Welcome to Smugglivus 2009 – Day 17!

Throughout this month, we will have daily guests – authors and bloggers alike – looking back at their favorite reads of 2009, and looking forward to events and upcoming books in 2010.

Today’s Guest: Brandon Sanderson, fantasy author. Brandon is the author of Elantris, The Mistborn trilogy (a series both Ana and Thea read this year and LOVED) amongst others. He is also the writer selected to complete the epic Wheel of Time fantasy series by the late Robert Jordan.

Recent Work: Warbreaker (which we have both read and loved as well) and The Gathering Storm, the first of the final three volumes in the Wheel of Time series.

Brandon was kind enough to emerge from the depths of the Deadline Cave to briefly write about his top reads of 2009 and what to expect from him in 2010!

The year 2009 was an exciting one for me, between Warbreaker and The Gathering Storm, but I did manage to get some reading done! (during plane rides on a four-week author tour)

The books I read and liked in 2009 weren’t all released in 2009. But here’s my list..

Storm Front: Dresden Files Book One.

I find that most who try to do a hardboiled style fantasy novel either lay the dialect on way too thick or end up having a grossly unsympathetic protagonist. Not so here; Jim Butcher’s debut is exactly what I wanted. A fast-moving film-noir style fantasy with an excellent voice and character.

The Tipping Point:

I like peeking into the world of marketing since what I do is, at the distant end, a retail business. This was a fun book, with interesting concepts, that (like many of its kind) tried a little too hard to state its points without mentioning any potential problems. Well worth a read, though.

Watchmen:

I read this because of the hype around the movie. Everyone had been telling me it was a great story. I couldn’t have imagined how much of an understatement that was. Pure genius. Wow.

The Uglies:

I liked it. It’s hard to find a new take on the dystopian novel that feels fresh, and this seemed to get the blend of familiar and original down. Nice job, Scott.

Servant of a Dark God:

An epic fantasy from Tor that I read in manuscript form and enjoyed. Not your average take on the mythology. It starts off looking cliché, and you think it’s yet another generic epic fantasy, then about chapter six or seven it punches you in the face and runs away cackling, and you realize you’ve been reading a dark, GRRM-style heroic epic instead.

For me, 2010 promises to be just as jam-packed with Towers of Midnight (Wheel of Time Book 13)! But also, The Way of Kings, the first volume of a new ten-volume epic fantasy series that involves a huge cast of characters, an unusual take on a magic system and, of course, several other twists as well. This is a project close to my heart and many years in the making, so I’m looking forward to introducing readers to it!

Thanks, Brandon!

It’s Adios! to week 2 of Smugglivus and Hola! to week 3. But before we tell you the line-up for another MUY LOCA week, we need to announce last week’s giveaways winners!

Simon and Schuster UK giveaway (swag with titles for 2010):

The winner is……..Peta

The Julie James Giveaway:

The winner is…Susan Laura (Comment #11)

The Nalini Singh Giveaway

The winner is…….Donna S (Comment # 23)

The Sherrilyn Kenyon Giveaway:

The winner is….SaraC (comment #34)

Flash Giveaway

Winner of batch 1: Ginny
Winner of batch 2: Debbie (comment # 62)

Congratulations! You know the drill – send an email to contact AT the booksmugglers DOT com with your snail mail address, and we’ll get your winnings out to you as soon as possible! Thanks to all that entered, and if you didn’t win this time, don’t worry. There’s plenty more where that came from!

This Week on The Book Smugglers

The week starts later today with a guest post from Linnea Sinclair, one of our favourite Sci-fi Romance writers.

On Monday, we have Historical romance writer Kate Noble with her fave reads (and other cool stuff) of 2009

Later on Monday, Thea will post reviews of Vampire Haiku by Ryan Mecum and I am Scrooge – A Zombie Story for Christmas by Adam Roberts.

On Tuesday, our Smugglivus guest of the day is Ilona Andrews, followed by our joint review of Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.

On Wednesday, we have two more Smugglivus guests: writers Carrie Ryan and Diana Peterfreund tell us all about their top reads of 2009 and…

…then on Thursday, Fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson tells us all about his upcoming book The Way of Kings and Alice Morley from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers with what we can expect from the publisher in 2010 with a fabulous ARC giveaway!

On Friday it is Sarah Rees Brennan’s turn to tell us about her Favourite Things of 2009 (with a special giveaway), followed by Thea’s review and giveaway of Raiders Ransom by Emily Diamand.

Finally on Saturday, Fantasy writer Sam Sykes talks about what books he loved best in 2009 followed by a post by Historical Fiction writer Susan Holloway Scott with her own list.

Then FINALLY (phew), on Sunday, our last author/publisher guest, Erin Galloway, publicist for Berkley and NAL, tells us all about the upcoming books from the imprint.

And after that…it is guest bloggers’ time to dish about their favourite reads of 2009!

So buckle up, we have only just started!

~Your Friendly Neighborhood Book Smugglers

Today we bring you the latest installment in our new feature, “What She Said…” in which we both review books that the other has already read and reviewed. The idea arose because of the dilemma that if one of us reads and reviews a book, the other can’t really post again about it, right? WRONG! Hence, “What She Said…” was born. For those books that we REALLY want to read after the other has reviewed – and gushed – about it.

For today’s post, we take on Resenting the Hero by Moira J Moore, and Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson.

Resenting the Hero by Moira J. Moore
Ace, February 2006, Paperback 304 pages

Original Review: Thea never really reviewed the first two books in the series, but she mentions them quite a few times.

Original rating: 7 – Very Good

What Thea said: These books are compulsively readable, and firmly in the ‘unputdownable’ category

What Ana says: Thea has been talking about these books and trying to make me read them for a long, long time. When the idea for the What She Said feature came up, I immediately thought about this series. Thea sent me the first book and here we are. I am glad to report that I had a most pleasant time reading Resenting the Hero – in fact , it was just what I needed to read right now, after two books that were rather sad and heavy (The Road Home by Ellen Emerson White and The Last Will of Moira Leahy by Therese Walsh) . The book was funny, fun and yes, unputdownable – I read it in one sitting.

Narrated in first person by Mallorough Dunleavy, Lee for short, the story follows her adventures after leaving the Shield Academy. In this world, there are regular people like you and me but also Sources and Shields. Sources channel forces of nature and are the only thing standing against possible natural catastrophes in a world plagued by them. Each Source works together with a Shield, who shield their minds as they are channelling the forces, and without a Shield, a Source would go mad. A Pair is a true partnership, a bond for life and should one die, the other follows suit. Sources, as the forces they control, are emotional and unpredictable, Shields are (or should be) calm and controlled. They go to separate academies growing up, to learn their powers, learn the rules they need to follow and then there is a matching/bonding ceremony when the right time comes and they are set into the world to protect it.

Lee is a Shield and as the book opens, she is about to find out whether she has been matched to a Source or not. All that she wants is to be matched to a reliable, sensible Source and go about life doing her duty in safe, collected way. To her dismay, the bond clicks with her last choice as a Source, the infamous Shintaro Karish, or Taro, known for his heroics and for being the most handsome, sympathetic man ever. Everybody loves Taro, men and women alike and gravitate around him like moths to the light. Lee is so not happy with the pairing but she has no choice but to learn everything about him and do her duty. Then, he has to go and get kidnapped. Oh, the nerve of the creature.

I loved Lee – she is a great character and a great narrator. She is very much her own woman, who knows what she has to do; she is reasonable and practical to the point where she might come across as not very sympathetic – because she is also selfish and prepared to think the worst of Taro. The title of the book is absolutely perfect as Lee spends most of the book resenting being paired off with Taro. And that resentment and her readiness to jump to conclusions about him kinda clouds her judgment and that makes for awesome reading. Because at the end of the day, Lee is a most unreliable character and I happen to LOVE those.

Everything that she thinks about Taro – that he is irresponsible, that he is a wastrel and whoremonger is based on prejudice and gossip. She has the most warped view of herself as well, and even though she says that she is ultra calm and collected and that she does not want any heroics , her actions points to something else altogether and that is what makes reading this book super, ultra fun.

Like for example, when Taro gets attacked:

“I was fine. Karish was the one who had been assaulted. Nothing had happened to me. There was no reason for me to be anything but all right. There was no reason for me to be reacting to anything at all. I was great. I was wonderful. My hands were strangely cold, but that was probably nothing. “

And even though she thinks HE has a huge ego, hers is not small either:

“Later. Time enough to save the world after I’d found Karish. And figured out how I was going to deal with this being a duke. And oh aye, what was going on with those strange Rushes. The list just kept getting longer and longer. “

Couple that with the cool scenes Sourcing/Shielding, the potential problematic dynamics that come from being bonded for life and having to suffer the consequences of misdeeds of each other plus the growing tension in the world they live in then add the chemistry between Lee and Taro, ergo, a very fun book indeed.

And even though Sources and Shields are not supposed to fall in love or have sex with each other , it is obvious to me, with my powerful romance radar which can detect a romantic pairing from miles away, that these two? Oh yeah, prime romance material as evidenced by the A-MA-ZING scene it the cage which you will have to read to find out for yourself what it is that I am talking about. Because I am evil like that.

And now Thea is sending me all the other books in the series and I shall devour them presto!

Rating: I totally agree with Thea on this one – 7 Very Good leaning towards a 8

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
Tor, June 2009, Hardcover 592 pages

Original Review: July 2009
Original Rating: 8 – Excellent

What Ana said:

Warbreaker caught me by surprise and you can colour me amazed by this book.

What Thea says: This is my first read from non-Mistborn Brandon Sanderson, and I have to admit I was both excited and nervous as I started Warbreaker. I loved the Mistborn books, but a large part of the series’ appeal was its inventive, original system of magic (“allomancers” ingest certain metals which they then “burn,” allowing them to exert different magical abilities). Would Warbreaker – could Warbreaker – compare?

Well, folks, i’m happy to report that it certainly can.

