Oliver Howard
This book series has a reputation for being Sanderson's best work, so naturally, my expectations were extremely high. I thoroughly enjoyed the Mistborn books, so it was difficult to imagine a series that far surpasses it, but Sanderson did it.
It's uncommon to find a fantasy novel with multiple perspectives where every character is genuinely likable, but Kaladin, Shallan, and Dalinar all have become some of my favorite characters in all of fantasy. Dalinar in particular stood out to me. I found his conflict throughout the book extremely compelling and his character arc felt full and well-earned. I may just have a soft spot for Ned Stark-type characters, but I found Dalinar's strive for honor to be more nuanced than other similar characters. I also think that his giving up his Shardblade was a perfect place for his story to conclude at the end of book one because he is literally following the first line of the Immortal Words -- "Life before death". He's choosing Kaladin and the Bridgeman's lives over his own ability to bring death to others.
Kaladin and Bridge Four was the action highlight of this book. These chapters felt so well-paced and easy to read.
Shallan's chapters were a nice pallet cleanser for the other perspectives. A book being 1200+ pages cannot succeed without a bit of diversity in voices, so the slower, more intellectual chapters were very much needed.
Overall, incredible book. Worth the hype.
This book series has a reputation for being Sanderson's best work, so naturally, my expectations were extremely high. I thoroughly enjoyed the Mistborn books, so it was difficult to imagine a series that far surpasses it, but Sanderson did it.
It's uncommon to find a fantasy novel with multiple perspectives where every character is genuinely likable, but Kaladin, Shallan, and Dalinar all have become some of my favorite characters in all of fantasy. Dalinar in particular stood out to me. I found his conflict throughout the book extremely compelling and his character arc felt full and well-earned. I may just have a soft spot for Ned Stark-type characters, but I found Dalinar's strive for honor to be more nuanced than other similar characters. I also think that his giving up his Shardblade was a perfect place for his story to conclude at the end of book one because he is literally following the first line of the Immortal Words -- "Life before death". He's choosing Kaladin and the Bridgeman's lives over his own ability to bring death to others.
Kaladin and Bridge Four was the action highlight of this book. These chapters felt so well-paced and easy to read.
Shallan's chapters were a nice pallet cleanser for the other perspectives. A book being 1200+ pages cannot succeed without a bit of diversity in voices, so the slower, more intellectual chapters were very much needed.
Overall, incredible book. Worth the hype.