Spencer's Bookcase

Post-Mortem: Mistborn Era One Trilogy Series Review

Series: The Mistborn Trilogy or Mistborn Era One Trilogy

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Books: 3

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Series Synopsis:

“Mistborn: The Final Empire”

Once, a hero arose to save the world. A young man with a mysterious heritage courageously challenged the darkness that strangled the land.

He failed.

For a thousand years since, the world has been a wasteland of ash and mist ruled by the immortal emperor known as the Lord Ruler. Every revolt has failed miserably.

Yet somehow, hope survives. Hope that dares to dream of ending the empire and even the Lord Ruler himself. A new kind of uprising is being planned, one built around the ultimate caper, one that depends on the cunning of a brilliant criminal mastermind and the determination of an unlikely heroine, a street urchin who must learn to master Allomancy, the power of a Mistborn.

“The Well of Ascension”

The impossible has been accomplished. The Lord Ruler—the man who claimed to be god incarnate and brutally ruled the world for a thousand years—has been vanquished. But Kelsier, the hero who masterminded that triumph, is dead too, and now the awesome task of building a new world has been left to his young protégé, Vin, the former street urchin who is now the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and to the idealistic young nobleman she loves.

As Kelsier’s protégé and slayer of the Lord Ruler she is now venerated by a budding new religion, a distinction that makes her intensely uncomfortable. Even more worrying, the mists have begun behaving strangely since the Lord Ruler died, and seem to harbor a strange vaporous entity that haunts her.

Stopping assassins may keep Vin’s Mistborn skills sharp, but it’s the least of her problems. Luthadel, the largest city of the former empire, doesn’t run itself, and Vin and the other members of Kelsier’s crew, who lead the revolution, must learn a whole new set of practical and political skills to help. It certainly won’t get easier with three armies – one of them composed of ferocious giants – now vying to conquer the city, and no sign of the Lord Ruler’s hidden cache of atium, the rarest and most powerful allomantic metal.

As the siege of Luthadel tightens, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the Well of Ascension or what manner of power it bestows.

“The Hero of Ages”

Who is the Hero of Ages?

To end the Final Empire and restore freedom, Vin killed the Lord Ruler. But as a result, the Deepness–the lethal form of the ubiquitous mists–is back, along with increasingly heavy ashfalls and ever more powerful earthquakes. Humanity appears to be doomed.

Having escaped death at the climax of The Well of Ascension only by becoming a Mistborn himself, Emperor Elend Venture hopes to find clues left behind by the Lord Ruler that will allow him to save the world. Vin is consumed with guilt at having been tricked into releasing the mystic force known as Ruin from the Well. Ruin wants to end the world, and its near omniscience and ability to warp reality make stopping it seem impossible. She can’t even discuss it with Elend lest Ruin learn their plans!

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

The Mistborn Trilogy in my opinion is one of the best trilogies I have ever read. From beginning to end this trilogy was amazing!

The characters were all interesting and unique. My personal favourite characters have to be: Vin, Breeze, Ham, and Sazed. Vin is a great protagonist, we see her struggle with her inner demons and she is a total badass. I liked Ham for his philosophical questions. And Breeze has some of the best one-liners in this trilogy. As for Sazed he has one of the best character arcs in this trilogy.

One of the best thing about this entire trilogy in my opinion is the magic system. I love this hard magic system! It’s complex but very well thought out and each book develops the magic system even further. It does an excellent job explaining what you can do, what it’s limitations and even the side effects of using this magic system. I also love all the interesting uses of this magic system. This magic system is top-notch!

I also really like how Brandon Sanderson used the Dark Lord trope in this trilogy. As this world takes place in a world where evil has won. And the twist involving the Dark Lord near the end of the first novel was really well done. In the second and third book we learn more about the Lord Ruler (the dark lord) and we actually learn he’s a more complicated character than him simply being the evil guy.

I also love the action scenes in these novels. They are really great and I enjoyed each of the book’s climaxes as well.

Now I do have a few criticisms of these novels. If you are big on worldbuilding, I think you will be a little disappointed with the first two novels. While the first two books do establish some lore and do introduce the creatures that live in this world. We do not really get to explore much of this world until book three! Book three is the best book for worldbuilding in this trilogy in my opinion.

