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Description
From 1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings, Book One of the Stormlight Archive, begins an incredible new saga of epic proportion. Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter. It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them, and won by them. One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. There, Kaladin, who traded his medical apprenticeship for a spear to protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. In a war that makes no sense, where ten armies fight separately against a single foe, he struggles to save his men and to fathom the leaders who consider them expendable. Brightlord Dalinar Kholin commands one of those other armies. Like his brother, the late king, he is fascinated by an ancient text called The Way of Kings. Troubled by over-powering visions of ancient times and the Knights Radiant, he has begun to doubt his own sanity. Across the ocean, an untried young woman named Shallan seeks to train under an eminent scholar and notorious heretic, Dalinar's niece, Jasnah. Though she genuinely loves learning, Shallan's motives are less than pure. As she plans a daring theft, her research for Jasnah hints at secrets of the Knights Radiant and the true cause of the war. The result of over ten years of planning, writing, and world-building, The Way of Kings is but the opening movement of the Stormlight Archive, a bold masterpiece in the making. Speak again the ancient oaths: Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before Destination. and return to men the Shards they once bore. The Knights Radiant must stand again. Other Tor books by Brandon Sanderson The Cosmere The Stormlight Archive ● The Way of Kings ● Words of Radiance ● Edgedancer (novella) ● Oathbringer ● Dawnshard (novella) ● Rhythm of War The Mistborn Saga The Original Trilogy ● Mistborn ● The Well of Ascension ● The Hero of Ages Wax and Wayne ● The Alloy of Law ● Shadows of Self ● The Bands of Mourning ● The Lost Metal Other Cosmere novels ● Elantris ● Warbreaker ● Tress of the Emerald Sea ● Yumi and the Nightmare Painter ● The Sunlit Man Collection ● Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection The Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series ● Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians ● The Scrivener's Bones ● The Knights of Crystallia ● The Shattered Lens ● The Dark Talent ● Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians (with Janci Patterson) Other novels ● The Rithmatist ● Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds ● The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England Other books by Brandon Sanderson The Reckoners ● Steelheart ● Firefight ● Calamity Skyward ● Skyward ● Starsight ● Cytonic ● Skyward Flight (with Janci Patterson) ● Defiant Read more
Publisher : Tor Fantasy
Publication date : May 24, 2011
Edition : First Edition
Language : English
Print length : 1280 pages
ISBN-10 : 0765365278
ISBN-13 : 79
Item Weight : 1.25 pounds
Dimensions : 4.15 x 1.95 x 6.75 inches
Book 1 of 5 : The Stormlight Archive
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Top Amazon Reviews
Format: Kindle
There's SO MUCH to say about this book... If I were to write everything I want to say about this work, I would spend days here. I will try and be short for once. First of all, I think I should mention I had NEVER read anything from Brandon Sanderson before, and I am quite sure I couldn't have found a better start. I first discovered who Brandon was when watching Geek and Sundry's "The Storyboard". I got into it because I'm a huge fan of Pat Rothfuss', but then a guy showed up. He looked a lot like myself, and he was just SO funny! I thought to myself "Why not?". Then I came to Amazon and saw "The Stormlight Archive" for about $3,00. "Wut? 1k pages for 3 bucks? I'm in!". Here in Brazil, a 1k pages book would cost around 40~70 dollars. Kelek provide Kindle a long existance. Thank you. So, the book starts with a guy. A guy named Kalak. He is standing before a huge thunderclast, which is a creature made of stone and fire. There are dead bodies everywhere. Kalak has died many times. Many, many times. But this time he has survived. He, and other eight have survived. Only one of the 10 died this time. This Desolation was bad, but they survived. And they were supposed to go back. Go back to a place of fire and pain. But... Why? What if he just... didn't go? Where are the others?, he asked the King of Heralds. They are gone. The Oathpact is finished. If you're going, leave your Blade. And Kalak leaves his Blade. And he goes away. After an awesome prologue, the story jumps four thousand and five hundred years in the future, and we meet Szeth-son-son-Vallano, Truthless of Shinovar, who's about to kil a king. He wears white on the day he was to kill a king. And then we are presented to the concept of Stormlight. And we learn about Lashings. And we learn about Shardblades and Shardplates. And we get mesmerized by how marvelously Sanderson's writing is. His prose is crystal clear. The way he WEAVES the story before our eyes, using concepts we have never encountered before to create something plausible, belieavable, is just astounding. Szeth is one of the most marvelous characters I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. BUT, he is by no means the "main" character of the book. In fact, he appears only sporadically. After Szeth, we meet Kaladin. If there is a main character in this work, it is Kaladin. The character is complex. In fact, the story is complex. It is so complex, actually, that I've had trouble going through the first chapters. Everything