The Alloy of Law: A Mistborn Novel [Hardcover]

Brandon Sanderson (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 8, 2011 | Series: Mistborn (Book 4)

Fresh from the success of The Way of Kings, Brandon Sanderson, best known for completing Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time®, takes a break to return to the world of the bestselling Mistborn series.

Three hundred years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy, Scadrial is now on the verge of modernity, with railroads to supplement the canals, electric lighting in the streets and the homes of the wealthy, and the first steel-framed skyscrapers racing for the clouds.

Kelsier, Vin, Elend, Sazed, Spook, and the rest are now part of history—or religion. Yet even as science and technology are reaching new heights, the old magics of Allomancy and Feruchemy continue to play a role in this reborn world. Out in the frontier lands known as the Roughs, they are crucial tools for the brave men and women attempting to establish order and justice.

One such is Waxillium Ladrian, a rare Twinborn, who can Push on metals with his Allomancy and use Feruchemy to become lighter or heavier at will.  After twenty years in the Roughs, Wax has been forced by family tragedy to return to the metropolis of Elendel. Now he must reluctantly put away his guns and assume the duties and dignity incumbent upon the head of a noble house. Or so he thinks, until he learns the hard way that the mansions and elegant tree-lined streets of the city can be even more dangerous than the dusty plains of the Roughs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for the Mistborn series and Brandon Sanderson:

“ [The Hero of Ages] brings the Mistborn epic fantasy trilogy to a dramatic and surprising climax…. Sanderson’s saga of consequences offers complex characters and a compelling plot, asking hard questions about loyalty, faith, and responsibility.”
--Publishers Weekly

“ Sanderson is an evil genius. There is simply no other way to describe what he’s managed to pull off in this transcendent final volume of his Mistborn trilogy.”
--RT Book Reviews (Gold Medal, Top Pick!) on The Hero of Ages

“ It’s rare for a fiction writer to have much understanding of how leadership works and how love really takes root in the human heart. Sanderson is astonishingly wise.”
--Orson Scott Card

About the Author

Brandon Sanderson grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. He lives in Utah with his wife and children and teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University. He will shortly complete Robert Jordan’s bestselling Wheel of Time® series with the long-awaited A Memory of Light.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition edition (November 8, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765330423
• ISBN-13: 978-0765330420
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (320 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #162,515 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm Brandon Sanderson, and I write epic fantasy novels for Tor Books. The sixth novel I wrote, ELANTRIS, was my first published, and I followed this up with the Mistborn trilogy and WARBREAKER. I was also chosen to complete Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series based on his notes, resulting in THE GATHERING STORM, TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT, and A MEMORY OF LIGHT. I'm now launching my own grand epic that I've wanted to tell for many years, starting with THE WAY OF KINGS.

Read an excerpt here: tor.com/wok

More sample chapters from all of my books are available at brandonsanderson.com/library -- and check out the rest of my site for chapter-by-chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and more.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

(What's this?)

#46 Overall (See top 100 authors)

#7 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

#7 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#9 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#20 in Books > Teens

#46 in Books

#7 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

#7 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#9 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#20 in Books > Teens

#46 in Books

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

107 of 114 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Allomancy in the Old West (but don't be scared if you don't like Westerns) November 8, 2011

By RavenRing

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Wax is a lawman livin in the Roughs where most folks think law optional. Its a rough place, but for the last 20 years its the place Wax called home. But when his uncle dies, he is called back to the city of Elendel to become the head of the nobel house of Ladrian. But once a lawman, always a lawman, and when a string of robberies are committed by a crew dubbed 'The Vanishers', Wax can't help but start investigating. And once he starts he finds himself pulled in entirely.

Picture a Mistborn Western and you'll get The Alloy of Law. I'm not at all interested in Westerns, but I LOVED Mistborn, so there was no doubt in my mind that I HAD to read this book. The beginning was a little slow and the setting quite like that of the Old West. But as soon as the story moves to the city, things start getting exciting and more Mistborn like. There are several references to characters and events from the original series, though you might not recognize them at first considering you are hearing about them from characters who are living three hundred years after the end of the original trilogy. Things get changed over the years and three hundred years is a long time. I thought it was really cool how that was woven in. Keep an eye out for Spook's weird speech patten at one point (I laughed when I understood what it meant when it called it High Imperial).

The characters were really interesting. Wax is in his forties, with twenty years of lawkeepen behind him, so he isn't like most hot headed youngsters you read about in fantasy. Wayne is just an amusing character, with lots of emphasis on character. Marasi is a smart, brave girl who constantly spouted off statistics about crime, which was really interesting. I really liked all three of them and enjoyed reading about them.

You don't really need to have read the original trilogy to enjoy this book. It stands all on its own, which is pretty neat. In the Acknowledgments at the front of the book, Brandon Sanderson says that he originally envisioned Mistborn as three trilogies - one in the past, present, and future. He clearly states that The Alloy of Law is not one of those trilogies, but a side project that grew up on its own. So I am now really looking forward to even MORE Mistborn!

UPDATE 8/01/12: Brandon Sanderson posted a blog entry today, mostly about the final Wheel of Time book, but he also had something to say about The Alloy of Law. YES, there will be a sequel. So for all the people that didn't like the unfinished ending - there WILL be more! Yay!

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great story within a great world by a great author. Incomplete, however. February 8, 2012

By Tommy

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have read most of Brandon Sanderson's novels, including his Wheel Of Time additions. I am a big fan of his, and the genre in general, and read almost excessively. After having read the original Mistborn trilogy, I was very excited to hear this one announced. I only recently got to this book on my list, and having completed it in a single day I come away with mixed feelings.