I also do question the logic of Kelsier’s crew near the end of the first book. So they manage to overthrow the government. The government was a Monarchy, but instead of replacing the Monarchy with some sort of a Republic. They just put in another Monarch. I do question that, as I really thought one of the goals with overthrowing the government was to get rid of the Monarchy. It disappoint me just a little bit.

How I rank these books:

Mistborn: The Final Empire: I really liked the first book. It introduced a great cast of characters and I loved the Heist plot. Another reason why I liked this one so much was maybe just encountering this magic system for the first time, as again I really do love this magic system!
The Hero of Ages: The last book was great. As I mentioned earlier, the third books is the best in terms of worldbuilding and even more Lore. The action scenes were great, both Sazed and Spook also have good character arcs. This book wraps up everything in this trilogy very nicely and has a bittersweet but good ending.
The Well of Ascension: Now I’m not saying The Well of Ascension is bad. I do really like The Well of Ascension for several reasons: further development of the magic system, the politics and the political maneuvering, the siege, and the climax was awesome! However this book doesn’t really resolve anything and this novel just kind of serves as a bridge to the trilogy’s epic conclusion. All the books are great but if I did had to pick a weak link in the trilogy it would be this one.

Final Thoughts:

I highly recommend this series if you are into Fantasy. Reading Mistborn has made Brandon Sanderson one of my personal favourite authors. And I’m now on board for the Cosmere Universe (Brandon Sanderson’s universe). I am not done though with the Mistborn Series. I now intend to read Mistborn Era Two, and I hope to begin reading this sometime in the new year. Give these books a read!

Rating:

My Mistborn Reviews:

Mistborn: The Final Empire

The Well of Ascension

The Hero of Ages

The Witch in the Well

Title: The Witch in the Well

Author: Camilla Bruce

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Pages: 296 Pages

Synopsis:

When two former friends reunite after decades apart, their grudges, flawed ambitions, and shared obsession swirl into an all-too-real echo of a terrible town legend.

Centuries ago, beautiful young Ilsbeth Clark was accused of witchcraft after several children disappeared. Her acquittal did nothing to stop her fellow townsfolk from drowning her in the well where the missing children were last seen.

When author and social media influencer Elena returns to the summer paradise of her youth to get her family’s manor house ready to sell, the last thing she expected was connecting with—and feeling inspired to write about—Ilsbeth’s infamous spirit. The very historical figure that her ex-childhood friend, Cathy, has been diligently researching and writing about for years.

What begins as a fiercely competitive sense of ownership over Ilsbeth and her story soon turns both women’s worlds into something more haunted and dangerous than they could ever imagine.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

So I decided that I wanted to read one more recent release in 2022 (this was released in September of this year) before the year is over, and I decided on The Witch in the Well. The Witch in the Well is a story about two friends who end up having a falling out when they are both writing a book about Ilsbeth Clark, a person who was accused of kidnapping kids and of witchcraft.

This book for me was a page-turner. As I just had to know where this story was going. I really enjoyed the lore about Ilsbeth Clark. It was interesting learning what happened to her and as our characters learn the truth about her. I also liked learning about the friendship between these two women through both women’s perspectives. I also just like the atmospheric feel of it as it takes place in a small town.

I also like the way this story was told. It was written in a transcript, a diary, and posts that were posted on the Internet. It gives the feeling that this is a found footage story. And it gives me The Troop and Carrie vibes. The diary from Elena and the posts on the Internet from Cathy really does a good job of making unreliable narrators. It made me really question who is really telling the truth in this story? As both women had their biases and didn’t tell us everything, they were just sharing their experiences.

One of the main issues I have with this novel is some bad editing. At one point in the novel the words: “I hindsight” (page 205) came up. I always thought it was “in hindsight”? Who says “I hindsight”? I feel like the author should get a better editor as this should not show up in a published novel.

Also why the hell is the town called F-? Just why? It really annoyed me when I was reading this novel.

Overall, this was a decent horror/thriller novel with a great premise and a very interesting way of telling the story. If you are looking for a decent quick Horror/Thriller novel, The Witch in the Well is a pick you should consider.

