***100 Days of Summer 2023***
Reading prompt: Fantasy that is not based on a European medieval period
Virtual 12 sided dice roll: 6
Whew! Finishing this book gets me out of the traffic jam of due dates that I've been navigating for the last week or so. E-books, interlibrary loans, and regular library books, they were all coming due in a clump!
I reread the first book in this series earlier this year to be prepared to continue on. I'm glad that I did--I'd forgotten a number of crucial details. I had a long wait for this volume. It is apparently very popular in my city. Sanderson seems to be one of those authors that splits readers into two camps: those that love his writing and those that find his books boring. I guess it depends on what you're focused on.
His strength is the magical system used by the Allomancers and his plotting. The characterization is a bit thin, most people being defined by their magical talent. I would suspect that he created quite a detailed outline of the whole series before the writing got underway. The writing sometimes feels a bit mechanical, kind of fill-in-the-blanks.
Since my preference is robust characters, I found this installment to be good, but not wonderful. It was good because we learn more about the Terris people and about the kandra. It was also intriguing to have Kelsier's Inquistor brother reappear (twice) briefly, leading me to believe that he will play a role in future events. We are introduced to the Koloss, a violent and irrational species.
Vin learns a fair bit about herself during this book. She finally comes to terms with her love of Elend, which is satisfying. She also explores her capacity for violence and killing, something that probably should feel more disturbing than it does. Elend, too, has some realizations: he is happy as king and protector of his people. He does know what to do for them and how to get people working toward a common goal.
Sanderson is no George R R Martin, but he does sacrifice some prominent characters. Clubs and Dox fall in battle, Ham is wounded and Breeze is catatonic. Sazed has lost the love that he just found and is walking wounded. How much longer will Kelsier's crew be able to hang together? Will Elend and Vin still need them? Yes, I will be reading the next volume.
Book number 503 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project
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