Author Topic: ***SPOILERS Official Hero of Ages Spoilers Thread. Includes Q&A w/Brandon****  (Read 335660 times)

Xegnma

  • Level 1
  • *
  • Posts: 5
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
First-time poster just dropping a few words of appreciation for the Mistborn Trilogy. Masterful work Mr.Sanderson I thoroughly enjoyed reading your books.
I have a particular affinity for the Kendra. Throughout the last two books you hinted at something (intentionally or not I wonder) with regard to their abilities. It seems that as a race they didn't explore the full scope of there talent to construct bodies. Having descended from humans and invested with sentience they exclusively mimicked human bodies. This is of course with the exception of Tensoon. Not only did he mimick species outside humans but you implied that kendra could possibly combine different facets of other species (much like the clumsy efforts of their mistwraith states). This leaves open a hitherto unexplored phenomenon ...kendra could effectively create "chimera-like" bodies. I suppose in a world of ash-mounts the Kendra wouldn't have a diverse set of animals from which to build "classic" amalgams like griffons, minotaurs and the like, but in a world reshaped by Sazed, one filled with such diversity this becomes a pointed possibility.
The Kendra are poised to become a powerful people should you chose to explore that avenue. It is my hope that you chose to.

Matty

  • Level 1
  • *
  • Posts: 4
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
As far as the death of Vin and Elend...

Their powers are not greater than Ruin's. Anything they do that Ruin could anticipate, Ruin counters. There is one thing, one perfectly non-selfish act that could defeat Ruin. Ruin would never even consider martyrdom, because it is too selflessly outside his nature. He can't even fathom the concept, which is why they succeed.

Concerning the people who are disturbed by the death of their favorite characters...

I just spend 15 minutes trying to find the quote that goes something like... "If your goals are achievable in this life, then they're not big enough"... I don't think that necessarily holds true for everyone, but for Emperors and the like, especially Elend, it definitely applies. Elend and Vin are willing to sacrifice themselves for the ones they love, and for the greater good. Ghandi went out and did his work, knowing he'd received death threats, and died because of it. I think its small-minded and out of the nature of the book to challenge the death of the characters of the book.

Sacrifice is a reoccurring theme in the book, but especially in Elend's life. He sacrifices by leaving his comfort zone to engage in a real relationship with Vin. He puts aside his feelings of hurt and betrayal when the Lord Ruler is executing Skaa. He gives up his seat as King because of his ideals. He puts aside his ideals for the good of the Kingdom by becoming the Emperor. He eventually comes to a point where he can ensure the survival of the entire planet by keeping Ruin occupied with himself, knowing it will kill him.

If the teachers teaching high school have any brains at all, they'll have their kids read this book, and essays will be written about Elend's theme of sacrifice. (A Separate Peace really wasn't even a classic anyways  :P )

My question is... What were the 16% of the people who flat-out died to the mists?

happyman

  • Level 17
  • *
  • Posts: 828
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
My question is... What were the 16% of the people who flat-out died to the mists?

From what I remember, far fewer than 16% died outright.  Exactly 16% got sick, but the number of people who died after getting sick varied depending on how healthy they were before.
Nature hates being reified.

bookWorm

  • Level 1
  • *
  • Posts: 10
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
As I was reading through the Hero of Ages again, I started wondering why Vin would be uneasy about seeing Hoid. I noticed though that there were other times that her emotions had been influenced by what Ruin was thinking.  Maybe it was Ruin that didn't want her to meet up with Hoid. This would mean that either Ruin knew who Hoid was or there was something about Hoid that was different then the normal inhabitants. So, is there anything to the theory?

Chaos

  • Administrator
  • Level 36
  • *****
  • Posts: 2170
  • Fell Points: 3
  • The Original Hero of Ages
    • View Profile
    • Eric Lake
Hoid is bound to a Shard of Adonalsium, so its possible Ruin could sense him.
www.17thshard.com - The Official Brandon Sanderson Fansite.

Oh SNAP, I'm an Allomancer.

Inquisitor

  • Level 8
  • *
  • Posts: 253
  • Fell Points: 0
  • Lord of Cake
    • View Profile
Is it 100 percent proven that Hoid is bound to a shard?
Captain Commander of the Holy Vanguard of Kaz

I have recently discovered that pie cannot be trusted. I am switching full time to cake.

Cake shall prevail!


Come join us over at the Mistborn Forum RPG!
http://z3.invisionfree.com/Mistborn/index.php?

Peter Ahlstrom

  • Administrator
  • Level 59
  • *
  • Posts: 4902
  • Fell Points: 2
  • Assistant to Mr. Sanderson
    • View Profile
Ben said he was, and I seem to remember that Ben said Brandon told him that. (But that it was a while back and he couldn't remember the exact details.)

