- Mistborn: The Well of Ascension
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Mistborn: The Well of Ascension 
Author(s) Brandon Sanderson Cover artist Jon Foster Country United States Language English Series Mistborn Genre(s) Fantasy novel Publisher Tor Books, Macmillan Audio Publication date August 21, 2007 Media type Print (Hardback), digital audio download Pages 590 pp (first edition, hardback) ISBN ISBN 978-0-7653-1688-2 (first edition, hardback) OCLC Number 122715367 Dewey Decimal 813/.6 22 LC Classification PS3619.A533 W45 2007 Preceded by Mistborn: The Final Empire Followed by Mistborn: The Hero of Ages Mistborn: The Well of Ascension is the second novel in Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy.
Contents
Plot summary
The book begins with two armies laying siege to Luthadel - the army of Elend's father, Straff Venture and another one headed by Cett. Elend is now the King of Luthadel, with Vin as his girlfriend and the rest of the team as his close confidants. A short time later, a third army of koloss arrives, led by one of Elend's former friends, who is buying their obedience with counterfeit coins.
Vin is starting to become suspicious of the mist, as they no longer make her feel as at home as they used to. At the same time, Sazed on his journeys has come across suspicious deaths which appear to be due to the mist.
There is a lot of politicking during the middle part of the book, as Elend becomes a victim of the same laws he wrote as the Assembly has voted to depose him and elect a new king. The Assembly elects Lord Penrod as their new king, rejecting Elend. At the same time, Vin is going through a personal crisis due in large part to Zane, the son of Staff Venture and Elend's half brother, an apparently mentally ill Mistborn who is trying to seduce Vin and get her to go away with him.
At the urging of Zane, Vin kills hundreds of Cett's soldiers at the mansion he was staying at in Luthadel, but stops short of killing Cett himself. Cett decides to leave the city and abandon his siege.
Sazed and the rest of the crew scheme to get Elend and Vin out of the city, with Sazed creating a fake map to the Well of Ascension, where Vin is convinced she must go.
Straff Venture withdraws his army and allows the koloss army to attack Luthadel, planning to rescue the city after the koloss have destroyed most of it and suffered casualties.
Vin returns to Luthadel just in time to save Sazed. She also realizes that she is able to control the koloss using her allomancy, which is how the Lord Ruler kept them in check. She stops the slaughtering and pillaging that they were doing, and with the rest of the human army from Luthadel, attacks Straff Venture's army. Vin kills Straff and his generals as Cett decides to ally himself with Luthadel.
Vin tells the armies that Elend is their new emperor, and Cett, Penrod and the last general of Straff's army can be kings under him.
Vin realizes that the Well of Ascension is in Luthadel, and finds a hitherto unknown doorway in the Lord Ruler's former dwelling, that leads down to a series of caves.
She finds the Well of Ascension, but is urged to "release" the power for the good of the world. She decides not to try to use the power to heal the dying Elend or fix anything else, but to release it. The moment she releases it, an entity shouts out that it is now free - Vin was deceived into releasing the god Ruin.
Elend consumes a small piece of metal which makes him a Mistborn and he heals himself.
Characters
Vin - a half-skaa street urchin who possesses the power of a Mistborn. Protagonist.
Elend - A nobleman, and son of Straff Venture. He is the new leader of the Crew and King of the Central Dominance.
Dockson, or "Dox" - Crewmember. He is not an Allomancer, but he seems much more intelligent than the rest of the crew gives him credit for.
Hammond, or "Ham" - Crewmember, and a Pewterarm. Ham enjoys philosophical bouts, especially when the receiver of his wisdom is Breeze.
Ladrian, or "Breeze" - Crewmember, and a Soother. Breeze likes his wine. Almost as much as he likes himself.
Cladent, or "Clubs" - Crewmember. He is the Smoker, and he along with the rest of his apprentices are able to shield their hideouts from the Ministry's Allomancers.
Lestibournes, or "Spook" - Crewmember. A Tineye. Youngest member of the crew.
Marsh - Crewmember. A Steel Inquisitor who is the brother of Kelsier.
Sazed - A Terrisman from the Northern Dominance of Terris. He is a Keeper, and specializes in religion.
Tindwyl - A Terriswoman from the Northern Dominance of Terris. She is a Keeper, and specializes in political leaders.
OreSeur - A Kandra. He is bound to Vin by a Contract.
Straff Venture - Elend's father and a Tineye. King of the Northern Dominance. He and his army lay siege to Luthadel.
Ashweather Cett - King of the Western Dominance. He and his army lay siege to Luthadel.
Zane - a Mistborn who considers himself insane. The illegitimate son of Straff Venture.
External links
- Mistborn: The Well of Ascension (official site)
- Mistborn Wiki
- Audio download available at iTunes and Audible.com
Reviews
- Amazon.com (includes Booklist review)
- Eric James Stone review
- Washington Post
- Wotmania
Works by Brandon Sanderson Mistborn series Mistborn: The Final Empire (2006) · Mistborn: The Well of Ascension (2007) · Mistborn: The Hero of Ages (2008) · Mistborn: The Alloy of Law (2011)The Stormlight Archive The Way of Kings (2010) · The Highprince of War (forthcoming 2013)Stand-alone novels Stand-alone short works "Firstborn" (2008) · "Defending Elysium" (2008) · Infinity Blade: Awakening (2011)Alcatraz series Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians (2007) · Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones (2008) · Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia (2009) · Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens (2010)Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time Categories:- 2007 novels
- Mistborn series
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