This bustling, optimistic, but still shaky society now faces its first instance of terrorism, crimes intended to stir up labor strife and religious conflict.
I read Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson in June 2021 as part of the Cosmere Conquest book club, which has now become The Oasis, an SFF themed book server on Discord. Consider joining us!
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About the Book
Shadows of Self
The Mistborn Saga Book Five
by Brandon Sanderson
Published 6 October 2015
Tor Books
Genre: Epic Fantasy, Fantasy Western
Page Count: 383
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Shadows of Self shows Mistborn’s society evolving as technology and magic mix, the economy grows, democracy contends with corruption, and religion becomes a growing cultural force, with four faiths competing for converts.
This bustling, optimistic, but still shaky society now faces its first instance of terrorism, crimes intended to stir up labor strife and religious conflict. Wax and Wayne, assisted by the lovely, brilliant Marasi, must unravel the conspiracy before civil strife stops Scadrial’s progress in its tracks.
Shadows of Self will give fans of The Alloy of Law everything they’ve been hoping for and, this being a Brandon Sanderson book, more, much more.
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My Review
My Rating: 4 Stars
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I read Shadows of Self with a book club in June 2021 after reading the previous four Mistborn books one per month starting in February.
Four religions are in conflict, Elandel is experiencing terrorism, and the trio that formed in the previous book is stuck, for better or worse, in the middle of it all.
Wax is now having telepathic conversations with Harmony (God) and has discovered a hidden talent for a previously unheard of third flavour of metal-based magic. Wayne spent a whole lot of the book worrying about his favourite hat, and yet that was somehow the highlight. Marasi continues to prove how badass she is!
I absolutely love having MeLaan play such a big role and provide that touchstone connection back to TenSoon and the kandra of era 1. We continue to learn more and more about their culture and lore and how they work, and it makes me love the previous books even more.
I still don’t quite love the fantasy western genre feel yet, but I continue to be amazed at how well Sanderson pulls it off and how well this world that was so dark and old and classically high fantasy fits the new world, new frontier gaslamp feel. I think I’m in the majority when I say Wayne was my favourite character in this one. He’s so charismatic and resilient that he really steals the show!
Those who are reading all of my Mistborn/Cosmere reviews will notice that I’ve given Shadows of Self the same rating as The Alloy of Law, but believe me when I say this book earns a higher four than the previous title. Alloy was just barely a four for me. I’m one of the Mistborn readers who strongly prefers the first era, and this huge jump into the future doesn’t do it for me. By Shadows I had got used to it and got over it to an extent (still prefer era 1) and was more able to enjoy this book and new era as the separate arc it is. So far era 2 isn’t a 5 for me, it hasn’t completely blown me away like era 1 did, but this book definitely made me determined to keep reading era 2.
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Want more? Check out my 4 star review of the previous book, The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson!
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