is so REAL, so DETAILED, that we find ourselves in a new world, meeting new people, and a new way of life. There are rockbuds and axelhounds and chulls and chasmfiends and fabrials and ardents and parshmen and Parshendi and Alethi and... Well, it's a whole new world, really. It is one of the MOST MAGNIFICENT worlds I have ever had the pleasure to "be in". But it's a hard read at first. It is not hard because it is bad. On the contrary: it is hard because it is so good. You need some patience to understand you are in a whole new world, with its own fauna and flora. We have skyeels! Kelek's breath, skyeels! The peoples are different. The animals are different. EVERYTHING is different. Even the weather. I've found some references to anime and manga, especially One Piece here. The climate is pretty much crazy, just like the Grand Line's climate is also crazy. Seasons come and go unexpectedly, and they last what? Months? Weeks? No one really knows. And then, there are the Highstorms. They come from the Almighty-knows-where, and they come because... Why do they come, after all? Who sends them, and why? Why do they always come from there? The direction we call stormward? Highstorms are so powerful, and so important, that they have shaped the world and its creatures and plants. But what are they? When did they start blowing? They must be linked to the Heralds... The Knights Radiant, maybe? The Voidbringers? So many questions, and so little time to answer them... Because the True Desolation approaches, and Odium reigns. Really, I can't detail the book too much, because it would take days. I've already made a chaos of my review, but that's because the book is SO good. The series is planned to have 10 books. I don't know if Mr. Sanderson is ever going to read this, but anyway: if those book are NEARLY as good as the first one, then you, sir, will have written the most beautiful and epic fantasy of all time. I don't think it is possible for something to be better than the first book, but I wouldn't be surprised if Brandon did it. He is a master, and that's for sure. I'm so glad I got to read his work. SO GLAD... Kelek provide you live long and prosper, Brandon. Thank you.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2013 by P.
Format: Kindle
There will be some MINOR SPOILERS here. This is going to be one of my longest reviews yet. The Way of Kings is the first book in Brandon Sandersons supposed challenger to the Wheel of Time series. Brandon Sanderson himself is the man who finished the Wheel of Time series with the last two books at the behest of the Estate of Robert Jordan, so he has the chops to write. Further, Sanderson has written quite a few books that I personally have enjoyed, including the Mistborn Saga and Steelheart, and the Rithmatist. It’s safe to say, I enjoy this man’s writing. In the Way of Kings, the world is constantly ravaged by “highstorms” which basically appear to be Hurricanes. The world has adapted to it, and there is some sort of magical quality to these storms as the currency, these gemstones, absorb “Stormlight”. The gems act as both a lightsource frequently, and the currency as well. The book follows three primary storylines using point of view styled storytelling, along with interludes using tertiary characters. The primary characters are Kaladin (an ex soldier turned slave turned bridgeman), Shallan (the sheltered daughter of a dead nobleman trying to save her house), and Dalinar (a Highprince and uncle to the king). Each character has their own goals and wants, and the storylines are all interesting in their own rights. The book is LONG, at just over 1000 pages. But I found myself reading it nonstop as its very character focused. Each character was interesting and while seperate, eventually their stories start to intersect. The story starts with an assassin, called The Man in White, killing the King of the Aleshi, on the night of their treaty signing with this group called the Parshendi. The Parshendi take credit for the killing, and a war breaks out. It has been 6 years since the war had started when our story begins. Kaladin’s story focuses on his trials as a slave turned bridgeman, a person who has to run large wooden bridges for a highprinces army. The bridgemen as expected to die as they are basically bait for the Parshendi archers. Kaladin is basically a broken man but eventually starts to overcome his own issues and tries his best to rally his fellow Bridgemen and keep them alive. Shallan however, is the daughter of a noble who has died, and his family has decided to hide his death in an attempt to avoid creditors. She goes chasing after the kings sister, Jasnah, to steal an item called a Soulcaster. She eventually learns several amazing things about herself and discovers a love of learning, as Jasnah is primarily a scholar. A lot of her story is focused on learning about the world and the history of the world. And finally, Dalinar is the uncle to the King and a Highprince, basically a leader of a country. He is a very honorable man who dislikes the games his fellow highprinces play with the war, and follows a very strict “Code” and forces his children to follow it as well. He bodyguards his nephew against assassins as well. Dalinar is plagued by visions throughout the book and a great deal of his story is him trying to figure out if he is going mad or not, along with dealing with the politics of war. By the end of the story all three plot lines begin to tie together, and the ending was satisfying while also making me want to read the next book to see how things turn out. Some things that are truly fascinating to me is the usage of racism as a way of life. The