WARNING: Massive spoilers -- The Hero of Ages (Book 3)

[Gentry]

I think it's going to be a challenge for the RPG to define a little more clearly how the economy of the empire actually worked. 'Cuz by rights it shouldn't have.

But then, in a game set after the events of the books...

[MilitiaJim]

I think it was a decent representation of feudal Europe, there really wasn't much trade.  Some grain went to the major cities, and the outlying nobles got nice things and the skaa got shafted.

[Inkthinker]

It's worth remembering as well that the technology level of the Final Empire wasn't necessarily medieval. They had canneries, for one, which makes the preservation and transport of foodstuff much more reasonable. While firearms don't seem to exist, there's definitely a level of industrialization.

[Agent 333]

It's specifically mentioned in Book 3 that the Lord Ruler was keeping certain things - like firearms - down. Presumably you don't need a Coinshot so much if any skaa can pick up a gun...
Also remember that the first thing in the first book is a noble checking his pocket watch. So yeah...

[MilitiaJim]

It's worth remembering as well that the technology level of the Final Empire wasn't necessarily medieval. They had canneries, for one, which makes the preservation and transport of foodstuff much more reasonable. While firearms don't seem to exist, there's definitely a level of industrialization.

I don't recall mention of any draft animals.  While it might have been vaguely feudal, it almost resembled the ante-bellum south without firearms.

[Crafty_Alex]

It's worth remembering as well that the technology level of the Final Empire wasn't necessarily medieval. They had canneries, for one, which makes the preservation and transport of foodstuff much more reasonable. While firearms don't seem to exist, there's definitely a level of industrialization.

I don't recall mention of any draft animals.  While it might have been vaguely feudal, it almost resembled the ante-bellum south without firearms.

Skaa sometimes count as draft animals

There are horses, however. The Final Empire is a mash up of many different timelines, thanks to TLR's influence. Some parts do indeed resemble the ante-bellum south (plantations and so on), while the Eastern Dominance is more like the Old West, and the Western dominances more seafaring. The absence of just a few technologies thanks to suppression by TLR changes the world *radically*.

[Gelondil]

About Sazed as the Hero of Ages - were you suprised, or did you see the clues?

I wasn't really suprised at all that Sazed was the Hero of Ages, he was me second vote after Vin, when it was revealed that the Lord Ruler was a Terrisman, and moreso when it was revealed that Ruin was manipulating prophesy to aid Vin.

Most importantly, however, were the pre-chapter monologues in Book 3.  The way the narrator speaks makes it obvious who it is.  Clearly a well-spoken, bookish, science-minded person was writing these...  Sazed, or possibly Elend.  However, Elend is referred to in the 3rd person rather quickly, which rules him out.   Even the first quote : "I am, unfortunately, the Hero of Ages." couldn't be Vin.  By the start of this book, Vin had already accepted herself as the Hero of Ages, she wouldn't have said it this way.



To go back to the original thread starter...

I think the epicly cinematic feel of both Vin & Elend's final battles were my biggest "OMG" moments, but I'm all for big battle scenes.

Vin -  steelpushing so hard she levelled buildings and shot herself into the stratosphere...
Elend (and all) - To not only be able to burn atium, but to be asked to BURN AS MUCH AS YOU WANT?

[Agent 333]

I was completely shocked by the revelation. Part of me kinda hoped the pre-chapter snippets were somehow written by an alternate version of Vin conjured by burning gold. I was mildly dissapointed that gold never came up again after that first test.

[Poette]

About Sazed as the Hero of Ages - were you suprised, or did you see the clues?


Most importantly, however, were the pre-chapter monologues in Book 3.  The way the narrator speaks makes it obvious who it is.  Clearly a well-spoken, bookish, science-minded person was writing these...  Sazed, or possibly Elend.  However, Elend is referred to in the 3rd person rather quickly, which rules him out.   Even the first quote : "I am, unfortunately, the Hero of Ages." couldn't be Vin.  By the start of this book, Vin had already accepted herself as the Hero of Ages, she wouldn't have said it this way.

