Shadows of Self [Dramatized Adaptation]

Mistborn [Dramatized Adaptation] #5

by Brandon Sanderson, Terence Aselford (Narrator), Chris Genebach (Waxillium)

The Mistborn trilogy's heroes are now figures of myth and legend, even objects of religious veneration. They are succeeded by wonderful new characters, chief among them Waxillium Ladrian, known as Wax, hereditary Lord of House Ladrian but also, until recently, a lawman in the ungoverned frontier region known as the Roughs. There he worked with his eccentric but effective buddy, Wayne. They are "twinborn," meaning they are able to use both Allomantic and Feruchemical magic.

Shadows of Self shows Mistborn's society evolving as technology and magic mix, the economy grows, democracy contends with corruption, and religion becomes a growing cultural force, with four faiths competing for converts.

This bustling, optimistic, but still shaky society now faces its first instance of terrorism, crimes intended to stir up labor strife and religious conflict. Wax and Wayne, assisted by the lovely, brilliant Marasi, must unravel the conspiracy before civil strife stops Scadrial's progress in its tracks.


Terence Aselford as Narrator, Chris Genebach as Wax, Bradley Smith as Wayne, Dani Stoller as Marasi, Tracy Lynn Olivera as MeLaan, Yasmin Tuazon as Lessie, Bob Payne as Aradel, Eva Wilhelm as Steris, Richard Rohan as TenSoon, David Harris as Innate, Michael John Casey as Reddi, Lily Beacon as Vwafendal, Bruce Alan Rauscher as Winsting and Chris Davenport as Edwarn. With David Jourdan, Eric Messner, Laura C. Harris, Thomas Keegan, Robbie Gay, Matthew Keenan, Maggie Donnelly, Rebecca Sheir, Jonathan Feuer, Nanette Savard, Kimberly Gilbert, Michael Glenn, Casie Platt, Rose Elizabeth Supan, Mort Shelby, Nick DePinto, Lise Bruneau, Christopher Scheeren, Gregory Wooddell, Evan Casey, Patrick Bussink, James Lewis, Colleen Delany, Ken Jackson, Eric Singdahlsen, James Konicek, Tim Carlin, Christopher Walker, Scott Graham, Dylan Lynch, Tony Nam, Scott McCormick and Thomas Penny
8 audio discs (approximately 9 hr.)

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Epic Fantasy, Magic

9 pages, Audio CD

Published July 25, 2016

About the author

I’m Brandon Sanderson, and I write stories of the fantastic: fantasy, science fiction, and thrillers.

The release of Wind and Truth in December 2024—the fifth and final book in the first arc of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive series—marks a significant milestone for me. This series is my love letter to the epic fantasy genre, and it’s the type of story I always dreamed epic fantasy could be. Now is a great time to get into the Stormlight Archive since the first arc, which begins with Way of Kings, is complete.

During our crowdfunding campaign for the leatherbound edition of Words of Radiance, I announced a fifth Secret Project called Isles of the Emberdark, which came out in the summer of 2025. Coming December 2025 is Tailored Realities, my non-Cosmere short story collection featuring the new novella Moment Zero.

Defiant, the fourth and final volume of the series that started with Skyward in 2018, came out in November 2023, capping an already book-filled year that saw the releases of all four Secret Projects: Tress of the Emerald Sea, The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and The Sunlit Man. These four books were all initially offered to backers of the #1 Kickstarter campaign of all time.

November 2022 saw the release of The Lost Metal, the seventh volume in the Mistborn saga, and the final volume of the Mistborn Era Two featuring Wax & Wayne. Now that the first arc of the Stormlight Archive is wrapped up, I’ve started writing the third era of Mistborn in 2025.

Most readers have noticed that my adult fantasy novels are in a connected universe called the Cosmere. This includes The Stormlight Archive, both Mistborn series, Elantris, Warbreaker, four of the five Secret Projects, and various novellas, including The Emperor’s Soul, which won a Hugo Award in 2013. In November 2016 all of the existing Cosmere short fiction was released in one volume called Arcanum Unbounded. If you’ve read all of my adult fantasy novels and want to see some behind-the-scenes information, that collection is a must-read.

