is ready for him. Through an intense battle, Kelsier amazingly comes out in the end, beheading the Inquisitor and killing it, something that has never been done before. The town cheers.

And then the Lord Ruler comes.

He steps out of his carriage, almost calmly. He looks like a normal man. Angry townsfolk rush forward, some jab spears in his chest. It’s nothing to him, walking forward like it’s nothing. He walks right up to Kelsier. The two share some short words. “I killed you once.” “You tried, but you can’t kill me, Lord Tyrant. I represent the thing you’ve never been able to kill, no matter how hard you try. I am hope.”

Lord Ruler backhands Kelsier with a powerful blow, the cracking blow heard across the square. Kelsier falls onto the ground, dead, the 11th metal seemingly unused. “Let the executions begin.” Soldiers rush into the crowd and begin slaughtering.

Thing is though, Kelsier planned this all. He planned to die at the Lord Ruler’s hand. Using the game creature that took Lord Renoux’s place, revealed to be a created called a kandra which can eat the body of another to reform as them using their bones and muscles, eats Kelsier’s body in secret and appears to the city’s skaa that night, imitating Kelsier. The skaa see him like a god, and in response, the entire city begins revolting. They may have no army, but with the entire city on their side, they’re seemingly unstoppable.

Vin is given the 11th metal along with a message from Kelsier from the kandra. Vin knows what she must do. With the entire town in chaos and nobility fleeing the city, Vin knows she can strike down now and get into that one room Kelsier always failed to reach in the palace, hoping for the secret to killing the Lord Ruler. Swift as the wind, she invades the palace, and makes her way into that one room, blinding and running past Steel Inquisitors in the process.

Inside the room is… hardly anything. It was all for nothing. Inside the room, however, sits what appears to be an elderly man. The Inquisitors come in and grab her. It’s revealed that this old man is actually Lord Ruler. Vin burns the 11th metal, and an younger man comes up beside the old Lord Ruler, who looked more like the man that killed Kelsier… and another, more wealthier looking man walks up beside Vin. The 11th metal burns out, and those men vanish. It did nothing… and suddenly she is knocked out and captured.

With the help of Sazed, Vin breaks out and works her way up to where Lord Ruler is located. Lord Ruler more looks like his normal, younger self now. Again, she burns the 11th metal, and what appears to be Lord Ruler’s past self appears beside him. Thinking it would work, Vin stabs the past self. Doesn’t work, it doesn’t actually exist, her knife cuts through air. Lord Ruler attacks, and Vin does all she can to survive as she frantically thinks of a way to kill him. His immense power flings her around, somehow pushing and pulling her. It seems hopeless. “God cannot be killed. God cannot be overthrown. Your rebellion—you think I haven’t seen its like before? You think I haven’t destroyed entire armies on my own? What will it take before you people stop questioning? How many centuries must I prove myself before you idiot skaa see the truth? How many of you must I kill?” She burns the 11th metal again, and she sees that same man… in a fur cloak, full beard, and strong muscles. He doesn’t seem at all like the man he is today… he looks, perhaps, like a packman.

This isn’t the Hero of Ages. This was Rashek, from the logs. Vin realizes this, and outs the Lord Ruler for what he really is. He becomes enraged, using his powers to crush Vin against a pillar with incredibly powerful Allomancy. It’s no use, there’s no way she can kill the Lord Ruler, even with that information. If he was really Rashek, then he would be a…

Feruchemist.

The bracelets on his arms, he was drawing power from them. Somehow, this man was both a Feruchemist and an Allomancer, his immortality… was just the Lord Ruler utilizing both powers in a loop, fueling the bracelets with amplified power from burning said stored metals, over and over. He stored youth, he stored strength, everything about him, it was simply the Lord Ruler finding a loophole in his abilities.

Vin, in a fit of rage and near-death from being crushed, pulled against the bracelets impaled in the Lord Ruler’s upper arms… and the mists spun around her, and Vin somehow pulled power from the mists. The bloody bracelets ripped free from the Lord Ruler’s arms and fell near Vin. His eyes widened, rushing towards her. With the last of her strength, she pushed the bracelets over the Lord Ruler’s head and out a broken window. He aged rapidly, collapsing on the floor, dying. Without the immense youth stored in those bracelets, fueling his youth, he would not be able to live long at all. With his last dying breath, he warns that he was their god, even if they couldn’t see it, and by killing him, they’ve all doomed themselves.

Vin tells him a message from her friend: “He’s isn’t dead. He can’t be killed. He is hope.”

And with that, Vin slams a spear right into his heart.

To answer the question… yes, it is a seemingly happy end. The Lord Ruler is dead, the world is now free from his grasp. What they’ve set out to do in the beginning is accomplished, with losses along the way. Everything comes together so well in the end, every detail contributing to the climactic and tense conclusion, and I still had to leave out some details and characters for simplicity.

This book does an amazing job at portraying hopelessness, impossible to solve situations until the last moment. When the hero finally overcomes these massive troubles, the end result is so, so satisfying. The Lord Ruler is built up to be a terrifying man, his presence when he finally shows up to kill Kelsier is just chilling. How Lord Ruler’s powers actually worked was the first book’s biggest mystery, and the solution uses all sorts of hints and clues all throughout the book. And it came down to Vin doing the impossible: Killing the Lord Ruler.

Though, is it truly a happy end? The Lord Ruler may be dead, but there is much work to be done. The chaos will need to be calmed down, the empire will have to be rebuilt from the ground up, and the fear of other attackers trying to take the Lord Ruler’s place. It may be a happy end for now… but who knows what the future holds.

And by reading the second book… things aren’t looking too good.

Sanderson, Brandon. Mistborn – The Final Empire. N.p.: Tom Doherty Associates, 2010. iBooks.