Rating:

Catch-22

Title: Catch-22

Author: Joseph Heller

Genre: Historical Fiction, Comedy

Pages: 453 Pages

Synopsis:

Set in Italy during World War II, this is the story of the incomparable, malingering bombardier, Yossarian, a hero who is furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him. But his real problem is not the enemy—it is his own army, which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempt to excuse himself from the perilous missions he’s assigned, he’ll be in violation of Catch-22, a hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule: a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if he makes a formal request to be removed from duty, he is proven sane and therefore ineligible to be relieved.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

DNF – 50 pages at 11%

Oh my gosh, this novel may just be the worst book that I’ve come across this entire year. And the thing is I was interested in this novel’s premise. This novel I was just unable to get into it.

This was supposed to be a Historical Fiction Comedy, but I found this not funny. I was annoyed by the fact that it felt like every other conversation was a circular conversation that doesn’t go anywhere. As a person who has studied logic, circular is when you begin with what you are trying to end with, and this is what happens in so many conversations within the first 50 pages of this novel. Also, none of the characters stood out to me, and they all seem interchangeable to me. Lastly reading the first 50 pages felt completely like a slog with not a lot really happening.

I’m very disappointed with this novel as again the premise looked interesting to me. I hate not finishing a book that I start but I am just not feeling it with this one. Ah well, on to another book and another author.

Rating:

The Eyes of the Dragon

Title: The Eyes of the Dragon

Author: Stephen King

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 372 Pages

Synopsis:

“Once, in a kingdom called Delain, there was a king with two sons….”

Thus begins one of the most unique tales that master storyteller Stephen King has ever written—a sprawling fantasy of dark magic and the struggle for absolute power that utterly transforms the destinies of two brothers born into royalty. Through this enthralling masterpiece of mythical adventure, intrigue, and terror, you will thrill to this unforgettable narrative filled with relentless, wicked enchantment, and the most terrible of secrets…

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

The Eyes of the Dragon is the first real fantasy Novel by Stephen King. And it has interesting publishing history. As when it was first released to the broader public, Stephen King Fans hated it because it was a children’s novel (Stephen King made this book for his children) and it was not a horror novel.

The Eyes of the Dragon is an epic fantasy about a king who gets murdered, and everyone believes that his oldest son, Peter killed his father in order to get the throne. It has quite a bit of the classic tropes of epic fantasy: A dragon, an evil wizard, the battle between good vs evil, and a Medieval setting.

As a stand-alone story, it’s a pretty okay novel. I definitely feel like I am not the target audience for this novel, but that’s okay. It has a decent plot about a wrongly accused Prince who is fighting for justice and regaining his rightful throne.

My main criticisms of this novel are our villain’s motives and worldbuilding. Flagg is an evil wizard who wants power, but it’s not quite clear why he wants power or what he’s going to really do with that power. I get Stephen King wanted to write an evil character, but wanting power for the sake of it is not a very compelling motive for our villain to be doing what he is doing. It’s just cliched.

As for worldbuilding, I feel like it could have been done better. They talk about maps at one point in the book but they don’t show any maps of the world of Delain. I really don’t like it when authors do not include any maps for their fantasy worlds. It annoys me. Secondly, we get hints of the sort of world this is, but we don’t go all the way with it. An example of this is: Dwarves did exist but apparently not anymore. I kind of wanted to know more about what happened to the Dwarves? We also don’t really see much of this world either as most of the plot just takes place in a Castle. Again this is a stand-alone novel so I guess it isn’t as important compared to fantasy series.

I don’t hate this novel as I do think it’s an okay stand-alone fantasy novel. However, this novel I don’t think is really meant for me as it is meant more for children but it’s still a just okay fantasy novel.

Rating:

My Book Recommendations for Christmas

Hey everyone! The Christmas Season is here and the Holidays are almost upon us! I want to give you all my Christmas book recommendations. So without further ado, let’s begin!

6. The Shepherd by Frederick Forsyth

The Shepherd is a good quick read around Christmas. It’s about a pilot who is trying to get home for Christmas on Christmas Eve. When his plane begins failing. Only another plane a Mosquito fighter-bomber can guide our protagonist to safety. The Audio version done by Alan Maithead is top-notch and I listen to it every Christmas Eve.

5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

This kid’s story about the Grinch is the story of how this outcast plans to try and stop Christmas from coming. While it is a children’s story it is a timeless Christmas story that is well worth revisiting.

