Mistborn 3 Chapter 3

[bhthomas]

I just finished the chapters and i have that feeling like i just stepped off a roller coaster. Im dizzy and slightly nauseous but i want to go again and again. My question is was the Inquisitor going after Elend just because it had the chance right there and then or has Ruin ordered the inquisitors to get control of him.

[SarahG]

I think you explained it yourself. We see a Keeper being sacrificed to create a new Inquisitor, then two chapters later we see an Inquisitor (who Vin has never seen before) with a limited burst of super speed. I am sure TLR forbade the use of Keepers as sacrifices, just as he forbade them from protecting their death spike. It will be interesting to see if an Allomancer with enough strength could take control of an Inquisitor through soothing. That could have been why TLR kept them so close. He made sure to limit any other influences but his own.

OK, but then how did they get their rapid healing before?  To me, that was the main advantage to the theory of Hemalurgy giving other powers - between Allomancy and Feruchemy, all the Inquisitors' powers could be explained.

Anyway, TLR didn't keep the Inquisitors close to him all the time.  Only about half of them were in Luthadel at any given time.

On another note, I'm with those who are a little disappointed in Elend's extra-strong Allomancy.  It seems like a cliche in series like this - someone comes along who's really powerful in the magic, more powerful than anyone in recent memory.  Then in the next book another character comes along who's even stronger or who discovers new ways to use the magic, then pretty soon it turns out there's some more characters who are even stronger/more skilled.  The Kelsier -> Vin -> Elend progression reminds me of Moiraine/Siuan ->Egwene/Elayne -> Nynaeve -> those super-strong Sea Folk girls and damane and Kin.  It bugs me.  Surely there would have been enough good stories to write about Allomancy even if the characters didn't keep getting radically better at it and finding new metals all the time.  And it seems like you could write compelling characters who aren't the absolute best or strongest the world has ever known.

[darxbane]

I always thought the majority of them stayed in Luthadel.  At the end of book 1, I thought Marsh said there were only a few not in Luthadel, as Marsh was now the head of the Steel Ministry by default.  They could be able to use pewter much more effectively than an Allomancer, as it appears Hemallurgy is more closely related to the body's energies than Allomancy.  To heal quickly from Feruchemy they would have needed health stored all the time, which meant they would need to spend a lot of time sick and weak.  It is possible, of course, but I still want to believe Hemalurgy has some differences to Allomancy and Feruchemy other than how to get the abilities.

[SarahG]

I still want to believe Hemalurgy has some differences to Allomancy and Feruchemy other than how to get the abilities.

So do I.  But I thought you were arguing that the Inquisitor's super speed was Feruchemical, from the Keeper sacrificed in the prologue?

[darxbane]

I am.  What I want to believe is that the healing process is not from Feruchemy, but a benefit from Hemalurgy that doesn't involve the other two magics.

[SarahG]

OK, I think I understand what you're arguing and I suppose it's possible, but it seems needlessly complicated for Hemalurgy to have some qualities all its own, some Allomantic qualities endowed through Allomancer sacrifices, and some Feruchemical qualities endowed through Feruchemist sacrifices.  Why not either give Hemalurgy all its own powers (which may be similar to some Allomantic or Feruchemical powers) or else make it entirely method for endowing the other powers?

[Andrew the Great]

Firstly, WOW. I'm so excited for this book.

Secondly, Reaves, it is most definitely Rashek. Any contentions on this point? If not, I'm looking for pictures for Reaves to wear. You guys can help if you want. 

And now for my main points. Firstly, I agree with darx that Ruin was trying to control Elend with the spike. I'm also slightly annoyed that Elend is that much more powerful than Vin, but she's still more skilled, so that kind of makes up for it.

On the hemalurgy note: It's possible that Inquisitors still get the speed from feruchemy and have also previously gotten the healing from there. My guess is it would take one feruchemist per feruchemial ability. Before, they didn't have enough keepers to spare another one for a new ability. Now they do.

With this chapter, I think there is a definite connection between hemalurgy and feruchemy. For allomancy, I still really want to believe that the inquisitors just ate Elend's metal, but that also doesn't make sense because they are apparently weaker than him. So, at this point, against all of my hopes, I'm going to have to start supporting the misting-per-spike theory. Unless you can think of a way to rescue our theory, Chaos? I can't.

I'm not really able to form coherent thoughts at the moment. I'm too excited. I'll try again in a few hours when I've calmed down a bit...

[Peter Ahlstrom]

I wouldn't count the bet settled quite so quickly.

[Andrew the Great]

Well then everyone just start looking for pictures. That way it'll still be amusing no matter who has to wear it.

Alright Ookla, fine. I still think I'm right, but that comment makes me very nervous.

[Peter Ahlstrom]

Oh... Brandon's blog says this is the final sample chapter. Hummm...

[Andrew the Great]

Yeah, I was just figuring on having to wait until MB3. That's ok though, gives me lots of time to find a good pic.

[Chaos]

SarahG - I understand your concern with Allomancers getting progressively stronger, but at least here it's not coming out of thin air. TenSoon says that the Allomancers of old were far stronger than they are now, so it makes sense that Elend's Allomancy would be incredibly powerful.

Andrew - With this sample chapter, I now claim to have no real knowledge about Hemalurgy. At this point, I'm content to wait to see what the answer with that is.

[CthulhuKefka]

Random thought I'm throwing out, not agreeing with it one way or the other.

It seems all too obvious that the new "blurbs" are written by Rashek, but like I said, it's too obvious.

What if it is a journal entry of one of the main characters, Vin or Elend or Sazed, in the future, at the end of their lives?

[jjb]

Chaos- She gave the example of it being too much like WoT and in WoT people talk about how powerful Aes Sedai used to be as well. So I don't think your logic is going to convince her. In the case of WoT, I kind of liked it that the main characters weren't the most powerful anymore. It gives them more obstacles to overcome, probably why so many books do the whole adding-powerful-people game. To create more conflict.

Besides, who cares whether Brandon explains why Elend gained so much power. Explaining doesn't change the fact that he still used that plot device.

And to say how I feel about this: I also felt kind of disappointed that Elend was more powerful, but I think it's because I like Vin more than him rather than it being because I don't like characters obtaining more powers. And as we get into the book, I'm sure we'll become more tolerant of Elend's power level-up.

[happyman]

It was Ookla's post that triggered my saying this, but doesn't the tone of the bumps seem to be a bit off for it to be Rashek?  I mean, the person is talking about not using the power, about being careful and cautious and studying it before doing anything drastic.  If TLR felt that way about the power, then how on Earth did the Mistborn world end up the mess it is was in for 1000 years, which just seems to be getting worse?

Clearly it is going to be explained.  I'm just saying that in my mind it raises more questions than it answers.