Wax and Wayne

Gunpowder, manners, and a sharper kind of fantasy

Fantasy in 2011 rarely strutted around with this much metal on its boots. Brandon Sanderson takes the sweep of high fantasy and threads it through a world of lawmen, city intrigue, and gadgetry, giving the whole thing the snap of a frontier caper.

What sets Wax and Wayne apart is context as much as tone. This novel is a sequel to Mistborn, but not in the dutiful, lore-heavy way that can make follow-ups feel like homework: it shifts the setting forward and lets the world evolve into something brisker, stranger, and more playful.

The Story

The novel follows Wax, a lawman pulled between rough justice and urban society, as trouble in the city forces him back into danger. The setting mixes steampunk texture with Sanderson’s rule-based magic, so every confrontation feels less like vague wizardry and more like a contest of skill, timing, and nerve.

Wayne gives the book much of its unruly charm. Their partnership brings humor, friction, and a welcome sense that heroism can look a little disreputable on the surface.

Who Should Read This

This is a strong pick for readers who want fantasy to move, not just brood. If epic secondary worlds appeal to you, but you would also like gunfights, street-level stakes, and a less medieval atmosphere, this lands neatly in that gap.

Readers familiar with Mistborn will catch more of the world’s long echo, but the novel’s pace and premise do plenty of the work on their own. We would still place it best with readers who want to see what happens when a fantasy saga grows up, changes clothes, and keeps its edge.