4. The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

The Polar Express is one of my favourite Christmas stories. It’s about a young boy that boards a mysterious train that is waiting for him that will take him to the North Pole. It’s a great story. I even love the movie adaptation of this story which I think stays true to the spirit of its source material.

3. The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clark Moore

Another timeless classic! What more can I say? It is a timeless story that is worth coming back to each and every year.

2. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Another timeless classic from a great author. This story is about a bitter miser named Ebenezer Scrooge who gets visited by ghosts on Christmas Eve. It’s a book that should be on everyone’s Christmas reading list.

1. Christmas at the Vinyl Cafe by Stuart McLean

Reading the Christmas stories by Stuart McLean is something I go back to each and every year. I laugh so hard at these stories and it never gets old! “Dave cooks the Turkey”, “Polly Anderson’s Christmas Party” and “Christmas at the Turlingtons” and “White Christmas” are great Christmas stories. As always, I recommend you listen to Stuart McLean reading his stories, as it is well worth it.

See you all next time!

The Hero of Ages

Title: The Hero of Ages

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Mistborn #3

Pages: 752 Pages

Synopsis:

Who is the Hero of Ages?

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

The Hero of Ages is the conclusion to the Era One Trilogy of Mistborn. As our heroes have to discover the mysteries left by The Lord Ruler and stop a dark god named Ruin from destroying the world, which was released at the end of the last book.

The book gives quite a bit of character development to a character that I was not expecting in Spook. Spook gets a lot of character development in this novel and I was not expecting this! Spook while he’s always been there in the novels, he’s just kind of there. He probably got the least amount of screen time in the previous novels. Here though, he’s a point-of-view character and he drives quite a bit of the Urteau subplot in this novel. I also liked his character arc, he went from being a person that people mostly forgot about to being a confident leader in his own right. Speaking of character arcs, I really liked Sazed’s character arc as he tries to find faith in something when he lost his faith in the previous novel. Tensoon is also a character that we get to see be more fleshed out.

In terms of world-building, this was my favourite of the trilogy. The races of Kandra and Koloss are way more fleshed out. We get a ton more lore about the world and the two gods that run this world: Preservation and Ruin. In addition, we finally, finally get to see more of this world. We get to see the city of Fadrex and Urteau. Each was governed by a completely different government: one ran by a devotee of the Lord Ruler and the other ran by the Skaa.

Also, the action scenes were great in this story. And the ending really hits hard!

The Magic System of Allomancy and Feruchemy continues to develop in this novel. Which to me is a great sign of a great Magic System. However, I feel like the third magic system: Hemalurgy could have been handled a little better. I felt like this Magic System was shoved in at the last minute. Even though there was small hints of this Magic System through the Inquisitors during the previous two novels but I think they should have hinted better at this third magic system in the previous two novels. Most of how this magic system is explained isn’t even in the story itself but it’s in the italicized passages at the opening of each passage. I feel like it could have been more explored in the actual story just like how Allomancy and Feruchemy were explained within the actual story.

My other issue was some of the POV characters from the past two books don’t get POV’s in this novel characters like Ham, Allrianne, and even Cett. It’s surprising since they are important characters that help move the plot in the previous two novels. It’s like they become non-playable characters all of a sudden.

The climax and the ending of this novel were what really got me. As the climax had a ton of action, and it was emotional even. Despite it being a bittersweet ending, it really did an excellent job wrapping up everything in this trilogy. Brandon Sanderson is now one of my personal favourite authors as a result of this trilogy, and it’s got me hopeful for his later books in the Wheel of Time Series! If you are looking for a great conclusion to a great trilogy The Hero of Ages is well worth your time!

Rating:

My Mistborn Reviews:

Mistborn: The Final Empire

The Well of Ascension

Monthly Wrap-Up: November 2022

Hello everyone! Welcome to the Monthly Wrap-Up where I give updates on my reading and other things I’m up to in the past month. So let’s get to it!

Total Books Read: 4

This may be the first month on this blog where I did not like most of the books that I read during this month. I definitely felt like a tough critic this month, but every book I review is still my honest opinion.

I managed to read about four books this month and I feel okay about that. I also managed to read over 1,700 pages which is great!

