Mistborn: Secret History (Mistborn #3.5) and Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson

Previous books that I really enjoyed by the author:

       

The above is the full novels in two different series. Below is the sort-of-continuation of the Mistborn series.

When I realised that my local library did have a copy of this book, I decided that since I did enjoy the Allow Law #1, I could maybe enjoy this as well! I did like it although I wanted more of it. The problem with this novella as with the last one that I reviewed (Edgedancer). It did help refresh and even understand some parts of the Mistborn original series that I thought I had understood entirely but in fact, was sorely lacking in the finer nuances and details hidden within the latticework of the tale.

This tiny book is about what happens to the original ‘survivor’ or Kelsier the leader of the initial plan after he dies, or doesn’t exactly in this case. It runs parallel to the three books, and we get windows into what is happening in the living world and what Kelsier does to assuage his pride and the thoughts he originally had for the uprising and what might follow. He is flippant to the extreme except for those fleeting moments when he realises how much there is in this world and its machinations that he knew nothing about. A few scenes I remembered vividly were described again here with the added perception of having Kelsier in the frame. This picturization is something I really enjoy, even with a movie when the camera zooms out and repeats the same sequence of events but giving us more information and has us going “ohhhhh?!”

This was the fun second book after the first one:

We meet the dynamic duo after they have established a working relationship with the local constabulary. Their back-and-forth is as hilarious as ever even as we get a hint of insights into more profound moments. Wax gives us a flashback into how his first relationship began and the kind of man he was before he became the famous lawmaker. The fighting is as active and immersive as ever with all the objects and people flying all over the place with a precision that is not always easy to comprehend. There is a new threat in town, and it may be worse than they imagined because Harmony speaks to Wax and gives him the inside scoop. The concept of Sazed and what he is now (it is obviously better if every reader is already acquainted with what happened in the original Mistborn trilogy to appreciate the ‘gods’ of this book) was fascinating. The fangirl moments their other sidekick(Marasi) had in the first instalment has now grown into a smoother professional appreciating and Wayne loves taking her for a ride as well as continually exchanging things that have no semblance of similar value.

My favourite part in the whole book has to be, however, the relationship between the engaged couple. Steris is shown as an unwanted addition to their lives except for the financial lucrativeness that accompanies her marriage to Wax. Wayne continues to give her a hard time, but the naturalness of her behaviour and the fact that she works with the over-rationality of her brain made her shine through for me. Her relationship with her fiance is not the usual thing of dreams or fairy tales, nor is it the nightmare of ‘arranged’ relationships in books and movies. It is actually better than the fanciful meet-cutes because she puts so much thought and effort into getting things right. She may not be a naturally winning personality, but she seems to be a more appropriate spouse for Wax than any of the other two women mentioned in the narration.

I highly recommend this second half of the series for the witty banter, realistic people and a whole lot of magic and its consequences as well as that age-old question of right vs wrong.

Affiliate links:

• Book 1
• Book 2