Book Review – Mitosis by Brandon Sanderson

Sub-headed as a novella on my copy, Mitosis, stretches the definition of the term.  This beautifully produced hardback contains the title story, some illustrated character dossiers and a chapter from the upcoming sequel to Steelheart, the January release, Firefight.

The story follows our protagonist David Charleston, a Reckoner as he walks the streets of the now freed Newcargo (Chicago of a future besieged by corrupted humans with superpowers).  He and his group of normal humans have defeated the tyrant Steelheart and life seems to be returning to something nearing normality.  Refugees are returning to the city, now free from the corrupt Epics (evil super powered humans).  There is hope.  That is until disgruntled Epics, start seeking out the human that killed Steelheart.

To be honest with you, Mitosis is really a long short story, indeed many of the short works I have been reading for the Aurealis Awards are longer.  The title story comes in at around 44 pages of large text.  The story is however smoothly written and action packed, working well as an introduction to the larger series for newcomers, like myself and drip feeding diehard fans with more of what they love.

I did feel compelled to go and read the start of the series.  So I tips my hat to Mr Sanderson. I did find some of David’s mannerisms…”like” annoying, but he grows on you after awhile.  The concept of super powered mutants is hardly original but Sanderson manages to somehow infuse it with a neo-western feel (perhaps that’s just David’s mannerisms). I do like some of Sanderson’s writing and he seems to have a lighter touch here than he did in The Alloy of Law, which although I enjoyed, did almost feel at times like I was reading a role playing game sourcebook in relation to his outlining of the magic system.

I’d personally baulk at paying the full cover price for what is essentially a short story and some advertising for the next novel.  It is, however superbly written, with some wonderfully interior illustrations.  A great Christmas present for the fan, but as a first purchase I think the fantasy loving reader in your household would probably prefer that you start with Steelheart (or purchase it as well).  Once you get into the story you’ll want more of it. 

This book was provided by the publisher at no cost.

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Book Review–Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

Imagine being able to take a piece of your soul and use it to manipulate the fabric of the world around you; from augmenting your strength, to animating the inanimate to creating an army of 40,000 lifeless zombies.
Such is the magical system of Sanderson’s Warbreaker .  A tale of two exiled royal sisters Vivenna and Siri, one of whom must marry the Returned (resurrected) God King. 

It’s a tale of two cultures, one austere the other flamboyant, one that delights in the ability to use BioChromatic magic, one that see’s it as an abomination.

These two cultures are set on a path to war, the sisters must stop it.  Help as well as hindrance will come from strange quarters, and if you thought the politics of humans was internecine, they have nothing on the gods.

Thumbs Up?
Sanderson is to be applauded for giving us, once again a detailed and unique magic system that is entwined into the very fabric of the story, rather than a tacked on after thought. 

The concept of BioChromatic magic- a magic that comes from the Breath,  a transference of a soul like power into inanimate or dead objects, is brilliant.  The way that it manifests, draining the colour from objects it’s stored in, or enhancing the vision, taste and feel of those that hold more than one Breath, makes for some stunning imagery.

The depiction of two strong female protagonists in Siri and Vivenna was also a welcome inclusion, even better though was that their strength was for the most part displayed through non violent means.  Not all strong female heroes need to be Xena.

The use of  Breath as currency, or a commodity to be bought and sold, the symbiotic relationship between Gods and their followers was, dare I say it a breath of fresh air. 
The world of Warbreaker is definitely not your traditional fantasy setting.

Thumbs down?
And that for me was part of its undoing.  Front loaded with gorgeous world building and detailed description of the workings and logic of the magic system, the pace of Warbreaker doesn’t pick up until about page 400. 

There is enough information within the book to easily background a trilogy, but the end of Warbreaker sees a fairly solid resolution that doesn’t require another book. I can’t but feel that the book should have been shorter and more succinct or spread out over two or three books.

The theological banter and witty repartee between the god Lightsong and whoever he chose to inflict his wit on, also began to grate on me. The dialogue in the later began to feel overdone, while my irritation with the former might just be my increasing impatience with theological waffle in reality.

Verdict
The last third of the novel saves it.  Sanderson creates a wonderfully intricate society and magic system, slowly moving the plot forward for 400 pages and then bam it’s all over. If you have the stamina it’s worth hanging in until the last third of the book.

This book was provided by the publisher at no cost to myself

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Book Review–The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson

This is my first Brandon Sanderson and on this book alone it probably wont be my last¹.

Fantasy is a tough field in which to appear original or even fresh.  With The Alloy of Law though, I felt my self being pleasantly surprised by Sanderson’s take on the march of progress within his own Mistborn Universe.

The The Alloy of Law is set several hundred years after the events of the original Mistborn Trilogy.  If I were to describe it in one sentence, it’s a magical, western, adventure mystery set in an increasingly industrialised fantasy world.

The Tale
Our lead Wax, the black sheep of a respected noble family returns to the city after long years spent in the “Roughs” as a magic wielding, six shooting lawman.  He’s escaping from a tragedy in which he played a part, only to find his noble House in disarray after the untimely death of his Uncle and Sister. 

Resigned to acting respectable, Lord Waxillium Ladrian puts aside his former life and sets about finding a marriage of convenience to restore the family’s honour and finances.  It’s not long before boredom and a spate of mysterious robberies and kidnappings draws him back into his previous life.
He’s aided in this adventure by a long time associate and light-fingered friend Wayne and the cousin of the woman he is to marry, Lady Marasi, who is training as lawyer.

Steampunk my dear Watson?
I prevaricated on adding a steampunk tag to The Alloy of Law - it certainly has the pseudo Victorian/industrialisation vibe. It lacks, to my mind though, the Mad scientist/Artificer component. That being said it will appeal to those that enjoy the Steampunk sub-genre.

The mystery component and the interplay between Wax and Wayne has echoes of Sherlock Holmes - a mysterious criminal mastermind, a lead with a tragic past.

A magical mash up of Western and Wuxia
On the surface there’s no direct referencing of Asian culture but the visuals and the moral message of the tale certainly are reminiscent of the Wuxia. Wayne also uses a pair of duelling canes which I take to be a not so subtle tip toward the Filipino art of Eskrima.
Wax’s magical abilities allow him to push off certain metals and to make his body lighter or heavier.  Visually we have a character that can fly, and deflect bullets, another that can alter time. It’s a novel that I think would translate very well to film.

Judging a book by its cover
We shouldn’t but we do.  Book art is an integral part of the reading of the text.  In some cases it will be what draws you to a book.  In all cases, I think, it begins that process of drawing you into the world(or distracting you if its bad or ill fitting).

On that note I vastly prefer the white cover by Sam Green, its in keeping with  the rest of the Mistborn Series and has wider appeal than the faux Western style of the US cover. 

What I really appreciated was the interior art inserts in the form of The Elendel Daily, a broadsheet from the city in which the story is set in.  A lovely touch that was reminiscent of the 19th Century convention of illustrating novels. An excellent use of art to further aid reader immersion.

As our heroes ride into the sunset
It didn’t knock my socks off but it left me wanting to read more of the lives of Wax, Wayne and Marasi. It left me wanting to explore the world Sanderson has created and the ending certainly suggests that Sanderson will be be forthcoming on more adventures set in this time period.

The Alloy of Law is a fast moving adventure mystery, with trappings of several subgenres and a hint of sexual tension that makes for an enjoyable well rounded read

Available from:

Booktopia 


This book was a review copy provided by the publisher

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Footnotes:
1.I do have some issues with Brandon Sanderson’s stance on gay marriage that were a barrier to me enjoying the work – a discussion worthy of its own post.

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