The Way of Kings
Ratings1,615
Average rating4.6
Amazing. This was truly an epic, and I can't wait to read the other books. So excited that the fourth book is out on my birthday!
Admittedly I wasn't super into it at first, as it really throws you into the fantasy world without explaining anything right away. You kinda just have to keep reading and hope things are explained eventually - which most are. But it also becomes clear that even the characters aren't sure why things are the way they are.
Me gusta Sanderson pero creo que no he podido conectar con el ritmo de este volumen.
Por momentos repetitivo, muchos capítulos me parecían de relleno, para luego romper a partir de la tercera parte con un ritmo más trepidante hasta llegar a un final apoteósico.
It's hard to write a review of a book that was mind-blowing and so epic that I feel like my words aren't enough to describe it. I've loved every book I own by Brandon Sanderson, but with this one I'm giving him my eternal devotion. Even if he publishes the alphabet, I'm sure he'll find a way to make it epic. So, yeah, I need more stars to rate this book. The grandness of this book is as big as the Cosmere!
Mormon dude doesn't know how to write women and self-insert white dudes eat that shit up. What else is new?
Re-read update in 2022:
Reading this book for the second time was even better than the first. I was able to pick up on so much foreshadowing and my mind is full of theories.
One thing has changed this time around - Dalinar and Shallan are now my favorite characters. It used to be Kaladin, but now, I find myself empathising more with the other two, and I can see the genius in creating such complex characters.
I couldn't love this book more and I know for sure that I will be re-reading it many more times.
1st Read in 2019:
AMAZING!
Characters - amazing
Plot - amazing
Action - amazing
Writing - amazing
I loved this book! It started confusing, but very quickly I was so entranced by it, I couldn't put it down.
The last battle in the book is what I live for! Fantastic!
New favourite!
10/10 for the book (second readthrough)
10/10 for the Graphic Audio adaption
This book is just too good. The way Sanderson pushes the plot forward through the characters is perfect. The world expands at a record speed and it is perfect when reading this for the second time. The first time was marked with confusion, but this time I appreciate the concepts of the Cosmere and the foreshadowing on a whole other level. Onto the next one!
I have never listened to anything Graphic Audio before, but it was awesome. I do understand that some people think it is a bit too much, but I find it fun compared to many regular audiobooks. I was thoroughly immersed in every one of the pivotal moments on this listen.
Took too many pages and that world is pretty weird. Yet I do like the simplicity of Good and Bad in these knightly tales and Kaladin is a loveable heroe.
This story occurs in an entirely unfamiliar world, with alien plants, creatures, weather, and magic. Each chapter is a fragment of the story. Each fragment may jump to a different set of characters or a different time. Key elements of the story and the nature of the world are hinted at by the characters, but never explained to the reader - or finally explained much later. For example, ‘weepings' is a word which occurs frequently, but we're more than half way through the book before it is explained. One of the main characters keeps referring to some traumatic experience with his brother, but the details of that experience are trickled out little by little. It's as if the author is purposely trying to keep the reader in the dark.
I do not find this world interesting enough to put up with his writing style and continue with the series.
I do not know how to start this review. I feel like if I start listing down all the good things in this book, I'll just end up copying the whole book down word-to-word. That's how good it was. But let's try to write a coherent review as best as it can be done, without any spoilers. Most of the reviews on goodreads are more about the author and less about the characters so let me try to sell this book based on the characters, and not the reputation of the author (He's great, though :D).
I bought the Gollancz UK editions which consists of two parts per book, so that I could carry this book around with me and not be overwhelmed with the sheer number of pages in it. After having finished book one, all I want to say is – Increase the page count! Give me moreee!
Part One contains the slow building up of a crescendo, making us familiar with the characters and their motivations through their backstories. Part Two is just chaos left and right which leaves you gasping in horror!
Dalinar Kholin is a Brightlord of Alethkar, whose brother was the King (murdered in Chapter 1), and is now fighting alongside the other Brightlords of Alethkar on the Shattered Plains to fulfil the Vengeance Pact (The words mean exactly what they sound like). So Roshar is a world where men don't really live by honour (much like our real world). They do what they like, they subdue those they think to be lesser than them, and they don't trust each other, even if they all serve the same king.
Now, this is where Dalinar differs from them. Dalinar lives by something called as ‘The Codes', which tells you how to live your life with honor. How to live with obedience and principals – and not lavishly. If you are a soldier, then you should act like one in all facets of your life, and should not be lax at any given point of time. After his brother's death, Dalinar started wondering why his brother had acted differently during his last years, and started following in his footsteps by following the teachings of a book called ‘The Way of Kings' (yes, it's an actual book in the story). Now this book says, that a King should not ask his people to do something that he himself won't be willing to do.
In short, Dalinar Kholin is the one good Brightlord in this storming book (everyone else can go jump into a chasm!).
“We follow the codes not because they bring gain, but because we loathe the people we would otherwise become.”
Kaladin
“Somebody has to start. Somebody has to step forward and do what is right, because it is right.”
Shallan
“Brightness...I believe you stray into sarcasm.”
“Funny. I thought I'd run straight into it, screaming at the top of my lungs.”
Things I liked:
Things I didn't like:
- Sadeas -_-
This book was terribly slow to start but, my gosh, when it gets going it REALLY gets going. Sanderson is amazing, per usual. Excellent characters set in an excellent world.
