Mistborn

[Inkdaub]

To be honest, I have loved everything I have read by Sanderson with the sole exception being Warbreaker. I liked Warbreaker fine but not as much as I liked the other works. I loved Mistborn. Sanderson has become one of the names I keep my eye on when I go to the shop.

[Inkdaub]

In the kind of stories where good heroes fight an evil tyranny, the tyranny's ruler can be classified according to their evilness and competency as follows:

1. Evil and incompetent.

This is the most common type which is not a good thing. On the other hand, it is easy to write even though it does raise questions of how the character rose to his high position in the first place. This is especially grating when the character at first appears to be competent, but then becomes incompetent so that the good guys can win despite their material disadvantage. The Lord Ruler appears to be this at the end of Mistborn.

Example: Greensparrow in Salvatore. (He is far from famous but that's because he sucks. His IQ correlates with the number of pages remaining in the trilogy.)

2. Evil and competent.

This type is a source for great drama, although it can be hard for the author to plot with a villain like that, especially if a happy ending is desired. The easy way out is to slide into type 1 while saying that the villain is a super-genius, but that's just type 1 in denial instead of genuine type 2. The best literary villains are of this sort. The Lord Ruler would have worked well as this type, although plotting a plausible way for him to lose might not be easy. On the other hand, heroes are not absolutely required to win every book, so the heroes losing could work too.

Example: Lord Foul in Donaldson.

3. Good and incompetent.

Incompetent might be too strong a word here, but for whatever reason the character is not an effective ruler. It's possible that the character could become a good ruler once he gets more experienced or the enchantment over him is broken or something or maybe the character is just ill-suited to his role. In this scenario the role of the heroes is to defeat whatever force behind the throne is taking advantage of the ruler's ineffectiveness to do bad stuff and then either redeem or replace the ruler. The Lord Ruler could have worked as this type too. Perhaps his tyranny was due to him having lost his faith in humanity and clinical depression, with the climate effects some sort of reflections of his mental state, while the nobility and the Lord Ruler's high-ranking minions were the ones responsible for the worst tyrannical excesses. The heroes would then have to find a way to remind the Lord Ruler of what his younger, more idealistic self had been like.

Example: Théoden in Tolkien, although this is not a pure example.

4. Good and competent.

Why are the heroes fighting him? Why is the character allowing a tyranny? This one is probably the hardest one for coming up with a plausible plot. Inevitably there will be some sort of misunderstanding going on. For the Lord Ruler, one could conceivably concoct a scenario where he was, say, acting evil to store his goodness feruchemically in some metal, so that he could defeat some great evil by unleashing a thousand years worth of concentrated goodness, sunlight, happiness, and pretty flowers in one hyper-powerful burst. I don't think that would be a good plot twist though...

Example: I can't think of any.

Even if the Lord Ruler turns out to really not have been type 1 after all, that's what the first book of the trilogy leaves him as, and that's not a good thing. And if the following books don't change the classification for him, that's really not a good thing.

I'm somewhat curious of what will happen in the series, but I've heard multiple reports that the quality goes down in the sequels.

Maybe an example of number four would be the king from the early parts of Acacia?

[macaroni]

Halfway through the series...took a hiatus to read Towers of Midnight and then Russell Brand's Autobio...I am enjoying it.

A good writer still learning his craft is what I'd say.

[lacuna]

Why isn't it available in other ebook stores and only so far found for Kindle?

*groan and grumble* Not all of us have kindles and not all of us live solely in America or Canada. (though I'm sure it is an awesome place to live)

Finally find a book that might be worth sticking on my husbands Kobo for when he is away..and it's not available..Sorry an annoying discrimination that I've come up against way to often now.

[/venting]

Dunno if it will help, probably not, but you could try WHSmith.co.uk. But since you're in Australia...

[Rhom]

Sanderson made an announcement about his new Mistborn book on his Facebook page.

Mistborn Short Novel first draft is finished. 85k long. Out next fall. Blog post coming. Huzzah!

I think last week he said something about an allomancer gunfight in this book. I liked the Mistborn books as short, fun reads. This sounds like it would be a really entertaining read.

[aidan]

I find it hilarious that Sanderson's 'short novel' is the length (or longer) of an average novel.

[The Evil Hat]

I was under the impression that the average novel was between 80 and 100k, meaning that Sanderson's still on the lower edge. Besides, the averages for genre and non genre are very different, and the new Mistborn will be pretty short for fantasy standards.

