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When it comes to writing a story, few things are more difficult to draw than the end. It is not easy to wrap up a story in a way that leaves an audience feeling satisfied. It’s hard enough with a stand-alone novel, but it’s even more challenging with a multi-volume saga, especially the kind that the fantasy genre tends to lend itself to. However, many successful fantasy sagas have done well for themselves. One end stands above the restand it comes from Brandon Sandersonand Cosmere universe.
For those unfamiliar, Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere is an ongoing shared literary universe created in 2005 with his first novel, Elantris. The universe consists of over 30 fantasy novels, short stories, novels, picture books, and graphic novels. One of it is the longest running series of the entire Cosmere A little flywhich was first introduced in 2006. This series consists of seven novels divided into two distinct periods, one novel, and two short stories. A little fly one of the most famous works by the renowned author, and a big reason why its ending is special and great, the novel Hero of the Ageswhich includes what is to be said the third best action in fantasy history.
What is Mistborn about?
A little fly set on the planet Scadrialwhich has no moon, a red sun that shines, and is always covered with ash spewing from a series of volcanoes. Most of Scadrial is completely conquered by a kingdom known as the Final Empire. This oppressive system is very industrial, revealing a lot major urban centres, albeit with medieval technology. Citizens are divided into two categories: the ruthless nobles and the trapped skaa, forced to live on meager wages and poor living conditions while enduring hard labor.
There are three main systems of magic here: Allomancy, Feruchemy, and Hemalurgy. Allomancy involves practitioners swallowing beads of various metals and receiving powers from them, depending on the type of metal swallowed. Feruchemy involves users storing aspects of themselves, such as their health or strength, in metal resources for later use; again, the specific type of metal is important. Hemalurgy is a kind of dark art, but it is impossible to talk about it without giving away too much about the first book.
The first century A little fly is about a The sea of eleven-esque crew of skaa criminals who live in the sprawling capital city of Luthadel. Their leader, Kelsier, is known as the Survivor of Hathsin because he spent time in the work camp called the Pits of Hathsin, where they skaa mine for crystals until they fall. Kelsier is the only living person known to have escaped. Together with a young upstart named Vin, Kelsier plans a daring rebellion, killing the Lord Ruler and causing a skaa rebellion to overthrow the ruling class. They must be careful, as at night, a smoke that is said to kill people covers the whole land.
‘Hero of Ages’ Has Apocalyptic Ending
By the end of the last entry in the first A little fly trilogy, Hero of the Agesthe Lord Ruler is no more a focus. What Kelsier’s team has discovered is that Scadrial is a world always teetering on the edge of the apocalypse. Ash in the air from the volcanoes is needed to protect the planet, which would otherwise burn due to its proximity to the red sun. The end of the world is well in motion at this point: the earth begins to shake, the volcanoes erupt, and rivers of lava flow over the blasted landscape, burning great cities to the ground.
Vin has made her way into the nobility and married the new ruler, Elend Venture, with the two setting up a much-needed overhaul of world politics. However, they are not without political rivals. In the midst of it all, they must find a way to stop the Ruined Shard, which is very much involved in destroying Scadrial, true to its name. However, there may be only one hope: it is prophesied to be an unknown figure just called The Hero of Ages will rise and bring harmony to Sgadrialsaving the world from its inevitable destruction.
At the end of the priest, there is a great warwith armies fighting in the middle of armageddon – you’d think they’d pick a better time to go to war. As the battle progresses, Kelsier’s close friend, one of the names Sazed, discovers deep secrets about the Ruin and its connection to the Lord Ruler, along with the truth about the nature of the mist and a way to end the end itself; it’s not pretty, though. The main problem is that Preservation, the other Shard present on Scadrial, is no longer active, as his Ship died a long time ago. However, this Shard is the key to… well, preservation. As soon as the truth is found out, the two Shards (who are basically gods) are literally fighting in the skymaking the battle even more apocalyptic.
When all is said and done, the book delivers extremely bittersweet ending. Some beautiful protagonists die, whether through battle or sacrifice. Unfortunately, nothing can stop the end of the worldbut maybe it can be redone. Using the divine powers, Scadrial’s own orbital path is changed. The planet is forced further out into space, the sun getting smaller and smaller. Finally, A scadrial is sent into the habitable zone of the solar systemmaking the planet especially more Earth-like. That is only a short version of the ending; anyway, there’s a lot more to it.
Why is the ending so effective?
End of the Hero of the Ages This is one of the earliest examples of what fans have fondly named the “Sanderscape” or the “Sanderlanche.” Basically, it happens when Sanderson drops a ton of important plot twists at a rapid fire rateone after the other. These never feel like cheap cop-outs, either, as the mystery surrounding things is usually revealed early on. For example, in this story, characters piece together the meaning of a prophecy written on metal tablets in bunkers throughout the Final Empire, and at the same time, the truth about the Lord Ruler, his history, and his intentions is revealed. The tide of battle turns just as a main character is brutally executed, and Vin learns how she has been secretly controlled all this time.
This is by no means a deus ex machina. The execution is second to nonerepresents how clever Sanderson is in writing his stories. He shows an outside-the-box way of thinking and delivers bombshells that readers wouldn’t have come up with on their own, but that make perfect sense when all is said and done. To be honest, it’s kind of hard to tell how Sanderscape works. There’s just something special about it, something only Sanderson can pull off and has become a trademark of his work.
The finish is so effective not just because of how the plot unfolds at the same time, but because of what it represents. It’s the classic fantasy trope of desperately clinging to a white-knuckled grip against the impossible, because any flower of hope, no matter how small, is worth fighting for. No cost is too great, either, as many of the main characters are willing to give up their lives just to ensure the safety of others and the world itself.
Hero of the Ages it is a testament to the power of friendship, love, and youth in the worst of times, and how these things will always prevail over destruction and decay. Not only that, but this one of the most important cosmic events in the Cosmeresending ripples throughout the rest of the galaxy. As far as modern fantasy goes, and even among Sanderson’s famous oeuvre, this end feeling the most complete and satisfyingand they are just as crazy. No one can write like Sanderson can, and this complex but cathartic conclusion is a testament to that.
