Friday, July 3, 2015

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson | Discussion Post #2

As you probably already know, Courtney from CourtneyReads and I are buddy reading the Mistborn Trilogy this summer. At various points along the novel we'll be posting discussion posts.

If you want to read our first discussion post, click here.

There will be minor spoilers ahead, so if you haven't read up until part 3, I suggest reading that and coming back. Here's our second discussion post for Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.

What do you think of Elend so far? Any predictions for him?


Courtney: I really enjoy Elend’s laid back attitude. It’s hard to tell at this point if that is all just an act and he’s trying to use Vin or if he really is just an unsocial reader who may be slightly interested in her. After only one real interaction with him it’s hard to say where I think his loyalties will lie. But he’s so funny. I want him to be good.  

Saloni: I’m suspicious because I already like Lord Elend which usually means one of two things. He’s either working for the Lord Ruler and just talking to Vin to gain information, faking his charm, or he’s going to die. I sincerely hope he’s one of the good guys, but I can tell that Brandon Sanderson is all about unpredictability so the I think the chances of Elend being “good” are fairly low.


Do you think Vin’s father will have any significant part in the plot?


Courtney:  I’m not sure that he will play a major role in the novel, but I think who he is and the fact that he’s Vin’s father with have consequences. We still don’t really know how important he is in society, but I’m guessing his role will affect events somehow. I’m expecting something to come out that. And the fact that Vin’s brother wanted her to see him and know what he looks like has to mean something. 

Saloni: I really don’t think Sanderson would introduce a character or even mention him/her if we were never going to see them again. I don’t know how much of a part he’ll play in the actual plot itself, but I think his existence will somehow affect how the plot will turn out.


What do you think is the significance of the book Sazed brought back?


Courtney: I think that the book will have more significance than you would expect. It came from the palace, which means that it’s somehow connected to the Lord Ruler. Translating it will be the tricky part, but I think once they do it will have some kind of record either by or about the Lord Ruler. Not sure what the significance of that will be, but I think it will mean something. 

Saloni: To be completely honest, I actually ended up somehow skipping over the few mentions of the book. But after rereading it, I still have little to no idea what it could hold. At this point it could honestly be anything from an insignificant reading book to a guide on how to beat the Lord Ruler. Maybe it has crucial information about the eleventh metal. There are so many things that the book could hold.


After what happened in the palace, do you think that Kelsier was betrayed the first time?


Courtney: The palace scene really affirms one thing in my mind: the crew (and thus the reader) don’t know enough about what the Lord Ruler can do. His power seems far stronger than they thought it was. The first time around, Kelsier wouldn’t have been able to feel the Lord Ruler’s Allomancy (since he was not yet Mistborn), so perhaps it has something to do with this extreme power that Vin seems to sense near the palace. It’s hard to say if Kelsier was betrayed or if this power somehow alerts the Lord Ruler to their break in. Or it might have something to do with the chamber itself, we still don’t know what is in there. I think this will definitely be explored more as the story progresses.  

Saloni: This book seems to have a lot of contradictory themes of trust and betrayal. While it is possible that the Inquisitors just happen to be there, it seems more likely that someone alerted the palace. I really hope that it wasn’t someone from the crew, but for some reason I’m mildly suspicious of Sazed. He had found Vin near the palace, which means he was in the area. As of now he’s the only likely candidate to betray them. He continually is telling Kelsier how crazy his plans are, but maybe it’s not because he’s concerned about the safety and wellbeing of the crew, but rather so Kelsier doesn’t get to close to the Lord Ruler.

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