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.
I read The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson in July 2021 as part of the Cosmere Conquest book club, which has now become The Oasis, an SFF themed book server on Discord. Consider joining us!
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About the Book
The Bands of Mourning
The Mistborn Saga Book Six
by Brandon Sanderson
Published 26 January 2016
Tor Books
Genre: Epic Fantasy, Fantasy Western
Page Count: 448
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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.
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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My Review
My Rating: 5 Stars
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I read The Bands of Mourning with a Cosmere book club that was reading one Sanderson title a month for 2021. The Bands of Mourning was our July read, following the previous five Mistborn books from February to June.
The kandra are still searching for answers, and once again Wax is going to get roped in. The Bands of Mourning are mythical metal minds said to have been worn and used by the ancient Lord Ruler. Do they still exist? Can they be used? Can they be kept out of the wrong hands?
I think first and foremost we need to acknowledge that Steris is a great addition to the main adventuring cast and quite possibly the best part of this book! The crew is growing, and now the goes-everywhere-together gang consists of Wax, Wayne, Marasi, MeLang, and Steris. (Careful boys, you’re beginning to be outnumbered!)
The world continues to change, grow, and advance. Metal magics are being incorporated into technology. While the previous books felt a bit gaslamp, this book feels like a turn into this world’s modern age. I continue to be amazed that Sanderson is able to write the same world and magic systems in different eras, and I really like what this world is becoming.
I also absolutely love the dual meaning that “bands of mourning” holds for the storyline. The bands of mourning are real (or fabled) tangible objects, but this era of Mistborn and this book in particular do handle the heavy theme of mourning. Harmony’s revelations to Wax in the previous book and this one uncover, refresh, and perpetuate the mourning that several characters must go through. If you’ve read era 1, you’ll know why that’s so significant for Harmony as well. It’s so beautifully poetic!
I wasn’t so sure about this new era of Mistborn until now, but The Bands of Mounring absolutely blew me away! It’s fast paced, it’s packed with even more lore and plot twists, and it makes me love characters I wasn’t liking all that much in previous books. The seventh full length novel, anticipated in 2022, was announced while we were reading these previously published second era books, and I absolutely cannot wait. I need more from these characters now! That wasn’t necessarily true before.
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Want more? Check out my 4 star review of the previous book, Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson!
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