[Books] The Alloy of Law

Time for my first book review. I've actually read quite a lot of books since my Time-sinks post on books and other media, but this is one of only two that I've read that have grabbed me strongly enough to warrant a blog post. Well, that's not strictly true, but in most cases I've not managed to get around to it!

The book up for review today is Brandon Sanderson's "The Alloy of Law", part of his Mistborn setting. This was the first book of Sanderson's that I've read, although I've heard of him and been meaning to read some of his output for some time. He was the other chosen to finish off the Wheel of Time upon the death of Robert Jordan, and my friend James is a big fan of his work and has been pestering me to try it out. Actually, this book was originally bought for James, but he already had a signed copy so gave it back to me!

UK paperback cover for The Alloy of Law. (Credit: thebooksmugglers.com)

Let me get my conclusions out of the way first: I loved this book. I was gripped by the story and the characters, and found it hard to put the book down. I know that's a bit of a cliché, but it's true in this case as I was picking the book up in every spare moment that I had. It's been a while since a book made me do that.

I really enjoyed the setting that Sanderson has created for this book. It's set on the same world as his earlier Mistborn trilogy, and not having read those books I was apprehensive about whether I'd be missing a lot of the background needed to understand what was going on. Fortunately that wasn't the case, and this book works well as a standalone novel. Yes, it's true that if I had read the trilogy then I would have got slightly more out of some of the throwaway lines and comments, but the time line has moved on significantly for this book and I get the impression that the setting is a completely different place. Throughout the book are inserts of newspapers from the city in which the book is set, which also help to define the setting and give you insight into the background politics and goings-on. These are brilliant, and really add to the character of the whole work.

A separate example of the newspaper featured in the book. The little stories and

demonstrations outlined in it are beautifully realistic. (Credit: openthefridge.net)

Perhaps my favourite part of the setting was the magic system that Sanderson has devised, known as Allomancy. Based on the ingestion of various metals and/or the their alloys to release a range of powers, it's unique as far as I know, and refreshing at that. I also like the fact that it's magic with limitations, with costs associated with its benefits, and with some manifestations that are entirely useless (or at least appear to be so). The magic integrates with the setting in an entirely natural way, and its clear that for the people of this world, it's an everyday thing; the slang terms and nicknames for the plethora of abilities, and the people that have them, do a lot to create this impression.

The basics of the Allomancy magic system. (Credit: mistborn.wikia.com)

The two lead characters are introduced a little abruptly for my liking, almost with an assumption that you should know all about them already. This is particularly true for the sidekick who turns up part way through the book. However Sanderson does a good job of developing the characters throughout the book, and of giving us glimpses of their history, motivations, and inner justifications for what they do, which softens that abruptness.  It helps that he's written two excellent characters. Both Waximillian and Wayne feel like complete human beings, and the back-and-forth banter between them gives the impression of two very old friends poking fun at each other, without ever descending into forced humour. The struggle that Waximillian goes through when trying to reconcile his previous existence in the almost lawless countryside with his new position as a noble in the big city is well written, and genuinely frustrating,. So much so that when he finally manages to combine these two facets of his existence, it feels like a real accomplishment and is a highlight of the book. Wayne initially appears as little more than the sidekick character, although his penchant for 'trading' to acquire new bits and bobs is entertaining. But it is the chapter written from his point of view that is very telling, particularly the discussion about the evolution and creation of accents. It is at this point that you start to realise that there's more to Wayne than is first apparent, and makes him a much better character.

The female characters are also interesting. There's the severe wife-to-be of Waximillian, who insists on everything being done in a proper fashion and according to a contract, right down to their courtship, but who becomes more sympathetic as the story progresses, even though she's not 'on screen for most of it'. That change in attitude is created through the female lead, who initially appears as a typical protagonist but turns into a fascinatingly intelligent and awkward women who can't help babbling facts and figures when she's nervous. The burgeoning love between her and Waximillian is a little trite, but does add to the noble hero aspect of the latter when he sticks to his principles.

Alternative cover for the book, showing Waximillian (front) and Wayne (back, with lucky hat). (Credit: thebooksmugglers.com)

Unfortunately the villain of the piece isn't as well written. His background and self-justification are interesting and plausible, but ultimately we've seen the 'tough policeman crossing the line' act before, and Sanderson in this case can't come up with a new twist on it. There's also an epilogue to the story, which is so obviously setting the book up for a sequel that it's almost insulting, and doesn't really add much in my opinion. There are obvious ways for the story to progress in further books anyway, through the mysterious backer of the main villain (again, a plot device that we've seen before), and the mysterious goings on around the main plot that are never explained or solved. The final scene nicely sets answers the 'who', whilst leaving the 'what' and 'why' open for the future. But the epilogue seems as though it's shoehorned in for some extra mystery and to tie the book into the previous Mistborn trilogy.

Ultimately though, it's not enough to ruin a fantastic book. I'd recommend this to anyone even vaguely interested in fantasy writing. It's got a bit of a 'Firefly' feel to it as well, with the combination of wild west overtones and industrial revolution technology. I'm definitely going to try more of Brandon Sanderson's books after this one.