The Hero of Ages: Book Three of Mistborn

Brandon Sanderson

Oct 2008 · Mistborn Book 3 · Sold by Tor Books

About this ebook

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.

Who is the Hero of Ages?

To end the Final Empire and restore freedom, Vin killed the Lord Ruler. But as a result, the Deepness--the lethal form of the ubiquitous mists--is back, along with increasingly heavy ashfalls and ever more powerful earthquakes. Humanity appears to be doomed.

Having escaped death at the climax of The Well of Ascension only by becoming a Mistborn himself, Emperor Elend Venture hopes to find clues left behind by the Lord Ruler that will allow him to save the world. Vin is consumed with guilt at having been tricked into releasing the mystic force known as Ruin from the Well. Ruin wants to end the world, and its near omniscience and ability to warp reality make stopping it seem impossible. She can't even discuss it with Elend lest Ruin learn their plans!

Other Tor books by Brandon Sanderson

The Cosmere

The Stormlight Archive
The Way of Kings
Words of Radiance
Edgedancer (Novella)
Oathbringer

The Mistborn trilogy
Mistborn: The Final Empire
The Well of Ascension
The Hero of Ages

Mistborn: The Wax and Wayne series
Alloy of Law
Shadows of Self
Bands of Mourning

Collection
Arcanum Unbounded

Other Cosmere novels
Elantris
Warbreaker

The Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series
Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians
The Scrivener's Bones
The Knights of Crystallia
The Shattered Lens
The Dark Talent

The Rithmatist series
The Rithmatist

Other books by Brandon Sanderson

The Reckoners
Steelheart
Firefight
Calamity

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Ratings and reviews

So...my advice to anyone who reads the first book and falls in love with some of the characters: Stop reading. Pretend there was never a sequel. Not that there's some mass death or something in this book, but just because the ending seems to be a horrid cop-out. If you weren't as into it as me and are just enjoying the story for the ride, this book is fantastic. Sanderson does do a great job setting up all of the final acts and twists and reveals, but that doesn't do a lot to make the final ending satisfying in my opinion.

An ending that is also a beginning. This is the last of Vin and Elend's era and a new one begins in the next book, in the same world. The characters behave in a way that fits their personality, and the ending feels natural in so many ways. The last chapter of so seems a bit Hallmarkish, but the book is ohenomenal, and the ending does make sense for the characters. The struggle the characters go through and the fact that not everyone needs a happy ending, plus the feeling of closure you get, is wonderful and rare.

Id say good ending to the first series trilogy (there is now a second trilogy that takes place hundreds of years later) Slow start, weak middle, and a strong finish. Again, like the second book, there is a lot of re-explaining of key terms, and basic principles of the world, often more than necessary and sometimes annoying. The only thing I can relate this to is filler of an anime that keeps replaying the same character backstory, every few episodes or so. Otherwise, there is a logical conclusion that is both interesting and satisfying. Not much is left to ponder after the final page is turned. Leading up to that, however, can drone on a bit. The character progression is present and feels natural. No one is immune based off of importance, which is something ive enjoyed throughout the series. Overall 8/10. Otherwise, 4/5 :)

About the author

Brandon Sanderson grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. He lives in Utah with his wife and children and teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University. He is the author of such bestsellers as the Mistborn® trilogy and its sequels, The Alloy of Law, Shadows of Self, and The Bands of Mourning; the Stormlight Archive novels The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance; and other novels, including The Rithmatist and Steelheart. In 2013, he won a Hugo Award for Best Novella for The Emperor's Soul, set in the world of his acclaimed first novel, Elantris. Additionally, he was chosen to complete Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time® sequence.