The Alloy of Law
Ratings917
Average rating4.1
3.5 stars!
Great action scenes, on-point humor & flintlock setting. BUT it somehow felt a bit underwhelming compared with Mistborn era 1: both the enemies & the topic itself seem more mundane. Not bad, but different!
Let's see where the story goes!
Quite a different experience from the first trilogy of the Mistborn saga but a really good one. I was unsure about getting used to a new set of characters, but I came away loving this main cast. The setting and the use of magic in a more modern Mistborn world were mad interesting. Looking forward to where Wax goes from here.
Nice, short and easy read.
Definitely not what I'm used to when it comes to Mistborn, but I enjoyed it well enough.
Though I would've preferred it if there was no “cameos” from the first era - it felt slightly cheap.
So far the stakes were quite low, yet I enjoyed the action. I can also sense them rising in the future.
The whole time I thought (and hoped) that Marasi would be the bad guy. Don't know why, just felt right. I also love Steris, though we only met her briefly. I guess I have a soft spot for emotionless weirdos.
The vibe of this entire book was polar opposites to what I'm used to from Mistborn and honestly, I'm not mad at it. The characters were not as gray and complex and intriguing as I would be used to seeing in a BranSan novel, but the dynamics were pretty fun. This felt like a bit like BranSan-lite, but I'm really not mad at that.
Some background info: I read Book 1 of Mistborn Era 1, skimmed through Book 2 and skipped Book 3 all together, before catching up on the overall events of all of them via the Coppermind summaries before I dived into this book. I was really quite so-so about the first book in The Final Empire trilogy and the series just didn't really improve much for me. I can't pinpoint what didn't really catch me about Mistborn because I love Stormlight Archives.
Despite my unsatisfactory sojourn with Mistborn Era 1, I was still pretty interested in trying out Era 2. What was the most interesting to me in Mistborn had been the magic system and we still get a ton of that in Era 2, but in a completely new environment with new characters and a new overarching plot. I was excited to give it another go, but was even then surprised by just how different this felt from a Cosmere novel. For one, Alloy of Law takes place in a sort of late Victorian-esque setting with horse-drawn carriages, newly electric lights, steam trains, and lots and lots of guns. It was really interesting to see how the Mistborn magic system, so dependent as it is on metals, would fare in a steampunk world full of metal.
Waxillium and Wayne were actually really fun characters. They weren't mega-tortured and brooding like Kaladin (from Stormlight Archives) or even Vin from the first Era, but that's kinda what I like about them. They provide a breath of light-hearted fresh air. Of course, they have their own histories, I'm sure, but there's still something more light-hearted about these two than other BranSan heroes, Wayne more so than Wax.
Between the two notable female characters in this book, I actually kinda like them both. We see a lot less of Steris, Waxillium's sort-of fiancee, and I basically thought she was going to be a fleeting character who will only serve as a foil to bring out the other female character at first, but I was particularly intrigued by her when she says to Waxillium: “You are what you choose to be, Waxillium... I did not make these rules. Nor so I approve of them; many are inconvenient. But it is the society in which we live. Therefore, I make of myself something that can survive in this environment.” By the end, I was... kinda rooting for her? I'm not sure how my opinion will change in subsequent books, but that's the way it ended.
Marasi is, of course, the main female protagonist in this one. She did have her moments and I liked that she was not just a scholar (obviously unusual for a female), but also that she owned up to not liking to be out in the Roughs and enjoying her city conveniences and dresses, etc. and while she almost feels embarrassed about it sometimes, she didn't feel like she should be. Her character is a bit more of the “popular” type, in the sense that she's likeable and obviously written to be rooted for by readers, which is maybe a good part of the reason why I'm actually leaning towards Steris a bit, but I'm not mad at seeing more of Marasi in subsequent instalments. I'm intrigued to learn more about how her Allomantic powers are going to play out - everytime someone says their powers are useless, BranSan will find a way to make it super awesome in the end. We got a glimpse about that at the ending of this one when Marasi's powers were critical in the capture of Miles, but I feel like there'll definitely be more.
If you're into gun-toting steampunk Victorian fantasy with metal-burning magic, this one is for you. If you're already a Cosmere fan, don't go into this one expecting anything like Stormlight Archives or Mistborn Era 1, because the tone and setting is so much more light-hearted than the other two and that's not a failing in my books.
This is the roughest time I've had with a Sanderson novel so far. After the novelty of the characters, setting, and remixed magic system wore off, I hit a wall about halfway through. Ended up skimming a bunch of the climactic fight, possibly unwisely. But I couldn't bring myself to care. I am going to keep going eventually, because I'm still interested in the characters and setting. I dunno. I'm tired and I know there is better in this series.
Reread finished. This book is fine, but still my least favorite Cosmere, sitting even lower than Elantris. It's fun but it's so surface level. Also Not enough Steris. I did like Miles more on this second read, though.
