Ale the Metallic Conjurer

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Like I said I’ve only come off the trilogy and now Elantris Part 1. So I don’t know how the Cosmere stuff play into Era 1. I don’t think Ruin and Preservation are as impotent as you think. Sazed in the ch. 9 epigraph said that Ruin whispered “certain things” to Rashek during his Ascension, and Preservation Vin saw through the power’s history/memories that he directed him toward the creation of Hemalurgic constructs. While afterwards Rashek couldn’t create any other constructs. According to Sazed by the time of Preservation’s death - “Gone were the days when Preservation could turn away an Inquisitor with a bare gesture, gone—even—were the days when he could strike a man down to bleed and die.” This implies that in earlier eras of Scadrial, Preservation could change the world and kill people if it meant preserving the status quo. Which makes a lot more sense than him being impotent stasis. Rashek with a tiny piece of Preservation changed the world on planetary orbital, geographical, biological, and atmospherical scales. Ruin is intelligent decay able to build things up if it meant he could knock down things. Even the divine bargain is an example of Ruin doing this. Thanks for explaining the atium!

Hello there! Sorry for the late reply. Been busy with summer break relaxation, job searching, and reading Elantris. Been struggling with that one but the good news is that I just finished Part 1. Hope the pacing of Elantris improves from now on. Your replies (on here and my recent thread) make me feel better about Ruin's precognition. So he's not bad at precognition, just bad among his peers? Like an NFL or NBA player compared to college players? I guess that makes sense. Hopefully I see more precog in the rest of the Cosmere. Though I have to wonder how far did Preservation see the future? His plan did succeed, but Preservation's competency depleted over the millennia while Ruin was changing text and influencing people all over the world. And I'm fairly certain weird things were going on with Marsh resisting Ruin's control. Thank you for the detailed explanation. I didn't think about the possibility of using Feruchemists as Inquisitors. I don't like that Ruin didn't go that route, and a part of me thinks he was a smarter Chessmaster when "imprisoned" in the Well. But, oh well. Though I won't lie, part of Ruin's "incompetence" towards the end of HoA feels like plot convenience. That first part feels like plot convenience. I now know there's future sight blocking which I guess came from the grand burning of atium, and Preservation having better future sight than Ruin, but it feels somewhat wishy-washy. When he was imprisoned Ruin was a subtle mastermind manipulating religions, influencing TLR and the unstable, guiding Kelsier into creating his rebellion, and planting spikes all over the place. He gave instructions to TLR on how to create Inquisitors, when their Canton wasn't even created until the 6th century. Even after being released he was pushing Vin and Elend into corners to drive them into finding the storage caverns. It feels like Ruin suddenly not using the kandra or foreseeing the possibility of his death was solely written so that Vin can succeed.

Ruin was an amazing villain, but he could’ve done more. One of the only flaws I have with The Hero of Ages is that Ruin didn’t manipulate kandra. I understand he’s a god trying to destroy the world, but he TAUGHT Rashek how to use Hemalurgy. Ruin was essentially responsible for creating kandra. And we saw how he efficiently he controlled koloss and Inquisitors, and those who’ve had spikes for exponentially less time. The kandra should’ve been his pawns throughout their 1000 years of life, manipulated them in a similar way as TLR and Vin. I imagine he could influence the Generations to grow more complacent, OreSeur and TenSoon to become relatively rebellious kandra, and KanPaar to start a revolt. Even if the kandra still pull out their spikes (which makes no sense imo), at least this enhances the threat of Ruin. I was discussing with a friend about Ruin’s influence on the world of Scadrial, and we agreed that Ruin should’ve done more with his Apocalypse. It would’ve been better if Ruin enveloped Scadrial in more natural disasters - floods, hurricanes, more earthquakes, tsunamis, thunderstorms, blizzards etc… Granted, it’s possible Ruin didn’t create more natural disasters because he wants humanity alive to benefit his search for atium. I just realized that Ruin’s nigh-omniscience seems more limited than it should. The amateur Vin could sense the humans that are within the storage caverns. The amateur Sazed could sense the inhabitants within the metal-covered Trustwarren and storage caverns, protect them and move them around. According to a WoB he healed everyone in them. I know that Ruin could probably see through places like Fadrex's cavern, considering he interacted with Vin, But it sounds… off that Ruin couldn’t sense his atium, or at least not be aware of the Kandra Homeland. Also, I don’t 100% like that Ruin’s personality is mainly a representation of death and entropy. I understand he’s supposed to be a force of change, so I wish his actions _showed_ a side focused on change. We know he guided Kelsier towards crafting his rebellion, so he could’ve been responsible for other rebellions throughout history. The Crescent and Remote Dominances, and the Southern islands, seems to have been outside of Empire control. So Ruin could’ve taught them how to make advancements in technology. Since he’s a being of change, perhaps his goals could remain the same but his _personality_ is more neutral and calmer than canon. I don’t think Ruin is truly malicious, but his gloating(ugh) comes across that way. And according to folks over here, Ruin is one of the worst Shards at seeing the future. I have a big problem with that. Ruin is supposed to hasten and represent the inevitabilities of death and entropy and change. Preservation only wants to keep the universe the same. Even if Ruin is worse at precognition there shouldn’t be a big gap. Though I can’t speak about the Shards until I read more, so hopefully there are Shards that justify Brandon’s perspective on Ruin’s precognition.