DNF: Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro

DNF – 312 Pages at 46%

Yes, another DNF! This was a complete disappointment for me. I did not care about any of the characters (I still do not understand how they could have a main character called C. Ovid). The book brings nothing new to the table as it just feels like an X-Men ripoff. Things were poorly explained and we end a decent fight scene just to read 80 pages of the villain’s backstory. So far this is the worst Fantasy Novel that I have read this entire year. This is a Trilogy that I am definitely passing on.

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

This is the one book I read this month that was really good. I love the shift to Politics in this novel and the plot was actually good. I love the characters, and we get to learn even more about the magic system. Honestly, I love the idea of this Magic System and this is definitely one of my favourite systems. Good, good job Brandon Sanderson on that. I also just love the fight scenes. I kind of wish we explored more of the world but this still is a great sequel and Brandon Sanderson is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors.

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot

I was disappointed by this book. I just found it boring and it was definitely a slog to read through. I also did not understand the medical jargon being used in this novel. It just took me out of the experience making me ask a lot of questions.

The Wreck of the Titan by Morgan Robertson

This had to be the weirdest book that I’ve read this month. This book was just not what I was expecting. Such as the fight with the Polar Bear and for half of the story it becomes a legal drama! This was another dislike for me.

Currently Reading:

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

I’m finally reading the last book in the Mistborn First Era Trilogy. And so far this book isn’t letting me down. I am really liking what I am reading right now.

What I’ve Been Doing and Watching:

November is the month when I’ve really started feeling colder again. I’ve been busy with work, and I am able to read even more now since I’m reading more during my commute to work when I have to go into the office.

I went to Christmas in the Village earlier this month, an event in my city to help me get into the Christmas spirit.

In terms of TV, I was planning on watching more of The Librarians, but instead I watched a TV Show called Black Books. Black Books is a Sitcom Comedy that takes place at a London Bookstore and follows the lives of Bernard (the owner of the Bookstore), his assistant Manny and their friend Fran. For a Comedy show about a Bookstore, it’s actually very funny. And I am enjoying this series so far!

Still having a lot of fun with the Dungeons & Dragons campaigns that I am playing in. And I’m even starting to work on a One-Shot and my own Campaign so I can give DM’ing a try.

Plans for Next Month:

In addition to enjoying the Holidays, I am looking forward to part 3 of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures Stone Ocean that’s coming out tomorrow! I do intend to continue watching The Librarians this month as well!

This month is going to be a very ambitious month in terms of reading for me. As I’d like to be able to finish the Mistborn Trilogy and get another Wheel of Time book in along with a few other books I want to read. Luckily I am going to be off near the end of the month so I am hoping I can get even more reading done then.

Stay tuned for the end of December when I plan to give the list of my least favourite books that I read this year and my list of the books that I loved the most this past year! This is going to be a busy month and I am determined to finish the year off strong! See you all soon and Happy Holidays!

End of Year TBR List

Wow, can you believe it? It’s already near the end of the year! With just over a month left of the year, there are still a few more books that I want to read before the end of the year and I want to show you my end-of-year TBR list before the end of the year. So let’s get to it!

1. The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

I am determined to finish The First Mistborn Era Trilogy this year. As I am loving this trilogy and I need to know how this ends!

2. The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King

Did you think I was done with one of my favourite authors Stephen King this year? Well think again because I intend to read more Stephen King, as it turns out in addition to being a Horror Author, he actually is a Fantasy Author as well! It’s true! And I want to read his first ever Fantasy Novel before the year is over!

3. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

I feel like I need to get some Non-Fantasy in before the end of the year. So I decided that I want to read Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. I am very interested in reading this due to its hilarious premise.

4. A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan

I am determined to get one more Wheel of Time book done before the end of the year. As I love this Fantasy Series and it’s time to return to it!

5. The Gunslinger by Stephen King

I’m not sure if I can even get to this one, but I want to start reading The Dark Tower Series before the end of the year. It’s from one of my favourite authors and it’s Fantasy! I want to give this a try.

Well, those are the books that I really want to try and get to before the end of this year. I really hope I am able to read all five of these books! If I can somehow read more than these five books even better! See you soon!

My Favourite Quotes from Books

When you read a lot of books, you read a lot of words. Lots and lots of Words. And eventually, some of these words are going to stick out to you. These are the quotes that stand out to me as a Reader from my personal favourite books:

“The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again.” – The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan.