characters in Aleshi, the main country, are divided by the Lighteyes, and the Darkeyes. Your eye color determines your station and if you are a noble or not. A Darkeyes cannot be a noble and generally must obey the orders of the Lighteyes. Kaladin is a Darkeyes, as an example, while Dalinar and Shallan are lighteyes. Further, woman are the scholars in Aleshi, while men deal with war and the like. In fact, Men do not learn to read or write, having their wives handle such things. Its quite interesting as beyond there, the gender’s are basically equal. The Parshendi are, at least for now, an Enigma. Not much is known about them from the character’s point of view beyond the fact that they sing nearly constantly, and they hold their dead with the highest reverence. Whats really interesting is that there is a race of people who are totally subservient to the Aleshi called Parshman, which appear to be cousins of the Parshendi. The last thing I want to touch on is the magic system. As with all Sanderson novels, there is a magic system here, but there seem to be only a few practitioners. First there is Soulcasting, which is something Jasnah and others like her can do. It basically lets them transmute any one thing into anything else. Like turning stone into bread for example. This is something that people do with the aid of Soulcasters. There is also Surgebinding, of which the only one the reader knows about at the start is the Assassin in White. Surgebinding lets him defy gravity, push or pull objects, and stick objects together. Surgebinding requires Stormlight to use, and a Surgebinder absorbs the Stormlight that is stored in the various gems. Finally, there are the Shardblades and the Shardplate. These are more magical artifacts, left over from a time when a group of beings called Radiants walked the world. These weapons are bound to a person. Shardplate is basically power armor in fantasy form, increasing its wearers strength, speed, and defense. Shadeblades are almost like plasma swords. They can cut nonliving material likes it nothing, and living matter they “kill” without actually damaging it. Get hit by a Shardblade in the arm, the arm itself dies and can never be used. Shardblades also must be summoned, and if the carrier is disarmed of one it vanishes into mist. The Way of Kings is an interesting book and looks like a great intro to a new series. My only real issue is with its length, as some people may put off from its sheer size. But if you enjoyed Sandersons previous works or want a fantasy novel that is not the same old same old, give Way of Kings a try.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2015 by ClayTN
Format: Hardcover
This book is simply amazing with an incredibly detailed world and excellent character development and I felt compelled to write a review so others could get excited and take the plunge into this 1000 page book 1 of 10 adventure! Here's why I couldn't put this book down: I've always enjoyed reading Brandon Sanderson's books because he does such a wonderful job of creating believable and interesting characters filled with emotion that connect me as a reader to their stories. Although this book has several character arcs going on at the same time, they are each interesting and I never felt upset about leaving one arc and going to the other arc. Also the pacing between arcs kept me excited and I never felt bored with any of the stories. Each also had a bit of mystery and intrigue and not all the arcs get completely resolved at the end, leaving a few mysteries for the next book as a tie-in. I also thought it really cool that the end of the book brought closure to the prelude and opened up a whole 'Oh Dear' wellspring of thought for the next book. To accompany character development, Brandon has also created a very rich and diverse magic system, multiple religions, ancient artifacts, and current mechanical-magical inventions to add to the mix. Couple this with murder-mystery intrigue, political maneuvering, fighting, philosophy, romance, laughing, crying, and unexpected twists and you get everything you could possibly want in a fantasy epic. The other incredible feature about a Brandon Sanderson book is the care he takes to develop the world and this book tops his others. I've read other books that had incredible storms or made up creatures but this is the first one I've ever read that had such widespread flora and fauna adapted to the world in such an integral way. The world feels very oceanic-based but without the water - most animals are crustaceans and tree leaves and grass act like a sea anemone and withdraws when endangered. I got great enjoyment during one of the interludes where a woman visiting a rare Earth-like region where the grass and trees didn't react compares this to a "man who was born without all his brains, one who didn't know when to protect himself, but instead just stared at the wall drooling." The Shattered Plains is a also a very interesting geographical feature which provides a unique twist as arrmies struggle to get across numerous chasms to engage the enemy quickly. The artwork adds a very special element to the book and really helps bring this world to life. Drawings of plants, animals, buildings, and unique geographical features allows the reader a detailed glimpse into the author's visions and really adds to the enjoyment of this world. I hope we get more art in future books! I'd actually recommend buying the hard back just for the art. This is a really great beginning for an epic saga. I'm definitely excited about seeing the rest of the series and truly hope Brandon Sanderson can keep the momentum and excitement going throughout (and the art!).
