The Alloy of Law - Tor/Forge Blog

$2.99 eBook Sale: September 5-11, 2022

September 5, 2022April 30, 2024Rachel Taylor1 Comment

Need to get caught up on the second phase of The Mistborn Saga before The Lost Metal comes out on November 15? Well, now’s your chance! From September 5-11, snag books 4-6 of The Mistborn Saga for only $2.99 each!

The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson

Three hundred years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy, Scadrial is now on the verge of modernity, with railroads to supplement the canals, electric lighting in the streets and the homes of the wealthy, and the first steel-framed skyscrapers racing for the clouds. Kelsier, Vin, Elend, Sazed, Spook, and the rest are now part of history—or religion. Yet even as science and technology are reaching new heights, the old magics of Allomancy and Feruchemy continue to play a role in this reborn world. Out in the frontier lands known as the Roughs, they are crucial tools for the brave men and women attempting to establish order and justice.

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Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson

When family obligations forced Waxillium Ladrian to forsake the frontier lands and return to the metropolis of his birth to take his place as head of a noble House, he little imagined that the crime-fighting skills acquired during twenty years in the dusty plains would be just as applicable in the big city. He soon learned that there too, just being a talented Twinborn — one who can use both Allomancy and Feruchemy, the dominant magical modes on Scadrial — would not suffice. Wax, his eccentric sidekick Wayne, and brilliant, beautiful young Marasi, now officially part of the constabulary, must unravel the conspiracy before civil strife can stop Scadrial’s progress in its tracks.

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The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson

The Bands of Mourning are the mythical metal minds owned by the Lord Ruler, said to grant anyone who wears them the powers that the Lord Ruler had at his command. Hardly anyone thinks they really exist. A kandra researcher has returned to Elendel with images that seem to depict the Bands, as well as writings in a language that no one can read. Waxillium Ladrian is recruited to travel south to the city of New Seran to investigate. Along the way he discovers hints that point to the true goals of his uncle Edwarn and the shadowy organization known as The Set.

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Lists / What's New

5 Murderously Magical Mysteries!

August 14, 2022August 15, 2022a cat1 Comment

by Kaleb Russell

Everybody loves a good murder mystery! The elements of suspense, deception, and ample misdirection coalesce to form a tightly constructed narrative filled with colorful characters and wrapped up in one big murderous plot. Sweeten the pot with some fantasy magic and you’ve elevated one of storytelling’s classic formats to new genre-bending heights. Here are 6 compelling magical murder mysteries that we think you should check out, including opens in a new windowThe Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal, a spacefaring sleuthing tale that’s available to purchase on 10/22/22 and available for pre-order now!

opens in a new window opens in a new windowThe Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal

Tesla Crane is a brilliant inventor and wealthy heiress—and most importantly—on a delight space-cruise honeymoon with her wonderful husband. When said wonderful husband is arrested on suspicion of on-ship murder, she will leverage her socialite charisma, acumen at banter, penchant for martinis, and assistance from her small service dog to exonerate her husband and uncover the real killer before they strike again.

opens in a new window opens in a new windowThe Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller

Sole survivor of a race of necromancers, Charm is a prisoner of the Emperor with nothing but her children and her bone trees to bring her solace. One day, as the Emperor lays in his deathbed, he gives Charm one final command: learn which one of his conniving sons is his murderer. She can succeed and be set free, but that entails betraying the ghosts of her fallen people in the process. Will she follow the will of her dead master or forsake the sanctity of the empire to sate her hunger for vengeance? The Bone Orchard is a lush and gothically atmospheric work that explores the poisonous nature of empire through the moral compromises it foists upon even those it seeks to quash.

opens in a new window opens in a new windowGideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Heiress of the Ninth House, Bone witch, and all-around curmudgeon, Harrowhark Nonagesimus is summoned to a haunted house in a far off galaxy along with eight other Noble necromancers and her reluctant cavalier, Gideon, to compete in a game of wit and skill for the Emperor’s favor. It’s not long before characters start dropping like flies. If Harrow and Gideon are to survive, they must solve the mysteries of the house as well as its enigmatic occupants. The first book in Tamsyn Muir’s The Locked Tomb series is an enthralling murder mystery with an explosive finale that’ll leave you aching for more.

