The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

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.

Well, I think I’m in it for the long haul now. I *impulsively* decided to start reading the stormlight archive so I could *hopefully* read the first four books in time for the release of Wind and Truth.

*I’m breaking this section up into multiple parts to make it not as stream of consciousness*

After only reading two standalones of Brandon’s coupled with nothing but positive reviews from people, I knew that I could expect a pretty amazing fantasy series. Also, given my first impressions of the previous Brando books I’ve read, I knew that this guy really knows how to write some seriously incredible worlds, characters, and plots. Yet, one thing I could have not anticipated was just how well he would seemingly do this in the stormlight archive.

For starters, I’m a big fan of the origin story flashbacks. I like how they’re their own chapters, and that you’re getting more and more tidbits of someone’s life as the book goes along. I’ve been told this only continues in the books to follow and I think it’s a vital piece of the full story.

Notably, the world building is spectacular. Not only does he create a very intricate world, but he does it so methodically. He’s not dumping the entire encyclopedia on how the world works on you in the beginning, but gives you little sprinkles as you go along. He’s giving you some facts but also allowing YOU to figure out how his world works simultaneously as the CHARACTERS are figuring things out themselves. I think it’s a clever way of giving the reader just enough information to understand in the moment, and question and build upon what they’ve already learned as the story goes along.

In addition, the Brandoavalanches bury you in snow - like I don’t know how you can make it out of one without reading the whole thing until the end. This avalanche *allegedly* starts at chapter 65 when Sadeas leaves Dalinar hanging out on the battlefield. The events that followed…. my jaw was on the floor for at least 5/6 of it.

Overall, the writing style blew me away. Trying to keep someone engaged for 1000 pages straight seems like a daunting task, but Brando has absolutely no trouble at all.

He also somehow builds the best characters?! First of all, Shallan is awesome. She’s an intelligent woman who isn’t afraid to speak her mind / question someone / be a badass and has some INSANE drawing abilities (if you can’t tell she’s my favorite). But Kaladin! What a life that guy has had dear god. His whole flashbacks about becoming a surgeon and his brother Tien were so interesting but also heartbreaking. He’s also a pretty damn good leader but even more a great friend and brother to many. Rock though was probably my favorite of the Bridgemen (would love to try a soup of his). Don’t even get me started on my sus feelings for Kabsal and Sadeas since THE BEGINNING. I KNEW they were both snakes from early on and Sadeas was a very well crafted villain for sure. The whole Adolin courtship plot line is pretty hilarious and I’m glad that’s the first thing we learn about the guy. Dalinar is an interesting man - and all his visions are quite the whirlwind. Jasnah too is interesting and im curious to see how her character will develop in the stories to come. Oh and SZETH. The opening chapter of him was pretty sick and an intense way to start a book. Don’t forget my spren Syl either - she’s a g. Anywho , clearly there’s a lot of characters I could mention but all in all Brando did an immaculate job casting the characters that he did.

So, yeah, I get the hype with this book. I was afraid that *maybe* in some parallel universe that I wouldn’t but now that I’ve read it, there’s no alternate reality where I don’t like this book.

Well done Brando.

5⭐️

Brandon Sanderson! Spinner of yarns and stretcher of story! I was hooked by the story all the way through but this was a long ass book where very little happened and I don't trust the journey to be worth the destination, heresy though that might be.

“What is a man's life worth?”
“The slavemasters say one is worth about two emerald broams.”
“And what do you say?”
“A life is priceless.”

It took me five months of casually dipping into The Way of Kings in between other books to finish my reread. Well, not true. It took me five months to read the first half. It took me three days to read the second half. Oops.