Epic Ending: The Hero of Ages review

When I asked Brandon Sanderson what creative control he had over the artwork for the covers of his novels he said that he had little say in the matter, but he did request that The Hero of Ages, the third and final book in the Mistborn series, be given a cover with more of an epic feel.  Judging a cover by its book, the artwork isn’t epic enough!  The world of ash and mist has reached its zenith and utter destruction is imminent.  The magnitude of the peril that has encompassed Vin and the empire she protects is not completely conveyed in the scene depicted on the cover, although it is a scene of tremendous impact!  I’m in awe of the magnitude of planning that Sanderson put into this series.  As things fell into place and many (but not all) secrets were revealed, I got the sense that the series was written in reverse order, all portents culminating in a truly epic ending.  Sanderson’s writing has a tendency to be repetitious and the phrase “homicidal hat trick” seems out of place in a society that doesn’t play hockey, but those are very minor flaws and are easily offset by his exceptional depth and inventiveness.  Sanderson has demonstrated he has the planning capability necessary to finish Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, and I look forward to his next original series!

Universal Appeal

After reading a healthy dose of non-fiction, I’m ready for another science fiction binge. Coincidentally, one of yesterday’s new releases was The Host by Stephenie Meyer. I’m one of the minority of readers in Utah who has not read her immensely popular Twilight series for young adults, so I had no expectations that might affect my opinion of her first book for adults. I checked out a copy yesterday and began reading it on my lunch break.

As a bookseller, one is forced to accept the realization that not every book is right for every reader. A good bookseller is a matchmaker in a sense, using their first-hand knowledge to match the right book to the right reader. A book can be like one of Meyer’s alien souls, moving in and taking possession of the reader’s mind. Sometimes the soul and its host are a good match, and other times they are not. This book is not a good match for me. I do not doubt that it will be right for many, many people, but I will have to remain in the minority on this one. I read the first 90 pages before deciding to stop. Rather than reading Meyer, I am turning to another LDS writer of science fiction: Brandon Sanderson. I enjoyed his Elantris and have successfully matched it to other readers. His Mistborn series has been steadily moving up my reading list, and I’m ready to see if it is a match.