Favorite book (**SPOILERS**)

[Emeralis00 she/her]

I was just wondering.  ;D

[SOM1else he/him]

I would have to FE just because it can be read alone. I think Hero of Ages was the best but i could read final empire cover to cover multiple times, i couldnt do that with HoA without rereading the rest of the series

[Ryan he/him]

I think Final Empire tops them all. It's got the best conflict, best character arcs, best battles, and biggest emotional "oomph" of them all.

Of course, I really loved the TenSoon arc in HoA, and the series finale probably tops anything in FE. But as far as being consistently incredibly amazing and compelling, chapter after chapter, I'd pick FE bar none.

[Shivertongue he/him]

I'd have to choose Final Empire for the reasons stated above - not because I disliked the climax of Well of Ascension or Hero of Ages, but because I saw both of those coming from the first book.

Final Empire had the best climax, the most surprising ending, and the most fascinating plot of the entire trilogy. I saw the ending of Hero of Ages coming from the moment Sazed appeared on-screen in Final Empire, and predicted the end of Well of Ascension halfway through the book. It still worked for me, and I enjoyed both, but Final Empire was the only one to really surprise me.

[Ryan he/him]

Really? You saw that coming? That's quite extraordinary, you know. And here I was proud of myself for figuring out that Vin's earring was a hemalurgic spike in book 1.

[Link Von Kelsier Harvey he/him]

You figured out that the earring was a hemalurgic spike before you knew what Hemalurgy was?  That's pretty impressive...  And Shiver... You saw...  How?

[Emeralis00 she/her]

You figured out that the earring was a hemalurgic spike before you knew what Hemalurgy was?  That's pretty impressive...  And Shiver... You saw...  How?

I guessed about the earring in book one, that they were important but didn't understand the implications of it with hemalurgy.

[Ryan he/him]

You figured out that the earring was a hemalurgic spike before you knew what Hemalurgy was?  That's pretty impressive...  And Shiver... You saw...  How?

I don't recall how much of Hemalurgy is explained in Final Empire (or even if it's given a name), but I knew the earring used the same magic as the Inquisitors' spikes in book 1, yeah.

In book 1 you learn that making inquisitors involves killing people and putting metal spikes into other people. You also are shown how Vin got her earring. It's not too huge an intuitive leap to connect the two, and once connected, it's pretty clear that the earring is the source of Vin's coppercload-piercing ability.

(In case that came out wrong, I'm trying to be humble here. )

In fact, knowing as I did that Vin's earring was a spike, I found most of Vin's struggles in HoA to be frustrating. I mean, of course Reen's voice in her head was actually Ruin. Of course the earring was the reason the mists avoided her. I know that Vin the character couldn't have been expected to figure all that out, because she didn't have as much information as I did, but still, I found it frustrating. I think that frustration greatly diminished my enjoyment of that book, and made me prefer FE that much more.

[Shivertongue he/him]

You figured out that the earring was a hemalurgic spike before you knew what Hemalurgy was?  That's pretty impressive...  And Shiver... You saw...  How?

"The philosophers assure me that this is the time, that the signs have been met. But I still wonder if they have the wrong man. So many people depend on me. They say I will hold the future of the entire world on my arms."

(Emphasis mine)

That line stuck out at me immediately, and stuck out more and more as I read more of the epigraphs. The epigraph writer, Alendi, referred to the prophecies several times, and I connected that line with the prophecies in my mind. ON his arms, not IN his arms, as you would expect. The wording itself. Prophecies that specific are that specific for a reason.

Then we're introduced to Sazed, who uses Feruchemy. Once that was explained, and it was explained what a Keeper does, and that the metal he stores attributes in are on his arms, it just clicked into place for me. Sazed was/is the Hero of Ages. I spent the next two books hoping I was wrong.

As for Elend and Vin dying... I've read a lot of fantasy. A lot. The main hero dying by the end of the series is something I'm used to. Once I realized that Sazed was the HoA in Final Empire, I began to suspect that Vin was going to die by the end of the third book. I became more an more convinced as I kept reading. Why? Because I liked Vin.

And nine times out of ten, my favourite characters end up dead.

[Silus - Shard of Flame he/him]

You figured out that the earring was a hemalurgic spike before you knew what Hemalurgy was?  That's pretty impressive...  And Shiver... You saw...  How?

