Mistborn: The Alloy of Law
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Brandon Sanderson |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Chris McGrath |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Mistborn |
| Genre | Fantasy novel |
| Published | 8 November 2011[1] by Tor Books |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 336 pp |
| ISBN | 0-7653-3042-3 |
| OCLC | 707969381 |
| 813.6 | |
| LC Class | PS3619.A533 |
| Preceded by | Mistborn: The Hero of Ages |
| Followed by | Mistborn: Shadows of Self |
Mistborn: The Alloy of Law (abbreviated as AOL by fans) is the first novel in the high fantasy series Wax and Wayne written by American author Brandon Sanderson. It is a sequel to the trilogy of the Mistborn series (which consists of Mistborn: The Final Empire, Mistborn: The Well of Ascension, and Mistborn: The Hero of Ages), and the setting of the novel is approximately 300 years after the conclusion of the trilogy.[2] It was released on 8 November 2011 by Tor Books.[3][4] The second in the follow-up trilogy, titled Mistborn: Shadows of Self, was released on October 6, 2015, and the third, Mistborn: The Bands of Mourning, was released on January 26, 2016.
The story includes two Twinborn, who are able to use some abilities that were not featured in the trilogy, and introduces the concept of Twinborns to the Mistborn mythos.[5]
Conception
The work that eventually turned into Mistborn: The Alloy of Law was originally a creative writing exercise, not necessarily intended for publication, to help clear Sanderson's head before continuing work on A Memory of Light from The Wheel of Time and the next book in The Stormlight Archive. It turned out better than expected and was released for publication.[6]
Background
Tor provided a short synopsis of the novel:
| “ | Three hundred years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy, Scadrial is 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.[1] |
” |
Characters
- Waxillium "Wax" Ladrian: a descendant of Breeze's house from the original series, he is in his forties with twenty years of lawman experience. After leaving his life as a lawman in the Roughs, he returns to rebuild his House, which his uncle left poor and destitute. He is shown to be an excellent shot with pistols and rifles, as well as an astute investigator. He is a Twinborn with the allomantic ability to push metals and feruchemical ability to increase or decrease his weight.
- Wayne: Wax's best friend and deputy, Wayne follows Wax back to the city and continues to pester him into rejoining the law career. Being a Twinborn as well, he is able to make time bubbles, in which time speeds up so that he can change into a different disguise, have a private conversation, or simply catch his breath during a fight; and store health in goldminds to heal quickly, in exchange for a period of poor health.
- Marasi: an intelligent, but shy young woman, she studies law in the university and occasionally blurts out random statistics. After hearing the rumors regarding Wax and Wayne's good deeds in the Roughs, she becomes a fan and tags along with them. She has the opposite of Wayne's power, slowing down time inside the bubble, while outside the bubble time flows freely.
- Steris: is a highborn lady bethrothed to Wax. She is characterized as a stiff, formal and somewhat boring young woman. Wax is aware of these traits yet agrees to marry her hoping to settle down in the city. When she is kidnapped by a gang of robbers called the Vanishers, Wax takes it upon himself to track them down and rescue her.
- Miles: is a former lawman and acquaintance of Wax from his time in the Roughs. He has turned bitter against the system and believes that the wealth and pomp of Elendel is the cause of the deprivation in the Roughs. He is also a Twinborn with the ability to heal any wounds to his self near instantly.
- Lessie: was Wax' love interest and also worked as a team with Wax when he served as a lawman. Wax kills her by accident when he shoots a serial killer. This affects him psychologically and he is not able to work as lawman anymore. The sad incident becomes the impetus for Wax to leave the Roughs and come back to Elendel. Marasi is shown to have several attributes similar to Lessie, which makes Wax attracted to Marasi.
Follow-up Trilogy
On December 18, 2014 Brandon Sanderson said he will be writing a follow-up trilogy to The Alloy of Law.[7] The working titles for the books are Mistborn: Shadows of Self, Mistborn: The Bands of Mourning, and Mistborn: The Lost Metal.[8]
References
- 1 2 "Mistborn: The Alloy of Law Cover & Details Emerge!". Tor.com. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
- ↑ Cilli, Dominic (2011). "The Alloy of Law: A Mistborn Novel". SFSite.com. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
- ↑ "Brandon Sanderson continuing Mistborn with The Alloy of Law". SFScope. 2010-12-03.
- ↑ "Tor announces acquisitions of two new novels by Brandon Sanderson". Tor/Forge's Blog. 2010-12-02.
- ↑ "THE ALLOY OF LAW". Kirkus. 1 November 2011. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
- ↑ "Wrapping Up My Time Off". BrandonSanderson.com. 2011-01-06.
- ↑ "State of the Sanderson: December 2014". BrandonSanderson.com. 2014-12-18.
- ↑ http://brandonsanderson.com/state-of-the-sanderson-december-2014/
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||