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Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2010 by C. Au
Format: Hardcover
"The Way of Kings" is the first novel of Brandon Sanderson's "Stormlight Archive", a planned ten-book series as well as his magnum opus. Combining many traditional epic fantasy tropes with Sanderson's unique setting (as well as his talent for fast-paced execution), this novel is both a good read, and a welcome addition to the fantasy genre. The novel is set in the fictional world of Rosher, on a continent that is frequently ravaged by brutal storm fronts called "highstorms". It centers around three primary protagonists (as well as a handful of minor characters with few chapters): Kaladin (the main character), Shallan, and Dalinar. Kaladin is a surgical-student-turned-soldier-turned-slave, who spends most of the book fighting for survival as a "bridgeman" (a near suicidal mission involving the placement of unprotected bridges under a hail of enemy arrows). Shallan is a young "lighteyes" woman (the equivalent of a noblewoman), who is carrying out a desperate heist in the guise of a scholarly apprenticeship. Dalinar is an aging lord and the late King of Alethkar's brother, who is seeking vengeance for his assassination while being wracked with visions from the past. This book is a gigantic page-turner. Even with more than 1000 pages (long even by fantasy standards), it's an absolute breeze to read, and very difficult to put down. As is typical for Sanderson, the prose is fairly straight-forward and easy, with little ambiguity and difficulty in interpretation. It does occasionally slow down due to the frequent flashbacks, but they integrate relatively well into the narrative. Much of the book encompasses traditional fantasy tropes executed well. Kaladin is cast into a desperate situation in which he tries to avoid despair, but there's little question that he will manage to find a way out of it. Shallan's storyline is also fairly predictable, although Sanderson throws in a bit of a twist at the end that reveals a good deal about the setting (Shallan's arc, in general, is frequently used for expository purposes). The least predictable section of the story is that of Dalimar's, although he unfortunately has the least dynamic character of the three. All of this is interwoven with considerable action, lots of battles described in detail, and a good deal of magic. What makes the book truly different are two elements: the setting, and the magic system (an odd system including "lashing", a type of gravity manipulation). Sanderson seems to be carving himself a niche in world-building with the type of naturally ravaged world he creates with Rosher - the closest comparison to it is the ash-choked world of his previous fantasy series, the "Mistborn" Trilogy. He goes into a good amount of detail describing the unique creatures and plants that have arisen in the world, including hard-shelled crustaceans on land, as well as protected, retracting plants in a world where any topsoil is simply swept away. The only weakness is in the society that Sanderson portrays, which comes across as more of your typical european-style fantasy world than the type you might expect to evolve in such a world. All of this adds to the imagery of the novel, and none of it slows the pace down (as you might expect such detail to do). While enjoyable, "The Way of Kings" is not without its weaknesses. One of them lies in the same element discussed earlier as a strength: its predictability. After stripping away the unique world and magic, this is a very typical fantasy novel in many ways. There is little doubt that Kaladin, Dalimar, and Shallan will overcome their hardships, and while they take the reader on an interesting ride, none of them are truly unique, difficult, or memorable characters. If you're looking for such characters, this may not be the novel for you. There are two other concerns. One is the almost-total lack of overt sexuality, either implied or shown. Sanderson does throw in a mention of a prostitute or several, and the celibacy of the characters makes sense in-story, but it does affect the tone and characterization in a way that makes the book occasionally feel like a "young adult" novel. The other is the use of terminology: Sanderson occasionally uses terms and descriptions that don't really seem to fit the knowledge and perception of the viewpoint character, and it would sometimes pull me out of the story. Nonetheless, this is a solid fantasy novel, and one of the best releases of 2010. I strongly recommend it to any fantasy fans, as well as readers interested in a fast-paced, occasionally dark beginning to a new series.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2010 by Brett
Format: Hardcover
There are times when I hate having grown up to be a fantasy fan. Most of the time it's when I pick up a book that seems promising - maybe because it's from a familiar author, or because you heard from a friend of a friend that it was good - but it turns out to be disappointing. Stock characters, old and tired plotlines, and a world that's basically Tolkien with some greasepaint and false noses added on. Given the number of people who write fantasy, the odds of coming across a truly interesting world with compelling characters and a story that has some surprises is difficult indeed. Fortunately, it looks like Sanderson has managed to pull it off. The world of Roshar is a strange and tempestuous place. The seasons come and go in unpredictable ways, sometimes bringing with them great highstorms that are so powerful that even the plants of this world have evolved ways to hide from them. It is a world filled with spirits, ubiquitous beings called spren, which pop up for almost any reason. There are the spren of nature - windspren, firespren, rotspren, riverspren and the like. There are spren that seem attracted to humans, like alespren, gloryspren, anticipationspren and logicspren. No one really knows what they are or why they