Book #193 of 2022:
The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson (Wax and Wayne #4 / Mistborn #7)
[Disclaimer: I am Facebook friends with this author.]
Despite retaining its fantasy wild west trappings, the remainder of “Mistborn Era 2” has never lived up to the sheer entertainment value of The Alloy of Law for me, and this final volume again seems largely perfunctory as it moves pieces of the broader Cosmere saga into place. Although I continue to admire the expansive scope of author Brandon Sanderson’s imagination, the crossovers between his various sub-series are simply not working for me in practice. Here, for instance, we get characters from outside works like Elantris and The Emperor’s Soul making an appearance, albeit under codenames that I’m relying on a fan wiki to confirm. But they don’t really act like they did in their previous books, and while time has passed and they’ve clearly gone through important experiences that led them to join the world-hopping Ghostbloods organization, we don’t get to see any of that. With such a disconnect, their presence feels more like a Marvel post-credits reveal or a kid playing with interchangeable action figures than a compelling and coherent story in the moment.
Our lead protagonists fare a little better, at least. Waxillium is dour as ever, but the six-year time jump resets my patience with him to some degree, while providing Steris and Marasi both an increase in competence and confidence that I’ve found refreshing. Wayne, as always, is the funniest element around as well as the beating emotional core of this narrative, and the extended climax that features him prominently is just outstanding: a thrilling action sequence, a great coda on his overall personal arc, and a signature Sandersonian demonstration of inventive magical system exploits. I truly love it, almost enough to bump up my rating by another star. But there’s just too much beforehand that’s a bit of an empty slog, and lacking in those fun worldbuilding and plot twists that this writer can pull off at his best.
[Content warning for gun violence, eugenics, and gore.]
This title: ★★★☆☆
Overall Wax and Wayne series: ★★★☆☆
Volumes ranked: 1 > 4 > 2 > 3
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