Thoughts and feelings about the Mistborn series (very long)

[NyxRo]

So I recently reread Mistborn era 1 for the first time, having read the series the first time over 7 years ago. I also reread Alloy of Law and then started and completed the rest of Era 2 and Secret History. And now I am having a huge book hangover and I just need to share my disjointed thoughts and feelings somewhere as NONE of my friends have read any Sanderson books. Here they are:

While my favorite book of all time right now is the Way of Kings and my favorite series is the Stormlight Archive, I feel like the Cosmere’s most emotional/tear-jerker, intimate and even funniest moments happened in Scadrial.

The Final Empire: My favorite book of the whole series. I must admit, I did not see Kelsier’s death coming the first time I read it. I would have thrown the book across the room, against a wall, had I been reading a book rather than my kindle at the time. Kelsier is my favorite Mistborn character, and second favorite in the Cosmere behind Kaladin. I am glad I chose to reread the series, despite its darkness and sad, though bitter-sweet, ending. I ugly-cried when Vin yelled at the group/Kelsier and the subsequent heart-to-heart between Vin and Kelsier on the rooftop (I did this on the reread, knowing what will happen to Kelsier). I really love the relationship between Kelsier and Vin, and how they helped each other grow. That’s one of the reasons why TFE is my favorite Mistborn book.

Well of Ascension: I was quite bored reading the first half of the book during the reread. But I loved seeing more of Sazed and being introduced to TenSoon. I really liked Vin’s and Elend’s love story in TFE, but it took me a long time for me to be convinced of their relationship in Well of Ascension.

Hero of Ages: Wow…I don’t have the words for this yet. Let me just think about it more.

Alloy of Law: Of all of the Era 2 books, I think I love Wayne most in this one. He’s hilarious in this one. As the series goes on, he gets a bit too much at times. I really wanted to slap him after seeing his few interactions with Steris in the later books. This book was a great introduction of Wax and Wayne. One of my favorite quotes: “It’s the place honor goes to be strung up, flayed within an inch of its life, then cut down and left in a desert. If it survives something like that, it’ll be stronger than hell” I know this refers to the Roughs, but I couldn't help think of Kaladin when I read this.

Shadows of Self: I love MeLaan so much! She’s definitely one of my favorite Cosmere characters of all time, behind Kelsier. This was the book that made me realize that Wax, though a descendant of Breeze, seems more like a mix of Vin, Kelsier and Kaladin (you can see the same hardness in him in this book that Kaladin has). The ending was so sad. 

Bands of Mourning: Sanderson as a writer really shines in this book. It is so well crafted. There is a healthy mixture of humor, adventure, action, romance, and strong character development of all of the main players. I love Steris in this one. Wax’s and Steris’s romance is Sanderson’s best written, most believable romance in the Cosmere. I will reread this soon because it’s just so fun.

Secret History: I have mixed feelings about this book. It made me question Kelsier a lot more. I also didn’t fully appreciate some of the last things Vin had to say to Kelsier. It was almost like she was lecturing him. I have this feeling everyone wants to villainize Kelsier so much (yes, I do think he needs to control his anger and he is narcissistic…) but I feel that he does KNOW how to love. His love for Mare never really altered, even after assuming she betrayed him. That fact, in the first book, was what helped Vin learn to trust more, too. What Vin said to Kelsier in the end needed to be said to him, but maybe that wasn’t right time to do it. But maybe Vin just felt that she had no other time. At least Kelsier didn’t seem too bothered by it. He just felt more proud of her.

Funniest parts/quotes of the series:

-       when everyone starts talking Eastern street slang to get a rise out of Breeze in The Final Empire. “Wasing not of wasing is.”

-       In the beginning of Alloy of Law, Wax drawing stick figures on his notes, showing how much he misses his friend and his old life. “As he wrote he hesitated then added a couple of stick-figure bandits at the top, drawn in Wayne’s sloppy style. Crazy though it was, he felt better having them there.”

-       “‘Huh,” Wayne said thoughtfully. ‘Tea is poisoned.’ With that, he toppled to the ground.”

-       “‘You’re a very unique individual, Wayne.’     ‘Technically, we all are,’ he said. Then he hesitated. ‘Except for twins, I guess.’”

