The Way of Kings - Brandon Sanderson

The Way of Kings

By Brandon Sanderson

  • Release Date: 2010-08-31
  • Genre: Epic Fantasy
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 8,836 Ratings

Description

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. Other Tor books by Brandon Sanderson The Cosmere The Stormlight Archive ● The Way of Kings ● Words of Radiance ● Edgedancer (novella) ● Oathbringer ● Dawnshard (novella) ● Rhythm of War The Mistborn Saga The Original Trilogy ● Mistborn ● The Well of Ascension ● The Hero of Ages Wax and Wayne ● The Alloy of Law ● Shadows of Self ● The Bands of Mourning ● The Lost Metal Other Cosmere novels ● Elantris ● Warbreaker ● Tress of the Emerald Sea ● Yumi and the Nightmare Painter ● The Sunlit Man Collection ● Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection The Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series ● Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians ● The Scrivener's Bones ● The Knights of Crystallia ● The Shattered Lens ● The Dark Talent ● Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians (with Janci Patterson) Other novels ● The Rithmatist ● Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds ● The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England Other books by Brandon Sanderson The Reckoners ● Steelheart ● Firefight ● Calamity Skyward ● Skyward ● Starsight ● Cytonic ● Skyward Flight (with Janci Patterson) ● Defiant At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Reviews

  • Reluctant

    5
    By Mauvereen
    I wasn’t interested in this series, but my adult grandson urged me to just try ‘The Way of Kings’…I’m hooked, but don’t tell him!
  • Phenomenal

    5
    By Jesse.A.Young
    My brother has been asking me to read this book for a while now. Finally got around to it, and I wish u would have read it sooner. The world building of Roshar is amazing. The characters are great, and Sanderson has a way with words that make you want to keep reading. The sanderlanche is a real thing. I stayed up late to finish the book and there are no regrets. Except that I was tired and couldn’t sleep. I just couldn’t stop thinking about this phenomenal book. Onto the next one.
  • Pacing is rough

    2
    By Deeptech666
    This book has a very long and drawn out middle. Well written with plenty of depth but so. much. filler.
  • Absolutely phenomenal

    5
    By chrisg6492946
    Trying to initially understand Szeth’s abilities is a little difficult despite the abilities being spelled out for you. Wasn’t a bad part at all but my only not 10/10 experience reading the book.
  • Just read it

    5
    By Ashsatt
    Sooo good
  • Personal opinions rather than reviews

    4
    By Corvelle
    This book starts slow. Brandon Sanderson’s work usually does. Many viewpoints, dozens and dozens of proper nouns and concepts, and an unclear narrative thrust. The theme is less cohesive than his other work, the fantasy elements at once vague yet specific. But once the secrets like threads start pulling together, the tapestry taking shape, ahhh it’s as good as any of his best works.
  • Worth it

    5
    By lordlestibournes
    While I recommend reading the mistborn trilogy first, the Stormlight archive really is a recommendation to all fantasy fans. Yes, the book is over 1,000 pages long - but it pays off in the end. And if you immerse yourself in the world and follow the journeys alongside the characters, you’ll find yourself wanting more.
  • Long but worth it

    5
    By Marvin Lomeli
    This book is very long and takes a lot of time of works building. But it pays off at the end! It’s worth a read if you enjoy fantasy.
  • Incredible

    5
    By Blaurss45
    What a fun new world to dive into. 10/10 recommend.
  • Must read

    5
    By The thinker 96
    One of the best books I have ever read

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