opens in a new window opens in a new windowThe Alloy Of Law by Brandon Sanderson

Set 300 years after the events of the original trilogy, the world of Mistborn is in the modern age—cities teeming with electricity-powered street lamps and steel-framed skyscrapers touching the stratosphere. We follow Wax, a vagabond from the Roughs forced to return home to Elendel after a family tragedy requires him to holster his guns and assume the responsibilities befitting the head of a noble family. Wax quickly realizes life in a sweeping metropolis can be just as treacherous as the Roughs. In Sanderson fashion, The Alloy of Law is a fast-paced mystery with high stakes, dynamic magic, and gunfights galore.

opens in a new window opens in a new windowMagic For Liars by Sarah Gailey

A little bit Veronica Mars and a little bit The Magicians, Magic For Liars is about an unhappy, magicless P.I. named Ivy Gamble who ventures to Osthorne Academy for Young Mages to investigate a gruesome murder and maybe even reconnect with her estranged twin sister who just so happens to be a teacher there. Sarah Gailey’s debut novel promises thrills, heartache, and a devastating ending.

opens in a new window opens in a new windowThree Parts Dead by Max Gladstone

In this 21st century fantasy, Gods deal and compete with corporations for power and control as necromantic lawyers levy dark magic to litigate their conflicts. Fresh out of law school, Tara Abernathy’s first job as an associate of the international necromantic firm of Kelethres, Albrecht, and Ao is to resurrect the deceased fire god, Kos, before pandemonium sets in and the city of Alt Coulumb crumbles from the pressure. When Tara learns the God was murdered, she recruits a chain-smoking priest of the dead god named Abelard to help find the culprit and save the city. Like the other books in Max Gladstone’s Craft Sequence, Three Parts Dead is an insanely smart, dashingly elegant legal thriller that’ll keep you guessing all the way to the huge finale, and pondering the nature of faith weeks after you’ve witnessed it.

Sweepstakes

#TorChat November 2011 Sweepstakes

November 14, 2011May 10, 2024torforge58 Comments

We hoped you enjoyed today’s #Torchat and look forward to your participation next month. Many thanks to our special guest, Brandon Sanderson, for joining us online today.

Five lucky winners will receive a signed copy of The Alloy of Law. Leave a comment below to enter for your chance to win.

Keep your eye on our Facebook and Twitter where we will announce the next theme and our upcoming guests. We’ll see you all next month!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. You must be 18 or older and a legal resident of the 50 United States or D.C. to enter. Promotion begins November 14th, 2011 at 5 p.m. ET. and ends November 20th, 2011, 12:00 p.m. ET. Void in Puerto Rico and wherever prohibited by law. Please see full details and official rules go here. Sponsor: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

What's New

November #TorChat lineup revealed!

November 12, 2011May 10, 2024torforge

You guessed right…it’s Brandon Sanderson month

Tor Books (@torbooks) is thrilled to announce November’s #TorChat, part of a monthly series of genre-themed, hour-long chats created by Tor Books and hosted on Twitter.

November marks one of our most anticipated releases of 2011: The Alloy of Law, the new standalone Mistborn novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson. While Brandon (@BrandSanderson) is on tour for the new book this week, he offered to join us from the road for our monthly chat on Monday, 11/14 from 1 – 2 PM (EST) to answer questions from fans and talk Mistborn, Wheel of Time, Way of Kings, and his obsession with Magic the Gathering…

Monday also comes along in the middle of the second annual “Great Hunt,” a digital scavenger hunt for the codes to unlock an exclusive secret piece of content relating to the final WoT novel, A Memory of Light, hosted on an encrypted page on Brandon’s website. As fans find and enter each of the 35 codes, secreted in books along Brandon’s tour or handed out in answer to his cryptic hints (follow along with the twitter hashtag #wotgh), the page will slowly unlock its secret. And if you’re lucky, he just MIGHT announce when that first draft of A Memory of Light will be ready to hand-in…

The chat will be loosely moderated by Justin Golenbock (@jgolenbo), Brandon’s publicist at @torbooks, and Laura Fitzgerald (@Laura_FitzG) of Tor’s digital marketing department, who claims to know a thing or two about Ter’angreal.

