The Hero of Ages, by Brandon Sanderson — An In-depth Review
Rarely do I fill this sense of accomplishment, of unbridled fulfilment when I finish a book. You see, for quite some time now I have been in the eternally self-propelling rollercoaster that is booktube and if you are a content creator in this community yourself, you might be familiar with the sentiment.
It is always about starting a new book, a new series, move on. Never about wrapping things up. I suppose there is also a certain ethereal pressure on my part to use my time efficaciously and not to focus on just one trilogy or another.
Finishing the Mistborn Era 1 trilogy was a very long overdue wrong that needed righting in my life. So now, I am happy to announce I have actually finished a Sanderson series (shush, no, I have not read Era 2).
A little bit of a warning, spoilers for the Final Empire and Well of Ascension ahead! Go read them and then come back, deal?
Review
So, the Lord Ruler is dead. I did tell you there would be spoilers for the first two books in this review.
To recap, in the first two books Kelsier resorted to martyrdom and originated a religion right before setting up shop in Fortnite. Rebellious factions have been quieted by Emperor Elend who has changed a lot from the first book. However, our beloved protagonists need to confront a much more serious foe. A God that is striving for the end of the world.
This is how this book starts. The stakes could not be higher. They are fighting a literal God.
This is what I think of when I picture epic fantasy. A slow clap in that regard.
Characterisation
I have not shied away from saying that Sanderson's characterisation was the weakest feature of "The Final Empire", and now I don't shy away from saying that in "The Hero of Ages" you can see an improvement.
In my opinion, the most glaring flaw from the first book was the lukewarm relationship between Elend and Vin, which was extra bland. I think Sanderson finally cracked the formula for their dynamic, something that (without getting into spoiler territory) has to do with the characters in question making a fundamental change in mindset. If you know, you know.
I would also like to talk about the time we get to spend with Spook in this book, and how he subsequently becomes a very prominent POV character. It was interesting to see a character that in the first two novels was practically relegated to a meme given his unusual way of communicating. I really enjoy seeing meaningful growth.
That being said, I do still think character is the least strong aspect in Sanderson's repertoire. The criticism I have in mind is that, at times, this book felt like an obscure philosophical exploration.
Don’t get me wrong, I very much enjoy fictional characters with enough depth to delve into the motivations and ethos of what they are doing and why. I’m also reading epic fantasy, not Thus Spoke Zarathustra. What I’m obnoxiously attempting to say is that it felt as though Sanderson beat the point to a pulp when it came to character background and motives.
At one point I remember jotting down Vin, I get it. We all do. You are damaged. You didn’t trust people and you do now. Time to bloody do something.
2. Plot
Obviously, things have massively changed from the first book and you can't replicate the heist dynamic. The plot is still quite tight and straightforward and all of the POV characters are absolutely necessary to understand it.
I've always said, one of the most potent features of having an overarching outline is that the plot is compact, and even though there is some slight character rambling, it doesn't have lose ends or superfluous side-quests. Everything is there for a reason, yielding an incredibly solid ending.
That ending...
Before I carry on, I have a confession to make. I teared up at the end. Say whatever you want, but the man knows how to finish a trilogy.
3. Worldbuilding
Sanderson leaned hard into his zeroth Law on this one. I don't want to spend the whole day raving about Sanderson's world-building abilities and magic system, which was expanded with hemalurgy if it that was even possible, but there are two things that shouldn't go unmentioned.
Firstly, the use of that numerical value in correlation with the greater Cosmere implications blew my mind. Don't worry, you'll know when you read it.
The second is that, even though the world is very dissimilar to ours, it is grounded in our own history. I used to be obsessed with the French Revolution in high school and there is a pretty clear parallel with Urteau (now that I type that, the name even looks French). Particularly after the Revolution with Robespierre going bonkers and instating the Reign of Terror, the extreme re-shaping of society and the persecution of anyone that was pointed to be an anti-revolutionary. If you are not familiar with the events of the revolution of 1789 you should read about it, it is fascinating.
4. Prose
Sanderson maintains his extremely direct prose, no faff or excessive lyricism. We know it’s all about the transparent membrane for him. It does the job.
Finishing this trilogy was very cathartic for me, left me with a sense of fulfilment. It is a good third book that puts a ribbon on a series that launched a fantasy powerhouse. Way to wreak havoc with my emotions and make me ask for seconds, Sando. Well played.