Though it isn’t as fabulous as The Final Empire, Warbreaker shows Brandon Sanderson in his element, creating a fascinating new system of magic (“BioChroma”) whilst weaving intricate political schemes with compelling characters in an entirely new setting. The kingdom of Idris holds a shaky truce with the much larger, flamboyant kingdom of Hallandren to the south. In order to keep the peace, the King of Idris must send his eldest daughter, the perfect princess Vivenna, to Hallandren to marry the God King. But, he discovers that he cannot condemn his perfect, dutiful daughter to such a fate – he knows that war between Idris and Hallandren is inevitable, and he would be sending Vivenna to her doom. Instead, he makes a last minute decision and sends his youngest daughter, the vivacious but unruly Siri in Vivenna’s place. Terrified and completely clueless to Hallandren politics (as she never paid attention in her lessons), Siri makes her way to the foreign court of ostentation, vibrant color, and Gods that have “Returned” from death to share their knowledge and blessings with the world. Though she’s naive, Siri soon discovers plots upon plots in the Court of the Gods and finds allies in surprising places, especially in the form of a disenchanted Returned God named Lightsong. Together, Siri and her allies try to save herself and those she loves from war. Meanwhile, the spurned Vivenna sneaks away from Idris on a mission to find Siri and to bring her home safely – though Vivenna’s journeys through the slums of Hallandren, stirring up trouble may cause more harm than good. And all the while, a mysterious Awakener named Vasher prowls the streets of the city, with an agenda no one seems to understand…

Warbreaker is another keeper from Mr. Sanderson, especially so far as world-building and magic are concerned. The concept of “Breath” (each person is born with one, like a soul), and the ability to sell and gain it is fascinating and poses ideological questions that resonate throughout the book. People can give up their Breath, either to the Gods (who need to gain one new Breath each week to continue living) or to another person such as an Awakener (a person who has amassed enough Breaths to animate objects and Command them). The more Breaths a person or God has, the more powerful an Awakener they become. Breath also allows an Awakener to see colors more vividly, to understand the subtleties of each hue, and to bend light and color around them (in a power known as “BioChroma”). As with Mistborn, I found myself swept up instantly in this world of colorful magic, awed by Mr. Sanderson’s imaginative new take on sorcery. The concept of Gods, too, is a fascinating one in this novel – according to the Hallandren ideology, the Returned are those that have died noble deaths and awakened in their own reshaped flesh with a purpose of bestowing a single gift on humanity. Even the setting of the novel, in the politically embroiled city of Hallandren with its Irdian slums and its confident inhabitants, was well executed. The divisions of faith and nationality are the spark of all the troubles that threaten war, and Mr. Sanderson manages to build tensions nicely without ever making simple value judgements. Neither Idris nor Hallandren are “evil” or “corrupt” cities – they are simply kingdoms, trying to survive in a difficult world.

While the magical system, the power hierarchies and world building aspects were all fantastic, there were some issues in terms of characters and writing that detracted from Warbreaker. The book follows four different character stories, alternating viewpoints between Siri, Vivenna, Lightsong, and the mysterious Vasher. Unfortunately, not all characters (and storylines) are created equal – and I found myself growing bored with Vivenna’s (and at times with Vasher’s) plot threads. Headstrong Siri, with her mix of naivete and attitude makes for a strong, vibrant character that’s easy for readers to sympathize with. Her struggles in the Court of Gods, facing her silent new husband, disapproving priests and petty Gods is pretty compelling stuff, and easily my favorite storyline of the bunch. Lightsong, with his disenchantment with religion (despite the quiet understanding of his ever loyal priest and friend Llarimar) is a close second favorite – his irreverent sense of humor, his dogged determination that he is not a God, and (despite his efforts to seem frivolous) his caring heart make his unfolding story a delight to read. In contrast, Vivenna is a little lackluster – and I found myself resisting the urge to skim through her sections to get back to the more interesting storylines. Vivenna goes through a lot in this book, and I do appreciate her character arc as she faces her own deep-seated hate for Hallandren, her disenchantment with her father, her tenuous grasp on the true nature of life outside of the ideals of royalty – not to mention, early on she’s infused with a dangerously powerful number of Breaths against her will. But, there’s a level of repetition and inaction, especially where Vivenna’s concerned, that I couldn’t really engage with Vivenna’s storyline as I did with the other characters, making the middle portion of Warbreaker draggy. As far as Vasher is concerned, my only problem with his character is how LITTLE there is of him in the grand scheme of the story! He’s a major character by the final, dramatic showdown – but I do wish there was more of him and his witty (talking) sword.

Despite these gripes and some pacing problems, I thoroughly enjoyed Warbreaker. Brandon Sanderson has firmly rooted himself as an “auto-buy” author – and I cannot wait to see what he comes up with next.

Rating: 8 – Excellent (I fully agree with Ana!)

Reading next on What She Said:

Thea: Liar by Justine Larbalestier

Ana: The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett

Title: The Hero of Ages

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Tor (US)/Gollancz (UK)
Publication Date: October 2008 (US)/February 2010 (UK)
Paperback: 784 pages

Stand alone or series: Book 3, final volume of the Mistborn trilogy

How did we get this book: Bought

Why did we read this book: We have read, reviewed, and loved the first two books in the Mistborn trilogy. Naturally, we had to finish the story with this bittersweet, final volume.

Summary: (from amazon.com)
Who is the Hero of Ages?

To end the Final Empire and restore freedom, Vin killed the Lord Ruler. But as a result, the Deepness—the lethal form of the ubiquitous mists—is back, along with increasingly heavy ashfalls and ever more powerful earthquakes. Humanity appears to be doomed.

Having escaped death at the climax of The Well of Ascension only by becoming a Mistborn himself, Emperor Elend Venture hopes to find clues left behind by the Lord Ruler that will allow him to save the world. Vin is consumed with guilt at having been tricked into releasing the mystic force known as Ruin from the Well. Ruin wants to end the world, and its near omniscience and ability to warp reality make stopping it seem impossible. She can’t even discuss it with Elend lest Ruin learn their plans!

The conclusion of the Mistborn trilogy fulfills all the promise of the first two books. Revelations abound, connections rooted in early chapters of the series click into place, and surprises, as satisfying as they are stunning, blossom like fireworks to dazzle and delight. It all leads up to a finale unmatched for originality and audacity that will leave readers rubbing their eyes in wonder, as if awaking from an amazing dream.

REVIEW:

First Impressions:

Thea: I absolutely loved The Final Empire (Mistborn book 1), but was somewhat disappointed with The Well of Ascension (book 2) – so I entered The Hero of Ages with some trepidation. There’s no doubting that Brandon Sanderson possesses a flair for world creation and had planted some tantalizing plot seeds…but would he be able to bring it all together in a brilliant, perfect ending?

The answer is…sort of. The Hero of Ages is certainly much better than its predecessor, and it brings a dramatic, bittersweet, fitting conclusion to a truly fantastic series. It wasn’t without its weaknesses, though, and still doesn’t manage to live up to the initial sparkle of The Final Empire.

Ana: I had a similar frame of mind when I first opened The Hero of Ages. Even though I was not as disappointed with The Well of Ascension, I still thought The Final Empire was a much superior instalment. I did have high hopes for Hero of Ages, expecting it to have the best of both and to close the trilogy with a punch. And you know what? Except for a few caveats, Brandon Sanderson totally delivered. The conclusion of the Mistborn series was both dark and bright, definitely bittersweet but also very, very good.

On the Plot: The final empire has fallen, the Lord Ruler is dead, and Vin has discovered the Well of Ascension and has taken and released the power there, as the prophesied Hero of Ages. But everything has gone desperately wrong – an ancient, primordial force called Ruin has tricked them all, and Vin’s selfless gesture of relinquishing the indescribable power at the Well of Ascension has freed this old, destructive god from his prison, and now the end of the world looms closer and closer. The ashmounts, created by the Lord Ruler, to cool down the land enough to sustain human life, are spewing black ash and lava; earthquakes rack the land, devouring whole cities; the mists, ever-repelled by Vin now, appear with increasing frequency, attacking and sickening more people each day. Crops and animals wither, and the land itself is dying under Ruin’s destructive malevolence. All the while, Elend, Vin and the crew travel from city to city, trying to soothe rebellion and unrest in two very important principalities, while they desperately look for the Lord Ruler’s hidden cache of atium – which Vin knows must be essential to saving the world.

Thea: It’s no secret that Brandon Sanderson has a gift for storytelling – his world creation skills are amongst the finest I’ve ever beheld, and his ability to write action scenes is unparalleled. And, with The Hero of Ages, he proves himself to be pretty damn good at plotting too, tying up loose ends with some well-conceived and well-executed ideas. The final volume of a series is a monumental task – it’s easier to create an intriguing opener with tantalizing questions and mysteries to hook readers, but trying to make all those mysteries come together in a cohesive, mind-blowing conclusion? That’s something much, much harder to accomplish. And, for the most part, Mr. Sanderson pulls it off. All the questions and suspicions I had from the first two books – the secret of the Inquisitors’ (and Zane’s) spikes, the hidden religion and past of the Kandra, the origin of the mists, the garbled legend of The Hero of Ages, the Lord Ruler’s motivations – all these things become clear in this final novel with a conceivable explanation for everything that has been happening in this mist and ash-shrouded landscape. And, basically, the explanations hold together pretty well.

Well, there are some things that left me a little skeptical on further observation. Certain resolutions didn’t quite work – in particular the explanation of the mists and the Hero of Ages myth. I appreciated the way the book ended and the overall explanation for this epic close, but…I can’t help but feel that this explanation didn’t really fit quite right with the earlier books. By accepting the final explanation, the whole impetus for the series – the Lord Ruler’s rise to power and the first journey to the Well of Ascension – doesn’t make any sense (well, I suppose it makes sense, but it’s silly). The ability of Ruin to change written word (except those words written in metal), to overhear every conversation omnisciently, to plot and scheme for eons…it all feels a bit boogeyman-ish and contrived. For all that Ruin isn’t supposed to be “evil” and Preservation “good,” it certainly felt like a polarized villainy. The idea of these two opposing forces is a good idea, but I didn’t particularly buy it, especially in terms of execution.

My other main complaint concerned the effectiveness of the length and multilayered plotlines. A lot of things happened over the course of the book as the narrative jumps to different characters and their separate stories, but some of these plotlines ultimately amount to naught in terms of the overall conclusion. These different parts allow the reader to understand what has happened and why, but these explanations and plot points are virtually useless otherwise – they don’t play any real part in the overall arc. In particular, Spook’s entire storyline in the city of Urteau and his discoveries and actions there doesn’t really affect anything, upon reflection. What Spook learns, Vin and a certain other character are able to figure out on their own. Similarly, TenSoon’s singleminded dedication to reach Vin doesn’t really amount to anything directly either. Even the siege at Fadrex and all the drama with King Yeomen ultimately amounts to nothing in terms of overall significance! I loved reading about these different threads of the story, I loved seeing more of two favorite characters, but from a critical standpoint these lengthy and entertaining storylines are the literary equivalent of empty calories.

