Fantasy Book Club Series discussion

Here we can post on the finished book part iv!

edited: okay-I am so dingy that here I thought Part IV was the end, and posted this before I was finished....lol

Still a bit to read!

This book was wonderful, particularly the last third of the book, I couldn't put it down after the fight between Vin and Shan Elariel. I really enjoyed the character development I felt like I got to really know the main characters and the plot moved at just the right pace.

Was this book originally meant to be a stand alone novel but with hooks for sequels? For some reason it had that feel to it. Also, what was everyone's opinion on the romance between Elend and Vin? Did you find it believable?

5/5 stars

I've read the entire trilogy three months ago, but would still like to comment!

I don't know about the standalone novel thing. Since I bought the trilogy as a whole, I never really considered this and I can't consider in hindsight since I don't really recollect what was 'unsolved' at the end of the first book and what wasn't.

About the romance thing. I honestly loathe romance stories and often object to love in fantasy books because it serves no function seemingly bar appeasing the 15 year olds that might read the book. I had the same feeling when Elend was first introduced, as I saw the love thing coming from a mile away. However, as this storyline developed, I found myself feeling very involved in a positive way. I cared where it went. So yes, at first I was very sceptic, but they grew on me!

****SPOILER ALERT!!! DON'T READ UNTIL YOU'VE FINISHED THE ENTIRE BOOK!!!*****

Finished it last night. About halfway through reading I have to say I was ever so slightly disappointed, for me only Kelsier, Vin and Sazed felt like fleshed out characters, and although I loved the ash-covered oppressive nature of the world, it didn't feel as detailed as other authors' worldbuilding. But, by golly, the last hundred pages or so was wonderful storytelling! I had a feeling Kel was setting himself up a martyr, but the scene itself was masterfully done, and I was nearly punching the air when he killed the Inquisitor. I didn't see the final twist about the identity of the Lord Ruler coming at all, though. I thought it was very clever how Sanderson delivered a satisfying ending, but also left some tantalizing unanswered questions in the air to motivate the rest of the trilogy. I'm reading this series in tandem with Wheel of Time and Dark Tower, so I'll get back to those before reading book 2, but really looking forward to both that book and Sanderson's WoT books.

By the end of the third book I was feeling exactly like Lee over in the other thread. I was not going to continue with the series.

And then bam. the book just explodes. The night I settee book 4 I stayed up till 4am and near finished it.

The action and twists and turns are just fantastic. The Mistborn battles are the big draw for me. It reminds me of the wire fight king fu movies like crouching tiger hidden dragon. There are some genius moments too. I loved the scene where Vin made the arrows so they kept going after the rings were pushed off them and blinding the inquisitor with the dust. That was brilliant. And Kels fight with the Inquisitor was great.

Oh and the lord ruler twist was great. A stray arrow or something could of hit Elend though.

I'm on bored for the rest of the series. But it was touch and go. Let's hope this next book dosn't stuff around

I agree with Jim whole heartedly-- I also thought it was a great magic system, and that was what pulled everything through. Still really liked it!

I finished Final Empire yesterday. Lord Ruler is this good! I agree with Jim that the world could have come alive more and there probably could have been a little less eye rolling. But I am mostly picking nits, I loved the book. This is only my second fantasy series, my first being Riftwar Saga. In that case I was absolutely transported to Crydee when things were blissful and things slowly unravel till the universe is in crisis, here I felt like I was in Mordor to begin the story after Sauran had won!

The characters were great, loved Vin, Kel and Spook the most. The Steel Inquisitors were chilling but sometimes I just felt sorry for them, like they were projections of the Lord Ruler's evil rather than evil themselves - especially when one of them asks Kel - "you promised me a fight".

The fight between Vin and Shan and Kel's vanquishing of a Inquisitor were exhilarating. The author did a great job of slowly introducing both Allomancy and its moves, so that later on it felt natural to coin push or pewter enhance in a fight or maneuver.

The Lord Ruler's logbook is masterfully used, we are slowly introduced to it in epigraphs and Vin's readings and ties brilliantly to both the Lord Ruler's identity as a Terrisman and the manner of his defeat when Vin guesses at his use of Feruchemy.

Luke - love your comment that "a stray arrow could have hit Elend". But I have disagree, I like Elend Venture and his geeky, scholarly self with dreams of Utopia. Cant wait to start Well of Ascension!

Thought this thread was just part 4, luckily I've finished whole thing. When Vin got slammed in the head by the steel inquisitor I thought she'd been slammed with metal eyes at first - I yelped and scared my cat!

The 4th part of this book brought me back. I was getting a little bored with all the preparation and the balls Vin was going to and blah. And when the began with the House Venture ball, again, I was just thinking enough already, but then all hell breaks loose and the story really gets going here. The battle with Vin and Shan was brillant and the Kelsier and the Inquisitor, well, I felt such pride in seeing the inquisitor die. Of course the outcome with the Lord Ruler afterward was not what I expected. Time to finish this one and move to the next.

Ouch to the spoilers for Part V in this thread, kind of ruined the ending for me!

I kind of figured out that Kelsier was setting himself up to be a martyr so his death didn't come as a huge surprise. At the end of this part I was dying to know what the kandra are!

Truly sorry if my earlier post was one of the culprits, Heidi. I thought this forum thread was for people who had finished the book. I'll see if I can edit the post to make it more obvious.

Thanks Jim! Very thoughtful of you.