By Brandon Sanderson

How do you fight the personification of destruction?

Thieves challenged an immortal tyrant and won. They formed a new kingdom, and almost lost it when three armies besieged their city. Now the land is dying, choked by mist and ash, armies of koloss search for human settlements to destroy, and Ruin watches on. After untold centuries he may finally get his wish, the end of all things.

Against such odds Vin & Elend fight on, defeating the koloss and the Inquisitors, but struggling with how to defeat Ruin. How do they fight the embodiment of destruction? Even Ruin points out, all things must come to an end. But Vin sees through Ruin’s half-truths. Recognizing what Ruin is, Vin develops a plan.

But Vin is not alone. Sazed returns, weakened by grief and self-doubt over his recent tragedy. Spook steps out of the shadows to become a hero in his own right, infiltrating a city, stirring up rebellion, and inspiring many to compare him to Kelsier. Tensoon returns to his people, hoping to convince them that Ruin has returned; that their only hope is to join the fight. Individually these stories pale in comparison with chapters about Vin and Elend. They can feel disconnected but they remind the reader of the global scale on which Ruin is working, and they provide essential foundation for the ending which unites all the threads.

The story begins with a strong fight, then bogs down as characters debate their next move, but once a plan is chosen the story quickly regains momentum in a series of epic fights, before drawing to a close with an ending that rivals the original in its potency.

+Strong Plot
+Strong Characters
+Epic conclusion
*Fragmented storylines
-Slow at times

4.5/5

Next Time…
Clash of Kings-I&F 02
2016/06/16