The Hero of Ages

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death.

The Hero of Ages is the third and final book of Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy, preceded by Mistborn: The Final Empire and The Well of Ascension. The series is set in the Final Empire, a land dominated by a bleak landscape under perpetual ashfall and oppressive mists. Governed by the brutal Lord Ruler, who has reigned as an immortal deity for a thousand years, the empire is divided between the nobility and the oppressed skaa class. The magic system in Mistborn centers around the use of metals. Allomancy allows the user to consume and “burn” specific metals to gain temporary powers. Feruchemy involves the user storing and retrieving power within metal objects. Finally, Hemalurgy allows the user to steal the powers of another by stabbing them with a metal spike.

Vin, the protagonist of the series, is a street-smart skaa thief. While most wielders of Allomancy are “Mistings” with the ability to burn only one metal, Vin discovers that she is a rare “Mistborn” with the ability to burn all metals. She is recruited by Kelsier, also known as the Survivor of Hathsin, a charismatic Mistborn revolutionary. He brings together a crew of thieves and specialists with unique talents to end the Lord Ruler’s oppressive regime. They incite unrest, infiltrate noble society, and disrupt the economic infrastructure. Vin also becomes romantically involved with Elend Venture, an idealistic nobleman who wants reform, complicating her loyalty to Kelsier’s cause. Ultimately, the rebellion leads to Kelsier being killed by the Lord Ruler, becoming a martyr and inspiring widespread revolt among the skaa. Vin confronts the Lord Ruler and, using Allomancy, separates him from the Feruchemical bracers that contain his eternal youth, finally allowing her to kill him.

The Well of Ascension picks up after the Lord Ruler’s defeat. With the tyrant gone, Vin and Elend Venture, who is now king, face the daunting task of governing the city of Luthadel. The collapse of the Final Empire triggered a power vacuum, attracting armies from rival warlords intent on seizing control. At the same time, internal factions and noble intrigues threaten to destabilize the city from within. Vin digs deeper into the nature of Allomancy and the mythical Well of Ascension, which prophecy states might save humanity from imminent disaster. Meanwhile, the idealistic scholar Elend attempts to adapt to the harsh realities of leadership and political necessity. An army of koloss, monstrous creatures engineered by the Lord Ruler, converges on Luthadel. During the siege, Vin learns that she can control them, turning them on those controlling them and saving the city. After the battle, they travel to the Well of Ascension. Vin releases the well’s power, believing that doing so will save the world. Instead, she frees an ancient force of destruction, Ruin, which had been secretly manipulating events from the beginning.