Come join us on Monday at 1 PM!

About the Author
Brandon Sanderson (@BrandSanderson) grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. He teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University and lives in Utah with his wife and children. He is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Alloy of Law, Towers of Midnight, The Way of Kings, The Gathering Storm, Warbreaker, Elantris, the Mistborn trilogy, and the middle grade “Alcatraz” series. In December of 2007, Brandon was chosen to complete Robert Jordan’s bestselling Wheel of Time series. He is now hard at work on the final volume, A Memory of Light, which is due out in November 2012.

For fascinating behind-the-scenes information on Brandon Sanderson’s work, visit him at www.brandonsanderson.com.

“I have never had the pleasure of returning to a universe in quite the same way as Brandon Sanderson has managed in his book, ‘The Alloy of Law’…This book stands on its own, and is a wonderful read that kept me reading well into the early hours of the morning. If you’ve read the series, then you’ll love this; if you haven’t, then I can almost guarantee you that you’ll want to after having read this…9.8 out of 10.”
Fantasy Book Review

“An engaging and fun romp of a read. The characters really shine in this book.”
Romantic Times

“The Alloy of Law is one of the finest Fantasy novels of the year. For fans of Sanderson, or neophytes just discovering his work, it’s an enjoyable adventure with wonderful characters, a unique, believable setting and all the hallmarks that make Sanderson one of the genre’s most exciting young writers… The Alloy of Law is the best Mistborn novel since the first volume and comes with my highest recommendation.”
A Dribble of Ink

“Wholly, exuberantly, non-stop, entertaining….The action was briskly paced throughout, the fight scenes filled with energy and cinematic flair…If you’ve read the MISTBORN series, you’re in for a treat; it’s rare I get this freshly enjoyable a feel for revisiting a fantasy world.”
Fantasy Literature

“The Alloy of Law is enthusiastic and energetic… if you like Sanderson’s books, particularly Mistborn, this will probably turn out to be one of the better books you’ll read this year.”
Nethspace

“Contains the fast-paced, adventure-filled elements that fans of the original series, particularly Mistborn itself, enjoyed most…The Alloy of Law certainly is one of Sanderson’s two best novels in terms of its action and that will be more than enough to sate the appetites of those who enjoyed his earlier Mistborn offerings.”
Of Blog

“Brandon Sanderson makes it all work seamlessly.”
SFF Audio

“The pacing is brisk and made for and exciting, page-turning read.”
SFF World
“Filled with amusing Rough frontier banter in a realm in which early twentieth century technology and science competes with magic, fans will enjoy this action adventure caper. Brandon Sanderson brilliantly provides a refreshing guns and sorcery thriller.”
SF Revu

“Sanderson has skillfully woven together an intricate plot with new complex, imperfect heroes…a fresh view of how a world can grow, building new dimensions into the best of the old. Sanderson continues to show that he is one of the best authors in the genre.”
Library Journal Starred Review

“Don your leather duster, and hold onto your bowler hat. Sanderson takes us on a grand old adventure in the latest Mistborn novel…rife with laugh-out-loud moments, religious and philosophical ponderings, and plenty of crime-fighting action, this book fits nicely in any gun-holster.”
Booklist

“Sanderson gives the world of Scadrial the Wild West treatment in this rollicking adventure tale set 300 years after the popular Mistborn epic fantasy trilogy…part Sherlock Holmes, part X-Men, this exciting stand-alone adventure is full of close shaves, shootouts, and witty banter.”
Publishers Weekly

“Sanderson’s fresh ideas on the source and employment of magic are both arresting and original.”
Kirkus Reviews

About #Torchat
#TorChat is a genre-themed, hour-long chat series created by Tor Books and hosted on Twitter. Guest authors join fans in lively, informative and entertaining discussions of all that’s hot in genre fiction, 140 characters at a time, from 4 – 5 PM EST on the third Wednesday of every month. Each #TorChat revolves around a different genre topic of interest, often of a timely nature, and strives to provide a new media opportunity for readers to connect with their favorite authors.

