The Alloy of Law Review

 

The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson – C

This is the 4^th book in the Mistborn fantasy series, and the first to go under the title of the Wax and Wayne books. There are currently two other books in this series, with the last one on the way. The stories in this series are set 300 years after the original Mistborn trilogy. They feature a cowboy-like gunslinger/lawman Waxillium Ladrain, and his sidekick Wayne. The setting up has a wild west lawman inherit a title and an estate. He returns to an early 20^th century type city, with some things like the beginning of electric lights and motor cars. There, he gets drawn into investigating a series of mysterious robberies.

I received this copy, like the other Sanderson title, from TOR for free. This time, no doubt to promote the release of the 4^th and last book in the Wax and Wayne series in November 2022.*

I did not get very far into Sanderson’s The Way of Kings, but this book was different enough for me to to finish it. It tells a less epic and more lighthearted story, which I much prefer, and features some likable characters – if you ignore the fact that Sanderson has them killing “bad guys” rather freely. Indeed, the story started out as a C+ story with potential, but lost points as it went along, for that and one related reason. That reason is that this read like a superhero comic book without the pictures. Some 30 years ago I started following some Marvel superhero comics. But that phase didn’t last all that long, as I soon grew tired of the formula: set up a conflict, stage an elaborate barroom fistfight with superpowers, leave it hanging in the balance. Resolve that cliffhanger in the next issue, set up the next reason for the next barroom fistfight with superpowers, rinse and repeat. Alloy of Law is something like those comics. It definitely is a superhero story.

Wax, Wayne, and the villain are superhero type characters in that each has different superhuman powers. Oh, Sanderson has devised an elaborate system of magic to explain these powers, but stripped of that terminology they're just like your typical collection of superheroes. The story, as I mentioned is something of a mystery, but like the comics, it usually served to set up the next superpower brawl, some of  which are so elaborate that they are spread over several chapters. Remember the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words? Well, since there are no pictures in this book, every panel of a theoretical The Alloy of Law comic book gets its thousand words. Or more. So if detailed descriptions of fights with flying people, time bubbles, and regeneration is your jam, you will likely enjoy this book. And given the popularity of Marvel movies it seems like that people do enjoy these elaborate superpower fistfights, so, if you are one of them, and can picture this type of action in your head, I dare say you will like The Alloy of Law. Even I got through the book, and while I could’ve stopped reading once I got tired of all the extended brawls, I kept on – if only because I’d have nothing to write about this week if it wasn’t The Alloy of Law.

Will I go on and read more in this series? I rather doubt it. It had an interesting world to explore, but Sanderson spent way too much time choreographing fight scenes for my taste. And heroes who shot a couple dozen people dead -- even "bad guys"  without remorse, are not really my idea of heroes.

*23 August 2022 Update; Well, TOR offered me a free ebook copy of the next one in the series -- Shadows of Self -- so I guess I'll give it a read. I wonder if they'll be giving away the third book as well? Stay turned.