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The Well of Ascension audiobook vs book: which should you choose?

A year after the Lord Ruler falls, Vin and Elend try to hold Luthadel as armies close in. Eleven viewpoints and a shelf of maps and reference tables tip this sequel towards the page.

Read vs Listen·First published 5 November 2026·Last edited 5 November 2026·5 min read
The Well of AscensionBrandon Sanderson
The verdict
The same thirteen checks for every bookSix checks point to listening, such as a full cast or produced audio, the author reading their own memoir, or one narrator for a single viewpoint. Seven point to reading, such as jumping timelines, three or more viewpoints, or a story that depends on images or layout. Each check has a weight, and the weighted total sets the verdict. Verdicts are never paid for. The percentage rises with the gap between the two sides and with how much evidence there is, so a couple of small checks can’t make a book clear cut on their own: 50 to 64 is a close call, 65 to 79 is leaning, 80 to 94 is clear, and 95 or more is clear cut. See how we decide in full →

Read it on Kindle

Read The Well of Ascension for its big cast: the story moves between eleven viewpoint characters, Vin, Elend and Sazed among them, and with Michael Kramer reading every one, print makes it easier to know whose chapter you’re in. The book also has two maps and the Ars Arcanum metals table, which no audiobook includes. Audio is a fair choice for a book this long.

Audible listeners rate the narration 4.8 out of 5 (5,737 ratings)

Definitely readDefinitely listen
66%
Read
Get it on Kindle781 pages, with maps and the metals table (UK paperback) · about 13 hours to readListen on Audible29h 17m, read by Michael Kramer

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The audiobook at a glance

RecordingUK edition, our verdictUS edition
NarratorMichael KramerMichael Kramer
Length29 hours 17 minutes (29h 17m), unabridged28 hours 56 minutes (28h 56m), unabridged
At 1.5xabout 19h 31mabout 19h 17m
At 2xabout 14h 39mabout 14h 28m
Audio publisher and dateGollancz, 18 March 2011Macmillan Audio, 2009 on Audible US
Audiobook price£23.80 on Audible UK$33.74 on Audible US
Kindle price£5.99 on Amazon UKNot listed
PrintGollancz paperback, 781 pages, 2009Tor hardback, 590 pages, 2007; Tor mass market, 796 pages
Listener ratingPerformance 4.77 from 5,737 ratingsPerformance 4.86 from 64,796 ratings

Michael Kramer reads both listings alone. We couldn’t confirm whether they are one recording: the UK listing runs 21 minutes longer. They tie on production, so the newer UK listing is the one scored. Audible US also sells the Gollancz recording.

GraphicAudio has made a full-cast dramatised adaptation in three parts. It is not on Audible and is not the full text, so it is not scored. Ratings and prices checked 5 November 2026. Prices change often. Amazon US does not show Kindle prices outside the US, so US Kindle prices are not given.

Lengths checked 5 November 2026. Speed times are calculated.

Why this verdictWhat it isCase for readingCase for listeningThe audiobookWho should ignore itQuestions

The Well of Ascension

Brandon Sanderson

Genre
Epic fantasy
Series
Mistborn, book 2
First published
August 2007
Length
781 pages (UK paperback)
On audio
29 hrs 17 mins (UK), 28 hrs 56 mins (US), Michael Kramer

On this page

  1. Why we reached this verdict
  2. What this book actually is
  3. The case for reading it
  4. The case for listening to it
  5. The audiobook in detail
  6. Who should ignore this verdict
  7. Questions people ask

Why we reached this verdict

Every book on this site is checked against the same thirteen questions. They are based on research into what most people find easier to follow in each format, not on whether the book is any good.

Two checks point to reading
✓
Three or more points of view, one narratorThe story moves between eleven viewpoint characters (Coppermind), led by Vin, Elend and Sazed, and one narrator, Michael Kramer, reads them all. The page makes the switches easier to follow.
✓
Maps, family trees or footnotesThe print book has two maps by Isaac Stewart, which Sanderson says were updated for this book, and the Ars Arcanum table of the metals (Browns Books; Coppermind). No PDF comes with either audiobook, so only readers can check them as they go.
One check points to listening
✓
Long book781 pages in the UK Gollancz paperback (Browns Books; Blackwell’s), and 590 in the US first edition hardback. At that length, audio helps you fit it in.
Checked, not a factor here (10)
–
Literary or dense prosePublishers Weekly calls it “this entertaining read” and Danielle Maurer calls it “tightly paced”. No reviewer calls the prose dense.
–
Narration criticisedPerformance 4.77 from 5,737 ratings on Audible UK and 4.86 from 64,796 on Audible US, and no critic criticises the reading.
–
Jumping timelinesEvery chapter opens with a line from an ancient inscription, but the main story runs forward in time.
–
Story depends on images or layoutAn inscription extract and a metal symbol head every chapter (Coppermind; Sanderson’s annotations), but nothing we found says the story depends on how they look, and the narrator reads the extracts aloud.
–
Many similar-sounding namesThe paired metals carry over from book 1, and several characters go by two names, such as Ham and Hammond, but that is a load of terms rather than names that sound alike.
–
Full cast or produced audioMichael Kramer reads it alone on every Audible listing. GraphicAudio’s full-cast version is a dramatised adaptation, not the full book, so it is not scored.
–
Read by the authorIt is a novel, read by a narrator rather than the author.
–
Single point of view and narratorThe story moves between eleven viewpoint characters (Coppermind), so it is not one point of view.
–
Unfamiliar names or dialectInvented words such as Allomancy, koloss and kandra don’t count for this check, which is for real-world names, accents and dialect.
–
Award-winning or praised narrationWe found no critic review or award for Kramer’s reading of this book. The AudioFile praise quoted on Libro.fm comes from his general narrator biography.
How the score adds up
Listening 3 points, reading 11

Eleven viewpoints read by one narrator (8) and the maps and metals table (3) give reading 11, while the book’s length (3) gives listening 3. That puts it at 66%, leaning to print.