exist, but they are everywhere in this world. The greatest kingdom in Roshar is that of Alethkar, which is barely a nation at all. A loosely bound alliance of ten high princes, the people of Alethkar are a hostile, ambitious, violent folk whose first and greatest love is battle and winning. Since the assassination of their king by the savage Parshendi, they have been involved in a seemingly endless siege of revenge on the great Shattered Plains. The greatest warriors of Alethkar - or any nation - are those who wield the amazing shardblades. Swords that seem to condense out of mist, the shardblades can cut through anything, though if they cut through a person their effects are a little more subtle. A warrior armed with a shardblade, wearing shardplate armor, can use the incredible power of stormlight to achieve feats that no normal man could survive. Bound within glowing gemstones and restored by the howling winds of the highstorms, stormlight is Roshar's greatest treasure. Within this world we follow an ensemble cast which, while adhering to certain fantasy archetypes, still is made interesting and worth watching. Dalinar, the brother to the dead Alethi king, is searching for a way to hold together the weak nation that his brother formed. He has been learning of the old ways, the teachings of the vanished and reviled Knights Radiant, in the hopes that they can help hold his people together. On the other end of Alethi society is Kaladin. Once a promising young surgeon, Kaladin joined the army in hopes of being able to fight on the Shattered Plains. He made it there, but not as a soldier - as a member of a bridge crew, one of the most expendable resources in the entire war. He became the lowest of the low, forced to find a reason to stay alive. In a city far from the fighting, young Shallan Davar has fought to become the ward of the great heretic scholar Jasnah Kholin. While she has ostensibly come to learn from the woman, her true purpose is to steal Jasnah's soulcaster, a device which, if used properly, can turn something into something else - stone into smoke, glass into blood, a man into fire. With this, Shallan hopes to revive her family's flagging fortunes after the death of her father. What she discovers with Jasnah, of course, is far, far more. Then there's Szeth-son-son-Vallano, truthless of Shinovar. Poor, poor Szeth. From a race of people known for their peaceful and easygoing natures, Szeth is the most powerful assassin the world has seen. He can harness the stormlight to manipulate gravity, making him able to do the impossible while he uses his shardblade to cut down anyone in his way. In truth, though, Szeth wishes only one thing - to find someone who is good enough to kill him, and end his tormented life. As you may have guessed, it's a complicated tale, and Sanderson doesn't hold to this whole "Give the reader time to get used to it" style of writing. If you're not paying attention from the beginning, you are likely to be very, very lost within the first chapter or so. But once everything settles down, the story turns into a fast-paced, multi-leveled adventure that takes place in a world that is imaginative and fascinating. The characters are enthralling, too, with many levels and - most importantly - flaws. While Kaladin is a brilliant organizer and leader, he has to fight continually against the despair of realizing what his life has come to. The easy thing would be to allow himself to die, but he knows he can't let himself do that. Dalinar, plagued by visions of what might be Roshar's ancient past, is fighting centuries of Alethi martial tradition by trying to bring the high princes together and end the war, rather than allowing it to go on. He's pulled between the love of his nephew, the king, and his frustration that the king won't be strong enough to do what needs doing. Shallan, who left her home with a clear purpose, is finding that nothing was what she thought it would be. Jasnah isn't an evil woman, despite being a heretic, and her plan to steal the soulcaster becomes less and less certain the more she learns. All of these characters are at the front edge of thousands of years of history, much of it shrouded in uncertainty - legendary Knights Radiant who fought Voidbringers before giving up their duty and turning against mankind. What actually happened is unknown, and perhaps won't ever be known. But the effects of those events echo to the present day, causing problems which our characters will eventually have to deal with. Perhaps the greatest compliment I can give to Sanderson is that when I finished the book, I immediately went back to the first page and started reading again. There are very few books that have inspired me thus, but this one did - especially after the cascading Big Reveals at the end, which explain a lot, and cast a new light on a whole lot more. What's more, I found myself wishing that I had access to an animation studio while I read the action scenes. Fights can be hard to do in written form - there's a tendency to either describe too much or too little, and very often the reader gets slowed down trying to visualize what's happening in the story. Sanderson is very, very good at writing action, something I first noticed in Towers of Midnight. Even when Szeth is hopping from floor to ceiling to wall, flinging people around like toys, the action was very clear in my mind's eye, and it's something I would love to see animated, if not done in live action. And yes, to get back to why I hate being a fantasy reader sometimes, it is the first book in a series, which means I'm likely to be following it for quite some time. There's nothing truly wrong with that - there are plenty of series that I've followed in my day - but I never look forward to the waiting game that you have to play as the author works on the next book. To be fair, though, Sanderson is busy right now finishing up my favorite series, The Wheel of Time, so I think I can give him a little latitude. In any case, if you're looking for a dense, fun new series to read, definitely pick this up. I plan on getting into some of his other books, mainly in order to have something to do while I wait for the next one of these. -------------------------------------- "The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon. Too often, we forget that." - Hoid, The Way of Kings
