The Well of Ascension - Brandon Sanderson

This morning I finally finished reading The Well of Ascension.  I say finally because I started reading it near the start of December, and even for 753 pages that is a long time.  But that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the book or find myself getting lost in its world.

The Well of Ascension is the second book in Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy.  The fantasy world is based around the Final Empire, where evil has already won and where metals provide a source of magic for the privileged few.  The book starts a few months after the first one left off and quickly brings you up to speed on what has happened in between.  For those who can't remember what happened, there is a helpful summary of the first book at the back, as well as a glossary of the common terms used.

So why did it take me so long to read it?  Well to start with I got out of my reading habit in December.  With so much going on it seemed easier to just pick up a magazine than get lost in a different world.  But mostly I never gave it time to get going.  It took me a month to read part 1 of the book, and in the last week I've read the other 4.  Once you get drawn into the world you can't leave.

Part of the draw is the realism of the characters.  They may be heroes but they are people too, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.  Anyone reading the book would find themselves drawn to different characters and different traits.  Although the story is based around Vin, there are many more people that play valuable parts and can be seen to develop as they face different situations.  One of my personal favourites is Breeze for the way that he works at soothing emotions far more than the rest of the crew give him credit.

Would I recommend this book?  Yes definitely.  Of course I would recommend reading The Final Empire first (unless you enjoy getting horribly confused!)  And yes I am looking forward to reading The Hero of Ages.  But I think I'll read another book first, so that when I take the time to re-enter the world of the Final Empire I can enjoy being drawn in all over again.