Book Review: Hero of Ages

Title: The Hero of Ages
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Genre: High Epic Fantasy
Trep's Rating: 5 Stars

This one has been a long time coming. I don't know why it took me so long to get around to reading the third book in this series, but it's done now. I have repented. And I'm glad I did.

Hero of Ages was a fitting end to a story of this scope and then some. For those of you who have not read this series, it's about group of thieves who plot to rob and overthrow their Emperor/God. He has ruled with an iron fist for a thousand years, enslaving an entire race of people and generally just being what one might expect from a megalomaniac dictator who is immortal.

A much bigger story unfolds in book two and then again in Hero of Ages. This gang of thieves will have to pull together and do something they never thought they'd have to do: save the Final Empire. This is high fantasy at its best with a decidedly apocalyptic tinge to the third book. It has a fantastic magic system and a sweeping story that really allows you to get pulled in.

On a side note about this series. I don't know if this was intentional, though I suspect some of it was, this series manages to capture all the best things about Les Miserables, The Count of Monte Cristo, and The Scarlett Pimpernel. I know that on his blog Brandon Sanderson did mention that his inspiration for one of the characters was Marius from Les Miserables. I picked up on that and many other things that gave this epic fantasy a certain flavor, one that reminded me very much of all three of these classic works.

This is a great story. And, I've just recently found out, it's not over. Alloy of Law is due out in November of this year, and I can't wait.

Read these books. You won't be disappointed.