Shadows of Self

Shadows of Self is a darker continuation of Brandon Sanderson’s Alloy Era books and the greater Mistborn saga. The Alloy of Law was a flying adventure that introduced us to a magic suffused version of the Wild West where the character were humorously innocent in spite of their own troubled past. Shadows of Self moves beyond the lighthearted “shoot ’em up” story line and takes us into the heart and soul of Waxillium Ladrian’s past and the trouble that is hunting the city of Elendel. Do not read Shadows of Self if you haven’t read The Alloy of Law! You don’t have to read the Mistborn series to get into the Alloy Era books, but you need to have an idea about Wax and Wayne’s history and how they came to Elendel to appreciate the development in Shadows of Self. Sanderson spends a lot of time in Shadows of Self building upon the backstories of characters introduced to us in The Alloy of Law. Unfortunately, while we find out more about Wax, Wayne, and Marasi, the pacing of the story ends up feeling off in some parts. The plot jumps around from person to person and the “bad guys” never develop the depth needed in order for their motives to make sense. In the vast sea of characters and tides of reasoning, the main focus takes a miandering route that sometimes forgets it’s own purpose – which is really suprising considering Sanderson’s masterful writing style. I would also LOVE to know more about Steris Harms! Steris hints at being an extremely complex and fascinating character that has been overshadowed by the characters around her. The setting and world-building in this story feel like they could have sprung right from a history book. While the technological advances and attitude mirrors the Gilded Age, magic and hundreds of years of history from the Mistborn trilogy seamlessly create a unique world more compelling than the world from which it was birthed! Sanderson does an amazing job of making the issues and passions of the Elendel people seem so REAL. The cultural and religious diversity that the story is built around give the world an uncommon depth. Shadows of Self in part feels like a middle book which makes me even more excited to see how the series continues. Thankfully the next book in the Alloy Era, The Bands of Mourning, will be out on the 29th of January! The Alloy Era books still hold a special place in my heart as my favorite books from Sanderson. With all the things that I wish would have been different in Shadows of Self, the writing and plot development still make this book leagues better than most I have read this year. Sanderson has a special talent and I am excited to continue to follow along on his adventures.

The twists and turns throughout the entire book. I mean the ENTIRE book. Can’t wait to get through my depression with the next book.

A fair bit smaller than the entries of the original Mistborn trilogy, Shadows of Self makes up for it with a more complex and dynamic setting, set in what is approximately a turn-of-the-century technological era 300 years after the conclusion of the original trilogy. While I enjoyed the greater development that the original books had (being easily more than half as big again), Shadows of Self (along with the preceding novella The Alloy of law) answers the question I always had in the original trilogy, what would happen if the Metallic Arts were combined with guns? We get an interesting look at how society on Scadriel has evolved in the centuries since Ruin and Preservation were fused into Harmony, and it is interesting to note how lords and noble-born people still rule the world, with the working class resenting their wealth and frequent corruption. Brandon Sanderson has two great strengths as a writer, which are developing complex and nuanced magic systems, and developing complex and nuanced characters, and both of those talents shine here. As I said before, the addition of guns adds a whole new dimension to how the Metallic Arts are used, such as deflecting or accelerating bullets, and it makes a nice change having the combat move to mostly ranged as opposed melee fighting. For the characters, Sanderson makes them flawed, believable and emotionally resonant, and he doesn't limit this to just the heroes. As with his other works, the villains are as much the heroes of their own stories as are the heroes of this one, and it's great to see how a lot of people don't actually regard the heroes of this story as such, for example, a newspaper clipping pointing out just how much damage Wax tends to cause while hunting for criminals. The newspaper clippings were a great way to develop the world without bogging down the story with tedious exposition, but I admit it was very hard to read them on the kindle. Sanderson has stated that the Mistborn books coming out over the next couple of years will be shorter and faster-paced than the Stormlight Archives (which remain my Gold Standard for fantasy), and I have to admit that I would prefer more Stormlight Archives books than Mistborn books, but I still loved this book, and saying that this is inferior to some of his other works means very little when it is still vastly superior to most fantasy books. Although I really want another big, thick Brandon Sanderson book to sink my teeth into, when you compare this to most fantasy books that come out, it is easily a five-star read.

Brandon has very quickly become one of my favorite authors, I was turned onto him by a friend ironically with the Mistborn series. The first three takes place in a different time period than this second series and I have to admit I wasn't sure if I would like reading a book that takes place in a time period where gunslingers and lawmen are transitioning into more sophisticated times of skyscrapers, automobile's, and electricity. After reading the first one I was hooked, I have often thought of what it would be like for some sort of spellcaster from fantasy to transition into another time period and how it would effect people around them. I love how Brandon writes these books and describes how they are viewed as more of a nuisance than anything. I will tell you if you have not read this series start with Mistborn 1st and work your way into second part of series with alloys of law. You will not be disappointed with anything that Brandon has written. I have now read 11 of his books in less than a year and I am caught up with most of the series he has written. While waiting for his next book to come out I am going back and re-reading the Wheel of time series and actually finishing it for the first time with the final 3 books written by Brandon Sanderson for Robert Jordan. Again I would recommend any series written by Brandon he is an amazing author.

Another intense story from the best fantasy autor nowadays, Brandon Sanderson, totally recommended! I Can't wait for Bands of Mournings!

It’s amazing to think on the continuity of the saga: the details fit so well, this one is probably my favorite of the whole series!

Die Geschichte überzeugt mit spannender Handlung, gut ausgearbeiteten Charakteren und überraschenden Wendungen. Das Tempo ist hoch, wodurch das Buch durchweg fesselnd bleibt. Besonders beeindruckend ist die Balance zwischen Action, Intrigen und emotionalen Momenten, die den Band abwechslungsreich und unterhaltsam machen. Die Welt von Mistborn bleibt detailreich und lebendig. Positiv: spannende Handlung, tiefgründige Charaktere, abwechslungsreich, fesselnd, detailreiche Welt. Negativ: bisher keine nennenswerten Nachteile. Fazit: Ein exzellenter Band der Mistborn-Reihe – klare 5 Sterne.

I love Brandon Sandersons writing style - having been introduced to his writing via his amazing conclusion to the Wheel of Time series. It reminds me a bit of David (and Leigh) Eddings' style - a nice easy read and hard to put down. The worlds are well thought out, the characters are interesting and there's plenty of action. The Mistborn novels were my first purchases from his "own" novels - and I'm hooked. I've since bought the Skyward series and more recently (now that he's finished the 1st arc) the Stormlight series (yet to read).

I am really surprised with all that happened in this book. I highly suggest you read it. Another great history from Sanderson...