The Well of Ascension

Mistborn, Book 2

By: Brandon Sanderson

Narrated by: Michael Kramer

Length: 28 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

From number one New York Times best-selling author Brandon Sanderson, the Mistborn series is a heist story of political intrigue and magical martial-arts action.

The impossible has been accomplished. The Lord Ruler - the man who claimed to be god incarnate and brutally ruled the world for a thousand years - has been vanquished. But Kelsier, the hero who masterminded that triumph, is dead too, and now the awesome task of building a new world has been left to his young protégé, Vin, the former street urchin who is now the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and to the idealistic young nobleman she loves.

As Kelsier's protégé and slayer of the Lord Ruler she is now venerated by a budding new religion, a distinction that makes her intensely uncomfortable. Even more worrying, the mists have begun behaving strangely since the Lord Ruler died, and seem to harbor a strange vaporous entity that haunts her.

Stopping assassins may keep Vin's Mistborn skills sharp, but it's the least of her problems.

Luthadel, the largest city of the former empire, doesn't run itself, and Vin and the other members of Kelsier's crew, who lead the revolution, must learn a whole new set of practical and political skills to help. It certainly won't get easier with three armies - one of them composed of ferocious giants - now vying to conquer the city, and no sign of the Lord Ruler's hidden cache of atium, the rarest and most powerful allomantic metal.

As the siege of Luthadel tightens, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the Well of Ascension or what manner of power it bestows.

Other Tor books by Brandon Sanderson:

• The Cosmere
• The Stormlight Archive
• The Way of Kings
• Words of Radiance
• Edgedancer (Novella)
• Oathbringer

The Mistborn trilogy

• Mistborn: The Final Empire
• The Well of Ascension
• The Hero of Ages

Mistborn: The Wax and Wayne series:

• Alloy of Law
• Shadows of Self
• Bands of Mourning
• Collection
• Arcanum Unbounded

Other Cosmere novels:

• Elantris
• Warbreaker

The Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series:

• Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians
• The Scrivener's Bones
• The Knights of Crystallia
• The Shattered Lens
• The Dark Talent

The Rithmatist series:

• The Rithmatist

Other books by Brandon Sanderson:

• The Reckoners
• Steelheart
• Firefight
• Calamity

©2007 Brandon Sanderson (P)2009 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"All the explosive action any adventure fan could want." ( Locus)
"A great epic fantasy.... Fans of Terry Goodkind and Terry Brooks will find The Well of Ascension fulfilling, satisfying, and incredibly exciting." ( SFRevu.com)
"Vin's struggles with love and power inject the human element into Sanderson's engaging epic." ( Booklist)

Better than the first

Better than the first book, the story and characters are getting deeper and more complex. Several wonderful twists!

Great reader

I love the reader but there was a buzzing sound through a lot of this book did the microphones pick up the ac sounds or something? Half the time it sounded like someone was holding hair clippers next to my ears.

Takes it slower, makes it perfect

The pace of this book is more like what I'm accustomed to from the type of science fiction that I enjoy. I worried every now and then that it was spending too much time just wandering in storytelling land without adding value...

But then. Then you read the last chapter and understand the scope of the war, the depth of the deceit. Then you go and buy the third one without waiting for a credit.

This book is the one that gives power to the third one. And you can't imagine to what extent the finale relies on all that came before until the last pages of the third book.

Without the next book, this one would only deserve maybe four stars, but because of the foresight and careful crafting (some of which is not obvious during this book), I give it 5.

That is all. You should read it.

Just keeps getting better!

What did you like best about this story?

I like how the story continues to build up (or snowball, depending on your perspective). Final Empire was great, and Well of Ascension keeps it going and the stakes get raised all the time. I also really enjoyed Elend's development - he became one of my favorite characters.

The ending was, as is customary for Sanderson, a total surprise and got me jazzed for the third book. I am somewhat genre-savvy so I do see some things coming, but that was on a level I did not expect, especially when you learn more of it in Hero of Ages.

Which scene was your favorite?

I know it's weird, but for some reason, I really like when Michael Kramer reads lines like, "burned duralumen". It's just a cool word and concept, and there are always fun results from it. After finishing the entirety of Mistborn books available, this is still something I think of when remembering the series.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I'm not sure a film would do it justice, unless it got the same care Peter Jackson gave to the Lord of the Rings and Brandon Sanderson himself was right there to veto bad changes. And frankly, I love the series too much to come up with anything other than, "Just shut up and buy a ticket now!"

Brandon Sanderson does it again!

Brandon is a linguistic genius. my first experiences with him were the last of the Wheel of Time novels that he completed for Jordan. I have have been overjoyed to he about the worlds of his own creation.

Great story but...

Horrible cliff hanger at the end.
Seriously, it put me on the fence of whether or not to spend the money for the next one. I guess it will depend on the overview and reviews of the next book. Tragic really.

Listen at 1.25x

The reader is very slow paced, speed it up for the best listening.
The book itself is great but not a good stand alone. Read the trilogy for the full experience.

Amazing Writer, Book, and Series!!!!

Brandon Sanderson is one of the great writers, even surpassing most of our generation's great writers. His Plots are complex and riveting, his Character Development is so great that one finds themselves gaining friends not observing imaginary people, and his Imagery is so rich you can get lost and forever changed by the amazing leavening mists he wraps you in. You can read this book over and over and still find new and precious layers throughout.

Well written, incredibly read!

This is an incredible story read with such enthusiasm and skill! Michael Kramer is an incredible narrator. I loved every minute of it.

It leaves me needing to read the third book!

This is the continuation of the first mist born book. Vin and Elent are trying to figure out their places in the new government and city. They try to learn trust and confidence in their new roles. I would prefer less killing, violence, and blood. Im glad there's no graphic sex. Brandon Sanderson does a great job filling out the characters, letting you see into their minds, and making you want to find out what happens next.