9/10
Sanderson is the master of fun magic systems and creative actions scenes. So when he creates a book which is 20% banter and 80% action it can't really go wrong.
The entire Mistborn series continues to be an absolute must-read!
It's nice to return to the Mistborn saga again.
The first book of the second era creates the roots for a new adventures with new characters, and the Sanderson touch is still here.
Cowboys and magic, you ain't sure if it's gonna work and then 12 seconds in you realise Sanderson has god damn done it again and made it look easy to boot.
It's a lighter read - not quite the epic complexity of his longer works - but still a ripping yarn with great action and fun characters. Can't ask for more than that.
A totally different kind of fantasy. Pre-industrial environment, characters from the previous books turned to lore and city/street names, all that makes the experience of reading this book like nothing I've read before.
2021: Rated down to 3 stars. I could not connect to the characters and did not enjoy the Western atmosphere.
Aah, wat was het fijn om weer in deze wereld te komen. Het idee van het opnieuw bezoeken van een universum honderden jaren na het einde van een verhaal vind ik bijzonder vernuftig en opent een schat van mogelijkheden. Zo innovatief!
Weer leverde Sanderson een uitermate solide verhaal. Hij heeft een manier van schrijven dat mij meteen kan transporteren. Ook hier schets hij met ogenschijnlijke minimale inspanning de wereld met zijn unieke wetten en regels. Nieuwe personages komen tot leven met slechts enkele quasi achteloze zinnen en voor je het weet heb je het gevoel dat je al jaren over hen leest. De plot is uniek, spannend, avontuurlijk en hield mij tot het einde in de ban.
Ik honger naar meer, terwijl tegelijkertijd het verhaal in dit boek bevredigend werd afgerond. Het moet dus niet gezegd worden dat het vervolg zeker ook verslonden zal worden.
Daarnaast was ik ook zo blij om verwijzingen naar de originele trilogie te lezen. De manier waarop de wereld geëvolueerd is, de godsdiensten die zijn ontstaan, ik ben zo curieus om hier meer over te leren. Vooral de epiloog bezorgde mij kippenvel.
I wanted to love this book but just couldn't. It just wasn't as good as the first three in the trilogy.
Basically Wild, Wild West in bookform. i loved the Mistborn books, but this?
So much fun. In doing something rare in the fantasy genre, Sanderson has revealed the much bigger picture of where the Cosmere could be going. Set about 300 years after the dark (ash-filled) ages of the Final Empire/ Mistborn trilogy, Scadrial is evolving through scientific progress, much like late 1800s-early 1900s America in our world. There are skyscapers, electricity and returning to the city as a noble house lord is Waxillium Ladrian, who has spent 20 years out in the frontier Roughs acting as lawman and investigator. Our original heroes and their story has become history for the current crew, which involves Wax's partner eccentric slider Wayne and the wide-eyed but shyly intelligent Marasi. This time around, Mistborns are extremely rare (if they exist at all), but feruchemy has become more prevalant in the population and there are a few updated metals in allomancy meaning each character has a very interesting combination or subset of skills, especially our heroic Sherlock/ Watson style duo. The villain was certainly interesting and a foil, and a lot of the mystery beats were like a Western in a city emerging from the industrial age, but I'm amazed and keen to see where Sanderson takes this next.
A brilliant continuation of the Mistborn story, loved the new setting and love Wax, Wayne and Marasi, excited to start Shadows of Self :)
This review will be short so as not to spoil anything from the first era of the series.
I've been putting off reading the second era of the Mistborn series, but I'm glad I finally started it. This book was really fun to read. It has a Sherlock Holmes vibe, but with magic. The character interactions were fun and entertaining. The villain in the series was very similar to the hero of era one, which caused an interesting switch in the dynamic. The call backs to the first era were interesting and helped really develop the lore of this world. All in all, this was a fun, interesting book.
Much, much better than I expected. I shouldn't be surprised anymore with Sanderson.
First book finished of 2021, and first book finished as a father. I couldn't have be happier with this one.
I really liked this, but it wasn't quite as good as the first trilogy. Still 4 stars. I just miss the original crew. Wax is growing on me though.
Fun! Call me crazy but I found myself actually liking this more than the first book in the original trilogy
My dyslexic ass read this book in two days. I absolutely loved it. I empathised with the characters so much that I was already sad when someone died 20 pages in. I love how in this later version of the universe the way the curse and the expression have also changed to reflect the world they now live in and their believe systems.
Every character has such distinctive personalities and quirks that make them really easy to like, especially Wayne, his whole trading thing is an amazing edition to his character. I also really love how it is made really clear the its totally fine that Marasi is more feminine and like dresses and lace and stuff and that is totally fine. She can still be an awesome badass character.
I loved it and immediately bought the 5th and 6th book. Sanderson just doesn???t disappoint.
wax and wayne remind me of locke and jean . This is on par with the first mistborn era !!