Shadows of Self

August 31, 2015
Sanderson (The Alloy of Law) brings back crime fighter Waxillium Ladrian for the excellent fifth Mistborn industrial revolution fantasy, which opens a new subseries. Nearly two decades have passed since Wax worked as a lawman for hire in the Roughs, the dusty territory far removed from his home city of Elendel. Now he assists the constabulary of Elendel, and his latest case looks to be a bad one. An unknown assassin has killed several people at an auction, both nobles and criminals—including Winsting Innate, the governor’s brother. The governor himself is the next likely target, but Wax learns from Harmony, his deity, that the assassin is not human at all but a Faceless Immortal. With the assistance of the lovable but dodgy sidekick Wayne and lawyer-turned-constable Marasi Colms, Wax hopes to cobble together enough power and talent to save the day. Sanderson’s fantasy world partakes equally of steampunk, early industry, and the Wild West, and he cleverly incorporates the metal-shaping magic of feruchemists and allomancers. Fantasy fans will savor this exciting escapade. Agent: Joshua Bilmes, JABberwocky Literary Agency.

September 15, 2015

Picking up after 2011's Alloy of Law, this book has Waxillium Ladrian now ensconced in the capital city of Elendel, although he hasn't completely left his Wild West days in the Roughs behind. Someone seems to be stirring Elendel's working classes into a state of unrest, and Wax, his partner Wayne, and constable Marasi need to put a lid on the potential riots, protect the governor, and deal with whoever is pulling all the strings. An immense amount of backstory is hinted at from both the original "Mistborn" trilogy and the previous volume of this time-jumped new series, but Sanderson does a great job of bringing new readers up to speed. Fast, smart dialog and an abundance of exciting action keep the pages turning. VERDICT Although there are too many descriptions of Wax's metal-wielding powers, the magic system that Sanderson has developed shows why this is one of his great strengths in the fantasy field. Picking out a favorite character might be hard--honorable but haunted Wax has merits, as does the lovely Marasi, struggling to succeed in the Elendel Constabulary--but Wayne remains one of the most charmingly irrepressible thieves in fantasy.--MM

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