This book is way more concise than a lot of Sanderson‘s other works. There are only three or so characters in this book and I felt like I got to know each of them pretty well because of the focused approach.

Our main character is Wax. He is a man of principles and wants to make the world a better place. Most of the noble families only care about what happens in the main city of Elendel, so the fact that he leaves his posh life behind is a huge deal. He stepped away from his family name to become a law man for what are called the Roughs. The Roughs are a dangerous place, similar to the wild Wild West that are what citizens of Elendel call everything outside it. With the powers of Allomancy and Feruchemy, he can push on metal and store his weight for many different tactical uses to pursue justice in the Roughs. His partner in this is Wayne. He’s the counterpart to Wax as he is a reformed criminal from the Roughs. He has Allomantic and Feruchemic powers as well; he can store his health to use for healing later and create “speed bubbles” to make the area around him move faster. This allows him to change costumes (as he’s a great impressionist) and get up close to his enemies for one on one duels. The two have been separated after Wax went back to his family for personal reasons. But now Wayne and Wax have reunited to investigate a train robbing group known as the Vanishers. This group is somehow robbing trains without even opening the railcar. They have also begun kidnapping young women for who knows what.

You can see this story as kind of a buddy cop romp in a fantastical version of the wild West. This is a sequel series to the Mistborn trilogy, so it uses the same metallic based powers that were present in the original three books. There are some differences in how it’s utilized, as there are guns this time, and society has advanced a moderate amount so it doesn’t seem too samey to be boring. Wax and Wayne have a great dynamic that resulted in multiple moments that made me laugh out loud. The third member of their team also has their own personality that makes the group have even more layers of interactions. These three working together to take down the Vanishers and rescue hostages is the main crux of the story, which is relatively basic for a Sanderson novel. I like that the focus here is more condensed than some of the more elaborate stories he’s told however.

I wasn’t certain what a sequel series to the Mistborn trilogy would look like, but I think the direction that was taken here really pushes forward the narrative of the world. It sets a whole new stage with different stakes, but they don’t feel lessened by the events of the prior trilogy (which were world changing on their scale). This story isn’t about the fate of the entire world, so far, and I think the way it’s told still ensures it’s meaningful. It’s a fun story and I look forward to seeing how the rest of it progresses!