Mistborn: The Well of Ascension Discussion #3

Here's the third discussion post for the second book in the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. Saloni, from My Fantabulous Bookshelf, and I have been reading the series and sharing our thoughts. Some spoilers will follow, so if you haven't read the novel yet you may want to wait until you've done so.

1. Penrod is officially the King, how do you think this will affect Elend and the crew on the rest of their plan?

Courtney: Elend and the crew are very dedicated individuals. While this is definitely a setback and might cause some problems for them, I don’t see them giving up. Particularly Elend. He’s taken Kelsier’s place in the crew, but has a slightly different outlook. But, just like Kelsier, he doesn’t give in easily. He will figure out a way to help the people. I’m just not sure how. And the crew will stand by him, even if they think he’s crazy. It’s what they do.  

Saloni: I really don’t think the crew will give up that easily. All of them have invested so much into every part of this plan, I think that while Penrod is trying to implement various rules and regulations into place, Vin, Elend and the rest of the Crew will continue to plan and prevent Luthadel from falling. i’m really hoping that there’s some type of positive relationship between Penrod and Elend which allows Elend some power in the situation.

2. The last we saw of Zane, he was basically trying to kill Vin. Do you think he’ll follow through with this order, or will he let his emotions get in the way?

Courtney: Zane is an interesting character. While I think he’s drawn to Vin because of her skill as a Mistborn and her sanity (in comparison to him), I don’t think he’s trustworthy. I don’t necessarily think he will try to kill her, but that doesn’t mean he won’t manipulate her in some way that might be just as bad.   

Saloni: I really don’t think he’s going to kill her. He seems to feel an interesting connection with her and I don’t think he’d listen to his father’s simple orders. I really don’t think he’s going to kill Elend either, perhaps he’ll switch allegiances and help kill Straff Venture. He’s an interesting character and I hope we learn more about him.

3. At this point, what do you think is Cett’s next move?

Courtney: Cett was sure he would become king, so I think now that he isn’t things will change for him. Vin is convinced that he is Mistborn, but I don’t see that. I think it’s more likely that he’ll pull out. Maybe even side with Luthadel. He’s a tyrant, but I don’t think he’s as much of a threat now that his plan was foiled.  

Saloni: He could start an attack on Luthadel, but with Straff’s army right there and a Koloss army very close behind that doesn’t seem like the smartest move. Honestly at this point, I’m not sure what he can do. Depending on how open Penrod is, he could try and negotiate an agreement, but the odds of that working out are very slim. I do think that the other armies will begin to play a role in the next few pages to come.

4. Do you have any further thoughts on the kandra spy? Thoughts on who it might be?

Courtney: It’s hard to say who the kandra spy is. I don’t feel like it can be any of the crew, and not just because I like all of them. With the information Vin has uncovered about each of them, I find it less and less likely that one of them is the spy. The only one of the crew that really fits would be Elend himself, and I don’t think that’s the case. Particularly since we now have so much of the novel from his perspective. It would make him being a spy difficult, since we’re in his head so much. I also don’t see it being Demoux. While he would make sense logically, I don’t think he fits based on his recent actions.

Saloni: I definitely agree with Courtney. Having the kandra imitate someone from the crew would be too obvious, but I also think that having the kandra imitate anyone outside the crew might not be as useful. I think the kandra spy would have to be someone outside of the crew who still has very heavy interactions with either Elend and/or Vin. It could be Tindwyl since she came into play fairly late into the storyline. But I’m not sure that would necessarily line up with her actions of helping Elend and Vin.

5. What are your thoughts on the crew and the new roles they are having to play in Elend’s government?

Courtney: I like the direction the crew has taken in this novel. We haven’t had much time with any of them recently, but when we do I like what I see. Ham is the main one we’ve seen, through interaction with Elend, and I like their relationship. Ham is a little more serious. I also like what we’ve seen of Clubs and Breeze. Each of the crew has taken it upon themselves to make sure the city stands, in their own way, and it’s nice to see the way they work together. Even when they argue.  

Saloni: With Kelsier gone, the crew has had to collectively take charge and step up. And even though they’re mostly working behind the scenes we’ve gotten a chance to see each of them a little more. They all have interesting and helpful input that normally would have been shadowed by Kelsier’s dominating personality. I really like the role each of them have played and I really hope to see more of them in the coming books.