5/5 Stars,
“That hat looks ridiculous.”
“Fortunately, I can change hats,” Wayne said, “while you, sir, are stuck with that face.” ~Brandon Sanderson, The Alloy of Law
I am definitely using that line, some day, some time, I will find an opportunity and use that line. The Mistborn series, ahhh these books! The final empire, The well.. & The hero of ages, and now this! My fantasy crazed heart could explode with gratitude for the man. Brandon Sanderson has done something so bizarre that I initially thought to be impossible, to make another totally, unbelievably, awesome fantasy series based on the world from his previous fantasy series.
The grit of the wild west, the intricately marvelous magic system, the strong background flavor of the previous series palpable in its pages and the wit & humor at an hilariously all time high. I enjoyed this immensely, oh so very much and Mr. Sanderson has yet again proved that he is an absolute master in fantasy story telling.
Goodreads Blurb : – 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.
I am already a fan of Mr. Sanderson’s writing, of his awesome capacity to link the plot into knots which comes undone with a flourish at the right time, and with his brilliance of creating highly likable and enjoyable characters. All within a new timeline, The Old West Era (from 1865 – 1895 of our time) and the 300’s for the Mistborn’s new world. The brilliance of it all is just too much. As to its tone, it is obviously lighter than the Final Empire, how could it not be, the whole point of the new world was the total upheaval of the old one.
I must digress a bit here, what doubled my enjoyment of the story was Graphic Audio’s brilliant performance of it as an audiobook. They did an excellent job with the characters voices and the background score and all the little additions of gun-shots and background noises . Typically I don’t read audio-books as then I am beholden to their pace rather than my own. But here, as the book is not that big, 332 pages or 7-8 hours of audio, it was paced just right, with all the touches and brush strokes, that you just close your eyes and get lost in the world of ‘Elendel’ immediately.
And this is just the beginning, I am very much looking forward to the rest two books. The action in this book was phenomenal, with the rough machismo & wit of the wild west coupled with the oh so creative use of Mistborn magic, will always make you grin in every combat sequence. Also, the character of ‘Wayne’, he was the heart of the book, the light-hearted thief cum law man, he single-handedly made the book fun and delightful. Which is just as well because the protagonist ‘Wax’ is the troubled darkness in this dark-light duo combo. Their chemistry is spot on. And of-course the antagonist, ‘Miles’, a damn well worthy adversary, hell of a bad guy.
So, the first thing I did when I picked this up, was download the map of ‘Elendel’ , (which is absolutely brilliant btw), plugged in my headphones and got lost in a world that I dearly missed. This is the ultimate escape in a wonderful and enjoyable realm, I mean come-on, Pistols, bang-bang, and magic. Seriously, I can’t say the word brilliant enough.
So, I am off to the second one, pick this up with your eyes closed, this would be well worth it, as it has everything that you hope for in a good epic fantasy. Waist coats and bowler hats all the way my friends. To end with one of Wayne’s witty philosophical pearls about thinking only when things are simple : –
“The rest of the time, I don’t do so much thinkin’. ‘Cuz if I did, I’d go running back to where things is simple. You see?”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Alloy of Law
Advertisements Share this:
