Words of Radiance

I'm going to call the competition now: Sanderson just won Book of the Year. Everyone else hoping to win that can pack it up and head home. Even though Brust's, Butcher's, and Pratchett's entries haven't been released yet, Sanderson wins. Hands down.

The sheer scope of this book is amazing. The execution is unparalleled. The story is gripping, the characters are real and engaging, and the world is incredibly vivid. It's a masterpiece.

While I enjoyed the prior book, The Way of Kings, it wasn't nearly this good (I'd give it a 4 out of 5). It's amazing how much Sanderson has clearly improved as an author since then. Words of Radiance is brilliant, top to bottom.

For those who read all the way through The Wheel of Time series, there's a scene towards the end of the series (not in the last book) where Egwene had me literally jumping up and down cheering. It took Jordan/Sanderson 12 books to get me that invested in a character. Sanderson has pulled it off here in just 2 books, with Kaladin's big fight scene.

This book was fantastic.