Why didn’t Ruin foresee his death? Based on the powers of atium and electrum, I’m pretty sure one of Ruin and Preservation’s powers is precognition. According to some friends who are well-versed in the Cosmere, when Elend burned atium and duralumin he saw Preservation’s plan - that Vin would kill Ruin and save the world. If I understand the Metallic Arts correctly, their powers are fueled by tiny pieces of Ruin and Preservation’s powers. I would’ve expected Ruin’s precognition to be far beyond that of Elend. Why didn’t Ruin foresee Preservation’s plan or his death? I haven't read Cosmere aside from the Mistborn trilogy and part of Elantris.

Thank you so much! I'll be sure to share my takes on other Cosmere characters in the future!

I've only read Mistborn Era 1, but I am heavily invested into the concept of Scadrial's gods. The Nowhere King's song from Centaurworld (which I am currently watching) inspired me to make renditions that center around AU interpretations of Ruin and Preservation. The AU uses these concepts: Ruin and Preservation being two main figures of the Steel Ministry religion. I imagine the Lord Ruler's role would be similar to Jesus, Islamic prophets, or Hindu avatars. I also imagine the gods' manipulations would be even greater. Ruin could breed serial killers and more rebellions, or Preservation could implant more explicit preparations. Mistborn's plot is more akin to epic fantasy, with the war between the gods encompassing more of Scadrial's history and cultures. There are a few more alterations. For these Lullabies, imagine Ruin as the power of entropy, inevitable decay/death, and change. He still wants to ensure the inevitable death of the Universe's things, but also wants to push people to constantly embrace uncertainty and change. The AU interpretation is just as intelligent as canon Ruin, if not more, but he "understands" emotions such as love. Preservation is more or less the same as canon. I imagine these Lullabies would be sung by people who worship them, or have been touched by their influence or magic. Ruin's Lullaby could be sung by Inquisitors like Marsh, the koloss, and kandra that AU Ruin would subtly turn insane. Preservation's Lullaby is sung by Rashek and loyal kandra. Lullaby of the Changing Tides Hush now Rest all you little ones Walk now Into the middle of glory Singing and laughter will shine Changing stars Follow the Decaying King When his bargain comes Our time is nigh Quiet. Crawl to the in-between. Silent, secretive feeling of Fearsome hatred of a soul wasting its time You will bring joy to the Decaying King When he sees the light leaving your eyes Lullaby of the Perfect Note Hush now Hold all you little ones Stand now Into the middle of beauty Despair and aging will die Painless sleep Follows the Calming King When his stasis comes Our time is abroad Quiet. Stay from the in-between. Silent, smothering feeling of Loving kindness that reaches the stars You will bring joy to the Calming King When he sees the light stay in your eyes

