Throughout my life I have read hundreds of fantasy books (epic, dark, urban, etc.), as it has always been my favorite genre. As is often the case in these cases, there came a point where all the stories seemed the same to me. I encountered the same characters and situations, the same clichés (the journey, the numinous object, the group, the dark lord, the traitor and hero theme…). However, The final empire de Brandon Sanderson, the first part of his trilogy Born of the Mist (Mistborn), has shown me that fantasy is not dead, but more alive than ever.
While I enjoyed sagas like Song of ice and fire de George RR Martin: Chronicles of the Killer of Kings de Patrick Rothfuss In their day, they did not leave a lasting imprint on me. I have a better memory of Martin for his dirty and realistic prose (although he was not the first to use it in the fantasy genre). Of Rothfuss not so much for its protagonist Gary Stu to whom everything turns out well, and whose navel is the center of creation (personally, I find these kinds of characters burdensome), although I admire the lyricism of their texts. In short: what both authors have in common is that I liked their stories, but they did not mark me. It wasn't like when I first read as a child The Hobbit de Tolkien : Forgotten King Gudú de Ana Maria Matute. Something that has happened to me, many decades later, with The final empire.
That being of light named Brandon Sanderson
The beatings hardly hurt anymore because Reen's frequent abuse had made her resilient and taught her to look pathetic and broken at the same time. In a way, the beatings were self-defeating. The bruises and bruises healed, but each new blow made Vin harder. Stronger.
I am fascinated by many things about Sanderson. To name a few, he makes the difficult look easy, writes simply yet accurately, and manages to breathe new life into a genre on which Tolkien's legacy weighs heavily. But above all, it fascinates me that with his words he moves. It never leaves you indifferent. You feel their characters alive, you can almost touch the world they inhabit, no matter how different it is from ours, and you can't stop reading chapter after chapter. That sincere and palpable passion for his work can be felt on each and every page of The final empire.
For a thousand years ashes have fallen and nothing blooms
Sometimes I worry about not being the hero that everyone thinks I am.
The philosophers assure me that this is the moment, that the signs have been fulfilled. But I keep wondering if they don't have the wrong man. So many people depend on me… They say that I have the future of the whole world in my hands.
What would they think if they knew that their champion, the Hero of the Ages, their savior, doubted himself? Perhaps they would not be surprised at all. In a way, that's what worries me the most. Perhaps, deep in their hearts, they doubt, just as I doubt.
When you see me, do you see a liar?
Can you imagine what would have happened if, a thousand years ago, Sauron had won the War of the Ring and crowned himself the god-emperor of Middle-earth? This premise, broadly speaking, serves to understand what it is about The final empire if you've never heard of the book. It's a story about heroic and desperate fight of a group of ska (the lower caste of slaves) against the nobles, and the terrifyingly inhuman Lord Ruler. About a suicidal rebellion against the theocracy of a decaying empire, and the attempt to find life on a dying planet.
City of luthadel, where much of the plot of "The Final Empire" is developed.
I will not kneel before a false god
"You tried," Kelsier replied. His strong, firm voice was heard throughout the square. But you can't kill me, Lord Tyrant. I represent what you have never been able to kill, no matter how hard you have tried. I am the hope.
The final empire it is much more than a fantasy story. It is a book with one of the magic systems (allomancy) more realistic, and better constructed, that I have been able to read. It also addresses the personal growth of the young woman. Wine, one of the few heroines who breaks out of the clichés of the genre, and who proves to be a strong woman without losing her femininity (as often happens every time an author wants to give a female character a sword).
We are before a book of high passions, of unlimited suffering, tragic loves, desperate sacrifices, and a will to power fireproof in the midst of death and desolation. Sanderson's work is full of imperfect heroesas kelsier. Characters that, by the force of their charisma, will remain in the reader's mind long after he has closed the last page. If you are bored of typical fantasy novels, read The final empire de Sanderson. You will not be disappointed.