Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

What if the whole world were a dead, blasted wasteland?

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 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 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. Then Kelsier reveals his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the entire government.

Even with the best criminal crew ever assembled, though, 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. She will have to learn trust if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed.

My Verdict: I read this book based on a recommendation from my son. Fantasy is not really my genre and I wasn't sure how this would go for me, but boy am I glad I took this leap. The book begins with a prologue that immediately grabbed my attention. I had no choice but to read on.

The writing is well crafted and I never found myself skimming over details as I often do when I read this genre. The story is told through two main protagonists: Vin and Kelsier. Both characters are well developed with clear motivations at the start and they continue to be developed throughout the book. I found myself engaged by Kel's complexity as a character and more and more intrigued by Vin as the book commenced. Other characters were also well-developed and I found myself especially enjoying the nobleman Eland Venture and Vin's protector Sazed.

This is not your typical fantasy novel. It is a book of good against evil, but it differs in how it is told and I the result was that I was engaged with these characters in a way that I haven't been with any in awhile. I found myself upset at times; I found myself angry at times. This is the mark of a good writer. It is a credit to Sanderson's writing that I was so invested in the character. I highly recommend this book to readers of fantasy and to readers who looking for a great story regardless of genre. I give this book 5 stars and I can't wait to read the second book in the trilogy: The Well of Ascension.