The World of Ash and Mists is gone. The game between Ruin and Preservation is over. And all that is left is balance. On November 1st, I finished The Hero of Ages. I can safely sat that it deserves every bit of praise. This was a phenomenal book and a phenomenal ending to the Mistborn trilogy; a 10/10 masterpiece. Sanderson managed to tie everything about the previous stories into one that solidifed Scadrial and the Metallic Arts as some of my favorite worlds/magic systems yet. Hemalurgy was something that went far deeper than initially expected, and I am excited to read about it in Era 2. I love how he subverted the Chosen One trope AGAIN in a way that has me facepalming my suspicions of who wrote the epigraphs. I love how Hemalurgy and atium tied into the grander plot. There is an absolutely insane amount of things I could compliment about the enhanced worldbuilding: Vin's earring, the Terris Prophecy twist, the epigraphs etc... Sanderson did a brilliant job building up Spook into an extraordinary character, concluding the tales of our favorite Mistborn, crafting the tragic tale of Marsh, and subverting our expectations of our favorite Terrismen. I was CRYING once Sazed took the powers!!!! My heart broke reading his note to Spook!!!! THE BLUE SKIES AND YELLOW SUN!! THE FIELD OF FLOWERS!!! I am STILL crying when I even THINK about the ending!! The ending was heartbreaking, but there was also a profound feeling of hope. Hope for a better world than the suffering caused by Scadrial’s gods. AND THE LORD RULER!!!!!! The Lord Ruler's character development set him up as my 5th favorite Mistborn character. Bravo Brandon! I applaud Sanderson the most for crafting the war between Ruin and Preservation. There have many times in fiction in which I've been spurned by the "good god vs evil god" trope. Even the best examples have been subject to binary morality, or the evil gods being defeated by pure incompetence. Fortunately, I never felt disappointed when reading about the gods of Scadrial. The war between Ruin and Preservation came across as something nuanced; progressed by the unparalleled intelligence, power, and patience of each god. I felt an overwhelming sense of horror from Ruin's divine abilities, and saw that Xanatos himself would be envious of Ruin's abilities of a Chessmaster. Ruin setting up the rebellion and malatium, or tricking Vin and Elend with koloss armies, were strokes of GENIUS! But most of all, Ruin and Preservation never sounded like binary forces of good and evil. They felt like intelligent deities that could either progress the Universe or usher the Apocalypse depending on the circumstances. I don't see Ruin as a mindless force of destruction, or Preservation as a purely selfless force of stasis. In fact I view the Final Empire as the prime example of why Preservation needs Ruin. In my eyes Preservation, without eons suffering from the divine equivalent of a lobotomy, is a force of intelligent stasis. A force that, like his champion Rashek, would murder and destroy for the purpose of maintaining the status quo on a grand scale. I find that scarier than a force like Ruin, who imo could be the equivalent of the Grim Reaper in another circumstance. The only issues I have with HoA are Spook and Beldre's relationship feeling underdeveloped, and Ruin having moments of being a generic doomsday villain. But those ultimately don't bog my opinions on the book or Ruin down. It was lovely reading about Kelsier's earlier personality in The Eleventh Metal. And it was great reading between the lines to see the implications of Ruin's chess game. And ofc I have several theories and questions. Who or what is "Adonalsium?" What are the three aspects of divine power? And what happened to the koloss, kandra and Marsh? Or Cett and Yomen. I'm so excited to RAFO.