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Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2012 by Chris Gladis
Format: Mass Market Paperback
As one of the most popular fantasy series of the last few years, it should be no surprise that the first book in this series sucked me in from the very beginning. It's epic in scope, well-developed, and hard to put down with all of the action and political machinations and, of course, magic. Huge recommendation for fans of high fantasy. It's nearly impossible to summarize a 1200+ page book in a few sentences, as there are so many characters and sub-plots that run through the story, but the main characters stay consistent in their frequency of appearance in the chapters. Kaladin is a young former soldier of prodigious talent with a spear, who we discover through the book was betrayed by his commander and sold into slavery as a "bridgeman," a worker whose sole purpose is to carry portable bridges to span the chasms on the plains where his nation is fighting a war against a strange race of human-like beings; Kaladin is a natural leader with a painful past, but an ability to encourage men to unite and better themselves. Dalinar is a middle-aged highprince, part of the light-eyed nobility of his nation, brother to a king who had been murdered by an assassin a handful of years ago, sparking the current war, and uncle and principle advisor/general to the current king; Dalinar is plagued with strange visions of the past featuring the Knights Radiant, a near-mythological group of ancient knights with magical weapons, armor, and abilities, some of which have drifted down through history to be held by regular individuals in the current age. Adolin, Dalinar's son, is an excellent solider and duelist, and at times a spoiled prince, who tends to rebel against his father's need to stick to outdated Codes outlining the honorable conduct of a soldier. Shallan is a teenaged girl blossoming into womanhood, left with the weight of saving her declining house from total bankruptcy after her father had lost all fortune and the respect of his peers; Shallan has a brilliant mind, a quick wit, and a true talent for artistry that seems almost supernatural, and seeks to gain the trust of Jasnah, niece of Dalinar and sister of the king, who is a respected and erudite scholar, and just maybe a bit of a heretic against her own culture's religion. The cast of characters is voluminous, but most chapters revolve around these main ones, as they seek to understand the world and their roles in it, and possibly avert a world-changing disaster they've just become aware is brewing. The plot is epic in all meanings of the word: big, lengthy, involved, full of emotions and motivations and purpose, stretching to all points of the world that Sanderson has created out of whole cloth. It's clear that the author has spent a great deal of effort planning the millenia of backstory that predates the setting of the novel, and that plan is detailed and rich. There are multiple independent systems (or sources) of magic, each with its own rules and users, some seeming to be created from nature, others seeming to be fabrications of men and women. The history of the novel's world is deep, and trickles out in small bits throughout the long story, such that once the reader feels the dominant religion/mythology is finally understood, a new bit of ancient history is revealed that shows just how that religion has changed over time and may not be fully grasped by either the reader or the religion's current adherents. The characters are very well-developed, each with his or her own motivations and reasons for being where he or she is in life. All told, the plot is thick and convoluted, but in such a good way that the reader feels each character is growing and developing, while the action and plot still move along at a quick pace. This is one of those books that is incredibly hard to put down, so you may find yourself up all night reading. I really did struggle to find something to criticize in this book, but I did find a few things. While I know the author has his main characters trying to build a better world while battling their society's own shortcomings, there is still a startling undercurrent of racism to the culture being described: the main opponents of the war on the Shattered Plains are a mostly dark-skinned race seen as primitive, whose more docile cousins are used by the other nations as slave labor and described as all looking alike, which is viewed as normal and almost necessary for the culture of the mostly light-skinned and -eyed, and supposedly more noble, race on the other side of the war. At one point, the author made the surprising use of the word "moolie," which shocked me -- its use was as a pejorative nickname for a mute, and not a racial slur, but still it's a choice that the author made that perhaps wasn't well thought out and struck me as unnecessarily offensive when he could have used literally any other existing or made-up word. There was also the problem that I find all too pervasive in many fantasy books, a genre I love: there is a stark overuse of names using the letters A, K, L, and N (e.g., Kaladin, Dalinar, Adolin, Adalar, Elhokar, Navani, Jasnah, Shallan, etc.) -- after a while, all the names seem to have come from a standard Boggle tileset with only a few letters or syllables to choose from. I know that this may be passed on as distinctive for the racial/linguistic setting of the novel, but its similarities to many other names in many other fantasy series leaves me with the taste that such overuse of certain syllables is derivative, rather than original. Also, a surprising number