Cover of The Hero of Ages

The Hero of Ages

  • 2008 first published
  • 760 pages
  • ★ 4.6 (125 ratings)
  • 27 editions

The Hero of Ages is a 2008 epic fantasy novel by Brandon Sanderson. It deals with imaginary places and magic.

Open Library readers give it an average of 4.6 out of 5 from 125 ratings, and 190 more have it on their want-to-read list. It has been published in 27 editions across 3 languages.

It runs to roughly 760 pages — 13–14 hours of reading at an average pace.

About The Hero of Ages

This book is not only the third book in a trilogy, but it’s Act Three of the the three-act structure for the Mistborn Trilogy—it’s the part of the story where the heroes have discovered that what they thought was the problem all along was not the true danger, and now they’re fighting for not only their own survival but that of the world they live in. The mists are killing people and staying out much longer than they should. The Ashmounts are spewing more and more choking ash into the sky, burying the crops that everyone needs to eat to live. And Ruin, the creature Vin was tricked into freeing from its prison of a millennium, is loose to wreak havoc upon the land. Life under the Lord Ruler is starting to look like paradise in comparison. While the first book in the trilogy turned the standard fantasy story on its head, this volume (perhaps inevitably?) returns in a way to the tropes the first volume was a reaction against. Yet in this case the enemy is not a human or humanlike Dark Lord, but something more like a force of nature—entropy itself given a will and a guiding personality in the form of Ruin. Ultimately, the book is about how the characters we have grown to love from the previous volumes—Vin, Elend, Sazed, TenSoon, Spook, Marsh, and others—find the courage and faith to fight on in the face of overwhelming odds, just as Kelsier taught them when he plotted the downfall of the Final Empire.
Description from Open Library

Themes, setting & tropes

Genres

Subjects

  • Fantasy
  • Epic Fantasy
  • Fantasy fiction
  • Children's fiction
  • Imaginary places
  • Magic

Publisher

Quick answers

Who wrote The Hero of Ages?

The Hero of Ages was written by Brandon Sanderson and first published in 2008.

What genre is The Hero of Ages?

It is usually shelved as Epic Fantasy.

How long is The Hero of Ages?

The median edition has 760 pages, about 13–14 hours of reading at 250 words per minute.

What books are similar to The Hero of Ages?

Readers who like it often enjoy A Clash of Kings, Winter's Heart and Stone of Tears.

More by Brandon Sanderson

All books →
  • Cover of The Way of Kings

    The Way of Kings

    Brandon Sanderson

    2010★ 4.5

  • Cover of The Well of Ascension

    The Well of Ascension

    Brandon Sanderson

    2007★ 4.4

  • Cover of Elantris

    Elantris

    Brandon Sanderson

    2005★ 4.1

  • Cover of Words of Radiance

    Words of Radiance

    Brandon Sanderson

    2012★ 4.7

  • Cover of Oathbringer

    Oathbringer

    Brandon Sanderson

    2017★ 4.5

  • Cover of The Alloy of Law

    The Alloy of Law

    Brandon Sanderson

    2001★ 4.1

Books like The Hero of Ages