Hi all! It's been a long time since I posted here! My thoughts on WoA were more or less set up seven months ago. Reading The Well of Ascension took time. Not because it was boring, but because I was preoccupied with a lot of things. But I am more than glad I took my time, because this book delivered. It wasn't perfect, and personally I would change more things here than I would for The Final Empire. But when Well of Ascension delivered, it delivered to greater heights than its predecessor. Particularly when it comes to character writing. Strengths Vin and Elend: Sanderson did a fantastic job using this book to progress Vin and Elend not only as a couple, but as individuals. Elend ascended right up to being one of my favorite Mistborn characters. I loved seeing his struggles between being a good man, trying not to be ruthless just for the sake of staying on his throne. It's refreshing seeing a royal character not resorting to cruelty and violence to keep their power. As for Vin, she became an even better character through her relationship with TenSoon. Her journey to learn empathy and trust was easily one of my favorite things about WoA. Her relationships with TenSoon and Elend made her a deeper and more interesting character in my eyes. Politics: I love political drama in fiction, and it was juicy in this book. Even Straff's side of things was interesting to see. Cett's side was my favorite. His hateable personality made me smile at the same time, and I was a fan of Allrianne and her relationships. I wish I saw more of Jastes, how he built his army, and how he ended up with a decrepit body. Sazed and Tindwyl: These two were both amazing characters and a fascinating look into the impact of the Lord Ruler's oppression. I could sympathize with both Sazed's belief that a good heart and all religions, and Tindwyl's more cynical worldview. I miss Tindwyl already. And Sazed's role in the Sanderlanche were easily his best moments at this point, serving as fantastic examples of his love for others and the depth of Feruchemy. TenSoon: I could gush about TenSoon all day, but just know that the plot twist revolving around him elevated him to a new level than before. Breeze: Loved seeing Breeze showing compassion and care towards his friends, and it broke my heart seeing his breakdown. I hope he's okay in book 3. I appreciated that Sanderson took the care to develop his side characters further. The action: Even better than the action in The Final Empire. And it makes me glad to see Feruchemical combat on the pages. I was curious about that since Sazed rescued Vin in book 1. The siege: Phenomenal, top-class setpiece of action and emotion that words alone can't do justice. Whether it was Elend cutting down Jastes, or Sazed and Vin fighting koloss armies. Sanderson did a fantastic job with the climax. The mystery and ending: The Final Empire's ending had me excited and worried. But this book's ending scaredme. After reading "I am FREE" I was scared to continue reading because my brain was in shock. I'm terrified of the Well of Ascension's prisoner and I don't even know its name. The thing that terrifies me the most is Kwaan's emphasis on its subtle intelligence. Who knows what else it could have been manipulating???? Let's just say I will never trust paper again. AND MARSH!! Sazed vs Marsh is my favorite fight yet, even more than Sazed vs the koloss. Weaknesses Zane: Zane is okay. He's one of the main cons I heard about Well of Ascension and I see why. I don't hate him, and I don't think his arc was some kind of love triangle. But I think Sanderson should've focused more on the aspect of Zane's best chapter: the voice of God in his head, which I'm assuming is the Well of Ascension's prisoner. Imo it could've given the audience something to latch onto with the character, and helped the book tie-in better with the building mystery. Also, I thought Zane's dialogue sounded like it was from an amateur YA novel and I was not a fan of that. And his death didn't leave an impact... it just happened and I moved on to the beauty of TenSoon. Needed more focus on the mystery: I would have loved if Sanderson put more focus on the killing mists and capabilities of the mist spirit, and the confusion behind the manipulations of the Well's prisoner. I think this could have made chapter 21-38 a tighter narrative, helping the book's reputation. At the time, most of my questions stemmed from TFE and Ruin's role in the story. And I'm happy to say that the Hero of Ages beautifully answered all of them. What I would change about this book: I will discuss in a separate post, unless someone asks me to do so here.

