What happens after you defeat the ultimate evil in a fantasy novel?  That's the question tackled by  the second book in the Mistborn series, The Well of Ascension, by Brandon Sanderson.  It reminds me of the wisdom of wrestler Rick Flair, "Being the man and staying the man are two different things."

Like the first novel, this story takes place mostly in the city of Luthadel.  With the Lord Ruler defeated, every nobleman who can raise an army wants to take control of the empire.  Also like the first novel, this one is told mostly through the eyes of Vin, as she is forced to deal with assassins, prophecy, and the three overwhelming armies parked outside the city walls.  We follow other characters as well, some you'll recognize from the first novel, others that are new.  But the author does a good job of keeping the points of view to only a few characters.

Unlike the first novel, this one doesn't end quite as neatly.  If this book were titled "The Siege of Luthadel", I'd say the main plot got wrapped up nicely.  But it's called "The Well of Ascension", and that storyline ends in a cliffhanger.  Not even an exciting cliffhanger.. more like a bad after taste.  In the last few pages some very pertinent questions are raised, and nothing answered.  Clearly meant as a hook for the final book in the trilogy, the "Ascension" ending seemed rushed.  I felt the final events could have had more emotional impact, and the epilogue just confused things more.

As a whole, the book is just as enjoyable as the first Mistborn book.  I really did shout with excitement at some of the revelations, and I would recommend it to anyone who had fun reading the first book.  Just be prepared that you're pretty much forced into reading the third book, as I shall be starting once this review is done.

How I would change the book (without providing spoilers):

• Get rid of the ripped pages.  The purpose for this can be revealed in the third book.
  
• Don't have the mist form do anything but occasionally appear.  Don't even have it point.  
  
• Use the final antagonist to do what is done.  
  
• Scrap the epilogue.
  

With these changes (throughout the book) I think it'd result in a cleaner ending, without affecting the plot.  If you've read the book, what do you think?