Back
Brandon Sanderson: The Alloy of Law (Hardcover, 2011) 4 stars

"Three hundred years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy, Scadrial is on the verge …

Review of 'The Alloy of Law' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Set in the Mistborn world, 300 years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy, this Sanderson book is a bit of a departure from the epic fantasy one might be expecting from a Mistborn book. When I read it, my closest association was that it was a mix of western and urban superhero story. It was a bit weird, but I thought it was also very entertaining.

Wax aka Lord Waxillium Ladrian used to be a lawkeeper in the Wild West, erm, Roughs, but he has returned to the city of Elendel to run his family, after the death of his uncle and sister. The papers of the city are currently full of stories of a mysterious group of robbers called The Vanishers who manage to steal whole loads of precious cargo from trains, without leaving any trace of the cargo. Wax gets involved when his potential fiancee Steris gets kidnapped by the Vanishers and the head of the group is someone from his past.

Wax is an Allomancer, but he's also a Feruchemist, making him a so-called Twinborn. Prepare for many super-hero stunts because Wax knows how to rock a mistcoat. He is joined by Wayne, his funny 'deputy' and Marasi, Steris' cousin, who turns out to be a quite capable lady.

The ending is rather cliff-hangery and strongly alludes to the Mistborn trilogy, which I liked. I liked references to the previous books and the weird religions that have sprung up around them.

If you enjoy a bit of almost pulp fiction, and liked Mistborn, this one's definitely not a bad one to read at all. I love me some Sanderson.