I asked Brandon something about Hoid a few months ago, and he asked if I really wanted to know. I said that I didn't. It's better to find out as you read the books, you know?

(Though I have a sudden urge to do a word search in WoK.)
All Saiyuki fans should check out Dazzle! Emotionally wrenching action-adventure and quirky humor! (At least read chapter 6 and tell me if you're not hooked.) Volume 10 out now!

Pygmalion

  • Level 5
  • *
  • Posts: 137
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
(Though I have a sudden urge to do a word search in WoK.)

Do! And then make sure you tell us what's there.  ;D
"Vision is the art of seeing the invisible" - Jonathan Swift

Peter Ahlstrom

  • Administrator
  • Level 59
  • *
  • Posts: 4902
  • Fell Points: 2
  • Assistant to Mr. Sanderson
    • View Profile
I didn't read it, but I did take note of how many pages it appears on. I think the scene is longer than the one in Warbreaker. (Hard to tell due to page count translation.)
All Saiyuki fans should check out Dazzle! Emotionally wrenching action-adventure and quirky humor! (At least read chapter 6 and tell me if you're not hooked.) Volume 10 out now!

Pygmalion

  • Level 5
  • *
  • Posts: 137
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
You looked and didn't read it?? That's some serious willpower...
"Vision is the art of seeing the invisible" - Jonathan Swift

Peter Ahlstrom

  • Administrator
  • Level 59
  • *
  • Posts: 4902
  • Fell Points: 2
  • Assistant to Mr. Sanderson
    • View Profile
I have years of practice. There are some things I appreciate more by savoring them while waiting for the right time. (Of course, this only works if you know ahead of time for sure that it's something you're going to enjoy. If you're wrong it can backfire bigtime. But I'm not wrong about Brandon's writing.)
All Saiyuki fans should check out Dazzle! Emotionally wrenching action-adventure and quirky humor! (At least read chapter 6 and tell me if you're not hooked.) Volume 10 out now!

ursidae

  • Level 1
  • *
  • Posts: 3
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
I loved the book, particularly the ending. I thought it felt just right for the series.

I plowed through the whole thread (OK, I was skimming some of the posts), but I wondered some things regarding the atium which I don't think has been discussed:

1. Why did the lord ruler stock-pile the atium? Given that Ruin wanted the cache it seems that it would have been wiser to make sure the atium was burned rather quickly, to protect it from Ruin's reach. (Was he influenced by Ruin maybe?)

2. What happens to the atium when burned? Does the amount of burned atium affect the amount "regenerated" in the Pits?

3. I guess that the total amount of atium in the world is limited. If the answer to 2 is yes, this seems to indicate that the stockpiling means that the amount of atium regenerated is much smaller than would otherwise be the case. If true, this also indicates that stock-piling is a bad idea.

zas678

  • Level 7
  • ****
  • Posts: 202
  • Fell Points: 0
  • Job Title: Hoid Desciption: RAFO!
    • View Profile
Let me try to answer your questions...

1. TLR stock-piled the atium to keep it away from Ruin. If he just let it grow in the Hathsin Pits, than Ruin would've known right where to find it, and he would've been much harder to defeat.

2. The atium slowly does dribble back to the Pits, but it takes about a hundred years.

3. Yes it is limited, because Ruin's influence is limited. TLR wants there to be a small amount of atium. He keeps a little bit in the market to keep his power, but the rest goes to the Trustwarren to keep out of the hands of Ruin.
“It’s a fun tradition.”
“So was witch-burning,” Melody said.  “Unless you were the witch.”

Plasman

  • Level 5
  • *
  • Posts: 142
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Here's my question. How would Ruin "get" the atium and what exactly would he do with it?  what did he have to do once he "got" it to gain its power?
Duct tape is like the force, it has a light side and a dark side and it holds the universe together.

pirsquared

  • Level 2
  • **
  • Posts: 16
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Quote
Here's my question. How would Ruin "get" the atium and what exactly would he do with it?  what did he have to do once he "got" it to gain its power?

Ruin would influence people into taking the atium; and once it is in the hands of people, the nature of atium is such that it causes conflict, for a few reasons:

1. It is very valuable AND useful, and there is not enough to go around (mostly because the Mistborn and Seers use it all up).  So if someone else has it, you want it, whether that's because you want to burn it or because you want to sell it.  Either way, in many cases, this leads to violence and destruction.

2. Atium as a feruchemical bracelet (an Atiummind) stores age, and generally the people who would use it for this purpose are the type of people who would tend to cause violence.

3. In an allomantic battle, atium makes it much more likely for one person to beat the other (rather that it ending in someone running away).  Whoever has less atium dies, basically.

Hope that helped.