I also have three YA series: The Rithmatist (currently at one book), The Reckoners (a trilogy beginning with Steelheart), and Skyward. For young readers I also have my humorous series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, which had its final book, Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians, released in 2022. Many of my adult readers enjoy all of those books as well, and many of my YA readers enjoy my adult books, usually starting with Mistborn.

Additionally, I have a few other novellas that are more on the thriller/sci-fi side. These include the three stories in Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds, as well as Perfect State and Snapshot. These two novellas are also featured in 2025’s Tailored Realities. There’s a lot of material to go around!

Good starting places are Mistborn (a.k.a. The Final Empire), Skyward, Steelheart, The Emperor’s Soul, Tress of the Emerald Sea, and Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. If you’re already a fan of big fat fantasies, you can jump right into The Way of Kings.

I was also honored to be able to complete the final three volumes of The Wheel of Time, beginning with The Gathering Storm, using Robert Jordan’s notes.

Sample chapters from all of my books are available at brandonsanderson.com—and check out the rest of my site for chapter-by-chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and more.

Reviews

[Maria✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, first of all, why did no one tell me that that Graphic Audio is CUTTING OUT CONTENT? :'( Sure, not IMPORTANT content, but content nonetheless. I found out by accident when I realized an entire Wayne scene was cut and how can you cut Wayne scenes? He's the best character by far???

Anyway, this book is good... It's just that this book introduces more lore (Era 1) and somehow makes the characters involved feel dumdum and only Wax is the smart one thinking of all the solutions and the hidden plots. That is a big turn-off, because I like Wax, but not at the expense on some basic thoughts that other characters were more than capable of having...

Nonetheless, the story moves fast but the whole book is basically the last 5-10% of it. Sanderson does love keeping the BIG twist at the end of his books, but it was VERY apparent in this book and let me tell you, it was a good one! The rest of it is good enough, but it did not pop like the first book. Wayne is still the best character and a great redeeming point, Marasi is almost nonexistent, Wax is just being molded into becoming an unparalleled hero, Steriss needs more book time and everyone else... ok.

While I'm glad this book had more lore, I feel like this series would do better without it in the end, haha. I liked the first book with how fresh it was and in this one everyone felt a bit dimmer just for Wax to shine and it was underwhelming.

[Teraesia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nakoľko mi strašne chýbajú postavy z predošlej trilógie, tak túto časť som si užila oveľa viac ako predošlú. Najmä od druhej polovice, kedy sa príbeh začínal zamotávať a zároveň odhaľovať. Sanderson opäť nesklamal. A GraphicAudio adaptácia tomu zas a znova dodala dramatický a jedinečný pocit, ktorý prispel k opätovnému neprekonateľnému zážitku.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn 5)
*****5*****

First off, is there ever any doubt that a Brandon Sanderson novel is going to be fantastic? How can that man do no wrong? It is beyond me.

Secondly, I actually predicted something in a Brandon Sanderson novel....I'm quite proud of myself for this feat.

Ok, where to begin? We're still 300 years after the original Mistborn trilogy, following Waxilliam, Wayne and Marasi as they try to solve yet another case. However, this time, Sanderson has gone back to the original trilogy and brought some of that forward (or rather brought more of it forward than he did in the previous book).

The result was something great. We still get the new characters that we are now growing to love (I'm looking at you Wayne), and reintroduced to some things from the past, without being too spoilery (for mild spoiler click) we get to hang out with Kandra again, among other things.

I'm just always amazed at how Sanderson can weave so many intricacies into his stories, and plan so far into the future. I still think that this book was more "fun" than the original trilogy, but it's starting to get the heavy feeling seeping in at the edges. I can't wait for Bands of Mourning.