Author Features

My 14-Year-Old Self Might Take Issue with The Alloy of Law

November 1, 2011May 10, 2024torforge30 Comments

By Brandon Sanderson

As we get ready for the release of The Alloy of Law, I find myself wondering what the teenage me would think of what I’m doing in this book. You see, I became a fantasy addict when I was about fourteen, and one of my mantras quickly became, “If it has guns, it’s not good fantasy.”

Now here I am, adding guns to my most successful fantasy series.

Despite the ways I’ve changed over the years, despite my belief that fantasy should be (and is becoming) something more than the standard “guy living in idealized chivalrous England leaves his farm and saves the world,” a voice inside of me is screaming that nobody will buy this book. Because it has guns.

I don’t believe that voice, but I think it says something interesting about me and others like me. Perhaps we fantasy readers sometimes mix up correlation and causation in our fantasy novels. In fact, I’m more and more convinced that taste for a specific genre or medium is often built on shaky ground.

An example may help. I have a friend who once claimed he loved anime.

Over the years, he consistently found anime shows superior to what he found on television. But as he started to find more and more anime, he told me that he discovered something. He liked the anime he’d seen at first because these were the shows that were successful and well made, the ones with the quality or broad appeal to make the jump across cultures. He found that he didn’t like all anime—he only liked good anime. Sure, the medium had something important to do with it—but his enjoyment came more from the quality of his sample than the entire medium.

Likewise, I’ve come to find that what I enjoy is a good story. Genre can enhance this—I’m probably going to like a good fantasy more than a good thriller or romance because worldbuilding and magic appeals to me. In the end, however, it isn’t the lack of guns (as my young self assumed) that draws me to fantasy stories. It’s the care for setting, pacing, and character development.

This is actually a correlation/causation fallacy, and I wonder if I’m the only one to have made it. Many of the books in the fantasy section we love (perhaps because of the setting attention or the types of writers attracted to fantasy and SF) have dragons. Do we therefore make the assumption that we only like books with dragons? These two things (the dragons and our enjoyment) are parallel to, but not completely responsible for one another.

On the other hand, maybe I just think about this kind of thing too much.

Either way, I present to you The Alloy of Law. A look at the Mistborn world several hundred years after the events of the original trilogy, where the industrial revolution has finally hit and knowledge of gunpowder is no longer suppressed. That means guns. Lots of guns. And magic too.

The young me might have been horrified, but the thirtysomething me finds the mix to be exciting, particularly in a world where the magic is directly related to metal.

The Alloy of Law (978-0-7653-3042-0; $24.99) is the new stand-alone novel by Brandon Sanderson set in the Mistborn Universe. It releases from Tor Books on November 8, 2011, so strap on your guns, down a vial of allomantic metals, and dig in!

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Sweepstakes

Steampunk Sweepstakes

October 3, 2011May 10, 2024torforge1 Comment

Sign up for the Tor/Forge Newsletter for a chance to win the following prize pack:

About our newsletter: every issue of Tor’s monthly email newsletter features original writing by, and interviews with, Tor authors and editors about upcoming new titles from all Tor and Forge imprints. In addition, we occasionally send out “special edition” newsletters to highlight particularly exciting new projects, programs, or events.

If you’re already a newsletter subscriber, you can enter too. We do not automatically enter subscribers into sweepstakes. We promise we won’t send you duplicate copies of the newsletter if you sign up for the newsletter more than once.

