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christianoliverio 's review for:
The Alloy of Law
by Brandon Sanderson
What happens when you jump 300 years into the same world you read and loved and the world has actually evolved into some new monstrosity?
The best way to describe this is: "wizard cowboys hit the block," which is completely different from the original trilogy of "Sauron won, now what?" I like how Sanderson isn't afraid to evolve this world to be virtually unrecognizable. This would be like if the Legacy or Old Republic Eras of Star Wars were actually different from mainstream Star Wars (don't tell me we still have the exact same technology 3000 years apart!). We don't often see this in secondary worlds and I love it. That being said, the magic system is the exact same as in the original Mistborn trilogy, which stays phenomenal. In fact, the evolution of technology to the industrial age makes it even MORE interesting. Those steelpushers are having a heyday with guns and all this metal. I like how both Wax and Wayne use their specific powers to solve problems and do some cool stuff, particularly when working together to combine powers.
Speaking of characters, you can tell this is just supposed to be a fun story. Wayne is hilarious and given so many mannerisms and quirks, he steals virtually every scene he is in. Two highlights are him infiltrating the constables to interrogate some criminals and him using three different disguises to trick the same guy three times in a single sequence. Sure, he has other layers to him (hats and stealing literature), but the shear fun of him is what makes him a standout. You can tell the writer had fun with him and I did too.
The villain of this book, Miles Hundredlives, was also great. How do you fight someone that cannot be killed and has indomitable will? More interestingly, he is a direct foil to Wax. Both were lawmen. Both are disillusioned with rampant corruption. Both are trying to fix the broken system, one from within and the other from without. Both refuse to give up. Both see themselves in their enemy and are thus both respectful and terrified of their opponent, yet... are also allured by the challenge. Loved the dynamic and was happy with all that the book was able to do with them only interacting twice in the entire novel.
I also enjoyed the romantic (?) parts of the story. Wax is in an arranged marriage and neither him nor his fiancé are interested in anything other than preserving their families' legacies. Thus a contract is made. I enjoyed this new take on having a romance without any romance (thus far), but still genuine care for the other individual. Granted, there was another contender for Wax's heart, but his casual and deliberate dismal-being fully aware of the age gap-was awesome.
Finally, the action was topnotch as is to be expected from a Sanderson novel.
In short, a fun trip through a unique fantasy environment and setting. Very much the opposite of its predecessor, this fun ride takes the world in a whole new direction.
The best way to describe this is: "wizard cowboys hit the block," which is completely different from the original trilogy of "Sauron won, now what?" I like how Sanderson isn't afraid to evolve this world to be virtually unrecognizable. This would be like if the Legacy or Old Republic Eras of Star Wars were actually different from mainstream Star Wars (don't tell me we still have the exact same technology 3000 years apart!). We don't often see this in secondary worlds and I love it. That being said, the magic system is the exact same as in the original Mistborn trilogy, which stays phenomenal. In fact, the evolution of technology to the industrial age makes it even MORE interesting. Those steelpushers are having a heyday with guns and all this metal. I like how both Wax and Wayne use their specific powers to solve problems and do some cool stuff, particularly when working together to combine powers.
Speaking of characters, you can tell this is just supposed to be a fun story. Wayne is hilarious and given so many mannerisms and quirks, he steals virtually every scene he is in. Two highlights are him infiltrating the constables to interrogate some criminals and him using three different disguises to trick the same guy three times in a single sequence. Sure, he has other layers to him (hats and stealing literature), but the shear fun of him is what makes him a standout. You can tell the writer had fun with him and I did too.
The villain of this book, Miles Hundredlives, was also great. How do you fight someone that cannot be killed and has indomitable will? More interestingly, he is a direct foil to Wax. Both were lawmen. Both are disillusioned with rampant corruption. Both are trying to fix the broken system, one from within and the other from without. Both refuse to give up. Both see themselves in their enemy and are thus both respectful and terrified of their opponent, yet... are also allured by the challenge. Loved the dynamic and was happy with all that the book was able to do with them only interacting twice in the entire novel.
I also enjoyed the romantic (?) parts of the story. Wax is in an arranged marriage and neither him nor his fiancé are interested in anything other than preserving their families' legacies. Thus a contract is made. I enjoyed this new take on having a romance without any romance (thus far), but still genuine care for the other individual. Granted, there was another contender for Wax's heart, but his casual and deliberate dismal-being fully aware of the age gap-was awesome.
Finally, the action was topnotch as is to be expected from a Sanderson novel.
In short, a fun trip through a unique fantasy environment and setting. Very much the opposite of its predecessor, this fun ride takes the world in a whole new direction.