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, his ability to create vivid characters made him a natural choice to complete Robert Jordan’s epic wheel of time sequence. But with Mistborn, Sanderson has shown his bountiful talents in his own fiction. Now he returns to the series that made his name with a new story, building on the incredible success of THE ALLOY OF LAW. The new Mistborn books move the series into a richly imagined 19th century analogue world with elements of the wild west mixed with magic and science. It’s a wonderful concoction from a master storyteller. Sanderson has the knack of giving the epic fantasy reader exactly what they want. This ability has thrown him to the forefront of the genre and this novel will take him to the next level. This is my favorite novel of the second Mistborn series so far, and I am eagerly anticipating the next. SF Book The story starts with a very steampunk feel, turns into a Western, then into a political thriller, before shifting into the type of adventure Allan Quatermain would kill to be involved in. This book really brings out how the author can play with genres and stereotypes to create something where there is great gravity to the underlying narrative, but it doesn’t stop it being a darn good romp and a thrilling adventure. Strange Alliances multiple twists and turns await you inThe Bands of Mourning and they are just as shocking. Sanderson plays another ace and leaves us with no doubt he’ll play a few more in 2017’s conclusion. Fantasy Faction