Title: The Hero of Ages
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Published: 2007
Pages: 784
Goodreads Rating: 4.48
Rating: 8/10
“If you give up what you want most for what you think you should want more, you’ll end up miserable.”
The Hero of Ages is the third book in the era one Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. For a thousand years, the Lord Ruler reigned over his domain known as the Final Empire on the planet Scadrial… Until suddenly, everything changed because of a small group of thieves who were determined to bring about a revolution. With a new civilization to maintain and a unique set of problems, it is up to the same group to save their world from ash and ruin!
World building: The amount of detail that Sanderson puts into world building is impressive. In The Hero of Ages, he builds upon the information already provided about the planet, magic systems, class society, cultures, and characters that were introduced in the first two books. Sanderson also introduces new characters, societies and complexities. As for the planet Scadrial, it is within his universe known as the Cosmere. If you’ve read any of his other books, most of them are a part of the Cosmere including Warbreaker and the Stormlight Archive series. So I suppose Sanderson is not just a great world builder but also a universe builder.
Character development: As for the character development in The Hero of Ages, Sanderson has done better in other books. Sanderson’s romantic relationship development could use some TLC – it is one of the weaker parts in this book. The relationship between our main characters feels like one of convenience and necessity instead of love. With that said, the characters on their own are still fantastic with unique personalities and behaviors. Some of the characters introduced in era one’s Mistborn trilogy are still some of my absolute favorites.
Climax: Big moments occur throughout the book and I wish that Sanderson covered them in more detail. Sometimes a critical scene is covered in as little as a paragraph leaving you wanting more. As is typical in Sanderson’s books, the last 150 pages include a few amazing scenes and twists. Sanderson wraps up The Hero of Ages in an epic and unexpected way. Once you’ve finished era one, you have to read Mistborn: Secret History because it adds context to some of the scenes that you’ll find in The Hero of Ages.
Many Sanderson books have made my list of favorites. In my opinion, The Hero of Ages is the best book in this trilogy but it still does not make the favorites list. The world building and magic systems are spectacularly done while the character and romance development are decent. If you’re interested in committing to an epic fantasy trilogy where all of the books are all readily available, this is a great book for you! Mistborn era one is also a good place to start if you’re new to Sanderson’s Cosmere universe. Once you decide to dive into The Stormlight Archive, you’ll need to read the Mistborn books in order to fully grasp some of the subtleties in The Stormlight Archive’s later books.
Caroline’s Library 