Mistborn - The Well of Ascension, review: the world after the rebellion

Mistborn - The Well of Ascension, review

Today we are led to see Brandon Sanderson as one of the greatest exponents of contemporary fantasy, thanks to an extraordinary production that has allowed the American novelist to present to readers various variations of the genre. Years have passed since his debut with Elantris, yet, wanting to look for an area in which his authorial growth is evident, it is with the Mistborn cycle that one can best appreciate Sanderson's most authentic creative vein. It is therefore not surprising that within the enhancement of the writer's work, Mondadori has decided to re-publish the cycle dedicated to Sanderson's Allomancers, following up Mistborn - The Last Empire with a beautiful edition of Mistborn - The Well of the Ascension.

Not a first, considering that the Milanese publisher took over Sanderson's publishing rights from Fanucci, who in the past had shown that he had grasped the importance of the American writer's fiction. However, the new edition proposed by Mondadori, presented as part of the Draghi series, aims to offer not only a satisfying reading, but also to present the Mistborn cycle in a rich and impactful way. The graphics that dominate the hard cover of this Mondadori Dragon maintain the setting of the previous volume, a continuity that is also found with the image that welcomes us when we open the volume, specially created by Howard Lyon.

The new Luthadel is the theater of Mistborn - The Well of the Ascension

To be particularly interesting, in order to understand the evolution of the saga, is the preface in which the author himself to reveal the difficulties in writing a second chapter. Giving life to a saga is not simple, as Sanderson confesses, especially when one finds oneself having to operate over a broad time horizon, in which the consequences of events spread from chapter to chapter. One might be amazed to discover how Sanderson, known for the maniacal care with which he fits the details of his imaginary worlds, may have found himself in difficulty in evolving the universe of Mistborn, but the sincerity with which the novelist confides in his readers small and large personal adversities make reading Mistborn - The Well of Ascension even more intriguing.


If as a good first chapter Mistborn - The Last Empire had focused mainly on world building, presenting ferruchemists and Allomancers, his entourage finds himself having to follow up on what happens after the fall of the Empire. As can be easily understood, the collapse of a society based on a rigid subdivision into castes can only generate a social turbulence, in which the previous beneficiaries of this disparity, that is the nobility, poorly tolerate the new order, regretting the times gone by. On the other hand, those who have been subjugated for centuries certainly do not intend to miss the opportunity to subvert the situation, looking for a revenge that transcends, in some cases, the concept of justice.


While rumors of the presence of a mysterious deposit of atium, the rare metal that fuels the powers of the Mistborn, pushes armies of opponents of the new government to besiege the capital, far more worrying rumors of mysterious events related to the Mists reach Luthadel, prompting Vin and her friends to seek answers to some great questions that go back to the very origin of the Last Empire.

Although Mistborn - The Well of the Ascension can be counted among the works of the first phase of Sanderson's production, it is however perceptible that the author had in any case already clear how to make a story that knew how to maintain a balance between the political part and the more distinctly fantasy one. While the way in which Sanderson develops machinations and intrigues is intriguing, creating assumptions that evolve in a compelling and surprising way, on the other hand it is undeniable that his approach to the creation of a mythology linked to the figure of the Champion of Ere and the birth of the Last Empire can expand what was presented in the previous volume, offering greater depth to this sui generis fantasy world.

The fulcrum of the first Mistborn trilogy

The peculiarity of Mistborn - The Well of Ascension is that it is the central chapter of the first trilogy of the Mistborn Cycle, which is completed with Mistborn - The Champion of Ages. The universe of Allomancers created by Sanderson, in fact, develops further after this first trilogy, embracing a different historical period that recalls our 1800s, with a particular propensity to the frontier dear to western fiction. The hope is that Mondadori will continue the translation and publication of the subsequent chapters of the cycle, while also maintaining the same editorial care.

Net of the fine workmanship of the cover, the internal care of the volumes is appreciable, with the always welcome of a map that helps to follow the movements of the characters, and the usual presence of the appendages that allow a quick consultation of the typical elements of the world of Mistborn. Although it is a Mondadori Dragon, a format that traditionally shows its side to some small critical issues due to its too generous dimensions, Mistborn - Il Pozzo dell'Ascension is instead perfect in this format, which allows to enclose the rich adventure of Sanderson in a full-bodied and at the same time manageable tome.