Mistborn Liveblog 31

Chapter 30

I previously discussed the ramifications of choosing character points of view. But I've realized another that I wish to bring up. Points of view show that the events happening are vital to the story. It sets up an expectation that there will be a pay off regarding what occurs during that time, whether actual events or simply the thoughts portrayed by the character. Not every setup/pay off needs to occur immediately, but I think the larger the set up or the more severe the character shift, the sooner or larger the pay off needs to be. It's like taking a loan-- the longer you hold on to the money, the more you'll have to pay back at the end; likewise, the more money you borrow, the more you pay back in interest.

So, when considering additional points of view, I think its vital to realize that it increases the expected pay off when it does come.

On to the spoilers:


It's been a while since there was a chapter with this much action, and I'm glad to have had it. The chapter begins slowly, much like many of the other chapters, with Vin at what turns out to be the final ball before the houses fall into disarray and war. She tries to talk with Elend, whose attitude to her was not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. He didn't seem to care that she was a fraud-- he approached the situation like he was just putting his family's needs above his interest in her. That seems odd to me-- with what was built during the scenes from his view, and the fact that the book shifted to his view (adding 50% more points of view at the 3/4 point of the book), I really thought his reaction to her would be bigger. I even thought the odd feelings Vin had at the ball were because Elend had turned the ball against her from what he learned.

All that aside, Vin goes to protect Elend from an assassination attempt. She finds Shan as part of the assassination group and we learn she is a full Mistborn. Now, there's a nice surprise for me as a reader. Shan was a minor character, her allomantic powers underplayed, only to learn she's a Mistborn. But the best part of it all was the ensuing fight. The running bit in between the initial scuffle and the final one was a bit dull, but when Vin turned to face her, and they both took atium, the narrative was great. And Vin's choice to let her atium down for a moment to throw Shan off-- that was great. I just want some more action scenes like this. The story's winding up for a climax and I really hope it's got some great scenes like this one with it.

More tomorrow. Happy reading.

Jameson