The Alloy of Law is written by Brandon Sanderson. It is the fourth book in the Mistborn Saga and the first book of the Wax & Wayne Series. To be fairly short in summary, it is the introduction of a new crew of characters and an unknown villain. It records the story of Wax, Wayne, and Marasi on a journey to save Steris from her captors.
Mistorn era two has a completely different feel than era one. It feels much more adventurous. That feeling makes a lot of sense because the world is no longer collapsing. To be totally transparent with you, I might actually prefer the adventurous nature of this series over the original Mistborn trilogy. It’s definitely a bit early to form an opinion of that nature, but time will tell.
I love this new cast of characters! Wax is an awesome protagonist! He’s in his forties and was basically this world version of a cop for twenty years so he is able to make wise decisions. Sanderson shows the reader Wax’s rationale before he comes to any conclusions. Wayne provides great comedic relief throughout the story, and Marasi is quite mystifying. Sanderson goes deep into the backstory of Wax, Wayne, and Marasi quite early in the novel. I truly appreciated Sanderson’s effort to make the characters relatable.
Sanderson’s writing continues to get better with each book. The character work, exposition, pacing, prose, and plot are all top-notch in this novel. I find his writing style intoxicating. You can really feel the enjoyment Sanderson is having while writing this book.
I want to finish up by talking about the plot and the conclusion. No spoilers! As the reader, you are hooked immediately by the events that take place in the prologue. This is probably Sanderson’s best prologue that I’ve read so far. Immediately you are thrust into this new (yet familiar) world and its inhabitants. Things are so different compare to the first trilogy and yet they feel eerily similar. The plot is extremely fast-paced. The conclusion and the epilogue are quite satisfying and were a great segway into the rest of the trilogy.
I would recommend reading The Alloy of Law if you’ve already finished the original Mistborn trilogy. It will not disappoint!
Thank you for another great read, Brandon!
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