Saturday, August 8, 2015

Mistborn: The Well of Ascension Discussion #5

It's time for another discussion of the second Mistborn novel with Saloni from My Fantabulous Bookshelf. You can find all of the old discussions here on my blog if you're interested. And just as a warning, there may be some spoilers. 

  1. After Vin left we didn’t really see much of Elend and Spook, what do you think happened to them?
Courtney: I think the main reason we haven’t seen much of Spook and Elend is just that they are traveling and it wouldn’t add much to the story. As long as they are just traveling, they should be safe. It seems like the more important aspects, as far as plot goes, are happening in Luthadel. I don’t think we have long to wait before we meet up with them again though.  
Saloni: I do find it a bit strange that we haven’t gone back to Elend’s point of view for a while. One theory is that nothing is really happening with them so we’re more focused on the fighting happening at Luthadel. Another theory is that something happened to them while they were travelling and the next section is going to expose what happened to them. For some reason I feel like this lack of perspective is somewhat important, but then again I may be wrong.

  1. What are your thoughts on the Koloss’s weakness?
Courtney: This was really interesting and I also feel very important. The fact that the Lord Ruler built in a weakness in his creations has to mean something. I’m not sure where this will go, but I think it’s going to be important in future events. Maybe to understand the Lord Ruler or maybe to understand the power that he took at the Well. I’m not sure. But it’s definitely interesting. And the connection with the kandra is very interesting as well.  
Saloni: I thought the parallel between the koloss and the kandra was really interesting and I don’t think we’re done with both of them. The Lord Ruler created both of these creatures and I think their origins will help us lead back to the Lord Ruler and his seemingly supernatural powers. I think this information will help us figure out why people considered the Lord Ruler “God”.

  1. Do you think there is some connection between the Lord Ruler and the God that haunted Zane?
Courtney: The God that haunted Zane is important, I think. I’m fairly certain it has something to do with his metal spike. I’m not sure if this voice was the Lord Ruler or some greater power that haunted Zane. I feel like their has to be some type of connection, but I don’t feel like the Lord Ruler is truly still around. This has to be important though. Sanderson is very deliberate when it comes to these things, so he wouldn’t have given us all this information about the voice and the spike if we didn’t need it.
Saloni:We’ve constantly been told that the Lord Ruler had some type of divinity in him, which gives him a God-like power. I can’t help but connect this “God” to the same God that haunted Zane. Perhaps the spike has something to do with it. I think the spikes allow the Lord Ruler to invade the individual’s mind and speak directly to them. While the Lord Ruler is physically dead, I think some part of his spirit is still alive and within the mists that have been released.

  1. What do you think will happen when Vin finally reaches the Well of Ascension?
Courtney: I feel like there isn’t enough information regarding the Well. She hears the thumping and sees the Mist spirit, like the last Hero did, but what does that really mean? I also don’t know what kind of power is going to be at the Well once she gets there. Obviously the Lord Ruler was able to take some form of power and create the Final Empire, but how this will play out with Vin is a mystery. An important mystery.
Saloni: There’s so much mystery behind the Well. In all of the records there are frequent mentions of the fact that the Lord Ruler took the power for himself instead of letting it go. We assume that this is because the Lord Ruler became selfish and wanted the power for himself but perhaps taking the power was what held back the Mists. I really don’t know how Vin is going to react to this power since no one really knows how this power works.

  1. Sazed has lost much of his faith after Tindwyl’s death, how do you think this will affect the future of the empire?
Courtney: Sazed, while quiet and servile, is extremely important to the rest of the crew and kingdom. I think his lack of faith and belief after Tindwyl will definitely have an impact on what happens with Vin, Elend, and the rest of the crew. He so often seems to be in the background of things, but without him they would all be lost. I feel that this depressed state he is in will have a larger role as the story progresses. And probably not in a good way.  
Saloni: Sazed is an extremely important background character and his depression-like mindset is definitely going to affect the crew. Sazed is at the core of the crew’s knowledge, about everything and if he decides to give up and not believe, he, whether he knows it or not, affects the belief of the rest of the crew. I do think this will play a significant role in the next book, but I’m not sure exactly how.

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