Mistborn: The Bands of Mourning by: Brandon Sanderson

Shadows of Self, while the second book in Era Two of Mistborn, was actually mostly written after the third book was completed.  This unconventional style of writing a series puts author Brandon Sanderson into dangerous territory, as the transition between Shadows of Self and The Bands of Mourning could easily come across as awkward and not really match up.  That is something that Sanderson has the skill to overcome, yet not completely.  The opening chapters of this book really don’t match up to the end of Shadows of Self, which was perhaps one of Sanderson’s best scenes.  There is some effort made to jump forward in time, which allowed some of the emotions to fall by the wayside at least in what Wax is going through.  This is one of those books where Sanderson wants to put his characters through their own personal hell, and does so, but this is after giving his characters their own respite.  The understanding between Wax and Steris that worked so well previously is still present, but Sanderson has evolved back to the more standoffish relationship with an undercurrent of understanding.  This novel sees them eventually wed and their relationship evolves to a loving one by the end of the novel.  Their actual wedding becomes the final event of the book, leaving the reader on a satisfied note, especially as Mistborn is currently on a hiatus until next year.

The plot of The Bands of Mourning is actually the first book in Era Two to at least feel like the story is going somewhere.  While The Alloy of Law and Shadows of Self were mostly character driven and focused on unravelling conspiracy, The Bands of Mourning is where Sanderson actually allows the conspiracy to be laid out and unlike the first trilogy, the villains here are human in form and motivation, being funded by something greater.  Sanderson doesn’t rush the exposition, and in fact allows hints in the previous novels to inform just what has been going on behind the scenes on Scadriel.  The Bands of Mourning is primarily a quest to find the titular artefacts which the villains want to gain godlike powers for their own order.  It’s essentially a conspiracy to control the world with sinister undertones.  Making this a quest novel makes for an incredibly fun read as Sanderson moves the action to a frigid northern parts of the planet, for the first time really exploring the setting and how it has changed from the original trilogy.

Steris, while deepening her relationship with Wax in this novel, actually gets a decent amount of focus in The Bands of Mourning.  The previous books have used her as a background character, but here Sanderson allows an exploration of who she is.  A perfectionist in every sense of the word, she has prepared contingencies for anything that could go wrong with her own wedding, and is of course broken when the wedding turns into a gunfight to kick off the plot.  She’s also incredibly introspective and uncertain of herself, something that Sanderson uses to really explore the themes of purpose in this book.  Wax, Wayne, Marasi, and Steris all have to come to terms with their purpose in Harmony’s grand scheme for the world and unwillingness to interfere.  It’s the purpose of The Bands of Mourning, for its characters to find their purpose before they can actually defeat the great evil and leaves the reader wanting more.  The only character whose baggage is resolved poorly is Wayne, who just kind of goes through a developmental period which is odd.

Overall, The Bands of Mourning is perhaps the best installment in Era Two, fixing some of the issues of previous novels.  It sets up the world and characters for the final installment while being a fun, if a little long read.  8/10.