Now, it may sound like I didn’t like the story – and that couldn’t be farther from the truth. I really liked this book. Heck, I loved it. I loved the different types of magic and their explanations, in depth here (Allomancy versus Feruchemy versus Hemalurgy). But these flaws in the story and the almost deus ex machina type ending kept me from loving it with the reckless abandon that I had for The Final Empire.

Ana:

“I am unfortunately, the Hero of Ages”

With this tantalising bit Brandon Sanderson opens his final volume in his amazing trilogy. The line is, even in its shortness everything that is right about the series. It points to both plot (Who is the Hero of Ages is a central question of the trilogy) and character (the “unfortunately” shows that being the Hero of Ages does not come without sacrifices) . It is also part of something I really liked throughout the trilogy: the quotes that open each chapter. In this particular one, the quotes are very revelatory, finally answering those questions I had been waiting for: like the truth behind the Lord Ruler’s actions and what exactly are Allomancy, Feruchemy and Hemalurgy. It is also very clear who is writing these from the start which only ads and extra layer of mystery to the plot because how exactly did THIS person become the Hero of Ages?

Speaking of which: if The Well of Ascension was mostly a character piece, The Hero of Ages is definitely a plot-centric instalment. It is with this book that it becomes very clear to me what an amazing plotter Brandon Sanderson is. EVERYTHING comes together perfectly and even small, deceptively irrelevant pieces of information from BOOK 1, prove to be essential to the overall story. I was completely awed by some of it and I had quite a few moments where I went “WHOA” .

In this point I have to disagree with Thea. I thought everything fit beautifully with the previous books and I was left completely satisfied with the entire overreaching arc – the historical one between Ruin and Preservation and the localised one that dealt with these particular characters. (Although I have to agree that the two forces did seem polarised between Evil X Good despite the attempt of making it not so.) . This (apparent) division between two storylines – the one that began a long time ago and which have Forces of Nature fighting and the one that has Elend and crew trying to survive it, was extremely well done.

BUT there is a lot of it. And here I have to agree with Thea 100%: some of the plotlines were completely useless even if they were interesting. I have to admit to loving Spook and TenSoon as characters but the amount of time spent with them only hindered the overall experience, delaying the progress of the story. In my not so humble opinion, this is another example of a book that needed heavy editing, cutting back pages and pages of useless storylines. To the point where I believe this trilogy would have worked far better as a two-book series. As it stands, the trilogy is an uneven ride: slow in points, fast paced in others. Remove some of these storylines from both book 2 and 3, unite the two into one book and ergo: you have a fantastic rollercoaster packing a much more effective punch.

Not that the series doesn’t go out with a BANG! Quite the opposite, the final 150 pages of the book, once all the irrelevant secondary stuff was taken care of, and we reach the resolution (which includes the demise of VIPs), were absolutely, undoubtedly brilliant. Had the book been more focused and more centralised, I have no question in mind that instead of “brilliant” I would be using the word “spectacular”.

Ultimately though, despite its flaws, I loved this series.

On the Characters:

Thea: I have come to an important conclusion whist reading The Hero of the Ages. Brandon Sanderson’s characters only have two speeds: Badass and Emo. There is no in between. Characters will oscillate from self-pitying emo whiner to deadly, awesome decisive badassness, without any middle gradation. This is something I find incredibly infuriating – I like characters to be vulnerable and to question their decisions, but when it goes on for the entire 700-plus pages, it’s a tad ridiculous. You will have seen this phenomenon in The Well of Ascension with Elend’s whiney introspectiveness, Vin’s self-doubting (How could Elend love someone like ME! *dramatic hand over face*), heck, even Breeze’s posturing about Cett’s daughter. In The Hero of Ages, it’s poor Sazed, torn up and faithless after the death of Tindwyl. Emo!Sazed is a character that had ME wanting to drive hemalurgic spikes into my eyes because of how ridiculously mopey he was for the. enitre. book.

That said, there were characters I was thrilled to see again, and in depth. Since The Final Empire, one of my favorite side-characters was Spook, the tineye member of Kelsier’s original crew. In The Hero of Ages, Spook plays a much larger, pivotal role in the story. Also returning to a major plotline is TenSoon, the kandra that killed and usurped OreSur’s place in The Well of Ascension.

As for our intrepid heroes, Vin and Elend? I was not cool with Elend being a badass all of a sudden – yes, I know it’s a full year after the events at the Well of Ascension, but it felt a bit easy to have Elend all of a sudden gain strength and allomantic prowess after all his struggles in the second book (especially his insecurities concerning Vin and her incredible power). And yet, I was more than happy to see a departure from Emo!Elend and his constant self-doubts and questions. Vin, once again, is the true hero of this novel – she’s back in top badass form, and fights long and hard. She’s not infallible, and she gets into her share of tough scrapes – but even without allomancy to help her, she’s a fighter and proves her mettle once more as a heroine worth everything.

Ana: First of all, I do need to give Thea the kudos for summarising brilliantly the two speeds of the characters (and for me making me laugh so hard). This is unfortunately very true for most part. It is also true that thankfully, the worst of internal monologue was left behind in the Well of Ascension. I mean, there is still a lot of self-doubt in this book (if I had to hear one more time Elend thinking about the distinction between being King x being a Scholar, I would have gladly stood in line behind Thea to get those spikes into my eyes too ). Sazed got the blunt of it this time around – the mopping about the religions and loss of faith was incredibly…well, boring to be honest. But of course it all came back to bite me in the behind when the connection between his religious knowledge and how exactly it fit in the overall story was revealed (for your information, that was a “WHOA” moment). Gotta give Brandon Sanderson the props for playing this card. Damn him, and I say that in a most reverent manner.

Despite the moodiness and the Emo moments though, I am a sucker for the badass mode specially Elend’s. PLEASE, give me Badass!Elend any time over Emo!Elend. When he became a Mistborn at the end of Well of Ascension I had my concerns and I was afraid he would steal Vin’s thunder but I am pleased to say that this does not happen. They both have their strengths and they play according to it even if they spent most of the book apart. That fit really well with who these characters were: Elend, the new Emperor dealing with the political side of the situation and Vin going on her own to deal with the metaphysical aspects. I liked to read these two characters’ evolution from book 1 to the final book.

Finally, I need to mention the Lord Ruler, the tyrant who was killed at the end of The Final Empire. Even though he is dead and gone, and is not a physical presence anymore, I absolutely loved to learn more about him. From the end of The Final Empire it was very clear that he was more than an eeeeevil villain but just how much more was really cool to learn in this book.

Vin remains my favourite in the entire trilogy and the most memorable character.

Final Thoughts, Observations and Rating:

Thea: Though not without its weak points, The Hero of Ages is a fitting, bittersweet end to a wonderful trilogy. I loved this powerful conclusion, and I absolutely cannot wait to read more from Brandon Sanderson.

Ana: The Hero of Ages is a great, final book in an extremely well-plotted and very (VERY) original Fantasy series which I highly recommend. After reading both this and Warbreaker this year, I am fully aware of the author’s strengths and weaknesses and the former far surpasses the latter. I am reading Elantris ASAP.

Notable Quotes/Parts: From Chapter 1:

Fatren squinted up at the red sun, which hid behind its perpetual screen of dark haze. Black ash fell lightly from the sky, as it did most days lately. The thick flakes fell straight, the air stagnant and hot, without even a hint of a breeze to lighten Fatren’s mood. He sighed, leaning back against the earthen bulwark, looking over Vetitan. His town.

“How long?” he asked.

Druffel scratched his nose. His face was stained black with ash. He hadn’t given much thought to hygiene lately. Of course, considering the stress of the last few months, Fatren knew that he himself wasn’t much to look at either.

“An hour, maybe,” Druffel said, spitting into the dirt of the bulwark.

Fatren sighed, staring up at the falling ash. “Do you think it’s true, Druffel? What people are saying?”

“What?” Druffel asked. “That the world is ending?”

Fatren nodded.

“Don’t know,” Druffel said. “Don’t really care.”

“How can you say that?”

Druffel shrugged, scratching himself. “Soon as those koloss arrive, I’ll be dead. That’s pretty much the end of the world for me.”

Fatren fell silent. He didn’t like to voice his doubts; he was supposed to be the strong one. When the lords had left the town—a farming community, slightly more urban than a northern plantation—Fatren had been the one who had convinced the skaa to go ahead with their planting. Fatren had been the one to keep the press gangs away. In a time when most villages and plantations had lost every able- bodied man to one army or another, Vetitan still had a working population. It had cost much of their crops in bribes, but Fatren had kept the people safe.

Mostly.

“The mists didn’t leave until noon today,” Fatren said quietly. “They’re staying later and later. You’ve seen the crops, Druff. They’re not doing well—not enough sunlight, I’d guess. We won’t have food to eat this winter.”

“We won’t last ’til winter,” Druffel said. “Won’t last ’til nightfall.”

The sad thing—the thing that was really disheartening—was that Druffel had once been the optimist. Fatren hadn’t heard his brother laugh in months. That laughter had been Fatren’s favorite sound.
Even the Lord Ruler’s mills weren’t able to grind Druff’s laughter out of him, Fatren thought. But these last two years have.

“Fats!” a voice called. “Fats!”

Fatren looked up as a young boy scrambled along the side of the bulwark. They’d barely finished the fortification—it had been Druffel’s idea, back before he’d really given up. Their town contained some seven thousand people, which made it fairly large. It had taken a great deal of work to surround the entire thing with a defensive mound.

Fatren had barely a thousand real soldiers—it had been very hard to gather that many from such a small population—with maybe another thousand men who were too young, too old, or too unskilled to fight well. He didn’t really know how big the koloss army was, but it was bound to be larger than two thousand. A bulwark was going to be of very little use.

The boy—Sev—finally puffed up to Fatren. “Fats!” Sev said. “Someone’s coming!”

“Already?” Fatren asked. “Druff said the koloss were still a while away!”

“Not a koloss, Fats,” the boy said. “A man. Come see!”

Fatren turned to Druff, who wiped his nose and shrugged. They followed Sev around the inside of the bulwark, toward the front gate. Ash and dust swirled on the packed earth, piling in corners, drifting. There hadn’t been much time for cleaning lately. The women had to work the fields while the men trained and made war preparations.

War preparations. Fatren told himself that he had a force of two thousand “soldiers,” but what he really had were a thousand skaa peasants with swords. They’d had two years of training, true, but they had very little real fighting experience.

A group of men clustered around the front gates, standing on the bulwark or leaning against its side. Maybe I was wrong to spend so much of our resources training soldiers, Fatren thought. If those thousand men had worked the mines instead, we’d have some ore for bribes.

Except, koloss didn’t take bribes. They just killed. Fatren shuddered, thinking of Garthwood. That city had been bigger than his own, but fewer than a hundred survivors had made their way to Vetitan. That had been three months ago. He’d hoped, irrationally, that the koloss would be satisfied with destroying that city.

He should have known better. Koloss were never satisfied.

Fatren climbed up to the top of the bulwark, and soldiers in patched clothing and bits of leather made way for him. He peered through the falling ash across a dark landscape that looked as if it were blanketed in deep black snow.

A lone rider approached, wearing a dark, hooded cloak.

“What do you think, Fats?” one of the soldiers asked.

“Koloss scout?”

Fatren snorted. “Koloss wouldn’t send a scout, especially not a human one.”

“He has a horse,” Druffel said with a grunt. “We could use another of those.” The city only had five. All were suffering from malnutrition.

“Merchant,” one of the soldiers said.

“No wares,” Fatren said. “And it would take a brave merchant to travel these parts alone.”

“I’ve never seen a refugee with a horse,” one of the men said. He raised a bow, looking at Fatren.
Fatren shook his head. Nobody fired as the stranger rode up, moving at an unhurried pace. He stopped his mount directly before the city gates. Fatren was proud of those. Real, true wooden gates mounted in the earthen bulwark. He’d gotten both wood and fine stone from the lord’s manor at the city center.

Very little of the stranger was visible beneath the thick, dark cloak he wore to protect himself from the ash. Fatren looked over the top of the bulwark, studying the stranger, and then he glanced up at his brother, shrugging. The ash fell silently.

The stranger leaped from his horse.

He shot straight upward, as if propelled from beneath, cloak whipping free as he soared. Underneath it, he wore a uniform of brilliant white.

Fatren cursed, jumping backward as the stranger crested the top of the bulwark and landed on the top of the wooden gate itself. The man was an Allomancer. A nobleman. Fatren had hoped those would all stick to their squabbles in the North and leave his people in peace.

Or, at least, their peaceful deaths.

You can read the full chapter online HERE.

Additional Thoughts: Brandon Sanderson, in addition to penning the popular Mistborn, Elantris books and Warbreaker is also the author who was chosen to pen the conclusion of the late Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. You may have heard of it.

The Gathering Storm, the first of the three final novels started by Robert Jordan before his death in 2007, is now out in bookstores and has DISPLACED the formidable Dan Brown with his The Lost Symbol atop the New York Times Bestseller List. Huzzah!

Rating:

Thea: 8 – Excellent

Ana: 8 – Excellent

Reading Next: The Road Home by Ellen Emerson White

Happy Sunday, folks! Hope you all had a lovely weekend and are enjoying the fall weather.

Now let’s get down to business, shall we?

Giveaway Winners:

We’ve got three separate giveaway winners to announce! First up is Elegy Beach by Steven R. Boyett.

The TWO lucky winners of an autographed copy of Elegy Beach, as well as bookmarks, book fliers, and a signed copy of author Steven Boyett’s live DJ set from WorldCon are:

Next up, our Nalini Singh giveaway of Blaze of Memory:

The lucky winner of a copy of Blaze of Memory is:

And finally, our Alert Nerd giveaway of One Con Glory!

The lucky winner of a copy of One Con Glory and the awesome Phoenix tee is:

Congratulations to all the winners! You know the drill. Send us an email (contact AT thebooksmugglers DOT com) with your snail mail address, and we’ll get your goodies out to you as soon as possible. Thanks again to everyone that entered, and if you didn’t win this time, don’t worry – we have plenty more where these giveaways came from!

Assorted News:

You may or may not have heard that we had the lucky opportunity to check out an early screening of New Moon last week! What’s the verdict? What do we think? Well….you’ll have to wait to find out. But we promise you, dear Twilight fans, we’ll have a review up in the coming weeks for the release. In the meantime, why don’t you check out WHAT EDWARD DRIVES?

Does anyone else find this hilarious? Who are they trying to selling volvos to? Are little girls really gonna throw their weight around to get their parents to buy a family volvo SUV because that’s what Edward wants? Are there any moms and dads out there looking at this commercial and thinking, ‘Eureka, that’s what I need to be cool! I mean, EDWARD drives one! I must have one too!’

In other news, you may have seen that Publisher’s Weekly and Amazon have released their best books of 2009 lists. Though I’m stoked that a graphic novel cracked PW’s top ten list, it’s slightly disturbing that not a single female author made the list. Also disturbing is the fact that we have not read (nor have even really heard of) any of the titles on the top 10 list! But in the Fiction, Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror, Mass Market Best of Lists, there are some familiar faces including:

Drood by Dan Simmons – in the running for a spot on Thea’s Top 10 list. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi, Boneshaker by Cherie Priest, The Devil’s Alphabet by Daryl Gregory (all books that Thea has on the TBR, and ones she will be reviewing soon). Also appearing on the best SF list is China Mieville’s The City and the City, which we apparently need to read ASAP. Also, Soulless by Gail Carriger makes it on the Mass Market list (though clearly we didn’t think so highly of it).

The Amazon editors’ top 10 list, we are very pleased to announce, not only contains a speculative fiction title, but a young adult one as well! Yeaaaaah, boyyyyyy! Both China Mieville’s The City and the City and the upcoming Beautiful Creatures from Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl are on the list.

Also, both PW and Amazon have graphic novel Stitches by David Small in their Top 10s – another title to check out.

This Week on The Book Smugglers:

It’s another jam-packed week! You may have seen last Thursday our blog tour post with Richelle Mead, in which she answered a few of our burning questions. On Monday, we celebrate Richelle Mead’s writing with a review of Blood Promise, the fourth book in the Vampire Academy series. And, we’re offering a giveaway too!

On Tuesday, Ana reviews Meljean Brook’s novella “Blind Spot” in the Must Love Hellhounds anthology. Later in the day, we’ll have a special Smugglers’ Ponderings post about the issue of homogeneity in the book market – particularly concerning romance, paranormal romance, and urban fantasy books.

Wednesday, debut historical romance author Lori Brighton stops by with a post on her Inspirations and Influences…

And on Thursday, Ana reviews young adult novel The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King. Later in the day, Thea reviews young adult speculative fiction/horror/dystopian title The Maze Runner by James Dashner.

We close out the week with a joint review of the final book in the Mistborn trilogy, The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson.

Phew. We told you it would be busy! That’s it for now folks, until tomorrow!

There is nothing wrong with your computer. Do not attempt to adjust the picture.

We interrupt this transmission of Halloween related material to bring you some very important announcements…

We have some giveaway news! Our three running contests have now come to a close, and we have quite a few lucky winners to announce.

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant Giveaway:

We have TWO lucky winners, whom each will take home a Cirque du Freak book Set (Includes all THREE original Cirque du Freak titles in one book) and a Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant Locker Mirror.

And the winners are:

Fantasy Firsts Giveaway:

We have THREE winners to announce! Each winner will be taking home a copy of both Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson and The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan.

And the winners are:

Heart’s Blood Giveaway:

And finally, we have ONE lucky winner of Juliet Marillier’s much anticipated new novel, Heart’s Blood!

And the winner is:

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL! Now, winners, hurry on up and send us an email (contact AT thebooksmugglers DOT com) with your snail mail addresses, so we can get your goodies out to you as soon as possible!

Thanks again to everyone that entered – and if you didn’t win, don’t fret. We have plenty more giveaway goodies coming your way.

Transmission completed. We now return to our regularly scheduled programming…

Title:The Well of Ascension

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Tor (US) / Gollancz (UK)
Publishing Date: June 2008 / December 2009
Mass Market Paperback: 816 pages / 800 pages

Stand alone or series: Second book in the Mistborn trilogy

Why did we read the book: Because we loved Mistborn.

How did we get the book: We both bought our copies.

Summary: The impossible has happened. The Lord Ruler has been vanquished. But so too is Kelsier the man who masterminded the triumph. The awesome task of rebuilding the world has been left to his protege Vin; a one-time street urchin, now the most powerful Mistborn in the land. Worryingly for her Vin has become the focus of a new religion, a development that leaves her intensely uneasy. More worryingly still the mists have become unpredictable since the Lord Ruler died and a strage vaprous entity is stalking Vin. As the siege of Luthadel intensifies the ancient legend of the Well of Ascension offers the only glimmer of hope. But no-one knows where it is or what it can do .

Review:

First Impressions:

Ana: Having loved the first book in the series as much as I did, it was no-brainer that I would be reading the entire trilogy and I started The Well of Ascension with a great amount of excitment. And I was not disappointed. Although not as awesome as the first in the series, this book was still gripping, interesting and with quite a few plot twists that made me all giddy inside. This series is GOOD.

Thea: I too loved The Final Empire, and had high hopes for this second book. But I gotta level with you here, dear readers – I frankly was disappointed with The Well of Ascension. It’s still a very good book, and I am as impressed as ever with Mr. Sanderson’s worldbuilding skillz as well as his eye for drama and action…but this book felt like a let-down on many levels. The constant repetition and caricaturish characters in particular were constant annoyances. That said, the scale of action in this book and the war/politicking storylines were fantastic, and though I did guess a few of the plot twists, there was more than enough mystery to keep me entertained with this novel. Certainly enough to warrant continued reading of the series!