I'm fully in!
As stated in part one review, I have read this book before but cannot remember quite being invested in it enough to leave a respectable review - therefore I have it 5* as I just presumed that was the right thing to do.
Now I've read it fully. Now I've invested over a week into this absolute epic and I'd say this is now in my top books of all time. It tells many stories, offers up such a phenomenal and interesting world and fully grips you in with an unknown history, interesting questions, fascinating theories, deep characters and that feeling of really having lived through these characters' lives. First time round I didn't really get the hype. Second time round, I am all aboard the hype train!
The Way of Kings is one of the greatest epic fantasy stories I'll ever read. It is story's like this one that gets me excited about books and to keep reading.
Fantasy always gets a bad rep, as there is a misrepresentation of what classifies the term “fantasy.” Childish and unrealistic creatures that fly here and there, as well as a wild witch that has 17 toes or some shit. Plus those books that soil the good fantasy name and seem to have 1 too many goblins. Damn, I hate goblins so much. Whatever the case, “fantasy” is a broader term that elevates more than all that, and in the case of The Stormlight Archive series, there are people with true emotions and flaws. People who struggle with relatable issues that they eventually need to adapt to in the end. “Fantasy” expands from our world to manifest into something awesome and spectacular.
What's even greater about this book is that it's sequel is the greatest follow-up I've ever read in a book series, as well as holding a place in my top 3 favorite books ever. Time to jump into that now.
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1st Read: Hardcover (2018)Re-read: Kindle (2023)
SO GOOD!
It could have been 200 pages shorter but I won't fault Sanderson for that.
Incredible. Such massive depth and history to the story. Each character is so well developed. I had a hard time putting it down during the final 200 pages. Very curious to see what happens next.
If I could give more than 5 stars, I definitely would! This book was AMAZING!!! The world Brandon Sanderson built is incredible. I couldn't decide which character I wanted to read more about because I found myself invested in so many. I don't have the words to describe how much I loved this book!!!
This is the first book of Brandon Sandersons, The Stormlight Archive series – which at the time of this writing has only 2 books released for it with about 10 total to be written. The story follows a number of characters involved in a world at war with the Parshendi, a mysterious race close by. Like other Sanderson novels, there is a magical element which is slowly revealed. Although I enjoyed Mistborn more, I identified with the characters in Way of Kings more.
This is the first book of Brandon Sandersons, The Stormlight Archive series – which at the time of this writing has only 2 books released for it with about 10 total to be written. The story follows a number of characters involved in a world at war with the Parshendi, a mysterious race close by. Like other Sanderson novels, there is a magical element which is slowly revealed. Although I enjoyed Mistborn more, I identified with the characters in Way of Kings more.
That actually was a good book. Just for me it was a little bit unnoticeable. But still good nonetheless. A great world. And I loved all the illustrations.
This by far has become the book by which I judge all other books. Brandon Sanderson shows his true mastery of storytelling and world building in this epic fantasy story of redemption, intrigue, and hope.
Do NOT let the size of this book deceive you. Yes, it is massive... but it is jam packed with the stories of several characters interwoven in to a masterwork tapestry. The characters in the Stormlight Archive are complex and realistic, yet they live on a world unlike our own. The planet Roshar is one of the stars of the story. Sanderson's world building brings this planet to life, detailing even the microbiology of this world in such a way that the reader has no problem visualizing the landscapes and environments.
This is a must read for all fans of epic fantasy.
While this book started off really good and is amazing well written, at the end it felt a bit like a let down as the whole usual the underdog gets the powers, the people that need to survive survive and all is well. It is not bad, and actually very good, better than Mistborn, but still I felt that it could have been so much better.
Brandon Sanderson has solidified his place as my favorite author. Every book I've read from him has not disappointed and this is the best one yet. I'm ready to spend the next 20 years reading Cosmere novels.
The second time through this book was even more spectacular than the first. This is a rich world Sanderson has built, I eagerly await books 3-10!
4.5 out of 5 stars on https://spikegelato.com/2016/05/30/review-the-way-of-kings/
In the world of Roshar, hurricane-like tempests called highstorms pound the landscapes with unrelenting ferocity. Under threat of constant storm bombardment, plants recoil and humans hide away waiting for the clouds to clear. The Way of Kings delves into the lives of several characters fighting battles both large and small on a journey to preserve some semblance of humanity in the midst of a brutal, unceasing storm.
Having read the majority of Sanderson's Cosmere novels in the past several months, The Way of Kings leaves everything else in the dust in terms of scale and ambition. This 1,000+ page tome is the first in a series of ten planned Stormlight Archive novels (ambitious, indeed). Sanderson lays the groundwork for a potentially groundbreaking work of high fantasy in his initial offering. I felt the need to pace myself, as the story unfolds slowly but not in a boring fashion. I very much enjoyed reading about the main characters, their motivations, and their moral dilemmas; such well developed backstories led to a much deeper sense of connection with the characters. The book starts a bit slowly, and the pacing was a bit uneven, but the conclusion was a barrage of rapid fire twists and satisfying payoffs. The plotlines raised countless questions and with each answer came a branch of five new questions, but that is to be expected from a series of such depth. I'm very excited to see what the future holds for this world, its characters, and how Sanderson continues to weave this tale moving forward.