Sign up for your chance to win today!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. You must be 18 or older and a legal resident of the 50 United States or D.C. to enter. Promotion begins October 3, 2011 at 12 a.m. ET. and ends November 9, 2011, 11:59 p.m. ET. Void in Puerto Rico and wherever prohibited by law. For Official Rules and to enter, go here. Sponsor: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

More giveaways:

The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson (Ends 10/7)
The Dark at the End by F. Paul Wilson (Ends 10/12)
Cold Gory by B. Kent Anderson (Ends 10/12)
Down the Mysterly River by Bill Willingham (Ends 10/14)
Repairman Jack Sweepstakes (Ends 10/16)
Steel by Richard Matheson (Ends 10/19)

Sweepstakes

The Alloy of Law Sweepstakes

September 12, 2011November 26, 2013torforge

The Alloy of Law is almost here! To celebrate, we are offering a chance to win one of five advance reading copies. Comment below to enter.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. You must be 18 or older and a legal resident of the 50 United States or D.C. to enter. Promotion begins September 12, 2011 at 10 a.m. ET. and ends September 16, 2011, 12:00 p.m. ET. Void in Puerto Rico and wherever prohibited by law. Please see full details and official rules go here. Sponsor: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

Sweepstakes

Mistborn Prize Pack Sweepstakes

August 1, 2011May 16, 2024torforge

Mistborn Prize Pack

Sign up for your chance to win today!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. You must be 18 or older and a legal resident of the 50 United States or D.C. to enter. Promotion begins August 1, 2011 at 12 a.m. ET. and ends September 6, 2011, 11:59 p.m. ET. Void in Puerto Rico and wherever prohibited by law. For Official Rules and to enter, go to tor-forge.com/tor/promo/mistbornprizepack. Sponsor: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

More giveaways:

Terry Goodkind Prize Pack Sweepstakes (Ends 9/6)
Vernor Vinge Prize Pack Sweepstakes (Ends 9/6)
Awakenings by Edward Lazellari (Ends 8/4)
The Knowledge of Good & Evil by Glenn Kleier (Ends 8/5)
First Thrills edited by Lee Child (Ends 8/6)
Emory’s Gift by W. Bruce Cameron (Ends 8/12)
Cowboys & Aliens by Joan D. Vinge (Ends 8/12)
Fort Freak edited by George R.R. Martin (Ends 8/15)
The Magic of Recluce by L.E. Modesitt, Jr. (Ends 8/15)
Lady Lazarus by Michele Lang (Ends 8/15)
The Half-Made World by Felix Gilman (Ends 8/15)
In the Darkest Night by Patti O’Shea (Ends 8/15)
A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge (Ends 8/22)
Laddertop Volume 1 by Orson Scott Card and Emily Janice Card, art by Honoel A. Ibardolaza (Ends 8/29)
Ganymede by Cherie Priest (Ends 9/9)
All Men of Genius by Lev AC Rosen (Ends 9/9)

What's New

Brandon Sanderson’s Tour for New Mistborn Novel The Alloy of Law

July 19, 2011May 10, 2024torforge

Brandon will be touring this November to promote the release of his new Mistborn novel, The Alloy of Law. He’ll also be at Comic-Con for a panel and signing. Here are the dates:

Comic Con

Thursday, July 21
12:00 PM
“Putting the ‘Epic’ in Epic Fantasy” panel (Room 6A)
Panelists: Brandon Sanderson, George RR Martin, Patrick Rothfuss, Christopher Paolini, Peter Orullian, K.J. Taylor, & Kevin J. Anderson. Moderated by Michael Spradlin

2:30 PM
Signing & giveaway at Tor booth (#2707)
48 copies of MISTBORN (mm) to be given away along with ALLOY broadsheets and a handful of ALLOY galleys

Alloy of Law Tour

Tuesday, November 8
12:00 AM (Midnight)
opens in a new windowBYU Bookstore
Provo, UT

Wednesday, November 9
7:00 PM
opens in a new windowMysterious Galaxy Books
San Diego, CA

Thursday, November 10
7:00 PM
opens in a new windowBarnes & Noble
Huntington Beach, CA

Friday, November 11
7:00 PM
opens in a new windowUniversity Book Store
Seattle, WA

Saturday, November 12
Vancouver, BC
(TBA)

Tuesday, November 15
7:00 PM
opens in a new windowJoseph-Beth Booksellers
Lexington, KY

Wednesday, November 16
7:00 PM
opens in a new windowBarnes & Noble
Brooklyn, NY