On the plot:

It’s been one year since Vin and her friends killed the supposedly immortal tyrant, the Lord Ruler, and freed Luthadel. But freedom doesn’t come without consequences. The city is surrounded by two invading armies who think Elend should not be King. Inside the citadel, political intrigue blooms and both Elend and Vin struggle to accept their place in the new world order. Meanwhile, the mists are coming now during daytime and Vin starts to realise that maybe the Lord Ruler was more than a tyrant : what if he was keeping the Deepness at bay? Then another manuscript is found that may shed light in the Prophecy about the Hero of Ages and his (or her) role in saving the world from something worse than they ever thought.

Ana: I have to admit I did not expect that one year would have passed since the end of the first book but that certainly allows for the interesting place where the characters find themselves: being under siege by two distinct forces, trying to find a new balance between lords and Skaa, trying above all to find their voice after the loss of their leader Kelsier, the man who planned everything they accomplished. Elend, the new king, finds himself in a complicated position trying to hear all the different sides and to remain a good person. Vin, who is now his bodyguard is becoming a stronger Mistborn by the minute and the more power she has, the more the Kingdom and the King have to rely on her for protection and survival (how refreshing to see the female character in such a powerful position). Just then she starts to see things in the Mist and to hear a thudding sound in the background which might point that she is in fact the prophesised Hero of Ages who will save them all. A LOT happens in this book and the scope that the story has, is simply amazing but that doesn’t come without its share of problems.

Starting with pacing: the story kept shifting from the overall story arc (The Deepness and the siege of Luthadel) to focus on the characters. I never thought I would ever say this in my reading life, but I wished that the author had progressed with the plot instead of focusing so much on character development.

Thea. Hold me, I think I will be sick.

This instalment reads a lot like a coming of age story for both Vin and Elend in which both go through a series of hard-learnt lessons about sacrifice and the greater good and both emerge stronger in the end. To be fair, this was absolutely necessary and I wouldn’t change it for the world but I am sure their arcs could have been shortened without detriment to the development of their characters. Most of their inner monologue and identity issues was repeated ad nauseam. Vin would go on and on about trust issues, about who she is – is she a lady? Is she a killer? Similarly with Elend who suffered of lack of self-confidence: is he a good king, is he a scholar? Lather, repeat, rinse. It got boring and tiresome pretty soon.

It might sound as though I didn’t like the book which is not the case, at all. I absolutely loved it and couldn’t read fast enough. All of the above are me being completely objective but the truth is this: even though the book is far from being perfect, even though there were pacing issues and I had problems with the repetitions, these were only minor quibbles because the overall plot is fantastic. It is clear that the author knows what he is doing and where his story is going. From political intrigue between the several lords with interest in the citadel and its hidden Atium, to the mythology surrounding the Kandra for example noting seems to be random and eventually it all falls into place during the climax. The amazing, mind-blowing climax who had everything I love about Fantasy: great fighting sequences, lose threads that become part of the whole, and a twist, OMG the twist. I finished the book with my jaw dropping to the floor.

It is also worth to mention that this is a second book in the trilogy, and as with all amazing middle books, this one ends with a sad note of loss and despair. The stakes are higher from now on and it should not be different. I really want to see what the frak happens next.

Thea: I have to echo Ana’s thoughts – while The Well of Ascension has a truly wonderful, multilayered plot, there were some serious pacing issues. First, the good: this book covers an impressive amount of detail and is awe-inspiring in its scope. In particular, the political aspect of the novel, with the marching armies besieging Luthadel and the actions of the Assembly in their votes against Elend’s rule as King are fabulously imagined and feel very real. There’s also the problem of the ominous mists choking the land, appearing across the Empire earlier in the afternoon and staying past dawn – to the point where people are mysteriously being killed in the mists themselves. The overarching mystery of what the Lord Ruler’s last words truly meant, about the nature of “the Deepness” reverberate ominously throughout this book and come to a somewhat shocking conclusion. Well, sort of.

The biggest problem with The Well of Ascension is how repetitive it is. I have to agree whole-heartedly with Ana – there was SO MUCH time devoted to characters and their insecurities, I found myself impatient to get back to the action and plot. When the plot moved forward, it was phenomenal – but the great plotting was unfortunately dwarfed by the character repetition, and this really hampered my reading experience. In contrast to Ana, by the time the twists came along and the dramatic conclusion, I was more than a little weary of the whole book. As for the twists themselves, they are so obviously alluded to throughout the story with heavy-handed foreshadowing (seriously, the little excerpts at the beginning of each chapter from the same. damn. document over and over again get very tiresome) that by the time all the cards are on the table at the conclusion of the novel, it was a bit ruined for me.

That’s not to say that The Well of Ascension is a bad book – rather, it’s testament to Mr. Sanderson’s writing that in spite of these qualms I still found myself engrossed in the story and finished it all in a few scant days. But there was no need for this book to be so long as it was. Two hundred or so pages could easily have been trimmed from the novel, making it more suspenseful and efficient. But that’s just my opinion.

On the characters:

Ana: Thea will probably tell you that the characters are too good. I agree but I have actually am not really bothered by that. I usually am all for shades of gray but I think in this instance it not only worked (why not? Why can’t people be genuinely good?) but it actually added extra angst because good does not always triumph in the end. It was a great exercise to see a group of good, honourable men taking charge of a city after the fall of the tyrant and realising little by little that sometimes being good and honourable is not enough. It is HORRIBLE to realise as you go along, that if you were a bit more flexible in your beliefs you could be a better leader but also a sell-out. I liked reading this and the repercussions of their actions.

I did resent though, being told over and over again that they were good. It was completely unnecessary because I could see that – I was shown that they were good. And this is one of the crazy things about Brandon Sanderson’s writing of his characters: it is bipolar, shifting between telling and showing. For example, a character would do something cool, like say Breeze, would soothe people’s emotions. Then there would be paragraph after paragraph examining the action and telling me that it was because he was a good person. But I already know that – I can see for myself. It is as though the author doesn’t trust the reader to understand what he is doing.

That doesn’t mean that he can’t write these characters: he can. And I love every single one of them. All the members of their motley crew of thieves turned citizens who belong and who have a role to play in the decision-making process. Sazed is another one whom I adored since the first book and this time we are granted his PoV as well. His arc is another one that is gripping especially when he comes to realise how his position of Keeper is one that prevents him for taking a side. I even like the villains and I was MOST intrigued with Zane, the Mistborn who fell for Vin. Finally, of course there is Vin, my favourite character and she totally kick-ass in this book. Boy, can the woman fight.

There is one character though that I do not like as much as the others and that would be Elend Venture. Elend is uptight, self-sacrificing and self-righteous and he can go round and round immersed in his ideology and insecurities instead of DOING something. Elend is in other words, a douchebag. But he is not a complete douchebag. Every time I was about to quit on him and wish for his demise, he would do something cool that would make me appreciate him and to be completely forthright, I sort of like his romantic relationship with Vin even though at the times I wished that she would have been paired off with someone stronger.

You know what? I spent most of the book thinking that what he really needed was to have a good night of sex. You know, to let the tension out? But also because it is hard for me to believe in a love story between Elend and Vin, which is central to this trilogy, when something as essential as PASSION was missing. They would snuggle and kiss but nothing else and they have known each other for two years and have been together as a couple for one. Elend kept BLUSHING every time Vin would show him some skin for Christ’s sake. It is hard for me to believe in a couple when passion and sex is missing . Note, I am not asking for sex SCENES, I can have them or leave them. What I am trying to say is that sex is important for a relationship to work and it was unrealistic that they didn’t even think about it.

Despite Elend douchebaginess, the main group of character are strong and sympathetic. Kudos to Brandon Sanderson for making me care so much to what happens to them.

Thea: Ok, Ana guessed it – I have a small problem with all the main characters in Mistborn. They are all so, damned GOOD. They are all honorable thieves with hearts of gold, who would NEVER turn their backs on Kelsier’s liberated empire even when it means their deaths. Blah, blah, blah, kumbaya. In of itself, this isn’t a huge deal – but there’s this overarching obsession with “good men” that it made me want to tear out my hair, or at least drive one or two of those Inquisitor spikes into my own eyes. Again, this goes back to the repetition thing. Over and over again we hear about how Vin fears Elend won’t love her because she cannot be a lady and Mistborn at the same time. Again and again we hear about how Elend isn’t Kelsier and how inadequate he feels about being a leader. Every other page, we hear that “Elend is a good man!” “But good men cannot be kings!” “Yes they can!” “No they can’t!”

I feel like a huge grouch, but this bothered me immensely whilst reading. Besides the repetition, the other annoying thing with the characters was how caricaturish they all seemed. In fact, I can sum them all up in a few sentences:

Breeze: I’m so silly and no one can take me seriously, but I soothe emotions unconsciously! No one can love me because I’m a soother! *fights with Ham*

Ham: What is God? What is life? I ask supposedly deep questions, but never answer them! *fights with Breeze*

Zane: I’m CRAZY! Kill them! No don’t kill them! Vin, we can leave together! MIST!

Elend: Wah, wah, wah, does Vin love me? I’m not as cool as Kelsier! But I do dress in nice uniforms and stand up straight. PHILOSOPHY! BOOKS!

Vin: Elend can never love me anymore, I am not a lady, I am an outsider. MIST! Pewter, copper cloud pierce! Pewter! DURALUMIN-PEWTER!!!!! *ninja vanish*

That probably doesn’t make sense if you haven’t read the book. But if you have, you know exactly what I mean.

That all said, when Vin isn’t drowning in a weird sea of insecurity, she’s a badass heroine, and her action scenes are ridiculously good fun. Elend is a complete wanker, and I’m super annoyed with the ending of this book in particular as it pertains to him. I completely agree with Ana with her dissatisfaction with the character. And yet, despite my annoyance with the insecurities and repetition in the novel and especially so far as Vin and Elend are concerned, their dysfunctional personalities work together, somehow. Though I will also agree that there’s something weirdly PG about the whole relationship. They’ve been together for over a year now, and sleep in separate rooms, and their relationship consists mostly of “cuddling” and chaste kisses. It’s weird. And a little creepy.

While the supposed “hero” characters were grating, there were some standout others that more than compensated for the deficit. In particular, the character of Zane was a favorite of mine. Heck, even the villainous Lord Straff Venture, Elend’s father, was a welcome breath of fresh air in a sea of one-note characters. Also, OreSeur, the Kandra bound to Vin from Kelsier’s contract, was probably my favorite character in the entire novel. We learn a lot more about the Deepness, about the mist and the Kandra in this novel, and it’s all wonderful good fun. I only wish this was more of a focus in the novel.

