The Hero of Ages

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

Though The Hero of Ages is a work of epic fantasy centered on an ancient war between gods, its heart is more human: individuals who struggle to find purpose in a crumbling world, and societies that hold together through shared stories and ideals. The theme centers on Sazed, the scholar-turned-god, and those trying to live in the shadow of the legacy of Kelsier.

When The Hero of Ages begins, Sazed is a man in crisis. He has dedicated his life to preserving the old faiths and offering them as comfort to others. However, the death of his romantic partner Tindwyl in The Well of Ascension has left him spiritually unmoored. Sazed’s loss of faith is not in any god, but in the idea of belief itself. He methodically reviews all of the religions in his metalminds, the metal bracelets he uses to store his accumulated knowledge, and finds that each belief system contains internal contradictions or is falsifiable. Because prayers, no matter how sincere, did not save Tindwyl, faith has no more point for him. His loss reflects the broader existential anxieties in the novel regarding the collapse of physical, social, and spiritual structures as the world dies.