Words: Shadows of Self

Warning: Some minor spoilery stuff below...

I liked this one, but didn't love it, and I say that as a huge fan of the first Mistborn trilogy. I did think it was a cut above its predecessor, The Alloy of Law. This book has a much deeper connection to the original trilogy, name-checking several characters, locations, and events, and even reintroducing two characters from the earlier era. Further, Sanderson also subtly hints at of the background of his grand Cosmere setting, laying some groundwork for connecting all of his series (Elantris, Stormlight, Mistborn) into one universe.

The plot is interesting, and I thought a touch more engaging than Alloy, and as always, the world-building is well-planned and immersive. There are a couple of patented Sanderson plot twists in there as the story ramps up to its climax, and though some may telegraphed a little more obviously than others, they are still interesting and well-though out for the most part. The main story comes to a satisfying conclusion, while still leaving some interesting plot threads to be picked up in the next volume.

Honestly, what really kept this book from a higher rating for me was the characterization. A lot of the characters in this era are somewhat less well-drawn than those in the earlier trilogy, and some of them tend to drift into one-note territory. Wayne, the ostensible protagonist, has a great backstory, but sometimes tends to devolve into generic "Gunslinger Lawman". I also got kind of tired of Wayne, Wax's right-hand man, who to me is best used in small doses. Despite a terrific backstory, he sometime comes across as a collection of quirks than an actual character (a couple of memorable, well-done scenes aside). Come to think of it, your tolerance for the pun of the two partners being named "Wax and Wayne" will make a pretty good litmus test for your patience with some of the dialogue, which can times get a bit quippy.

One spoilery plot/character quibble: It might be me, but I found MeLaan's actions at the end, while she was impersonating the governor, a bit much to swallow, and it took me out of the story a little. Yeah, there was a quick in-universe justification for it in a brief dialogue exchange, but it kind of came out of nowhere, and I don't recall her exhibiting similar behavior when in other guises that she had worn for much longer.

However, one thing Sanderson continues to do very, very well, is action scenes and setpieces. He has a talent for describing action in clear language while still maintaining an exciting, propulsive pace. Whether he's describing something so simple as Wax landing dramatically in the midst of a crowd, or something as complex as a tense, angry mob scene that culminates with an assassination attempt against a political figure, Sanderson conjures up indelible, almost cinematic imagery. The chase scenes are suspenseful, the fight scenes exciting, and the scenes involving the use of his unique magic system (one of the best in modern fantasy) are interesting, and rarely rely on the same contrivance more than once. I'll let the characterization slide a little as long as these aspects of the writing continue to be as good.

So overall, a couple of minor issues aside, I did enjoy the book, and am thinking of diving right into its follow-up, the recently published The Bands of Mourning.

Words: Reamde

 

 At its most basic level, Reamde is essentially Neal Stephenson's riff on the espionage/thriller/action yarn. However, being a Stephenson novel, such simplification doesn't really do it justice. While it may be less thematically dense and ambitious than much of his other work, (and was touted in advance press as his most "accessible" novel), it is by no means what you'd call airport-bookstore pulp. It still manages to clock in at a hefty thousand-plus pages.

The plot does not lend itself to a quick summarization, but suffice it to say it starts out with a computer virus, from which the book takes its name, designed to extract money from the players of an enormously popular MMORPG called T'Rain, similar to World of Warcraft. From there, through a series of extremely unlikely but entertaining coincidences and contrivances, things spiral out of control to encompass the Russian mob, Chinese hackers, American survivalists, and the involvement of the U.S. military, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the CIA, and Britain's M16, all entanged in a globe-trotting odyssey spanning continents. There are even some fascinating sequences set within the digital T'Rain gameworld.

Stephenson seems to have dialed back some of the wildly digressive tendencies that are a hallmark of his writing, but he still finds time to wander off the map plenty. As in his other work, plot points and character backstories are used as launching pads for detours and digressions that lend thematic weight to the story. Stephenson is still a fan of long, drawn-out set pieces involving multiple POV characters, alternating with quiet character work and, of course, the lengthy infodumps.

One is either a fan of his digressive style or not, but if you like his other books, you'll like this one as well. Sure, there are sequences that could use a little tightening up, and some of the narrative detours may be strictly unnecessary to further the story, but like all of his works, it's nothing if not immersive. Often with Stephenson, the journey is more important than the destination, and Reamde was an enjoyable trip.