The Alloy of Law

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

I loved Brandon Sanderson???s MISTBORN series, so I was excited to learn that he was publishing another novel set in the MISTBORN world. The Alloy of Law takes place a few hundred years after the events in the original trilogy. By this time, society is in the midst of an industrial revolution and is expanding into uncivilized frontier lands, making The Alloy of Law, I suppose, a Western Steampunk or Weird West tale.

A minority of citizens still inherit Allomancy or Feruchemy or, in the case of Twinborn Waxillium Ladrian, both. Even though Wax is heir to a rich noble house, he uses his powers to fight outlaws in the frontier lands... until he???s called back to run his family estates after his uncle???s death. Wax isn???t interested in being a stuffy nobleman, but hundreds of people rely on his family for their livelihood and he can???t let them down. It???s not long before Wax realizes, for better or worse, that life in the civilized city is even more dangerous than life on the wild frontier.

I???ve read all of Brandon Sanderson???s novels for adults and what I like best about his work are his imaginative magic systems (he???s the best!), charming characters, and pleasant sense of humor. I am happy to report that all of this is present in The Alloy of Law. Those of us who???ve read MISTBORN are already familiar with the magic system, so no surprises there, but the Western industrial setting adds a new twist ??? steam power and firearms let allomancers and feruchemists do really cool things with bullet casings and railroad tracks. Sanderson gives a nod and a wink to his influences by freshening up some Western clich??s. In one scene, a group of armed outlaws bursts in on a high society dinner and demands that the ladies hand over their jewelry. There are pistol fights, train robberies, and even a shoot-out on top of a moving train! But The Alloy of Law is not just a Western with magic ??? it feels like a beginning to further fascinating explorations in the MISTBORN world. At its heart, it???s still epic fantasy.

Even though I don???t like his name, Wax is a great character ??? tough but sensitive, gentle but forceful when necessary, duty-bound with a touch of restrained idealism. I was disappointed with one of his actions at the end of the book, but I think that Sanderson wanted me to be disappointed and, for this reason, I think we???ll be seeing more of Wax in the future ??? there???s still time for him to make things right.

During his adventures in The Alloy of Law, Wax is accompanied by a funny sidekick named Wayne and a young female student who studies criminal behavior and thinks of Wax and Wayne as heroes. [Ouch. I just re-read that sentence and noticed the pun in ???Wax and Wayne.??? Oh my, that???s a groaner!] The three of them make a great team and I certainly hope there will be more adventures for the trio.

I listened to MacMillan Audio???s version of The Alloy of Law which was narrated by Michael Kramer. He is a terrific reader, though I find his pace a little slow. I got in the habit of speeding him up a bit when I was listening to him read the WHEEL OF TIME novels, and I did the same for The Alloy of Law. With this little adjustment (about 1.2x normal speed), I greatly enjoyed the audio version and will read any sequels, if there are any, in audio format, too. I recommend this version.

Must you read the previous MISTBORN books before reading The Alloy of Law? No. But it would be good to familiarize yourself with allomancy and feruchemy, which you can do well enough by reading our reviews above. But, why would you not want to read MISTBORN first? This is one of the best fantasy series in recent years ??? great characters and one of the best magic systems ever. So, while you don???t need to read the original trilogy first, you should!

• 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.