of these names, when combined with the character's family name, follow a strange rule that Aleister Crowley (the occultist) set out that the best-sounding names are a dactyl (three syllables with emphasis on the first syllable) followed by a spondee (two syllables of equal emphasis), as if they were all created specifically for fitting in a certain poetic meter -- I'm not sure if I'm impressed by this, or if I view this as another example of derivative names. As for the writing mechanics, the book is incredibly clean. Sure, there are a few split infinitives and a handful of examples of "most everyone" or "most all," but in a book more than 1200 pages long, the number of grammatical or syntactical errors is actually miniscule compared to a lot of books out there these days. I enjoy Sanderson's writing style, which hints at both "high" fantasy writing and colloquial conversational banter. It's nice to read such a long book without wanting to throw it against the wall every few pages because of an egregious writing error. Overall, I'm excited to be into this series at long last. I understand it's intended to be a 10-book series, and so far there are only 3 released (with a fourth maybe coming later this year?), so I fully expect to be enjoying this rich world Sanderson has built for another few years. A huge recommendation for anyone who even kind of likes high fantasy series.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2020 by Rusty Dalferes
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Storm Father be praised, I have found it. At long storming last. For years I've searched, high and low. Six books in, The Wheel of Time couldn't do it. Wizard of Earthsea couldn't do it. None of the many fantasy novels I've picked up only to put down again in short order couldn't do it. What is it you ask? Well, let me explain. Back in 2012 I picked up Gorge R.R. Martins A Song of Ice and Fire after falling in love with HBO's Game of Thrones. I've always been an avid reader, and I credit Tolkien's Lord of the Rings with making me so. But for some reason, though I've always been a huge Tolkien fan, with the exception of the Narnia and Dark Tower books, I never returned to the genre which inspired me to read (and later to write) in the first place. A Song of Ice and Fire changed all that, and I've been looking ever since for a series match its greatness. Of course The Wheel of Time was the first place I turned, but after six overly long, yawn inducing books I don't think I have the stomach to go on. To Earthsea I went, and found its narrative boring, the style of writing not really doing anything for me. In The Way of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson, I have found that series. High praise, considering that I'm comparing it to Song after only one book, but believe me it is worth every word of praise I can give it, and then some. It is in every way A Game of Thrones equal, and if I may be so brash to say Wheel of Times superior. I realize Sanderson is a huge Jordan fan and drew huge inspiration from his work, but in this readers not so humble opinion Sanderson is ten, nay twenty, times the writer Jordan was. No disrespect intended towards Jordan, a true pioneer in the genre, but I'm sorry it’s the truth. The first thing one will notice that sets this book apart is the setting. Yes, Sanderson goes with a traditional mid-evil setting in many ways, but WoK is just as striking with how different it is. Everything about this world, from its plant life, the creatures which inhabit it, and human culture, have evolved to contend with a series of brutal storms known as High Storms which sweep through the land every couple of weeks with hurricane like winds and rain. Plants recoil into the ground when the winds approach, animals evolve with huge shells to protect themselves, and human beings build their structures with roofs slanted towards from the storms. The world Sanderson creates is truly alien, more in line with a science fiction novel then a fantasy one, though technology remains mostly fantasy based. This level of detail is evident in every aspect of this world. Sanderson creates fictional philosophers with contradicting theories regarding various subjects, religious and cultural beliefs are deep and well thought out, and its magic system is exciting and rule based. It’s hard to imagine such a thorough world exists. The level of detail poured into it is simply incredible. The characters are varied and, at first at least, spread throughout the world. From Kaladin, a slave with a mysterious past forced to make suicidal charges at enemy positions, to the artistic Shallan, and the High Prince Dalinar, every single one had me fully invested in their stories. I'm not a man prone to emotion. Rare is the film that can bring me to tears, and rarer the book. Out of the hundreds of books I've read I believe only A Thousand Splendid Suns has ever come close to bringing me to tears. So understand that when I say this book brought me to the edge of tears that I mean that as the highest praise I can possibly give. I don't think Martins Red Wedding even got that kind of emotion from me. Maybe the Purple Wedding, though that was more excited cheers then tears, I’m sure you’ll understand. Only an author with a firm grasp of his characters, their personalities, quirks, wants, desires, motivations, etc, can even hope to illicit such a response, and Sanderson has proven with this one novel that he is a master of characters. Impressive, considering how completely he mastered his world building as well. Not many writers are good at both. Even fewer are masters of them. Sanderson is one of those few. Will the Stormlight Archive prove as good as A Song of Ice and Fire? Only time will tell. One book is hardly enough to source material to make a fair comparison between the two. The stories are also vastly different, with Sanderson focusing more on mysticism and magic rather than the gritty realism of Martins tale. Even so, I can firmly say that I am more than excited to dig deeper into the world of the Stormlight Archive and follow along with Sanderson for as many books as he wishes to write. What's that? He's going to write TEN? Ten freaking books? Funny thing. After The Eye of the World, the prospect of reading Jordan's tale to the end seemed more like a chore then a pleasure. Not here. If the remaining books are even half as good as Way of Kings, I will happily read whatever Sanderson gives me.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2015 by Jonathan "Jimmy Dean" Lane: libertarian
