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Chapter Thirty-Three Part One

So, last chapter probably started the official ‘Brandon Avalanche ™.’ However, I think I did a better job in this one than I have in previous books. The pacing here isn’t QUITE as much of an ‘all at once’ as it was in ELANTRIS. Yet, let me warn you. Stuff has started to happen.

It will keep happening.

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In this scene, the crew pretty much thinks it’s over. I thought this was an important scene to have because it represents a different sort of feeling. Before, after the army was gone and the men were ready to give up, they were truly ‘giving up.’ Now, they can see what they’ve accomplished, and feel good about it. It’s less a giving up, and more a realization that they’ve done what they could. (At least, so they think.)

There’s a distinction there, and I think it was important to have both in the book. This scene is kind of metaphorically showing that the crew wasn’t convinced all along that they could destroy the Lord Ruler and the Final Empire. It was too much. Instead, they always planned to do what they could, then pull out. I wouldn’t blame them, if I were you. They’ve been through a lot, and done a lot. They’re just more realistic than Kelsier.

Plus, they don’t know that an eighth of the book is still to come.

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Simply destroying the pits probably wouldn’t destabilize the economy to the point that some of those here assume. The thing is, atium isn’t the foundation of monetary value in the Final Empire–not like gold was in America for a time. It’s simply a prime source of income and power for the Lord Ruler. Losing it will be a blow, but not enough to completely overthrow the empire. After all, the Lord Ruler still has his atium cache–and so, as the metal becomes more rare and valuable, he’d become more wealthy through atium inflation.