Mistborn: The Alloy of Law by: Brandon Sanderson

Writing a time skip in your series is a very difficult thing to do accurately and can be done either one of two ways.  First, you can make it a short skip so you can keep the same characters who are now older and more experienced or second, you can make it a large skip and keep the same world, but introduce a whole new set of characters.  In continuing Mistborn, Brandon Sanderson goes with the latter approach, jumping forward three centuries and introducing an entirely new cast of characters in The Alloy of Law.  The existence of this novel is interesting as Sanderson never intended the second era of Mistborn to be this early in the timeline, instead wishing for what is now to be known as Era Three.  The book was written to be a transitory novel and as such does not like the first book in a series, but a complete standalone tale.  As such it’s a much shorter novel than the initial trilogy, only coming in at about 380 pages and providing a relatively quick read.  Sanderson makes the correct decision to introduce a smaller cast of characters and play in the sandbox of an idealized Wild West version of Scadriel before wrapping things up in enough of a bow that the next era of Mistborn could begin straight away.  Of course, this isn’t how it turned out as The Alloy of Law begins Mistborn Era Two which has already published three volumes, with a fourth coming at some point in the future (probably 2021).

The Wild West theme in this novel is taken to full effect as Scadriel has become industrialized, much further than it was in the original trilogy.  There are early automobiles and trains, and a police force not unlike the Victorian police as Sanderson sets things up, while the main characters don’t represent cowboys so much as lawmen.  Both main characters use guns, something that Sanderson clearly has thought about how it would work with Allomancy and Feruchemy working together.  There’s a decent portion where the main characters are receiving special guns which allows Sanderson to go hard on explaining how this technology works with the magic system he has in place.  Hemallurgy seems to be one part of the magic system which has been forgotten or at least left in the past with the new technology.  There are also trains, the trains are fun and oddly just work in with the setting incredibly well.  It’s impossible to deny that Sanderson’s setting is one of a romanticized Wild West: there is an unspoken code of chivalry and the tropes of a Wild West story are played around with throughout the novel.  If you’re looking for realism, this isn’t the book for you, but if you’re looking for an escape into a fun fantasy pastiche of the Wild West, this may be the book for you.  The plot of The Alloy of Law is a fairly standard hero kidnaps a damsel in distress tale of this type of Wild West story, but Sanderson does make up for the lack of depth in introducing some really fun characters.

Sanderson introduces a double act of main characters who bounce off each other brilliantly.  First is Waxillium Ladrian, the main point of view character, and the one with the most focus throughout the book.  The prologue sets Wax up as a lawman in grief over a lost love being forced to marry due to his status as a lord, his fiancé becoming the victim of a kidnapping by a band of Allomantic robbers.  He’s the straight man of the pair, with a dry way of speaking and a distant personality, affected greatly by the grief of losing his love.  He’s also a character who is restraining himself to fit into society, hiding a more adventurous nature and an itching to see justice served to evildoers.  He is the heir to his royal house and doesn’t really know what to do with that information.  Wayne is the other half of the pair and he is straight comedy.  Lovable rogue comes to mind when discussing Wayne, but he’s a bit more than that.  He’s a master of disguise, adopting several throughout the novel to Wax’s own chagrin.  He’s also kind of a criminal and general bad influence, but Sanderson gives him such charm that everything works really well.  Both characters are Twinborn, a new kind of magic user on Scadriel, essentially Mistings which can use one Feruchemical talent, creating new and interesting combinations of power sets.  The Alloy of Law is not a book where the godlike strength of Vin, Elend, and Sazed is present, instead opting for people who are skilled, but still regular people.  Wax’s fiancé is really the weaker character: Steris is a proper lady and that’s really it.  She’s the damsel, the thing for Wax and Wayne to reluctantly save (they aren’t really in love, both are just marrying for power).  The marriage contract is interesting and at least on the surface not predatory.  Her illegitimate sister Marasi is much more interesting and works really well with Wax and Wayne.  Not romantically, but just as a group of three misfits attempting to save the day.  Sure she’s really insecure at the beginning of the novel, but that’s where her character arc is growing out of.

Overall, The Alloy of Law isn’t at all like the first Mistborn trilogy, however, there is enough to like here that it is a worthwhile read.  What it lacks in plot, it makes up for in characters, who are incredibly fun.  7/10.