Final Thoughts, Observations and Rating

Ana: Overall, The Well of Ascension is not as good as Mistborn, but parts of it are. The fighting sequences, the political intrigue, the mythology surrounding all the different races, Vin and the last bombastic 100 pages were completely awesome. When Brandon Sanderson shines, he shines with a force of a supernova. Here is wishing that the last instalment will be made entirely of good parts.

Thea: While I’m not as convinced as Ana, I did enjoy The Well of Ascension, despite its sizable, glaring missteps. Mr. Sanderson has a knack for writing action, so when it does (finally) come around, it’s enough to keep even the most reluctant readers engaged. And, to be fair, the high points of the book were ridiculously good. I’m just hoping that Hero of Ages has more of the high points, and less mind-numbing repetition.

Notable Quotes/ Parts: From Chapter 1:

The army crept like a dark stain across the horizon.

King Elend Venture stood motionless upon the Luthadel city wall, looking out at the enemy troops. Around him, ash fell from the sky in fat, lazy flakes. It wasn’t the burnt white ash that one saw in dead coals; this was a deeper, harsher black ash. The Ashmounts had been particularly active lately.

Elend felt the ash dust his face and clothing, but he ignored it. In the distance, the bloody red sun was close to setting. It backlit the army that had come to take Elend’s kingdom from him.

“How many?” Elend asked quietly.

“Fifty thousand, we think,” Ham said, leaning against the parapet, beefy arms folded on the stone. Like everything in the city, the wall had been stained black by countless years of ashfalls.

“Fifty thousand soldiers . . .” Elend said, trailing off. Despite heavy recruitment, Elend barely had twenty thousand men under his command—and they were peasants with less than a year of training. Maintaining even that small number was straining his resources. If they’d been able to find the Lord Ruler’s atium, perhaps things would be different. As it was, Elend’s rule was in serious danger of economic disaster.

“What do you think?” Elend asked.

“I don’t know, El,” Ham said quietly. “Kelsier was always the one with the vision.”

“But you helped him plan,” Elend said. “You and the others, you were his crew. You were the ones who came up with a strategy for overthrowing the empire, then made it happen.”

Ham fell silent, and Elend felt as if he knew what the man was thinking. Kelsier was central to it all. He was the one who organized, the one who took all of the wild brainstorming and turned it into a viable operation. He was the leader. The genius.

And he’d died a year before, on the very same day that the people—as part of his secret plan—had risen up in fury to overthrow their god emperor. Elend had taken the throne in the ensuing chaos. Now it was looking more and more like he would lose everything that Kelsier and his crew had worked so hard to accomplish.

Lose it to a tyrant who might be even worse than the Lord Ruler. A petty, devious bully in “noble” form. The man who had marched his army on Luthadel.

Elend’s own father, Straff Venture.

You can read the full chapter, as well as chapters 2 and 3 online HERE.

Additional Thoughts:

Brandon Sanderson, as you may have heard, has also written the completion of Robert Jordan’s beloved Wheel of Time series – with the long awaited twelfth novel, The Gathering Storm out in stores on October 25th. You can find out more about Brandon Sanderson and The Gathering Storm online in an interview with editor Harriet McDougal and the author HERE.

What’s even cooler is, Tor is providing us with a sweet “Fantasy Firsts” giveaway of both The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time book 1) and Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn book 1)!

We are giving away THREE prize packs for three lucky readers, each containing a copy of The Eye of the World and Mistborn: The Final Empire. The contest is open to residents of the US, Canada, and UK, and will run until October 24th at 11:59 PM (PST). In order to enter, simply leave a comment here, letting us know what your favorite first book in a fantasy series is! Good luck!

Rating:

Ana: 8 – Excellent

Thea: 7 – Very Good

Reading Next: Prospero Lost by L. Jagi Lamplighter

Happy Sunday, all! Hope you’ve had a great weekend, etc, etc, etc. Now, down to business…

Giveaway Winners:

First up, is our giveaway of Meljean Brook’s latest Guardians novel, Demon Forged. The lucky winner is:

Also, the winner of an autographed hardcover copy of Fire, Krsitin Cashore’s latest novel is:

Congratulations! You know the drill. Send us an email (contact AT the book smugglers DOT com) with your snail mail address, and we’ll get your prize out to you as soon as possible. Thanks to everyone who entered both contests!

Around the Internets:

It’s Steampunk Month at Tor.com! For the month of October, the good folks at Tor.com, including authors like Cherie Priest and Lev Grossman and assorted bloggers will be posting articles of interest, giveaways, new short fiction, interviews, and much more – all centered around the increasingly popular steampunk motif. The month has already started and is going strong! Check out the post about George Mann’s new steampunk novel The Affinity Bridge – and there’s a giveaway too. Cherie Priest also has a great post about her new release, Boneshaker.

We’ll definitely be checking in all month. Keepin’ it brassy.

In other big book news, nominations for the 2009 Cybils are open! The Cybils Awards are Children’s and Young Adult Literary Awards, bestowed by book bloggers. The purpose of the awards is two-fold:

• Reward the children’s and young adult authors (and illustrators – let’s not forget them) whose books combine the highest literary merit and “kid appeal.” What’s that mean? If some la-di-dah awards can be compared to brussel sprouts, and other, more populist ones to gummy bears, we’re thinking more like organic chicken nuggets. We’re yummy and nutritious.
• Foster a sense of community among bloggers who write about children’s and YA literature, highlight our best reviewers (and shamelessly promote their blogs) and provide a forum for the similarly obsessed.

From now until October 15th at 11:59 PM, you can nominate your favorite young adult novels for an award. You can only nominate ONE book per category, so make sure it is a book you are passionate about!

With that said, you can make your nominations with the online form HERE. For more information about the Cybils, make sure to check out the award website HERE.

This Week on The Book Smugglers:

On Monday, Ana reviews Malinda Lo’s retelling of the Cinderella fairy tale, Ash.

Tuesday, Thea reviews another highly anticipated read of 2009, the long awaited book 2 in Patrick Ness’ Chaos Walking series, The Ask and the Answer.

On Wednesday we double up, as Ana reviews Pastworld by Ian Beck, and Thea reviews Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.

On Thursday, Thea reviews Ilona Andrews’ first book in a new Urban Fantasy series, On the Edge.

And on Friday, we close out the week with a joint review of Brandon Sanderson’s Well of Ascension (Mistborn book 2).

Phew. It’s another crazy week, and we hope you enjoy!

Until tomorrow…

Title: Mistborn: The Final Empire

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Tor (US) / Gollancz (UK)
Publication Date: Jan 2007 (US) / October 2009 (UK)
Paperback: 672 pages

Stand alone or series: Book 1 in the Mistborn trilogy.

Why did we read this book: We’ve actually had our eye on the Mistborn books for a while. A year or so back, a commenter recommended them, and we’ve been wanting to read them ever since!

Summary: (from amazon.com)
For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the “Sliver of Infinity,” reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler’s most hellish prison. Kelsier “snapped” and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark.

Kelsier recruited the underworld’s elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Only then does he reveal his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the divine despot.
But even with the best criminal crew ever assembled, Kel’s plan looks more like the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into his life. Like him, she’s a half-Skaa orphan, but she’s lived a much harsher life. Vin has learned to expect betrayal from everyone she meets, and gotten it. She will have to learn to trust, if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed.

REVIEW

First Impressions:

Thea: Holy burning metals, Batman! Mistborn is flipping fantastic. Though it had a bit of a slow start, I soon became fully immersed in this new, dark world of ash and mist, where Allomancers “burn” certain metals to work magic, and a cruel tyrant rules with an iron fist (pardon the pun). At 700 pages long, I was scared that I might not be able to finish Mistborn in time to review it this week, but I needn’t have worried. I devoured this book. From the superb worldbuilding to the wonderful leading characters to the action-packed plot and overwhelmingly oppressive atmosphere, I loved Mistborn. A brilliant start to what looks to be an incredible trilogy.

Ana:Thea has such a way with words. Look at how perfectly she conveys how much the book is good. Meanwhile, here I am, trying really hard to contain myself not to write: “SQUEE, this book is awesome, read it” and be done with it. Since I can’t I will just say this: I recently read (and loved) Warbreaker, the latest book by Brandon Sanderson, and I knew what the author is capable of creating in terms of magic system and world building. Still, Mistborn surprised me as it’s even better than Warbreaker and the good news is: it is only the beginning of what I am 100% sure will end up being one of my favourite Fantasy trilogies of all time. Squee.

On the Plot:

For a thousand years, the world has been plunged into in wasteland of gray ashfall and thickly misted nights. Ever since the Lord Ruler ascended to power by defeating the Deepness that threatened to destroy mankind, he has ruled the world with his incredible power. Immortal, the Lord Ruler’s so called Final Empire, however, is at unrest. Since his ascension, he has wiped out all religion except the worship of him, and has split society into two classes – nobles and skaa (or slaves). Beaten, raped, and murdered, the skaa have no hope and no will to rise up against their oppressors as every revolution has been met with disaster – and further, who can kill God himself? But one day, a very enterprising skaa, thief master and legendary “Survivor of Hathsin,” the indomitable Kelsier discovers a legend that means the end of the Lord Ruler.

Kelsier sets about to assemble a crewe of noble thieves for the biggest job in history. Though the task is likely suicidal, Kelsier has a few aces – in addition to the legend of the mythic Eleventh Metal, Kelsier also discovers a young ragamuffin urchin named Vin…who happens to be a Mistborn, just as Kell is. Able to use the powers of Allomancy, together Vin and Kelsier and his crew will undertake the impossible – the liberation of the skaa, and the felling of the Final Empire.

Thea: The greatest strength of Mistborn lies in its beautifully detailed and unique world-building. In this world, magic is real, but only Allomancers can use it. In the mechanics of magicking, there are ten metals – each with a specific ability or reaction. Allomancers, or Mistings as they are also known, ingest these metals and can “burn” them in their bodies. Only those of noble heritage can use allomancy, and almost always they can only command one metal. However, a very few Allomancers can use all ten metals – and these strong magicians are known as Mistborn. The way each metal works, the physics of “pulling” or “pushing” iron or steel is breathtaking – in many scenes, Kelsier and Vin use their allomancy to soar over buildings and fight enemies, and I could only sit and marvel at Mr. Sanderson’s imagination. Allomancers are kind of like Magneto, only much more detailed and realistic in process.

The world itself is similarly well defined – it’s dreary and plagued by constant ash falling from the sky, and dead gray landscapes. And of course, at night, the mists come out and cloak the land. What’s most impressive about the landscape, however, is the fact that all of the characters are blissfully ignorant of its bleakness – to each skaa and nobleman in Mistborn, the world has always been gray and raining ash, and every night has always been heralded by cold mists that hide monsters. Gradually Mr. Sanderson reveals that there is no green grass or flowering plants; these concepts are completely alien to his characters, though the world once had them. There’s an eerie, pervasive sense that something is very wrong with this world, and Mr. Sanderson injects this dreary oppressive atmosphere into the story flawlessly.

Then, of course, there’s the story itself. And, simply put, it is brilliant. There’s a building sense of menace as Kelsier’s plans for revolution come to a head, and there are a number of unexpected twists and turns that make this a genuinely unputdownable book. And the ACTION! Oh, it’s any adrenaline junkie’s dream. The fight scenes are brilliant, enhanced by the allomantic properties of metals…I couldn’t be happier.

I should also mention that each chapter begins with a brief excerpt from the journal of the Hero of Ages – the man who thwarted the Deepness. It’s a wonderful stylistic touch that gives insight to a character that failed in his task to bring peace and prosperity to the Final Empire, and one that I appreciated very much. It did get a bit repetitive towards the end of the novel, but for the most part, the parallel storylines worked beautifully.

The only drawbacks I had in terms of plotting was how conventional the plot premise is. Weary slaves rise against their tyrannical oppressor, overcoming insurmountable odds (with the help of course of a hero that has unparalleled magical powers), etc. Also, some of the writing felt incongruous with the fantasy setting. On occasion characters would speak in a variation of usual fantasy speak (“Aye,” etc), but then would slip into modern colloquialisms that didn’t really sit right with the period. Also, the dialogue at times could be a bit clunky and info-dumpy, which felt a little forced. But, I should say that these very minor qualms were easily overshadowed by the strength of the world, the pacing of the story, and the innumerable twists along the way.

Ana:Mistborn has a low-burning start but soon it becomes clear that the author is simply laying out the grounds for his story to expand. The book starts with Kelsier, the Survivor of Hathsin visiting one of the country plantations and talking to a few skaa slaves and finding out that one of the skaa girls has been summoned to attend the Lord of the place – according to the law, she is to be raped and then killed and no one can do anything about it. Kell is taken with rage and with his Mistborn powers proceeds to annihilate the Lord and his House and frees the Skaa. And that is how his plan to overthrow the Lord Ruler begins.

As much as I try (and I have thought about the book continuously since I finished reading it) I simply cannot fault the plotting of this book. It may start with a simple enough, conventional premise with a band of noble brothers who get together to overthrow the oppressive lord and free the populace and lead by a charismatic leader; but the richness of details, the imaginative world building, the unique magic system, diverse religious beliefs and the politic intrigue of the upper members of government with its Houses and Inquisitors makes this a most fantastic read.

There are layer upon layer of events – both present and past – that intertwine throughout the book and lead the reader through a maze of non-stop action (once the book gets going, that is) till the most awesome climax I read in a while, full of twists and turns coming left and right and with some of the most amazing fighting sequences I have ever had the pleasure to read.

Brandon Sanderson seems to be a writer that has a flair for eccentric magic systems and his Allomancy proves it once again – I can’t help but to be awed at the laws he created and how creative it is. The most astonishing thing though is how by the end of the book, there is the introduction of a SECOND magic system also with its own laws. On top of that, there is the presence of several levels of government officials, of aristocratic Lords and their Houses and their direct oppressed counterparts, the skaas with their Thief Crews, the city Skaas and the plantation skaas. There is scheming and conspiracy everywhere and from all sides and all combined make for a magnetic read (ha. Another lame pun from us).

I simply loved how, as you move along, the story becomes more and more complex until all falls in place by the end of the book. Although, on second thought, one can argue that the very neatness of the conclusion can be a drawback, it is not enough to make a dent in my adoration for the novel. If I have to be nitpicky though I could mention that Kell and his plan did sound a bit paternalistic towards the poor, skaas slaves that can’t think for themselves but since this is the very premise of the story – that the skaas have been oppressed over a thousand years and have fallen into a life of conditioning and needed to be shown that there was hope in fighting – there is not much point.

The real point I want to make is: this is a kick –ass, imaginative book and I loved it. Squee.

On the Characters:

Thea: Ahh, sweet Kelsier! And Vin! These dual protagonists are absolutely fantastic (though Kelsier is easily my favorite character of the book). Kelsier, the Survivor of Hathsin, is the charming, wise mentor to Vin’s youthful distrust and inexperience; he’s the Dr. Dre to her Eminem; the Obi Wan to Vin’s Luke Skywalker. In fact, while reading this book and emailing Ana, I remarked on the Star Wars similarities – because both George Lucas’s original trilogy and Mr. Sanderson’s Mistborn really are both Hero’s Journeys at heart. Kelsier is just…cool. His story is tragic – once the best thief in Luthadel, he was betrayed by one of his teammates and sentenced to a harsh life of labor in the mines of Hathsin by the Lord Ruler himself. But Kelsier escaped the inescapable, and “snapped,” thus becoming a full fledged Mistborn. Having lost everything, including the love of his life, Kelsier is a man with nothing to lose, but he’s not bitter or cruel. Rather, he’s determined to bring down the Final Empire, to destroy the Lord Ruler, at any cost. And the coolest thing about Kelsier is that he isn’t perfect – he’s clever but he makes mistakes. And yet, ultimately, he has a plan. And he’s so much fun.

Then, of course, there’s Vin. A sixteen year old girl who has been living rough her whole life in a crew of thieves who beat her and see her as more trouble than she’s worth, Vin has grown into a distrustful girl that believes in the worst in people, and struggles to keep herself safe at all costs. It is Vin’s journey that is the Hero’s tale of Mistborn – and it is quite a tale of self discovery. Vin grows from a quiet, distrusting young girl to a powerful (one of the MOST powerful) Mistborns over the course of the novel; again I have to applaud Mr. Sanderson for this pretty near flawless execution. Vin is a heroine worth rooting for, worth loving, and she’s tough enough to be believable as a complete, allomantic badass. Her thoughts, her fears, her questions are an integral part of the story. Needless to say, I am a fan.

As for the rest of the cast, however, it’s a bit hit or miss. Some secondary characters, such as the Terrisman Sazed and Kelsier’s brother Marsh, are fantastic standouts in their own right. Both are given character arcs that are captivating and believable – in particular, Sazed’s background as a Terrisman is fantastically drawn. But then, there are other characters that fall under the realm of too-good-to-be-true. The other crewe members and their undying loyalty to Kelsier’s suicidal mission – even when they know the promised payday will never happen – is feel-good awesome, but somewhat unbelievable given how dangerous and cutthroat the Final Empire really is. Then, there’s Lord Elend, Vin’s love interest. Blah. The romance element of the story didn’t particularly work for me. The chemistry was fine and as a subplot it was certainly entertaining, but Elend himself is a bit of a pushover. A wuss. In fact, I found myself far preferring the thief Spook to Elend’s foppish lordliness. But that, of course, is a matter of personal taste (as Ana will get around to, I’m sure). Villainous characters weren’t given as much insight as I wished, and everyone fell into either the “good” or “bad” categories with only a few shades of gray.

Still, despite these problems, the strengths of the main characters (who are the only ones that really matter, really) more than compensated for the lesser secondary characters, and on the whole I was quite pleased with the cast of Mistborn.

Ana: It is not a secret that between a plot-driven novel and a character-driven one, I shall always gravitate towards the latter and that nothing makes me happier than a book that is BOTH. Mistborn, I am glad to report, is one of those.

The point of view alternate between Kelsier and Vin (for most part, more on that later) and I was a happy camper with both protagonists. On one side, you have Kell, the larger than life anti-hero, the rogue, who is a bit uncompromising in his beliefs and his quest for revenge and (ultimately) justice, who always has a funny comment and smile but deep down there is more to him than most see. Thea mentions Star War’s Obi Wan and this is certain a spot on comparison but Kell has a bit of a Han Solo-ish personality to go along of his Obi Wan role to Vin. He is definitely a fun character to read about but his arc, although essential to the novel (and how essential it is!) it is not the one that I related to the most.

That would be Vin’s – who begins as the street urchin whose sad past of spoke beatings and abuse from her own brother and crew members and becomes a strong woman on her own. As a character, Vin is wholly relatable mostly because Brandon Sanderson excels at showing the inner workings of her mind as she goes from one end of the spectrum (powerless, abused) to the other (the most powerful Mistborn) and tries to make head from toes as she goes along. I liked how at first she is so mistrustful that she rejects the very idea of friendship until Kell’s teachings and way of life become her own – but not without some serious consideration. Kell is the daredevil, Vin is the more balanced of the duo. One of the regular tropes of Fantasy is the Hero’s journey and I can’t begin to express how good it feels to read one where the female character is the one to undertake it, how refreshing it is! To me, this is Vin’s book and I love her.

There is also a plethora of secondary characters and I have to echo Thea’s feelings about Marsh and Sazed, although out of the two Sazed has a larger role to play as Vin’s relentless aid and protector and as such, he is more fleshed out. He is my favourite secondary character not only for his kick-ass moments but because of the extra layer of knowledge he adds to the story. His background as a Keeper of knowledge for his Race is so interesting and I was glued to the pages whenever he had a conversation with Vin or Kell about one of the myriad of religions he knew about it. As for the remaining members of the crew – well, I have to say I do have a soft spot the Noble Crew of Misfits and I felt like I was there in their meetings: I love that each had a role to play relating to the sort of metal each was able to burn and how there was so much sense of humour amongst them. Did it seem unrealistic that in the horrible world they lived in, they had such lightness amongst them in contrast? Yes. But it didn’t matter to me.