[Warg Arry]

Dunno if it will help, probably not, but you could try WHSmith.co.uk. But since you're in Australia...

Thank you you are all levels of awesome.

It unfortunately didn't work. Because of the whole, living in Australia thing.

But I appreciate you looking it up for me.

[lacuna]

Thank you you are all levels of awesome.

It unfortunately didn't work. Because of the whole, living in Australia thing.

But I appreciate you looking it up for me.

Also, what reader do you use? Mobipocket has an in-built ebook store section, where I've bought three ebooks so far (including Well of Ascension) withouth geographical restriction issues.

[Warg Arry]

Also, what reader do you use? Mobipocket has an in-built ebook store section, where I've bought three ebooks so far (including Well of Ascension) withouth geographical restriction issues.

It's a Kobo (epub and PDF). Gave Mobipocket a go.. Sadly no.

I hate to do it but I admit defeat. I thought I had them through www.fishpond.com.au. they even charged my card and just now got an email saying.

Thank you for your order of The Final Empire (Mistborn) & The Hero of Ages (Mistborn) & The Well of Ascension with Fishpond.com.au.

We have been informed that there are no local suppliers for this title, for this reason we are unable to source this title for you.

So as to not further inconvenience you, your order has been cancelled

So yeah..Sad... oh well :(

[Sharpes]

It's a Kobo (epub and PDF). Gave Mobipocket a go.. Sadly no.

I hate to do it but I admit defeat. I thought I had them through www.fishpond.com.au. they even charged my card and just now got an email saying.

So yeah..Sad... oh well :(

What the? Never had that problem with fishpond. :S

Here's some options for you if you haven't tried them already :)

Dymocks: http://www.dymocks.com.au/Search/results.aspx?N=0&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&Ntt=mistborn

Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/search?searchTerm=mistborn&search=search

Also try this store located in melbourne, which one of my friends works at: http://www.ofscienceandswords.com.au/catalogue/search_result?name=mistborn&intersection=true&sort_attribute=cp3.

[jurble]

Just started reading this series. Can someone explain something to me? Is the population divided entirely between nobles and skaa? Is there any commoner rank between? As far as I can tell so far, it seems that there is none, just nobles and commoners, and that therefore there must be a shit-ton of nobles.

[jurble]

I barely remember the sequel to Mistborn, what with the wildwest and stuff, let alone what a skaa is or what my question was about.

[baxus]

this is quite a threadcromancy i'm doing here and i'm aware of it :)

i've recently started reading the final empire and have reached the point when:

the girl meets inquisitors for the first time and is injured fighting them

for the time being i quite like the book - characters are interesting and magic system is refreshing.

i'm not reading it in english and i most probably won't in the foreseeable future, so i was wondering if you'd help me with english spelling for characters' names.

the answer is only a google search away but i'd prefer avoiding accidental spoilers so i turn to you for help.

thanks in advance.

[Rhom]

this is quite a threadcromancy i'm doing here and i'm aware of it :)

i've recently started reading the final empire and have reached the point when:

the girl meets inquisitors for the first time and is injured fighting them

for the time being i quite like the book - characters are interesting and magic system is refreshing.

i'm not reading it in english and i most probably won't in the foreseeable future, so i was wondering if you'd help me with english spelling for characters' names.

the answer is only a google search away but i'd prefer avoiding accidental spoilers so i turn to you for help.

thanks in advance.

Ummm... off the top of my head there's Vin, Kelsier, Elend, and Sazed. I have forgotten the names of all the rest of the crew.

[awesome possum]

Ham, Clubs, Spook, Breeze, Yeden, and Marsh make up the rest of the group.

[baxus]

thanks guys.

i've paired the rest, but which one is spook?

i'll post new questions regarding original terms used from time to time.

at the moment, i'd appreciate if someone could tell me what are "wizards" that can use only one metal called, both a general term and specific specialists? and those that can use all of them?

[Selysin]

The ones that can only use one metal are called Mistings and the ones that can use all of the metals are Mistborn. The different Mistings are Lurcher (iron), Coinshot (steel), Tineye (tin), Pewterarm/thug (pewter), rioter (zinc), Soother (brass), Coppercloud/smoker (copper) and Seeker (bronze).

[Starkess]

People who can use one allomancy talent are called Mistings, those who can use all of them are called Mistborn (where the title of the series comes from).

ETA: Heh, that's what I get for walking away from my computer and then posting! Selysin beat me to it and far more informative!

[baxus]

thanks for your great answers, both of you ;)