"The philosophers assure me that this is the time, that the signs have been met. But I still wonder if they have the wrong man. So many people depend on me. They say I will hold the future of the entire world on my arms."

(Emphasis mine)

That line stuck out at me immediately, and stuck out more and more as I read more of the epigraphs. The epigraph writer, Alendi, referred to the prophecies several times, and I connected that line with the prophecies in my mind. ON his arms, not IN his arms, as you would expect. The wording itself. Prophecies that specific are that specific for a reason.

Then we're introduced to Sazed, who uses Feruchemy. Once that was explained, and it was explained what a Keeper does, and that the metal he stores attributes in are on his arms, it just clicked into place for me. Sazed was/is the Hero of Ages. I spent the next two books hoping I was wrong.

As for Elend and Vin dying... I've read a lot of fantasy. A lot. The main hero dying by the end of the series is something I'm used to. Once I realized that Sazed was the HoA in Final Empire, I began to suspect that Vin was going to die by the end of the third book. I became more an more convinced as I kept reading. Why? Because I liked Vin.

And nine times out of ten, my favourite characters end up dead.

In other words, through Extreme Genre Savvy.

[Munin he/him]

Y'know, there should probably be a spoiler tag in the thread title.

[Shivertongue he/him]

You figured out that the earring was a hemalurgic spike before you knew what Hemalurgy was?  That's pretty impressive...  And Shiver... You saw...  How?

"The philosophers assure me that this is the time, that the signs have been met. But I still wonder if they have the wrong man. So many people depend on me. They say I will hold the future of the entire world on my arms."

(Emphasis mine)

That line stuck out at me immediately, and stuck out more and more as I read more of the epigraphs. The epigraph writer, Alendi, referred to the prophecies several times, and I connected that line with the prophecies in my mind. ON his arms, not IN his arms, as you would expect. The wording itself. Prophecies that specific are that specific for a reason.

Then we're introduced to Sazed, who uses Feruchemy. Once that was explained, and it was explained what a Keeper does, and that the metal he stores attributes in are on his arms, it just clicked into place for me. Sazed was/is the Hero of Ages. I spent the next two books hoping I was wrong.

As for Elend and Vin dying... I've read a lot of fantasy. A lot. The main hero dying by the end of the series is something I'm used to. Once I realized that Sazed was the HoA in Final Empire, I began to suspect that Vin was going to die by the end of the third book. I became more an more convinced as I kept reading. Why? Because I liked Vin.

And nine times out of ten, my favourite characters end up dead.

In other words, through Extreme Genre Savvy.

Yes. Bow before me, your Fantasy Genre God!

Y'know, there should probably be a spoiler tag in the thread title.

Agreed, and done. BOW BEFORE MY MODLINESS!

[Emeralis00 she/her]

You figured out that the earring was a hemalurgic spike before you knew what Hemalurgy was?  That's pretty impressive...  And Shiver... You saw...  How?

"The philosophers assure me that this is the time, that the signs have been met. But I still wonder if they have the wrong man. So many people depend on me. They say I will hold the future of the entire world on my arms."

(Emphasis mine)

That line stuck out at me immediately, and stuck out more and more as I read more of the epigraphs. The epigraph writer, Alendi, referred to the prophecies several times, and I connected that line with the prophecies in my mind. ON his arms, not IN his arms, as you would expect. The wording itself. Prophecies that specific are that specific for a reason.

Then we're introduced to Sazed, who uses Feruchemy. Once that was explained, and it was explained what a Keeper does, and that the metal he stores attributes in are on his arms, it just clicked into place for me. Sazed was/is the Hero of Ages. I spent the next two books hoping I was wrong.

As for Elend and Vin dying... I've read a lot of fantasy. A lot. The main hero dying by the end of the series is something I'm used to. Once I realized that Sazed was the HoA in Final Empire, I began to suspect that Vin was going to die by the end of the third book. I became more an more convinced as I kept reading. Why? Because I liked Vin.

And nine times out of ten, my favourite characters end up dead.

In other words, through Extreme Genre Savvy.

Yes. Bow before me, your Fantasy Genre God!

Y'know, there should probably be a spoiler tag in the thread title.

Agreed, and done. BOW BEFORE MY MODLINESS!

:-[ oops.  I didn't think I would get much discussion.