Book Notes: "Shadows of Self", by Brandon Sanderson

"Shadows of Self", by Brandon Sanderson, continues the adventures of Lord Waxillium, begun in "Alloy of Law" (which I reviewed here).

The first book, "Alloy of Law", could be described as "old-fashioned (magical) Western lawman hits back at big-city crime".  It's largely focused on Our Hero, Lord Wax, the lawman-become-aristocrat. This sequel, on the other hand, is fun precisely because the sidekicks get a lot more play in the story - without the hero himself ever losing the determined purpose that keeps the plot ticking along.

My favorite character of this story was one of the sidekicks in particular: Wayne.  (And yes, Sanderson admitted that "Wax and Wayne" was meant as a pun.  In addition to that groaner, I invite you to look for the - TOTALLY JUSTIFIED BY THE PLOT - tinfoil hats worn by some of the townsfolk to protect their brains from interference. Sanderson really commits to his puns and jokes; it's great.)

Wayne, the sticky-fingered sidekick, has such a fun, sideways view of the world. He makes strange-yet-sensible observations all throughout the book. He's that guy whose comments always make you say, "What?!? . . . oh, um, yeah. I guess that's true." It was always fun to come across another scene about him.


All of the sidekick plots eventually take a back seat to the main story, which finds Lord Wax trying to discover who is causing all the riots and upheaval all over the city, and why. And the answer is one of Sanderson's signature surprises: he's so good at giving you that of course moment - the surprising-yet-inevitable conclusion that makes his books so satisfying at the end.

So, I'm not going to spoil that part. But I will recommend the book: it's an enjoyable read that doesn't disappoint. Looking forward to the next installment!


Peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell


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Weekly Links: Language, Nerds, History, and more!

My weekly round-up of interesting reading from around the web:

-When my babies were still actually babies, I remember noticing that "ma" meant "mama", "milk", and "more", and that all of those things were pretty much the same thing in their little minds . . . if you've noticed the same thing, you'll probably enjoy this article: "Why the Words for 'Mom' and 'Dad' Sound So Similar in So Many Languages".

-I've heard people talk about "pastor theologians" a lot recently; here's the flip-side: "Pastoral Theologians".

-"We Have Met the Nerds, and They Are Us: Fandom, Fanfic, and the Landscape of Desire". This article goes from cultural phenomena to a Christian insight. I appreciated that, but I think my favorite part was this very clear description of the current zeitgeist:

In the West, and in America especially, we have grown up into a system that prizes desire above all. We all, nerd and non-nerd alike, live in our separate landscapes of desire. And we all have stories to tell, stories of scars and damage. It’s a hallmark of the contemporary West that we all feel like victims, we all feel broken. And we arebroken, but we also want what we want, and who the hell are you to tell me I’m wrong?

-Author Brandon Sanderson is in the middle of a very ambitious writing project - one that spans most of his published work - and I enjoyed reading his thoughts about what he's doing here: "Shadows of Self and the Mistborn Mega-Series".

-Finally, this is a great article that knocks down some old fables about a misunderstood period of history: "How the Middle Ages Really Were".

Book Notes: "Alloy of Law", by Brandon Sanderson

"Alloy of Law", by Brandon Sanderson, is set in the same universe as his Mistborn books, which I read and enjoyed - mostly.  The world-building of Mistborn is stupendous, the plot is compelling, the theology (because all fantasy books have theology) is . . . ugh.  Which didn't really matter till the end. But, still. It was a letdown, to say the least. Not being a dualist, not being a fan of men becoming gods, it just didn't work for me.

Happily, "Alloy of Law" is set in the same fascinating world without hardly any of the troubling theology.

"Alloy of Law" takes place a long time after the events of the first Mistborn trilogy. It's a Western, sort of.  And a heist. sort of.

And it manages that great Sanderson trick: ending with a "I-never-saw-that-coming-but-of-course!" awesome moment that makes the whole plot make sense.  (I love it when Sanderson pulls that off.)

"Alloy of Law" is about Waxillium Ladrian, a some-time lawman who has recently become a lord, and has found life in the city not quite to his liking. But his new elevated existence suddenly becomes less boring when a fellow lawman turns out to be a villain, terrorizing the city Wax now claims as his home.  And who best to stop a former lawman but a fellow lawman?

If you like Westerns and you like fantasy, you'll love this adventurous tale. I myself found it an excellent addition to my vacation reading, and I'm looking forward to reading the forthcoming sequel.



Peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell



This post contains Amazon affiliate links. (See full disclosure on sidebar of my blog.)