Book Review: The Bands of Mourning

The Bands of Mourning, by Brandon Sanderson

Fantasy (with a dash of steampunk/sci-fi)

5 out of 5 stars

http://brandonsanderson.com/books/mistborn/the-bands-of-mourning/

I greatly admire contemporary fiction authors. Writing within the constraints they have has to be a challenging exercise at times. Writing sci-fi/fantasy, on the other hand, doesn't have many constraints, per se. The sci-fi/fantasy author has to be mindful of this freedom as it can affect the credibility of his story.

When a sci-fi/fantasy author has taken the time to thoughtfully and logically develop his world(s), his systems of technology and/or magic, and his characters, the result is something wonderful. Brandon Sanderson has done this (again) in book six of the Mistborn series, The Bands of Mourning.

The Bands of Mourning is a masterful blend of action, magic, technology, politics, philosophy, and even religion. Wax, the dogged investigator and main character, and his always comedic foil Wayne, combine for violent and wacky hijinks amidst a race to find an object of ultimate power. The supporting cast is fleshed out and varied, growing in size and complexity as the story proceeds.

There is no shortage of twists and surprises among the familiar plot lines. One of them gave me a fair case of literary whiplash, even though I should have seen it coming (I love it when authors do that). The action and pacing are second to none and the ending leaves a near-perfect balance between resolution and lead-up to the next book due in 2017.

The one thing I could fault The Bands of Mourning for is how it doesn't stand well alone. I highly recommend reading at least The Alloy of Law, if not also Mistborn: The Final Empire before reading Bands.

If it wasn't obvious by now, I'm a fan of Brandon Sanderson's work. There's probably some quibbles you can find, but for me, he is one of the best authors I've ever read. The Bands of Mourning easily gets 5 out of 5 stars.