I finished yet another e-book of Brandon Sanderson's, The Alloy of Law, a stand-alone continuation of the Mistborn trilogy (and tonnes of other library books besides).
The thing that made this new world interesting is how it originated from the Mistborn world. Characters have interesting limited Allomantic/ Feruchemical abilities. None are Mistborn (possess a combination of all such abilities). And unlike Sanderson's usual fantasy world, this one is a bit more evolved. They actually have electricity and railway tracks, and instead of fighting with merely Allomantic/Feruchemical powers, they have guns and pistols and grenades. This changes the condition of the playing ground more than ever.
Anyway here's a summary of the four main characters for my own amusement. I love how characters in games and books have special abilities that give them an edge over others, and the abilities they lack provide their own limitations.
1) Wax. Forty-plus, supposedly main character in the book, but a little too boring for me. Still can't get over the fact that he accidentally killed his lover many many years ago, and is emotionally traumatized by the event. His Allomantic ability is to be able to push around metal objects (or be pushed backwards by them if the objects are heavier than he is). His Feruchemical ability is to be able to store up his weight in metal-minds (able to decrease weight at will), and use the stored up weight to dramatically increase his weight later. Logical and cool thinker.
2) Wayne. Also around the same age as Wax. But far more interesting. Cheery and optimistic. Has a talent in picking up and imitating accents of people around him, and to him, accents tell exactly who you, what you do and what you've been through. Master of disguise. These two points (and his witty snide remarks), easily makes him my favorite character in the book. His Allomantic ability is to be able to bend time bubbles, dramatically slowing down time for himself and those within his bubble, in which he can change disguises, create private conversations or move around. His Feruchemical ability is that of healing, he can store up health in his metal minds (thus making himself weak at the moment), to use the health for instant healing. However, the amount of health he can store up is very limited, and can be used up very quickly.
3) Marasi. Young girl, a bit of a nerd, fan of both Wax and Wayne, and crushes on Wax. I'm glad they didn't get together though, I didn't think they'd make a good couple. University student who studies criminology, blurts out random quotes from professors, psychological behavior justifications, and statistics from time to time, which can be quite useful. Quite good at using firearms. She is not a Feruchemist (cannot store abilities in metalminds), but is an Allomancer. Her Allomantic ability is opposite of that of Wayne's - letting her speed time up for those within her time bubble.
4) Mike. The Villian. Almost invincible because both his Allomantic and Feruchemical abilities come from the same metal (gold), allowing him to draw vast amounts of health into himself automatically; letting him heal instantly from any wound and regrow body parts, no matter how large the wound is. He plays the part as the good guy gone bad. Also quite a smart guy.
With those characters - there's so much potential for a good story in The Alloy of Law, and Sanderson has crafted it well. For once the love story is not overly cheesy (although I wish Marasi wouldn't blush so much, it's annoying); and I was actually glad she and Wax didn't get together despite their attractions for each other. It ended with a cliff hanger, and if there's anything I wish could be change in the tale - it would be getting Wayne a fun and witty girlfriend.