This quote here really accurately sets the tone for this series. It gives you that feeling that this is an Epic Fantasy and well it is. This quote starts almost all of the first chapters in the Wheel of Time Series and I love it.

“Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.” – A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin.

This is one of my favourite quotes about identity and a great quote from Tyrion Lannister, one of my personal favourite characters in the ASOIAF Series.

“You know,” said Arthur, “it’s at times like this, when I’m trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse, and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space that I really wish I’d listened to what my mother told me when I was young.”
“Why, what did she tell you?”
“I don’t know, I didn’t listen.” – The Hitchhiker’s Gide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

This is one of my personal favourite jokes in the first book of this series.

“The story so far:
In the beginning the Universe was created.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.” – The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams.

This is the opening sentence of the second book and I love this quote.

“Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?” – The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkein.

It was this quote that I knew that The Hobbit was going to be a great book, and it still is my personal favourite Fantasy Novel.

“It’s yet another refusal. Yet for some reason, the rejection doesn’t hurt as much this time. I know I’m going to keep trying, even when they tell me I can’t.” – A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll.

This is one of my favourite quotes from one my favourite books of all time, A Kind of Spark. It was a book where I truly felt represented, and this quote from our main character Addie shows the importance that fighting for justice is always worth fighting for.

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.
“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” – The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkein.

Another great quote from Tolkein. It means that we have to rise to the challenge that is happening right now. And we have to decide what to do with the time we have.

“Belief isn’t simply a thing for fair times and bright days…What is belief – what is faith – if you don’t continue in it after failure?…Anyone can believe in someone, or something that always succeeds…But failure…ah, now, that is hard to believe in, certainly and truly. Difficult enough to have value. Sometimes we just have to wait long enough…then we find out why exactly it was that we kept believing…There’s always another secret.” – Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

This is probably my favourite quote from the first book of the Mistborn Trilogy. As it shows the importance of believing in something even in failure and hard times.

“I have every right to be here. As me. Exactly as I am. I might be different to you, I might be different to every person in this room, but you have no more of a right to exist than I do. You don’t get to pick and choose which bits of me are fine. All of me is fine.” – Show Us Who You Are by Elle McNicoll.

This was the quote that stood out to me the most in Elle McNicoll’s second book. And this is a quote that should empower us Neurodivergents.

Well, those are my personal favourite quotes from the books I’ve read. See you all next time!

The Wreck of the Titan

Title: The Wreck of The Titan

Author: Morgan Robertson

Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction

Pages: 83 Pages

Synopsis:

John Rowland, a disgraced former Royal Navy lieutenant, has taken employment as a lowly deck hand aboard the largest ship ever to have sailed, the Titan.
One night in deep fog, the ship strikes a gigantic iceberg and sinks almost immediately. Hailed in equal measures as a prophetic work and the work of pure coincidence. Certainly the similarities are striking: two unsinkable ships steam ahead in treacherous conditions, carrying privileged passengers, with insufficient lifeboats aboard.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

So after almost a month of reading big books, I decided to read something a bit smaller, and I chose The Wreck of the Titan. The reason for why I chose to read this was because of the eerie parallels this book has with the sinking of the Titanic. And this book came out 14 years before the sinking of the Titanic!

This was not one what I was expecting. While I did see the parallels between this book and The Titantic, the “story” made the parallels almost an afterthought. The sinking of the Titan wasn’t even the focus in this story! And the ship of The Titan wasn’t even that important to the story. Instead, we focus on a guy named John Rowland, a drunk atheist sailor on the Titan, who survives with a little girl and he ends up fighting a Polar Bear (I was not expecting that to happen in this). And then the next half of the story is basically a legal drama about the Insurance money over the sinking of The Titan, and the ship The Titan destroyed called The Royal Age that happens at the beginning of the story, and it becomes a legal drama again when the mother of the child accuses our main protagonist of being a kidnapper. Our main protagonist just can’t catch a break here.

I really was not expecting this story to be a legal drama at all. And the fight with the Polar Bear just kind of comes out of nowhere! As for the characters, they didn’t really add much to the story. The only real character we have is our main protagonist and that’s it really.

Overall, this book was a disappointment and was not at all what I was expecting. Despite the eerie parallels this might have with the sinking of The Titanic, I think there are far better novellas out there to read.

Rating: