The Alloy of Law, by Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson is one of my favorite authors, as he is an excellent world builder, a brilliant plotter, masterful designer of intriguing magic systems, and very prolific. I’ve already reviewed Steelheart, but he made his name initially on the Mistborn trilogy. With The Alloy of Law, he revisits the world of Scadriel 300 years after the events that take place in the original Mistborn trilogy. The Alloy of Law reinvigorates the series with a Wild West feel, and also introduces the main characters in the Wax and Wayne series.

Scadriel is now on the verge of what we call Technology. There are trains, gunpowder, electric lighting, and the first skyscrapers changing the skyline of the metropolis of Elendel. Lord Waxillium Ladren has returned from the Roughs, where he was a celebrated lawman. His family’s fortunes are in ruin, so he is charged with marrying into a wealthy family who will trade nobility and prestige for the financial resources to restore his family’s properties and resources.

Elendel has its own problems, however. There are robberies and kidnappings happening, as the criminals’ methods are increasing in sophistication, and they are targeting the noble families. Wax (as he is known) is drawn into the conflict when he attends a fancy wedding party which is attacked by the kidnappers.

Joined by a rascally companion from the Roughs and a bookish noblewoman with a knack for criminal studies, Wax and his group work their way through the crime wave and what it means for Wax, his city, and his family.

Sanderson is, as usual, at the top of his game translating the high fantasy Mistborn world into its now Wild West environment, with a new twist on the Allomantic and Ferruchemical magic systems first described in Mistborn. The series continues with three more titles, so if you like this combination of frontier justice and magic, you’ll have plenty more to enjoy.

Check the PPLC Catalog for The Alloy of Law.

Slocum and the Wanton Widows of Wolf Creek by Jake Logan

Whilst hunting elk in the Rockies, inscrutable loner John Slocum hears the telltale rumbles of an avalanche. When he arrives at the source of the sound, he finds five grieving women: Circe, Miranda, Sybil, Cassandra, and resident black-sheep Lilith. Their husbands and brothers were all killed in the avalanche, which also collapsed the town’s gold mine. Not only are the women left without their husbands, but they have no means of making money, which is desperately needed before the outlaw Batson gang returns to collect another “payment”. The last thing Slocum wanted to do was spend the winter in the mountains, but how could he refuse five beautiful women who are all inexplicably attracted to him?

This book is the definition of “light read”. It is almost like a fairy tale for adults in its simplicity. The plot doesn’t make sense and the characters don’t have much personality, but the action and pacing are so quick that it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the story. This title is part of a larger series of indistinguishable books, so if you like one, you can check out the, literally, hundreds of others! Slocum and the Wanton Widows of Wolf Creek is a campy little western erotica that is perfect for filling an hour in a waiting room.

Check the PPLC Catalog for Slocum and the Wanton Widows of Wolf Creek.