Mistborn: The Well of Ascension

Kelsier's crew succeeded in doing the impossible. The Lord Ruler's thousand year reign has come to an end. Now what?

The Well of Ascension picks up one year after The Final Empire. The crew is doing their best to hold together the fledgling government formed in the chaos that ensued after the Lord Ruler's death. Unfortunately, after a thousand years of one ruler, one government, one religion, and no deviance allowed, no one is entirely certain what they are doing.

The Well of Ascension moves at a slower pace than The Final Empire, involving more political intrigue and less action until the reader reaches the final chapters. However, the writing is as masterful as ever and did not lag as some slower paced books tend to do. With less action came less gore than I remember from the first book of the trilogy as well. There is more language than I prefer, but not enough to prevent my enjoyment of the story.

The characters the reader fell in love with in The Final Empire are given a deeper, more serious nature in The Well of Ascension. Personally, I missed the banter that was so prevalent in the first book, as well as missing a particular character that is no longer with them. However, the lack of lightheartedness makes the realism of their situation and the stress on them only more keenly felt. They are still the same characters, and you will still love them.

The Well of Ascension continues where many stories do not. So many stories end with the celebration and victory of an evil empire destroyed. Few continue onto what happens when the celebration is over and the pieces have to be put back together. This alone makes it well worth the read.