That was an incredible two-month long experience. I never thought I would be willing or able to finish a 600+ page book, but Sanderson made it possible. Even more amazing since this is the first novel I've read for leisure since middle school. I am still shocked about what happened in the climax, and I have so many thoughts, questions, and a few nitpicks. Strengths: Vin and Kelsier: These two were definitely the highlight characters. They had extremely interesting arcs, and have an incredibly heartwarming and inspiring dynamic. Vin is very relatable and was a joy watching her gain confidence, trust the crew, and find love in Elend. I've recently felt like I'm too afraid to take chances, or to express my emotions, or even to form a deep bond with someone(romantic or platonic). I want to be stronger than I am. I could see Vin within myself and wanted to see her grow as a person and Allomancer. But I also fell in love with Vin's flaws. She always lost sight of herself as Valette, and it made her arc that much more memorable. Kelsier is probably my favorite character between the two. As the book progressed he definitely expressed darker traits, like pitting Demoux and Bilg against each other using Allomancy, or making a religion out of himself, but I still admired his goals and understood them. His ideology, shades of gray, and ability to keep smiling and hoping and inspiring others tore through my pessimistic heart. Many of his quotes now stick with me, I will miss him very much. The magic system: Whenever I heard about Sanderson, his hard magic systems were always brought up as a pro. I am glad to say those claims ring true. Allomancy is an incredible magic system that harkens back to the boundless praise I give Hunter x Hunter's Nen. It is logical, consistent, each metal has strengths and weaknesses, it connects back to the worldbuilding, and I expect it to get deeper as the series goes on. Allomancy exposition was subtle, dense, and easy to understand. Feruchemy is a fascinating system and I am shocked at how it connected to the Lord Ruler. The action: The Final Empire's action scenes remind me of an anime or a top-quality Western action cartoon. They were all fluid, tense, vivid, and Kelsier vs Inquisitor might be one of my favorite fights ever. For me, it is one of my main reasons it should be adapted into an animated series. The worldbuilding: Scadrial has to be the best world I have seen since Gargoyles. From the gothic and ash-coated landscape of Luthadel, the hollow vibe of the mists, the persecution of the Terris people and skaa, the mystery and tragedy of the epigraphs, and Allomancy's connection to the Empire's structure. I never got bored learning about the Empire or the logbook. It helped me root for Kelsier's crew and desire the Lord Ruler's downfall, and drove me to learn about ancient Scadrial's mysteries. The prose: It might have been simple, but sometimes simple is the best way. Sanderson's simple prose made The Final Empire's cluster of information easy to digest and memorize, and the fights very memorable. THE SANDERLANCHE: Heard about this term in my previous Mistborn posts... OH MY GOOOOODDD!!!!! The Sanderlanche flipped my expectations at a 180 degree angle and shattered them with a pewter-enhanced obsidian axe. The glorious fights, the incomprehensible dread of the Lord Ruler, the simultaneous red herring and success of the Eleventh Metal, the twist with the Hero and the packman, Marsh coming back.... Not forgetting this anytime soon. I could gush about it all day. Weaknesses: The side characters: Kelsier's crew members were not bad. They were fun and I appreciate their love for Vin and Kell. But aside from Sazed, and Elend on the other side of the spectrum, they were not memorable. I hope the next book fleshes them out and gives them more relationships to bounce off of. The noble balls: My problem with the balls is tied to the side characters. I understand the balls' importance, the setting's focus on Luthadel, and loved Vin's bond with Elend and her conflict with the Valette personality. But they often felt lackluster because there were no interesting noble characters except Elend, Straff, and Shan. The noblemen and women felt like a source of information and skaa oppressors, rather than characters with differing agendas or even opinions about the Empire. Questions(oh boy): What even is the Well of Ascension and the Deepness? How and why do the Ashmounts and mist exist? The Hero's logbook didn't mention anything about ash, mist, or even Allomancy. How the storm is Rashek both a Feruchemist and an Allomancer????? HE BROKE THE RULES!!! How is Rashek such a storming strong Allomancer????? HE BROKE HIS CPU!! Maybe it's the millennia of experience... WHY DID RASHEK TORTURE HIS OWN PEOPLE??????? He was a nationalist who loved his people, and then he treated the Terris like puppets. How in the Survivor's name did Vin hack her CPU to break Allomantic rules as well????? That was a Deus ex Machina but I have an eerie feeling there's another secret. Is there a deeper reason Vin can break the rules of Seeking? Were the Lord Ruler's last words those of a jealous and desperate deposed despot, or those of a man trying to protect mankind? I vote the former lmao. Theories: The distant pulsing Vin sensed was the Well of Ascension. Rashek spent his reign holding back the Deepness. Rashek was the first Allomancer, and gifted his long-dead allies with the power of Allomancy. He used the mists as the medium to bestow Allomantic power, but did not create them. The mists are sentient, and that's why the Deus ex Machina was possible. The mist spirit is the ancestor of the mistwraiths and kandra. Mistwraiths and kandra were not created from the Lord Ruler's rise to power.

Thanks! Wonder if there is meaning to "the Shard."

Thank you! Hope I like I too!

Hello! I just finished The Final Empire and loved it. It was the first novel since middle school that I've read for leisure. Hope the Mistborn series will be a lot of fun!