Shadows of Self
So, back when I read The Alloy of Law, I thought the faux-Western age deserved more fleshing out and the stories introduced there were not finish. Well, apparently I wasn't the only one to think that, as Shadows of Self is a sequel. Reading it nearly four years later sort of sucks, but Sanderson had to go finish The Wheel of Time and whatnot, so what can you do?
The main story is decent, with appealing characters and action. The setting and systems (magic) are still interesting. I would have to say that the primary antagonist could have played things a lot smarter by not saving an ace in the hole until the very last minute. But overall, it works reasonably well and it's still good to see the destructive do-gooder Wax and his cohorts again. It's neat to see kandra characters as well.
But the part(s) I find most fascinating involve the grander scheme of things. The once-mortal god Harmony is fallible, and very aware of it, admitting he might have made things "too easy" for humans who haven't had to push boundaries (mentioning at one point that people should have developed radio by now). He's trying for a light touch, balancing the forces of Preservation and Ruin for the benefit of people, but sometimes there's no good answer. The addition of kandra characters who have been around for centuries and seen the age before adds to this, as does the lingering plot thread of an unknown metal and serious implication that there are other gods out there (presumably with other worlds).
Definitely worth the read to me, and I remain a fan of the Mistborn series.
The main story is decent, with appealing characters and action. The setting and systems (magic) are still interesting. I would have to say that the primary antagonist could have played things a lot smarter by not saving an ace in the hole until the very last minute. But overall, it works reasonably well and it's still good to see the destructive do-gooder Wax and his cohorts again. It's neat to see kandra characters as well.
But the part(s) I find most fascinating involve the grander scheme of things. The once-mortal god Harmony is fallible, and very aware of it, admitting he might have made things "too easy" for humans who haven't had to push boundaries (mentioning at one point that people should have developed radio by now). He's trying for a light touch, balancing the forces of Preservation and Ruin for the benefit of people, but sometimes there's no good answer. The addition of kandra characters who have been around for centuries and seen the age before adds to this, as does the lingering plot thread of an unknown metal and serious implication that there are other gods out there (presumably with other worlds).
Definitely worth the read to me, and I remain a fan of the Mistborn series.
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