The Alloy of Law

Sanderson is amazing. I can't help falling in love with his characters, over and over again. Wax and Wayne (I see what you did there) are a hilarious duo, and the central mystery of the story is compelling. The classic Saderson twist, is as always, a thrill to experience. I only wish there was more.

After having read way of kings and the mistborn trilogy (and loving them) I really wasn't sure whether I was going to enjoy this book as I began reading it. But it very quickly engaged me... The characters are well written, the plot interesting, and the world in which it is set, similar yet so different to the world of the previous mistborn books, is brilliant. A wonderful “extra” to the mistborn trilogy and I would definitely recommend giving it a read!

• Please note that I listened to the audiobook and my review reflects that*
  
  Pros: fantastic narration with individual voices, good pacing, lots of action and intrigue, highly visual
  
  Cons: characters keep fighting despite serious injuries
  
  Waxillium Ladrian has been called back to the metropolis of Elendel from the Roughs to take over his deceased uncle's business. No longer accustomed to life in the city, after spending so much time as a law keeper in the Roughs, Waxillium tries to subvert his natural tendencies in order to be a good lord. But those intentions fall away when the latest in a spree of robberies and kidnappings hit too close to home. Joined by his former partner Wayne and a clever young woman studying law at the university, Wax is determined to solve this case.
  
  Sanderson has created a fantastic world. The Alloy of Law takes place some 300 years after his Mistborn trilogy, but you don't need to read that in order to enjoy this novel. A cross between fantasy and western - with a little steampunk thrown in - it's helped usher in a new subgenre of fantasy (others that do the same thing would be Gemma Files's A Book of Tongues, Christine Cody's Bloodlands and Mike Resnick's Buntline Special). The mythology is touched on briefly, but the real treat here is the ‘magic' of Allomancy and Feruchemy, both ways to manipulate metals. Wax is a twinborn, meaning he can do both forms of magic - using his metal minds he can manipulate his weight and as a coinshot he's able to push on steel. These abilities, combined with a steady hand and sharp wits make him a formidable lawman.
  
  Wayne acts as necessary comedic relief from Wax's melancholy and seriousness. Wayne's abilities are to create a speed bubble in which time flows faster for him (allowing him to dodge bullets and have private conversations in a room full of people) and the ability to heal himself quickly, provided he has health built up (done by being sick for an equivalent amount of time in advance).
  
  The audiobook narrator, Michael Kramer, does an amazing job. Not only is the narration crisp and clear - properly enunciated and easy to follow - but he does voices too! Each character, when speaking has their own individualized voice. And Wayne, who uses disguises throughout the book, is voiced with various accents. It's absolutely remarkable and made listening to the book such a pleasure.
  
  The book is well paced, with downtime and action all culminating in a great showdown. And so much of the story is easy to visualize. When Wax flies through the mist in his billowing mistcoat, guns blazing... This book would make a fantastic film.
  
  The only real ‘complaint' I had, was that Wax managed to keep fighting even when subject to multiple injuries. Given that he has no healing abilities (unlike Wayne) it seemed a bit far fetched that getting shot wouldn't faze him beyond a little bit of pain. But that didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book at all.
  
  If you want a different kind of fantasy, like westerns or just good storytelling, pick this one up. It's the first in a series but wraps up nicely so if you don't feel like continuing you don't have to. Though, the fantastic writing and fun characters will probably have you waiting impatiently for book two.

Surprisingly boring, and short (especially for $13 on the Kindle). Love the concept of moving a fantasy world forward in time, though.

i expected more ) the book was good, but not good enough.

Not as good as the Mistborn series, but still good!

The completely spoiler free review: In a way, it is sort of like the fourth Indiana Jones movie, only done right. And by “right” I mean that fans of the originally trilogy will find it undeniably amazing.

The more complete review: This review will not be spolierific in terms of plot, but may reveal more than some purists want to know about the contents of the book. Proceed with caution.The Alloy of Law is a steam-punk-esque type fantasy/mystery/action/adventure novel set in Sanderson's Mistborn world. The adventures in this story take place many years after the original trilogy has ended. I really love that Sanderson has shown how his world has progressed in terms of technology, religion, and the magic system he created in the original trilogy. Perhaps the best part is that none of these changes really require a lengthy explanation, and none of them receive it. All of the progression is logical and well thought out, adding exciting new flair to this story, but at its core this is still a Mistborn novel, with all of the awesomeness that implies.Without a doubt, the Mistborn books contain the best action sequences I have ever had the pleasure of reading, and Alloy takes the game to a whole new level. Quite frankly, between the amazing "magical" powers possessed by the characters, the guns, and the dynamite, this book almost reads like a commercial for Spike tv (read: LOTS of explosions). This, however, is a good thing, as it allows the characters to undeniably assert their complete and total awesomeness. Badass doesn't even begin to cover the levels of amazing displayed in this story. Which makes it a very, very fun read.While I don't think this book achieves the same level of storytelling brilliance as was displayed in the original trilogy, there is no doubt that this book deserves to stand on the shelf next to them. Although Sanderson always loves to create characters with wit (haha, see what I did there?), the constant banter in the book gives it something of a lighter tone than was present in the original trilogy. I don't think this makes the novel feel out of place though; it just further highlights the fact that this a different story in a different time in the same place. And while the overall story is quite exciting, following the adventures of lawmen just does not have the dramatic impact of taking on a centuries-old empire. Despite this, however, the idea of having characters use their powers in an attempt to serve humanity is very much in line with the original Mistborn story. So, despite all of its differences, in the end this book actually fits in very well with those preceding it.

Final impressions - this book is a must read! Honestly, all of the books set in the Mistborn universe are must reads, and this is no exception. While I have enjoyed all of Brandon Sanderson's writings, the Mistborn novels are my favorites, and I highly recommend them to readers of all genres, though especially fans of fantasy or science fiction.

Waitaminute, this is what Brandon S. calls “standalone”? I think someone should dig out a dictionary...

I love Allomancy! The different uses and mystery behind the superhuman abilities of allomancy makes this fantasy world come alive for me. Combine this love with a love of westerns and you have ‘The Alloy of Law'.

This book was a joy to read.