Friday, March 30, 2012

Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson

The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson

"Three hundred years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy, Scadrial is on the verge of modernity, with railroads to supplement the canals, electric lighting in the streets and the homes of the wealthy, and the first steel-framed skyscrapers racing for the clouds.

Kelsier, Vin, Elend, Sazed, Spook, and the rest are now part of history, or religion. Yet even as science and technology are reaching new heights, the old magics of Allomancy and Feruchemy continue to play a role in this reborn world. Out in the frontier lands known as the Roughs, they are crucial tools for the brave men and women attempting to establish order and justice.

One such is Waxillium Ladrian, a rare Twinborn who can Push on metals with his Allomancy and use Feruchemy to become lighter or heavier at will. After twenty years in the Roughs, Wax has been forced by family tragedy to return to the metropolis of Elendel. Now he must reluctantly put away his guns and assume the duties and dignity incumbent upon the head of a noble house. Or so he thinks, until he learns the hard way that the mansions and elegant tree-lined streets of the city can be even more dangerous than the dusty plains of the Roughs." (summary from author's website)


Wow, I read this one at the beginning of the year,  as we were given it for Christmas by our Sister-in-Law.  It has been a crazy couple of months, but I am finally getting around to reviewing this novel set in the Mistborn world. My biggest worry going into the Alloy of Law was that it would not meet up to my expectations of the Mistborn world.  The first three books in the trilogy were so incredibly good and so refreshingly epic that I did not know how Alloy of Law was going to stand up in comparison.

I think Sanderson made a very good decision to give his characters less epic powers for this less epic story. I found myself becoming immersed once again in his wonderful fantasy world and discovering new and interesting powers in his magic system. I loved that there were more balls, more witty banter, and more dramatic fight scenes.  The story definitely lived up to my expectations for Sanderson’s writing and for the Mistborn series. My only complaint is that there needs to be a sequel, and I don’t think Sanderson will get around to it for a while yet. He kind of has a lot on his plate currently with trying to keep several different series going.  Still this story was just fun. I totally recommend it to all Sanderson and Mistborn fans.

2 comments:

MKHutchins said...

"My only complaint is that there needs to be a sequel."

This! I keep crossing my fingers that I won't have to wait too long...

Susan said...

I'm glad you enjoyed this one. I did, too. I loved that it was Mistborn, but not Mistborn, but still Mistborn. So fun! I cannot wait for the sequel.