As for Vin’s love interest, Lord Elend. I have to disagree with Thea, I love the guy, love his interactions with Vin and I basically fell a little bit in love with him from the first time he walked into a ball and step aside to read a book. Yes, compared to Kell and Vin, he is a bit feeble but hear me out: I am convinced he will have a much larger role to play and to back me up we have one, the fact that he is granted his point of view towards the end and two, the way he behaves in the climax.

And of course, I need to mention the villains of the piece. We have the totally creepy, immortal invincible Inquisitors who are constantly searching for Mistborns such as Vin and Kell and who scared me to death and the Lord Ruler – who by the way is not only a ruler but actually an Immortal GOD – who was once mortal until he was chosen as The Hero of Ages, the one to save the world from the Deepness and someone who would either turn out to be a hero or a tyrant. It was riveting to read each small piece from his journal which opened the chapters and see that inner fight and indecision prior to becoming the Tyrant he is as the book opens. What went wrong and why?

(squee)

Final Thoughts, Observations and Rating:

Thea: If you couldn’t tell, I loved Mistborn. I really loved it. Fantastic worldbuilding, solid protagonists, excellent plot…there’s very little not to love in this fantastic first novel of a trilogy. I’m buying my copies of books 2 & 3 immediately. Absofreakinglutely recommended, and one of my favorite reads of the year.

Ana: This is the sort of Fantasy book that I love to read: with a great, tight plot and wonderful world building without ever losing touch with its characters. I already bought books 2 and 3 (and we will be reading those soon) . Highly, highly recommended and it is easily one of my faves of the year as well.

Notable Quotes/Parts: From Chapter 1:

I consider myself to be a man of principle. But, what man does not? Even the cutthroat, I have noticed, considers his actions “moral” after a fashion.

Perhaps another person, reading of my life, would name me a religious tyrant. He could call me arrogant. What is to make that man’s opinion any less valid than my own?

I guess it all comes down to one fact: In the end, I’m the one with the armies.

Chapter 1

Ash fell from the sky.

Vin watched the downy flakes drift through the air. Leisurely. Careless. Free. The puffs of soot fell like black snowflakes, descending upon the dark city of Luthadel. They drifted in corners, blowing in the breeze and curling in tiny whirlwinds over the cobblestones. They seemed so uncaring. What would that be like?

Vin sat quietly in one of the crew’s watch-holes—a hidden alcove built into the bricks on the side of the safe house. From within it, a crewmember could watch the street for signs of danger. Vin wasn’t on duty; the watch-hole was simply one of the few places where she could find solitude.

And Vin liked solitude. When you’re alone, no one can betray you. Reen’s words. Her brother had taught her so many things, then had reinforced them by doing what he’d always promised he would—by betraying her himself. It’s the only way you’ll learn. Anyone will betray you, Vin. Anyone.

The ash continued to fall. Sometimes, Vin imagined she was like the ash, or the wind, or the mist itself. A thing without thought, capable of simply being, not thinking, caring, or hurting. Then she could be . . . free.

You can read the full excerpt online HERE.

Additional Thoughts: Ana has read and reviewed Warbreaker by this author, and loved it too (Thea’s Aside: Dammit, I wish I had received that review copy). Mr. Sanderson is a science fiction and fantasy writer who has also written the Elantris books, and has been writing the twelfth and final book of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. Needless to say, after we finish reading the Mistborn trilogy, we’ll be back for Elantris!

On the Mistborn books, the UK is re-releasing the trilogy under Gollancz with new covers. Aren’t they gorgeous? We love both the original US covers, but the new UK ones are fabulous too.

US Covers (books 2 & 3):

UK Covers (books 2 & 3):

Rating:

Thea: 8 Excellent – leaning towards a 9, and definitely one of my favorite reads of 2009

Ana: 9 Damn Near Perfection

Next Joint Review: The Orphan’s Tales: In the Night Garden by Catherynne M. Valente

Ahoy mateys! I’m back from Vegas, didn’t lose too much money or sanity, and I’m taking over the blog…

Well, not really. Just to give you the skinny on another Sunday, and another stash. First, we have a giveaway winner to announce…

Giveaway Winner:

The lucky winner of our giveaway of The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker is:

Congratulations! You know the drill. Send your snail mail address to us (contact AT the book smugglers DOT com) and we’ll get your winnings off to you as soon as possible.

This Week on The Book Smugglers:

We’ve got a SUPER packed week coming up for you. On Monday, while Ana’s out enjoying her bank holiday Thea (finally) reviews The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan…

…and also takes a look at the upcoming fall TV schedule.

The sequel to the highly praised The Hunger Games, Catching Fire is already making its way to the top of many “Best of 2009″ lists…so on Tuesday, we’ll be having a SuperMegaFantastic Catching Fire bonanza! To celebrate the release day of one of the most highly anticipated books of 2009, Thea will review Catching Fire, and then later in the day we will be offering a giveaway of THREE copies of the book, along with prize packs of T-shirts and mockingjay pins. Make sure to stop by for a chance to win this great swag.

On Wednesday, we bring you a brand spakin’ new feature: “What She Said…” In which Ana and I read books that the other has read and loved this year. The idea arose after Ana *cough*STOLE*cough* Name of the Wind from the “Joint Review” pile and decided to go rogue and read it on her own (even though I’ve had the book on my shelf for ages and was the one who told Ana about it!). She loved it, wrote an awesome review about it, won’t stop gushing about it…and I’ve had enough. I want to read and review this book, but the dilemma was that if I did read it, I wouldn’t really be able to post again about it. Right? WRONG. Hence, “What She Said…” was born. On Wednesday, Ana reads one of my suggestions, Jasmyn by Alex Bell (which I loved and immediately thought Ana would adore too)…

and then I get to read The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brenan (which Ana loved and immediately told me to buy).

On Thursday, Ana reviews A Duke of Her Own by Eloisa James and Thea reviews Succubus Heat by Richelle Mead.

Friday, we give you a joint review of a book we’ve both been waiting to read for a long time, Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn: The Final Empire (book 1 of the Mistborn trilogy).

Woohoo! (Love the new cover, by the way)

On Our Smuggler Radar: (Or, Books Thea Really Really Wants)

Part two of the literary sci-fi thriller follows a boy and a girl who are caught in a warring town where thoughts can be heard — and secrets are never safe.

Reaching the end of their tense and desperate flight in THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO, Todd and Viola did not find healing and hope in Haven. They found instead their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss, waiting to welcome them to New Prentisstown. There they are forced into separate lives: Todd to prison, and Viola to a house of healing where her wounds are treated. Soon Viola is swept into the ruthless activities of the Answer, aimed at overthrowing the tyrannical government. Todd, meanwhile, faces impossible choices when forced to join the mayor’s oppressive new regime. In alternating narratives — Todd’s gritty and volatile; Viola’s calmer but equally stubborn — the two struggle to reconcile their own dubious actions with their deepest beliefs. Torn by confusion and compromise, suspicion and betrayal, can their trust in each other possibly survive?

It happened quickly. Overnight, the greater Los Angeles area found itself in the horrifying grasp of a werewolf epidemic. Twenty eight days of the month they are no different than you or me–the High Bloods, who managed to go unaffected. But every full moon, they are the most ravenous creatures man has ever seen.

A new law-enforcement agency has been created to keep tabs on the those whose blood runs Lycan. Rawson is an agent for Lycan Control, and his job is to make sure all the afflicted are found, monitored, and kept at bay the night they change. But the Lycans in Hollywood have risen to cultlike proportions, and Rawson’s job is getting tougher.

One night, a woman changes right in front of Rawson. And it’s not a full moon. Someone deep in the annals of Hollywood has managed to trip the logic of the werewolves’ being. Battling a rising tide of Lycan rights activists and a growing population of those who are choosing to be Lycan over High Blood, Rawson must carve a path to the top of the Lycan chain before all hell breaks loose.

No one wanted Ai Ling. And deep down she is relieved—despite the dishonor she has brought upon her family—to be unbetrothed and free, not some stranger’s subservient bride banished to the inner quarters.

But now, something is after her. Something terrifying—a force she cannot comprehend. And as pieces of the puzzle start to fit together, Ai Ling begins to understand that her journey to the Palace of Fragrant Dreams isn’t only a quest to find her beloved father but a venture with stakes larger than she could have imagined.
Bravery, intelligence, the will to fight and fight hard . . . she will need all of these things. Just as she will need the new and mysterious power growing within her. She will also need help.

It is Chen Yong who finds her partly submerged and barely breathing at the edge of a deep lake. There is something of unspeakable evil trying to drag her under. On a quest of his own, Chen Yong offers that help . . . and perhaps more.

Indigo Springs is a sleepy town where things seem pretty normal . . . until Astrid’s father dies and she moves into his house. She discovers that for many years her father had been accessing the magic that flowed, literally, in a blue stream beneath the earth, leaking into his house. When she starts to use the liquid “vitagua” to enchant everyday items, the results seem innocent enough: a “’chanted” watch becomes a charm that means you’re always in the right place at the right time; a “’chanted” pendant enables the wearer to convince anyone of anything . . .

But as events in Indigo Springs unfold and the true potential of vitagua is revealed, Astrid and her friends unwittingly embark on a journey fraught with power, change, and a future too devastating to contemplate. Friends become enemies and enemies become friends as Astrid discovers secrets from her shrouded childhood that will lead her to a destiny stranger than she could have imagined . . .

Elfland is an intimate, sensual novel of people—both human and Aetherial—caught between duty and desire. It’s a story of families, and of Rose Fox, a woman born to magic but tormented by her place in her adopted world.

Led by Auberon Fox, a group of Aetherials—call them the Fair Folk, if you will—live among us, indistinguishable from humans. Every seven years, on the Night of the Summer Stars, Lawrence Wilder, the Gatekeeper, throws open all gates to the Other World. But this time, something has gone wrong. Wilder has sealed the gates, warning of a great danger lurking in the realm beyond them. The Aetherial community is outraged. What will become of them, deprived of the home realm from which their essential life force flows?

Rose Fox and Sam Wilder are drawn to the lands beyond the gates, even as their families feud over Lawrence’s refusal to do his duty. Struggling with their own too-human urges, they discover hidden truths that draw them together in a forbidden alliance. Only by breaching the dreaded gates and daring the danger beyond can they confront that which they fear most— their otherness—and claim their birthright.

That’s about it for now folks! Hope you enjoy the week ahead.

~ Your Friendly Neighborhood Book Smugglers