Format: Hardcover
Title: The Way of Kings This is the first book of the upcoming Stormlight Archive. Author: Brandon Sanderson Genre: Fantasy/SciFi This book is the story of three main characters and there role in the world, all connected in some way. Along with Kaladin, Dalinar, and Shallan, we see a cast of supporting characters, as well as a few brief appearances by other minor characters. Most important in my opinion is Kaladin. We follow his life throughout the book in both the present and the past, and therefore spend more time with him than the other characters. Kaladin, an amazing fighter and surgeon, just as he is beginning to make something of himself, finds his whole life shattered, and all of his hopes and dreams torn away from him as he abruptly drops to the bottom of the world's order. He finds himself at the bottom of the chain, a slave, but finds there is even worse to come with the life of a Brideman. In his new life he finds death around every corner, surrounding him, making him nearly yearn for it himself. But what he instead finds is not at all what he expected. In the lowliest station imaginable, he finds not hopelessness, but instead a second chance. A second chance at leadership, a second chance at succeeding, and most importantly, a second chance in his life to protect. Along with this story line we also move, although quickly, through his life up to that point. Starting in Kaladin's childhood, and moving up months or years at a time throughout, we venture into the makings of himself as a person, and learn why he thinks and is the way he is. This gives us a rare and direct insight into the inner workings of one of the main characters, that would usually go unseen. The next main character is Dalinar Kholin, a Highprince of Alethkar. Him as well as his son, are seen at the Shattered Plains, a rugged terrain where there 6 year old war with the Parshendi, a savage sect of the otherwise meek and tamed Parshmen that serve as property of most of the civilized world. Dalinar is plagued with visions of the past, and above all a cause to unite the Highprinces, for reasons far above him, that even he does not understand. In this book Dalinar is struggling with himself, his changing views of the world, and strained relationship with his son, and with his King. His story is one of truly finding himself and truly striving to do what needs to be done, no matter the cost. Thirdly is Shallan. Shallan finds herself seeking the oppurtunity of a lifetime, to learn under one of the world's most renowned scholars, yet her true purpose is one much darker. Truly she seeks to steal a powerful item of great worth that is possessed by that scholar. Haunted by things in her past she has already done, she at first sees this as a simple task, after all, it seems it will be the only way to save her family's house after the death of her father, a secret her family desperately is trying to keep. As she becomes intoxicated by the things she is learning, and people she is meeting, it becomes something much more difficult to accomplish. In the end she has to make decisions that will decide much, life or death even. Now there are a few characters as I've stated, that only appear once in the book, and are mainly there just to show a certain place or event. The last character of import, though with little screen time, is Szeth. Szeth is a Truthless, one bound to whatever master holds his oath stone. After assassinating a monarch, he is for a while cast aside, rotting in his guilt and haunted by his past deeds, bringing him to near insanity. He is happy at least to be of no more use than a slave, at least then he wasn't made to kill. His station changes however, and he is once again forced to do acts of unthinkable atrocity and cruelty, once again and still wanting nothing more than to die. His targets become much more important, until soon, the very fate of the world could be decided on whether or not he succeeds. Ok I'd like to first say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and thought it was a great piece of literature. Brandon Sanderson definitely breaks away from many of his not much liked aspects of his writing style in this book, and definitely sounds much more experienced in his writing. One of the bigger complaints about Sanderson is that in much of his work, all the characters seem to be inherently good, and this too I think he is able to break away from in this book. I thought the flow of the book was excellent. Sanderson arranges each section with certain characters and certain parts, and then places the minor characters in between sections in what he calls the `interludes'. I thought that this style of organization works well because it keeps the main characters and unnecessary characters separate, helping along the events of the plot, and keeping it flowing well, with breaks instead of slow parts. During the beginning the only thing I didn't like about the storyline was Shallan's parts, which while interesting, I found a bit dry. I found this quality later redeemed for the most part, and also found it not that big of a deal, considering she was the least of the main characters. Overall I would rate this book a 9.5/10. I don't think I could give it a full 10, though it was very close. I definitely can't wait for the next book, and think this could be the next epic series of near Wheel of Time proportions.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2011 by Talmanes