I’m back on my Brandon Sanderson binge. He has written so many series that his work alone will hold me through the new year. I don’t know how cathartic the politics of Luthadel are right now, but at least I get to escape into a world where everyone can agree that the bad guys are bad. Vin doesn’t have to put up with Trump supporting family members on Facebook. I’m starting to think she has it easier than the rest of us.

I took a little time off of the internet and it helped my mental state a lot. Even with the election looming, I’m starting to feel more like myself. In any event, I spend more time angry than sad, and that’s an improvement. Anger can be very productive. Right now, anger is my self-care. Screw scented candles and bath bombs, that’s Amateur Hour. I currently allow myself an hour or so a day on social media replying with wanton and scathing abandon to internet trolls. I don’t recommend it in all situations or for all people, but this week it was just what I needed. There is a legit mean girl inside of me, and she is blowing off some serious steam as we creep up on election day.

This week I’ve been reading…

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

In the wake of the Lord Ruler’s death, the city of Luthadale is thrown into turmoil. Vin destroyed the Lord Ruler, who had been seen as an unkillable god, but there was no clear succession of leadership to follow. The obvious choice was Kelsier, but the Survivor of Hathsin didn’t survive the rebellion. Instead, having given his life to save Elend, he is now seen as a martyr/saint by the Skaa, and much to Vin’s dismay a religion has developed that is devoted to the belief that he actually did survive and will return. 

At the start of the book, we find out that Elend has been chosen to lead a new democratic government. While he is a king, he rules in conjunction with ‘The Assembly’, which is basically a mirror of the Parliament in the UK or the House/Senate in the US. Although the enslaved Skaa and Terrismen have been freed by Elend’s new government, his army only holds the capital city of Luthadel, and we can assume that in more remote areas of the country Skaa and Terrismen are still enslaved and may even be unaware of the fact that the government of the Lord Ruler has been dissolved. 

The Well of Ascension picks up where The Final Empire left off, being a strong allegory for current politics in the US. Although the Skaa have technically been ‘freed,’ they are still very much oppressed. The ruling class still lives in luxury while Skaa starve. Elend and Vin struggle with this and aren’t sure how to fix the situation. Vin is uncomfortable with the notoriety she gained not just for killing the Lord Ruler, but also for being Kelsier’s heir/apprentice. The devotees of the Survivor of Hathsin look to her for leadership and guidance in their fledgling religion and she does not want to participate. She feels guilty for missing the balls that she attended while pretending to be a noblewoman. She isn’t sure who she is anymore, and she isn’t sure if she has a place in Elend’s new government. 

A new character is introduced, but TBH, I’m not a big fan. Zaine is basically a moody-mall-goth™, and I don’t find the love triangle between him, Vin, and Elend to be terribly convincing. He does provide a nice way for Vin to practice her Allomancy though. OreSeur is a much more exciting character addition. He is the Kandra shape shifter that had been playing Vin’s uncle when Kelsier’s crew was trying to steal the Lord Ruler’s Atium. We find out at the end of the first book that he was a Kandra when he imitated Kelsier after his death (as Kelsier had asked him to do), but in this book his contract has been passed to Vin. Vin and OreSeur can’t stand each other at first, but grow to discover they have a lot in common. 

Currently on my needles…

I haven’t really been in the mood to work on my Mistborn scarf. I’m not in a “delicate” knits headspace. I’ve wanted projects that I could just pound away on. So I finished up the baby sweater I started a few weeks ago and got it in the mail.

I’ve made good progress on my iKnitiative Cardi too! I cannot wait to wear it. It’s starting to be proper sweater weather and it’s going to be hard to summon the will power to actually knit sleeves on this before declaring it ready to wear.

I’ve also started a Christmas present for Mabel the Merciless. In her grand tradition of acting like I never knit anything for her, she asked me for a new blanket with purple stripes and said it like she was Oliver Twist begging for more gruel. I don’t have a good picture of it yet, I over estimated how many stitches to cast on so I’m frogging and starting over, but I should have some progress to show next week.

~Megan-Anne

“Other men are strong like bricks – firm, unyielding, but if you pound on them long enough, they crack. You… you’re strong like the wind. Always there, so willing to bend, but never apologetic for the times when you must be firm.” Brandon Sanderson: The Well of Ascension

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