The Well of Ascension

I'd like to believe that being a king or an emperor is simple. To be fit for kingship, all you have to do is draw a sword from a stone or demonstrate your ability as an emperor by marching across a three-mile bridge wearing Alexander the Great's armor. In Brandon Sanderson's “The Well of Ascension (Mistborn, #2),” Elvis (I'm changing the character's name as to not spoil anything from the first book) is a new king. And it is anything but easy. He'll have to have ‘a little less conversation' with his enemies, put up with a ‘hound dog' that watches over his beloved, and be a voice of reason for his people, most of whom are ‘living in the ghetto'. He must do all this without getting ‘all shook up' with his other duties. Basically, ‘it's now or never!' (I'm sorry, I just couldn't help it with the name.)

|| “A good king is one who is trusted by his people—and one who deserves that trust.”

Okay, so the book is more Attack of the Clones and less Empire Strikes Back, if you get my drift. (I told myself I would not mention Star Wars in this review, but here we are.) It is strong in its politics, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. For me, at least. Basically, Elvis is trying to be a shining light to Lutadel by setting up a new government that is run by the people, for the people. The land is stricken by the events of the last book, and it's up to Elvis to quell the ‘suspicious minds' of the people and its enemies. (I swear that's the last one.) Along the way, a few armies appear on the kingdom's doorstop looking to conquer, but Vin, our favorite allomancer, might have something to say about that.

|| “Those who take lightly promises they make to those they love are people who find little lasting satisfaction in life.”

I thought this was a strong book in the series. It checks all the fantasy boxes you come to enjoy from the author while tossing in a bit of extra lore and some exciting twists. The new metals (more on that later) and the semi-interesting love triangle hamper it a bit, but in the end, it's a satisfying tale.

One of my favorite characters is OreSeur. He is part of a race of people called Kandra who can imitate a being by eating them after they pass on. (Gross, I know, but fun!) After the bones and flesh are consumed, they eat, smell, act, and talk just like their predecessors. It's sort of like a conglomeration of ideas from Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Thing. The Kandra are subservient to their contracted master and are very protective of their special abilities and their past. Vin has a contract in place at the beginning of the book, and she makes her Kandra take on the appearance of a wolfhound. (I don't know why, but I pictured it looking like some sort of weird beast-folk being from Dr. Moreau's island.) The banter between Vin and Onseur is top-tier! Remember the wit, jest, and meaningful convo's with Kaladin and Slyphrena in The Stormlight Archive? Yeah, it's sort of like that.

|| “Perhaps it is also time to learn of other truths, other ways”

Let's do the checkmark thing again. (Work with me here, there is ALOT to unpack in this book.)

I think you will dig this book if you like......

✔ Politics – Quite a bit of base-line politics. King's rulings are in question; King questions if he is right for the position; King is often challenged because of his inexperience. (It's a fun and clever dynamic.)
✔ A teeny tiny bit of romance – I mean a MINUSCULE amount. The slightest of slight, itsy bitsy, infinitesimal, mini, etc. Girl likes boy(s), Boy likes Girl, Girl snuggles with Boy, Boy thinks Girl is attractive in a unique way, Girl wants to be held by Boy, Girl questions relationship with Boy. Girl straddles Boy at one point. (Oh là là, spicy!) I'm making fun, but it's pretty standard fare. Nothing too heavy-handed, just the right amount to keep you interested.
✔ Familiar-y fantasy lore - A hierarchy of magic users, an ancient power, a hero's quest. Basically, all the good stuff.
✔ Magic System - The new metals do not make a whole lot of sense, to be honest, but their action/reactionary visuals are just pure eye candy.
✔ Fantastical Creatures Koloss and Mistwraiths. Say no more.

|| “If you perpetuate the dreams of the past, you stifle your own dreams of the future.”

** Okay, this is where the nitpicks section begins, so advert your eyes if you would rather not read me rant a bit about some of my personal misgivings and/or wants.**

Remember when you watched The Matrix for the first time and you were like, “Whoa! The fight scenes were just mind-blowing. When you started the sequel, you said to yourself, “How could the fight scenes get any better?”, Then the scene where Neo fights 100's of agents scrambled your brain. Well, the battle sequences in this book never really reached those heights for me. They were serviceable, but I just thought there would be a little extra oomph (scientific book term) added to the allomancy system. A few coins are thrown; there are some reactionary moments that were intriguing, but it was really hard for me not to be sort of bored. (The last battle not withstanding) At one point, as I was reading a fight sequence and my eyes started to glaze a bit, I pictured Vin as Trinity and started to develop some of my own battle sequences. I know, “What a mind job.”

Let's talk about the bite-sized attempts at democracy. Just give me an all-out, detailed take on the kingship. Human rights, fundamental freedoms, separation of powers, accountability, etc. I know this is an extreme nitpick, but the stakes seemed to warrant a more detailed sense of the divisionary process. The pieces fit well, but did the recurring issues with the crown make me care as much as Elvis did? Not so much.

This book was a fun and enchanting sequel. It was easy to read, easy to get attached to certain characters, and it had enough twists to make you want to keep learning more about the world. Was it as good as the first? I think so. I also champion a book that dives knee-deep into the overarching story as the climax looms. It's so much better than just having a battle to “find out who wins.” This happens all too often in the last third of both books and movies.

Last note: I nominate this book series to add to your reading repertoire.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm eyeing the third book with as much anticipation as Indy eyes an idol. I must get to it.