Pros: It is a Sanderson book, and he seems to be turning into quite the masterful fantasy storyteller. He manages to come up with great new magic systems for each of his books, while also developing excellent characters and believable worlds. He manages to make you care about what is happening. This book is no exception. The characters read as real people, with distinct personalities, habits and mannerisms that charm or annoy you, weaknesses and strengths you can appreciate, et cetera. He manages to make you love or hate characters wthout making them absolutely good or evil. Specific to this book, you find that even the worst beings within have a sense of humanity about them. There is a sense of what makes them tick. Even if you despise the character, they feel human and you can understand their motives. Brandon Sanderson manages to avoid the typical pure evil "no knowing his mind" character for an antagonists. Likewise, the protagonists are never flawless knights in shining armor. They aren't titans who never show weakness of fault. They are people who are trying to do good or to achieve high goals, but do not always make it. This book advances an excellent story that began in the trilogy. I would not recommend this unless you have read the Mitborn trilogy, and I will not get into explaining the world. This book advances the world to an era similar to our late Victorian period. It sort of has a steampunk feel, but not entirely. There is a certain sense of wonder at impossible new technologies and machines that comes with that steampunk edge. That is mixed in with a bit of the western feel, but it is not a western. Toss these excellent characteristics into the mistborn world and it is an excellent mix. A wonderfully fresh and well designed magic system, a world with many religions rooted in stories you'll remember from the trilogy, excellent characters, and the sense of excitement, wonder, and adventure from the steampunk and western influences. It also takes on a slight Holmesian feel, with the main character being more than just a gunslinger or wizard or warrior. All in all, it mixes many of my favorite things and manages to keep them all clean and interesting. Overall, a very good read that was an easy single sitting book because I never grew weary of what I was reading.

CONS: It feels more like a very long "short" story than a full novel. This is not a bad thing alone, but it comes out incomplete. The ending feels like the ending of the first act of a play, not the ending of a novel. Mr. Sanderson spends an entire book developing these excellent characters with real relationships within an exciting world just exploding into the modern era, surrounded by amazing mythology and history rolled into religions based on the near flawless trilogy. It feels like such a great introduction into a new world of discovery, and right when you start to really dive in he pulls the plug and yells "You don't have to go home but you can't stay here!!" It's a massive let down. The worst part is that everything is so good, so well done, that I was loving every sentence, right up until I hit the back cover. Instead of putting it down early out of boredom, or finishing a 300 page book satisfied with a story well told, I turned the page wondering where the next chapter had disappeared to. It appears that this is a stand-alone novel, so we won't find out what happens to these excellent characters or how the different schemes turned out, where the world goes, anything, and that is frustrating when you realize that he has woven a world and a character set that you really loved and want to read more of.

My first book "review" so I'm sure it was hard to follow, but overall: Great story, great author, and a worthy read, but incomplete and disappointing because of this. Brandon has been pumping out material at an incredible pace, and the quality of the material has been outstanding, but I think this book was pushed out before completion and for a work of such great potential this is particularly disappointing.

30 of 36 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars It's not stealing when you give something back, mate November 9, 2011

By Mathachew

Format:Hardcover

It has been a while since I have had the pleasure of returning to a Brandon Sanderson book. Having read all of his published works over the span of a few months (excluding his Wheel of Time books), I was having Sanderson withdrawal. Enter The Alloy of Law, a Mistborn book during an industrial revolution period. Considering I have yet to read a Sanderson book that I have not thoroughly enjoyed, I was psyched for this book and having just finished it, my expectations were met and darn it, I want more!

I love the Mistborn universe. It provides a fantastic setting incorporating an enjoyable and unique magic system that is well thought out and given great attention. The original trilogy had a typical fantasy setting, pretty much devoid of any semblance to the present. So when I found out The Alloy of Law was going to have industrial technology and have a Western feel, I did not feel one bit of trepidation. I typically avoid Westerns because I do not like the setting, but this was Brandon Sanderson, my favorite author, the same guy that did not disappoint me with any of his books that I read. If anyone could take an environment that I care little about and make it enjoyable to read, he could. And he did, masterfully I might add. A wonderful blend of imagination and science that further enhances the story and provides an entertaining experience.

Sanderson has a knack for witty and humorous characters (Sanderson's Alcatraz series is full of them). While Waxillium, the main character, more or less fits a typical hero mold, he is a noble and cunning hero that you feel compelled to like and follow. Conflicted, determined and thorough, Wax is good at what he does and it was a fun ride watching him do his thing. Wayne is a fantastic supporting character who literally had me laughing with his sharp witticisms and seeing, or reading, him in action was a treat in itself. Two other characters make a brief appearances, but that is all the tease I will give. You will just have to read the book yourself to find out more; it would not hurt to read the Mistborn trilogy either (and why shouldn't you? It is a fantastic read!).

When the story was over, I really wanted more. This originally started out as a standalone novel and is literally half the length of his typical works, but Sanderson left it wide open so that he can easily revisit this setting. Because of its short length and lack of depth that his other Mistborn novels contained, I gave it a four. If it were truly standalone with no loose ends, perhaps it would've been slightly more satisfying. This is a book of mystery that is but a piece of a larger picture, similar to The Final Empire, but much more open. In typical Sanderson fashion, the story is easy to read, will have you hooked and is hands down far more satisfying than much else out there. Sanderson goes to great lengths so that his plots are not convoluted and characters do not behave or act without a lick of sense just to progress the plot. My biggest problem with this book is that it was not longer. Another great read and I look forward to revisiting Wax, Wayne and Marasi in the future.