A few of the characters are less present in this book (although Steris wasn't super present in the last one either), but towards the end, Steris did something that I really admired and allowed me to warm up to her as a character.
As for new characters to the book, I really enjoyed the scenes with MeLaan, she was a great addition and I hope she appears in the next book too.

And for my prediction I predicted that Bleeder was actually Lessie, though I did not predict the influences of Harmony on the whole affair.

That ending though, even though I had predicted some of it, listening to it via Graphic Audio gave me chills. The actors really captured the emotions going on in this story and it really made the experience all the more enjoyable because of it.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like I enjoyed this one more even than the previous. Strong character developement with tons of mystery, betrayal and self-discovery. It dwells on social, political and religious problems while still maintaining the focus on the characters and the worldbuilding. Wax became an even more interesting character and I can't wait to read the next one.

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! This novel is more intense than the first with exciting action, mystery and plot twists.

[Kieron Prince · Rating 4 out of 5]

I initially struggled with the transition from the old era of Mistborn to the new. I had read Alloy of Law a few years ago and on reflection, I did not give it the appreciation it deserved. At the time, I had just finished the original trilogy and was on a high. This emotion superseded anything the new book could have done, so I took a pause from the new generation for a couple of years. When I heard that Brandon Sanderson secured the rights to bring this to life on Apple TV, I felt a duty to ensure I complete this era of Mistborn.

​The time apart did me a service, as I read many fantasy books in the interim period. Returning to this felt like I was reuniting with an old friend in Brandon's style of writing. I love the dynamic between Wax and Wayne and the characters themselves are intriguing. The book feels like a detective novel more than it does a traditional fantasy novel. However, it is clearly a fantasy book due to the magic systems and characters. It just demonstrates the brilliance of Brandon's writing that he can blend these genres so seamlessly.

​The story itself is engaging and had me gripped from start to finish. The beginning sets the scene perfectly, establishing the political tension in Elendel immediately. It grabs you right away with a high stakes situation that forces the characters to react. The middle section is where the detective elements really shine, as Wax follows the clues while Wayne provides necessary levity. The pacing here is relentless and I found myself in eager anticipation for more. The ending delivers a massive emotional payload that I did not see coming. It resolves the main conflict while opening up huge possibilities for the future. The book is well written and easy to follow. It has restored my excitement for this world completely. I will be jumping onto the next in the series as soon as I buy it. It is a fantastic 4.5 star read that proves the second era is just as worthy as the first.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good continuation of Mistborn Era 2.
It's basically the same as the first book (The Alloy of Law), but expanding on every aspect of it. More lore, more background and evolving of the characters, more progress in the world of Scadrial.

If you liked The Alloy of Law, you will probably enjoy this as well.

[Luis Javier]

So, I messed up. I read "Alloy of Law" over five years ago, and I didn't particularly like it. I was a bit underwhelmed after the roller-coaster that was the first Mistborn trilogy, and I don't like "Western" settings. So I took ages to get to reading this book. Oh big mistake, so its now in an urban setting, more Victorian than far-West, but the twists and turns and shout-outs to the first trilogy more than held my interest. I wish I hadn't let so much time pass in between reading the previous books and this one, as I had forgotten exactly who were some characters appearing in the previous entries (and I have spoiled myself out of a twist or two by checking the who's who online).

I listened to the Graphic Audio version and the acting was absolutely superb, I do like how the background music reflects the personalities of the main character for the particular portion of the book. It can be a bit repetitive, but hey, its over nine hours of content, it's bound to repeat at some point, and I feel they tried their best to keep it fresh.

[Amarinske · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

This book took a decent while to get into four me. the Audio is done just as sublimely a in the other books, but the suspense just failed a little. This made me not feel like I was sucked in as much as in the previous books.

It got better near the end and end itself is really upsetting and quite romantic? as well. I loved it and hope the traction picks up right where it left off in the next book.

[Aleksiel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot twist had a plot twist o.O The series just improved for me.