The Alloy of Law

Mistborn, Book 4

By: Brandon Sanderson

Narrated by: Michael Kramer

Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's Summary

The Mistborn trilogy has become a firm favourite with fantasy fans the world over. The imagination that Sanderson brought to the series and his skill at marshalling epic storylines and dramatic action, plus his ability to create vivid characters, made him a natural choice to complete Robert Jordan's epic Wheel of Time sequence. But with Mistborn, his stand-alone fantasies, and his new series, The Stormlight Archive, Sanderson has shown his bountiful talents in his own fiction. 

Now he returns to the series that made his name with a new story set years after the events of Hero of Ages. 

In a world recovering only slowly from evil, a world where allomancers wield immense power through their ability to unleash the magic bound up in common metals, someone who can burn metals that no-one has burned before can tip the balance.... 

Sanderson has the knack of giving epic fantasy listeners exactly what they want. This ability has thrown him to the forefront of the genre and the dramatic story within The Alloy of Law shows off this skill to its very best.

©2011 Dragonsteel Entertainment, LLC (P)2011 Macmillan Audio

A solid book, but leaves loose ends

Another good book in the Mistborn series by Sanderson. Excellent narration by Michael Kramer helps to bring the characters to life (although I felt he had trouble with the half cockney, half Aussie accent of Wayne, but it was entertaining in any case).

Whilst this novel is fundamentally a detective work and not my usual cup of tea, I did enjoy it tremendously. It's some few centuries on from the fall of the Final Empire: we have guns, trains, electricity, horseless carriages (well, I never!!!!) and new fangled machines.

It's all reminiscent of 19th century England or North America as you so desire to envisage. Sanderson provides a great setting and a well thought out plot. The characters aren't as powerful or versatile as the old true Mistborns, but within that constraint there's a lot of intricate and detailed use of the skills they have available which makes for interesting visualisations of how they achieve things. It's different, but still similar enough to what came before to keep it interesting.

There are still some ties to the distant past giving a feeling of familiarity so one is totally disassociated from the original trilogy.

I fervently hope that Sanderson follows this novel up to get on with the unfinished business and tie up the loose ends that the end of the book leaves us at. There is certainly a full novel worth of material to do so.

In short, if you're a fan of Sanderson and this genre, you'll like this book. I highly recommend it.

I enjoyed it

It’s not MISTBORN which is beautiful but still I enjoyed this book as always BRANDON SANDERSON is an incredible Author

Audio glitch

There are a few audio glitches in this version of the book. A bad one at character 12, 16 minutes in. The book itself is great however. Just get a different version.

An amazing audio experience (the whole trilogy)

Would you listen to The Alloy of Law: A Mistborn Novel again? Why?

Yes, because it's a great novel

What does Michael Kramer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The second character, Wayne, has a way of impersonating people that relies heavily on accents (and hats). Honestly, simply reading it will not be as great an experience as hearing the narrator bring these rich accents to life. This goes on throughout the whole Mistborn 2nd Era trilogy.

Detective Novel with Allomancy

Sufficiently different to the rest of the Mistborn series to make it interesting, but at heart a detective story. Plenty of detail in the fights can go on a bit but a good listen all the same. (Why do authors insist on 'said' do they not own a thesaurus? In written form it isnt as obvious but when spoken it can be irritating.)

Gap filler

Well worth a read. Not up to his usual standard, and more of a side story than his usual epic. If you read the previous mist born series then you will enjoy the revisit.

A new era is born

I love the continuum of the two Arcs of mistborn. Even with setting is so different the people are slightly different and still the same. The energy or magic is kinda a mystery but not. U start to wonder who, how and why

I was left with Goosebumps and awe. No surprise.

absolutely loved it! Brandon and Michael never disappoint and always leave me wanting more. Outstanding performance coupled with a gripping story.

Great performance, good story.

Excellent performance made it shine! The story was interesting but a tad cliché at tlmes.

great follow up to the mistborn series.

hooked me in very quickly and now I'm off to read the next one

Mist-born again !

Brandon Sanderson created a world in the original Mistborn series that had you believing it was real, or at least on the edge of possibility. Where magic combined itself into what almost seemed like a piece of history you had maybe read about before. The "Mistborn" have powers that seemed to fit well into those times gone by, as we are all used to stories of myth and magic coming from the past darker ages.

Now he has pulled off something I didn't think would work, he's brought the same powers and magic kicking and screaming into modern day. With "The Alloy of Law" you are again left feeling this is almost possible, in fact you will end up hoping that its true and just waiting to be proved. If you enjoyed the first books of the series then this will take you off on a tangent that allows you back into the world again.

One last thing I should mention, the depth of characterisation by the narrator is second to none. You hear many different voices and accents, and the characters grow on you as if you know them. Between the writing and the reading of this book, you get the best of the best when it comes to an audible book !

If you haven't read/listened to the first Mistborn books you should, but you can still listen to this book and understand what is going on. There are some "recaps" on what its all about, you just won't have the full depth of the history that was the first books.

Such fun!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I am a massive Sanderson fan - both Stormlight archive and Mistborn trilogy rank amongst my best ever fantasy reads.

The Alloy of Law is an add-on to the Mistborn trilogy, and I think it might be difficult to fully understand/appreciate if you've not first read the Mistborn series (the Mistborn characters are considered "legend" in this book - although "Iron Eyes" does crop up)

Warning, though - don't expect a book with the same depth or intensity as the epic trilogy. This book is SO much lighter, and a bit swash-buckling-wild-west in its feel (the Wax-Wayne relationship and dialogue is reminiscent of a good Mel Gibson - Danny Glover moment) . I had a good few laugh-out-louds (something that didn't happen in Mistborn) and as with all previous Sanderson stories, I couldn't put this down (or switch it off). It retains its fantasy & magic with the Allomancy and Ferochemy, and is still true to the Mistborn trilogy on this front.

Like other reviewers, my only criticism is its length - it's not long enough. It's no shorter than most regular novels out there, it's just that one wants more!!!! Sanderson usually provides an epic that runs through around 30hours of listening (at least) - well this is only about 10 hours.....so by contrast one feels a little short-changed.

This book finishes with loads of loose ends - thereby leaving the way open for another instalment??? (Ever hopeful!). Wax is a delicious lead character, and I can't help but think this story would translate well to the big screen - but who would play Wax?

Michael Kramer's narration is first rate -as always.

Highly recommended! Enjoy!

Not engaging story

This was a disappointment. More like an introduction to the mistborn universe as it is "now" and the characters. The story thrown in to justify it as its own novel is pretty bland. You just don't care about the story or the many fights which are very repetitious. Being limited in powers makes the fights predictable since they all will develop and end in the same way.


Things finally get interesting in the epilog when the series story arch that has been hinted at is introduced. It is only audibles return policy that will make me begin the next installment.

Recommended for the Mistborn series lovers.

Excellent book. I never thought a sequel to Mistborn in modern day era would turn out to be this good. Thanks for the excellent story and great performance!

An excellent return to the world of the Mistborn

Set several hundred years after the Final Empire trilogy, this is a thoroughly entertaining story set in the same world. The tone is lighter and the there is much more humour than in the first trilogy, but the Allomancy is intriguing as ever and the plot keeps you riveted.

Best Mistborn Book Yet

Mistborn is back – and it is better than ever

Story – 5/5

A bit lighter than the original trilogy – and I actually prefer it. The pace is a lot faster, and the world has been re-developed by making it hundreds of years later. This has a more western feel to it, with guns being used, and the Mistborn powers have also been re-established in a refreshingly new way.

You can tell that Sanderson puts a lot of thought and planning into each of his novels, as there are never any loose ends or unnecessary scenes.

There is plenty of action, comedy and mystery throughout, and you are left at the end wanting more. Luckily this is the start of a 2nd trilogy – and it has revitalised my love for Mistborn.


Performance – 4.5/5

Michael Kramer is a superb narrator, and one of the very best out there. I would be happy to purchase audiobooks based on his performance alone. Do not be put off by his Southern American accent.

Each character has a subtly distinctive voice, and he portrays all of the emotions and atmospheres masterfully throughout.

If you enjoyed his narration in the original trilogy, you will not be disappointed; he is consistently excellent in all of the audiobooks I have listened to him in.

Overall – 5/5

Good, but a bit disappointing

I was so excited when I saw this audiobook was available - I loved the Mistborn series and am eagerly awaiting the sequel to the Way of Kings (have just finished listening to it a second time, a year after I first listened to it).

The Alloy of Law follows on from the Mistborn series and is set a few hundred years in the future. The story centers around a nobleman who turned his back on high society to become a lawkeeper in "the roughs". Years later, family obligation sees him return to the family home to become the head of the house, with the added responsibility of rectifying his house's financial problems. Meanwhile, noblewomen are being mysteriously abducted across the city and no-one knows why - he steps in to investigate.

While the story is entertaining enough, I found it a bit, well, pretentious and a bit cheesy if I'm honest. A bit too much cliched posturing by the main character. In short I was disappointed! It simply doesn't have the same quality to it as the Mistborn series or The Way of Kings.

Having said that, if you're looking for an entertaining, easy read then this book fits the bill.

Too short!

Where does The Alloy of Law: A Mistborn Novel rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Its good, but it doesn't quite come up to the Mistborn Trilogy. It is different and a shorter story but still exciting with the use of allomancy still the main feature. It also doesn't deal with some of the unanswered questions that occur from reading Hero of Ages and now reading this.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Wayne. Likeable, funny rogue.

What does Michael Kramer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

His accents are amazing. Brings the characters to life with amusing accents.

Any additional comments?

A good book and an exciting read. It has left the way for a second book as lots of loose ends to tie up yet! I am looking forward to the next instalment!

Solid fantasy set into the world of Mistborn

I have utterly enjoyed the Mistborn books and thus was really excited when starting this book. And although it is still all there, I can’t stop thinking that something is missing. Maybe it is the depth of the characters, maybe the proportions of the tale but it simply does not compare to the trilogy. Still I would recommend the book to everyone – it’s a good listen and Mr. Kramer’s performance is great as ever.

Not as good as the main mistborn trilogy

Fine but disappointing compared with the original trilogy. Plot not as complex, more predictable. Good narration though.