The Way of Kings

Executive Summary: I loved this book. It's not perfect, but it instantly was added to my favorites shelf. Will you love it too? Well that depends on what you're looking for. I've seen some people call that slow, but not me. I think book sets up what could become my new favorite series depending on what Mr. Sanderson does in the books that follow this one.Full ReviewI first heard of Mr. Sanderson, like many I suspect, when he was announced as the one chosen to complete [a:Robert Jordan 6252 Robert Jordan http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1175475715p2/6252.jpg]'s Wheel of Time series. The first book I read by him was [b:The Gathering Storm 1166599 The Gathering Storm (Wheel of Time, #12; A Memory of Light, #1) Robert Jordan http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312064325s/1166599.jpg 1920889] and I loved that too.I went on to check out his Mistborn series shortly after and loved those books. When this came out however, I held back. I didn't really want to jump into what he promised to be a maybe 10 book series. I wanted to wait for it to be done/nearly done.Fast forward a few years, two more excellent Wheel of Time books by Mr. Sanderson, and there was suddenly a hole in my reading. I got to meet him in February at a signing for [b:A Memory of Light 7743175 A Memory of Light (Wheel of Time, #14; A Memory of Light, #3) Robert Jordan http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1336055749s/7743175.jpg 10558806] and I felt bad that I had nothing that was exclusively his to sign in hardcover. That pretty much settled it for me and I managed to find a new first edition copy of the book online.There is a lot of world building in this book. That's to be expected from book one of what looks to be a long series. There is a lot of time jumping, especially at the beginning.After the brief first scene ends, we jump 4500 years into the future. Then there is a short prolouge, where we meet a bad-ass (though reluctant) assassin named Szeth. Then it jumps another 5 or 6 years before the main story gets rolling.As the story begins we meet Kaladin Stormblessed. No he's not a farm boy suddenly thrust on an unexpected adventure, he's a unit commander in the military. He's a little bit older (19) than your typical fantasy trope hero as well. That isn't to say he doesn't suffer from any tropes, but he feels like a refreshingly original character. I also appreciated the way Mr. Sanderson introduces him to you, in what I can only assume to be a nod to the prototype fantasy protagonist.Mr. Sanderson makes use of flash back chapters starting 9 years in the past and slowly moves them forward in time filling you on how Kaladin came to be where he was.We are next introduced to Shallan, a young noble woman set out on a mission to save her family from ruin. I've seen complaints that her parts of the book are “pointless” to the plot of this book, but I disagree. While she has no roll in the main plot, Mr. Sanderson is building out his world and some of the key players in it. By the end of this novel it's apparent just how important Shallan's story line will be.The first and third books of this novel deal with these two characters. Starting in the second book, and continuing in the fourth, we are introduced to Dalinar and his son Adolin the Uncle and cousin of the King of Alethkar respectively. Their chapters replace Shallan's while Kaladin's continue on.It becomes apparent early on that Kalodin story is on a collision course with Dalinar but the journey to get there was enjoyable. Not to mention that the events surrounding their meeting as just pure awesomeness.The final book makes use of all the character perspectives, and sets things up for the next novel. This novel is not stand-alone by any means, but I knew that coming in. That said, I think Mr. Sanderson found a good stopping point to conclude on.I now eagerly await [b:Words of Radiance 11543195 Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive, #2) Brandon Sanderson /assets/nocover/60x80.png 16482835], and I suspect the many other books to follow.