I knew it was Sazed by chapter three thanks to the pre-chapter monologues. The Terris people seem to have some specific speech patterns, and it became pretty obvious by chapter three that the hero of ages was a Terrisman. Specifically the sentence: "In some ways, having such power was too overwhelming, I think." completely gave it away.

I knew that if the hero of ages was Terris, then it would have to be Sazed, because the author was not going to just introduce a completely new character and have them be the hero. That would have been complete crap.

[MilitiaJim]

I knew that if the hero of ages was Terris, then it would have to be Sazed, because the author was not going to just introduce a completely new character and have them be the hero. That would have been complete crap.

As much as that would have been rather infuriating, in this case, in another it could be quite awesome.

[Tathel]

I really thought at the end Vin and Elend would be alive and waiting for spook. I don't think it would have been as good if they had have been but i was surprised they weren't.

[Doublebond]

I think what I liked the most was how the ending of the series so greatly contrasted with its beginning. We've all read the first book, and can clearly see just how grim everything is, but can you really imagine things being even better than they are for the world on the whole at the end of it all? The world's back to being beautiful and great, and you have an omnipotent, totally competent, and utterly benevolent deity watching over all of you.

Things start out really bad, but by the end of it all, things are pretty much as good as they could possibly be.

[Mister Andersen]

I'm very cleverly not looking at the rest of this thread just yet until I finish the book -- and when I look back, this is probably going to have already been mentioned --  but, well, I just have to get this out now that I've realised it.
I'm up to beginning of the 2nd ball and it's just hit me that Sanderson is an evil genius.

Vin's earring is a hemalurgical spike.

In hindsight it should have been really really obvious maybe, I don't know. I feel I should have clicked to it sooner because it was obvious that Spook had been spiked by Ruin, that the sword tip faux!Kelsier forbade him from removing had gone straight through a Thug into him in the most efficient transfer of power. Because at that point it was shown that it didn't have to be a proper spike, just metal.

It should maybe have clicked with the chapter narration about being able to use mundanes to create spikes.

It was only Marsh's recalling all the failed attempts to spike El that set up the realisation. Because Reen's voice has been there since the beginning of the 1st book, albeit generally presented in a different way to God and 'Kelsier'.

Ruin's been planning this end game for a very long time. It's probably been directly responsible for the breeding program that produced Vin, and then the sister to be murdered to produce the earring spike in the most efficient transfer of power.

And at this point, I've also just realised that the Mistborn is essentially the 1989 Doctor Who story The Curse of Fenric.

Be back later.

[Mister Andersen]

So, back,

Yeah, it was painfully obvious that Saze was the Hero, and the reference to the copperminds was about as subtle as a hammer to the groin, but honestly I'm just glad that (a) it wasn't El, and (b) Vin got to lay the godly smack down on the Smoke Monster from Lost Ruin.

As a book, HoA felt weaker than the first two, with Spook's and TenSoon's parts being the only really actually interesting bits. Saze was just so damn emo because the narrative didn't really explore his crisis of faith so much as keep reiterating that he was experiencing one, while Vin & El felt like they were spending most of their time acting as place holders for info dumps -- for info that had already come out in the chapter headers


Also, Spook:

[ludomastro]

Just finish the 3rd book today.  I came to the series due to the game and I'm glad that I did.  Started Alloy of Law today as well.

It is a bit embarrassing that I didn't see Sazed as the Hero until the very end.  Then, of course, it all fell into place instantly and I was able to retroactively see all the cues that I had missed before.

Despite the interesting bits with Spook, I never latched on to him as a character worth remembering.  He seemed . . . surplus - for lack of a better word -  to me.  Like the whole Spook side of the story was filler and a backdrop for more Sazed angst.

I did like overall effect and enjoy the novel as a whole but would have to agree that it was the weakest of the three.  HOWEVER, the narrative arc of the trilogy was quite amazing and so, I'll forgive the plot being a little thin in the last book.

The twist I didn't see coming was that the kandra were the Terrismen.  Very awesome that.