-       Introduction to Ranette, who threatens to shoot Wax and Wayne

-       Steris to Wax, in Shadows of self: ‘You, however, have given me only two names of people to invite. Wayne and a woman named Ranette – who, you noted, probably wouldn’t try to shoot you at your own wedding.’”

-       Elendel University in Shadows of Self, from Wayne’s POV: “The etched letters over the top proclaimed, in High Imperial, WASING THE ALWAYS OF WANTING OF KNOWING. Deep words.”

-        “‘Aw, Ruin!’ Wayne said. ‘I missed her? What did she leave for me?’       ‘She …said I was to slap you,’ Darriance admitted.       ‘Aw. She does care. See that, Wax, she cares!’

          Wax nodded absently as Wayne tried to force Darriance to slap him across the rear-which he doubted was what Ranette had intended.”

-       “The immortal demigod took a throaty slurp of her beer, then slammed the mug down onto the table, grinning like a four-year-old who had been paid cookies to rat out her sister. Wax studied her as she looked Wayne in the eyes and let out a belch that could have woken the dead. Beside Wax, Wayne nodded in appreciation, looking quite impressed.”

-        ‘Thy snoring,’ MeLaan said, ‘is rather loud.’

          ‘I…what?’

           ‘It doth be like unto an hundred angry koloss,’ MeLaan said, ‘in the middle of a rockslide. Lo, and it doth come near to waking the dead.’

          ‘Right…’ Aradel said.”

-       Bands of Mourning: Wax, Wayne, Marasi, MeLaan and Steris all scaring poor Aunt Gin when they first got to the hotel room.

-       Bands of Mourning, the group escaping the hotel:

         "'Is that the constables?’ Aunt Gin asked, sounding horrified.

         ‘Afraid so,’’ Wax said, pulling the door closed.

          The carriage lurched into motion, and Steris leaned out the window, waving farewell to the poor innkeeper. ‘Framed for murder!’ Steris called to her. 'It’s on page seventeen of the list I gave you! Try not to let them harass our servants too much when they arrive!’”

[King Aragorn of Gondor]

You and I have about the same views on a lot of this, but I would not have the patience to write it all down.

I loved Wayne, with all his quirks and humor, and I also loved the character of Kelsier too.  (I broke down while reading his death.)

[Karger]

I am more of a Vin's death fan.

Good Harmony! That came out wrong.

Edited July 20, 2019 by Karger

[continuumg]

My absolute favourite part of the series is when Steris teaches Wax the joys of accounting.

[King Aragorn of Gondor]

Storms, that part is the best!

[brasidas]

On ‎7‎/‎6‎/‎2019 at 3:55 PM, NyxRo said:

 

-       Elendel University in Shadows of Self, from Wayne’s POV: “The etched letters over the top proclaimed, in High Imperial, WASING THE ALWAYS OF WANTING OF KNOWING. Deep words.”

 

I love the irony that Spook's street slang eventually becomes known as High Imperial. It would be like going three hundred years into the future to discover that the new language of the learned was talking like Jar-Jar Binks.

[Karger]

On 7/26/2019 at 11:01 PM, brasidas said:

Jar-Jar Binks.

No.  I refuse.  That is an unholy name.

In reality it would be more like if texting acronyms became a a code used only by the elite.

Edited January 29, 2020 by Karger

[Honorless]

Kelsier is getting flanderized a lot over one comment by Brandon

Biggest tear jerkers, for me, included: Human the Koloss, finding about Reen, Kelsier's reaction to Dox's death, Leras' quiet death, Elend's death, followed swiftly by Vin's death

[Tglassy]

I loved all those parts.  Era 2 Mistborn is still my favorite of the whole Cosmere.  Wax is my favorite character, his relationship with Steris is my favorite romance, and Wayne is my favorite side/not side character.  I do love Era 1 and Stormlight, too.  But I just...I don't know, I feel for Wax.  I hate that those are the shortest books in the series.  

[+Harrycrapper]

I still think Kelsier robbing the Ire in secret history is one of, if not the funniest sequences Brandon has written in the Cosmere. Punching both Preservation and Ruin in the face also got a good laugh out of me.

Edited February 4, 2020 by Harrycrapper