Every book gets the same thirteen checks, set in advance. Verdicts are never paid for or influenced by affiliate links. Last edited 5 November 2026, and rechecked every year as editions and narrators change. Read the checks in full · Is listening the same as reading? See what the research says.

The recording in detail

One narratorMulti-voiceFull castDramatised
Scored
Michael Kramer, Gollancz, 2011, 29h 17m, unabridged
Critic review
No critic review of this recording found
Alternatives
US Macmillan Audio listing, also Michael Kramer (28h 56m)
What you miss
The two maps and the Ars Arcanum metals table

What this book actually is

The Well of Ascension is the second book of Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series. A year after the fall of the Lord Ruler, Vin and Elend Venture try to hold the city of Luthadel while armies, among them the koloss, close in around it, and Vin searches for the legendary Well of Ascension.

It picks up where Mistborn: The Final Empire ends and assumes you have read it. It includes war, a siege and the deaths of named characters.

The case for reading it

The story moves between eleven viewpoint characters (Coppermind), with Vin, Elend and Sazed at the centre, and one narrator reads every one. On the page you can see whose section you’re in straight away.

The print book has two maps by Isaac Stewart and the Ars Arcanum, the table of metals and what each one does. With a siege to follow across the city and its surroundings, the maps are handy to flick back to, and neither audiobook comes with a PDF of them.

The case for listening to it

It’s a long book, 781 pages in the UK paperback, and the audiobook turns that into 29 hours of commutes and long walks.

Michael Kramer reads every Mistborn book on Audible, so if you listened to book 1 the voices carry straight on. Listeners rate this one 4.8 for performance on Audible UK.

The audiobook in detail

Michael Kramer reads it solo and unabridged: the UK Gollancz edition runs 29 hours 17 minutes, and the US Macmillan edition 28 hours 56 minutes. The verdict is based on the UK edition.

GraphicAudio’s dramatisation splits the book into three parts with a full cast, but it is an adaptation rather than the full text, Michael Kramer isn’t in it, and it isn’t on Audible UK or US.

Who should ignore this verdict

Choose audio if you listened to The Final Empire and followed its cast by ear without trouble. Kramer is back, and the book is long enough that audio helps.

Stay with print if you want the maps and the metals table to hand.

Get The Well of Ascension
Both editions, so you can go with the verdict or ignore it entirely.
Our pick

Kindle

  • 781 pages (UK paperback)
  • Includes the maps and the metals table
  • About 13 hours to read (our estimate)
Get the Kindle edition

Audiobook

  • Read by Michael Kramer
  • 29h 17m (UK) or 28h 56m (US)
  • Unabridged
Listen on Audible
Affiliate links. If you buy through one of these we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you, and with no influence on the verdict above.

Related verdicts

Series guide

Mistborn: every book in order

Every book in the series, with its verdict, narrator and length on one page.

Same author

Mistborn: The Final Empire

Book 1, where the story starts.

The Hero of AgesBrandon SandersonSame author

The Hero of Ages

Book 3, the end of the trilogy.

Same verdict

A Game of Thrones

Many points of view, invented names and maps.

Different verdict

Dune Messiah

Another second book about life after victory.

Same verdict

Throne of Glass

The story switches between four characters, Celaena, Chaol, Dorian and Kaltain, and one narrator reads them all, which can be hard to follow over audio. On the page it’s easier to keep track of whose chapter you’re in.

Start here

How we decide

The thirteen questions behind every verdict on this site.

Questions people ask

Who narrates The Well of Ascension audiobook?

Michael Kramer reads the whole book on his own, in the UK and US editions. He narrates every Mistborn book on Audible.

How long is The Well of Ascension audiobook?

29 hours 17 minutes on Audible UK (Gollancz) and 28 hours 56 minutes on Audible US (Macmillan Audio). About 19 hours 31 minutes at 1.5x and 14 hours 39 minutes at 2x for the UK edition (calculated).

Is The Well of Ascension audiobook abridged?

No. Both Michael Kramer editions are unabridged. The GraphicAudio version is a dramatised adaptation, not the full text.

How many pages is The Well of Ascension?

781 pages in the UK Gollancz paperback (some listings say 800). The US first edition hardback has 590.

Is The Well of Ascension the second Mistborn book?

Yes. It comes after Mistborn: The Final Empire and before The Hero of Ages.

Do I need to read The Final Empire first?

Yes. The story starts a year after the end of book 1 and assumes you know what happened.

How many points of view are in The Well of Ascension?

Eleven viewpoint characters, according to the Coppermind fan wiki, led by Vin, Elend and Sazed.

Does the audiobook include the maps?

No PDF is listed with either Audible edition. The maps and the Ars Arcanum metals table are only in print.

Is there a Mistborn film?

Apple secured the screen rights to Sanderson’s Cosmere in January 2026, with Mistborn planned as feature films, and Sanderson finished a first draft of the screenplay in July 2026. No director, cast or release date had been announced as of November 2026.

Should I read or listen to The Well of Ascension?

Read it. One narrator reads eleven viewpoint characters, which are easier to follow in print, and the maps and metals table are only in the book. Listen if you followed book 1 by ear: Michael Kramer is back, and audio helps with a book this long.

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The Well of AscensionBrandon Sanderson
The Well of AscensionOur pick: read · 66%
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