Mistborn Three Final Sample Chapter! (Plus Other Things.)

Brian Sanderson Blog entry Posted on 09.28.08

Mistborn Three Final Sample Chapter! (Plus Other Things.)

And here is the third sample chapter of Mistborn: The Hero of Ages! A lot of people have asked me about the decisions I made regarding Elend's character at the end of book two. Not giving any spoilers, but the chance to write scenes like this one are one of the big motivators. (There are deeper character reasons, of course, but this was a big part.)

We're only about two weeks away from the release of the book! It's hard to believe that it's finally here. Back in 2003, I began to create a fantasy story broken into three parts--something dynamic and new, with epic scope, personal characters, and a killer magic system. I tried my best to get those things onto the page, writing all three books straight through (with a short sixteen day break to write Alcatraz). I finished Hero of Ages back in 2005. That was several months before The Final Empire came out, with time to tweak the first book so that I could get the right FEEL for the entire series.

I've seeded parts of the grand story through the first two books, including clues about the final scenes in the very first chapters of the first book. I had quite the opportunity in writing all three books together, and I don't know that I'll ever have that luxury again. I guess I'll just have to learn to do what the masters, like Robert Jordan, do in giving the foreshadowing and groundwork for later novels boldly, before those later novels are written.

Anyway, on October 14th, you can finally read the ending I planned five years ago when developing the very first book of the trilogy. A lot of people have been emailing me and asking me how to best support the book's release. (They know that Mistborn: The Well of Ascension had some distribution problems, particularly at Barnes and Noble.)

Such requests humble me. Let me first say that don't feel at all bad if you're one of those waiting for the paperback release or to get the book from the library. I don't care how you read my books--whether in a library, bought in hardcover, or borrowed from friends. Just reading is the best compliment you can give me.

However, as I've mentioned before, hardcover releases of books in my particular genre/style are extremely important. Tor considers the first week sales of a novel like mine to be a huge barometer for how much marketing and push future books should receive. I would like to do something big and explosive as my next series, after AMoL, and a huge first week for MB3 would be a great boost. So if you ARE considering picking up the hardcover, and do want to know how to help, then the best thing you can do is grab a copy of the novel that first week. (And actually, the "week" ends on Saturday--so October 14th to Saturday the 18th.)

That's one of the reasons why I've offered the book signed and personalized via Sam Weller's. I'd like to give another nudge there, if you were considering getting a copy from them. They are discounting preorders up to the 10th, and it would be very nice if people ordered soon, so they know how many copies they need to have in stock. Every sale they make helps a lot. (And I bet they'd be willing to sell paperbacks of the previous two books and have me sign them, then ship those along as well, so if you've been waiting to get all three at once this would be a great way.)

However, the absolute best thing you can do for me is support your own local booksellers by buying a copy there during the release week. If you are planning to go to a Barnes and Noble to buy the book, please consider calling ahead during the next week and ordering a copy specifically for you. (Not just having them set aside one already ordered, but ordering one yourself.) They've under-ordered on the book again by a large margin, and the best way to keep them from doing that again is to order extra copies as readers. (But, of course, don't do this unless you're gong to buy it!)

If you're waiting to get the book when I'm on tour, that's fine too! Though I'm always willing to sign books you've bought previously.

You may want to call your local independent to make sure they're getting a copy or two before going in. Borders stores should all have a large stock, and are the safest bet for finding my books. (And if you're in Utah, remember that I'll be doing a whole slew of signings in the area that week. Consider calling BYU bookstore and preording a copy just to make sure you get one--I know they've only got 300 on order, and we could easily go through all of those.)

As always, you all have my deepest thanks for reading. (And I apologize in advance if I talk a lot about the release of the third book these next two weeks!)