The Way of Kings: The Stormlight Archive, Book 1

The Way of Kings is genuinely one of my favorite books of all times. I've just finished reading it for the sixth time and I'm still gripped by the story. The great length of the book means I can keep this enjoyment going for almost a week for each read, and though I know exactly whats happening next I still worry for characters I know will survive and hope for characters I know will suffer or die.I've read Lord of the Rings, The Wheel of Time, The Dark Tower, the Shannara series (and all books related to it) and many others like them and I can happily say that in my opinion, as great at though series are, the first book of the Stormlight Archive trumps them all.The character development is perfect all the way throughout, the magic system is wonderfully balanced and the rules that govern it are explicitly laid out and no "ace in the hole" plot armour pulls appear anywhere in here where a character manages to exceed the set boundaries of this magic system.I've also read the Second Book in The Stormlight Archive and I believe that it is just as good or better than this one. There series as a whole is brilliant so far and I'm eagerly awaiting the Third.WARNING - POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEADThe magic in Stormlight holds the top place among my favorite systems of magic because of the beauty of how it works and perhaps more importantly, the limitations its users face when using it. The magic doesn't make a person more skilled, but rather increases their speed and/or strength, allows them to control one or more of the 10 basic surges (Gravity, friction, etc). Their magic is also based on the amount of Stormlight that they currently hold so without that they become normal people once again.The plot consists of a great number of plots and subplots and follows several main characters along with snippets of other characters so we the reader gain a far better understanding of what is happening that the characters themselves. This also increases the readability as each character has a different way of handling issues so there is never a rut wherein the same actions are repeated time and time again as has been the case in some of the books I've read.

The Way of Kings is the first novel in what is projected to be a ten novel series. It is one of the novels most deserving of the title "doorstopper" I've ever seen. It could probably be used as a tankstopper as well. Do not underestimate its size.Despite its size, however, it is incredibly fast paced, feeling like a book a third its size. It draws you in, and doesn't let you sleep, not because of some incredible tension, but because it's simply that fun to read.It follows four arcs:Kaladin, the main arc, is a young man who has given up on life and freedom, but continually drags himself above it.Dalinar, one of the secondary arcs, is a nobleman who, in order to avoid the vices of his young life, regulates himself with a strict code of conduct called The Way of Kings.Shallan, the other secondary arc, is a girl who enacts a plot to steal a valuable artifact, to help her family.Szeth, the minor arc, is an assassin who despises himself for committing the murders he does, and yet has no choice but to follow the orders of his masters.The book's good side is:* Ridiculously readable. The pages pass you by, and before you know it, it's 3 AM and you're on page 300 and you don't want to stop even if you're working the next day and LET ME JUST FINISH THIS CHAPTER AND THE ONE AFTER IT AND I'LL FEED MY KIDS, OKAY!?* Brandon Sanderson has a natural gift to make you re-evaluate everything you've read before in a different light, and it comes into play several times, especially at the end.* The characters are much less black-and-white than normally in his books, with people like Sadeas or... I'M NOT SPOILING ANYTHING IN THIS REVIEW SO I'LL SAY NOTHING! Suffice to say a lot of the villains aren't very evil.* The world is a fresh, brilliantly realized world that resembles no other world in popular fantasy.* The author, despite being a religious man, gives equal representation to both religious people and atheists in a novel with a religious theme to it. This is practically nonexistent anywhere, with extremes on both side of the axis driving me crazy on a regular basis.* Each chapter has an illustration before it. These illustrations aren't necessary to understand the plot, but they give a ton of context, and are incredibly immersive. They're also beautiful.Disadvantages:* Compared to authors like George R. R. Martin, or Joe Abercrombie, Brandon Sanderson writes a very black-and-white world, with good and evil. The good guys, at least, are pure good. Even if they are reasonably so, they don't really have a dark side. This is purely a matter of taste, as people who like their heroes purely heroic will find this novel perfect for them. Evil is a little more subjective in this book, with very few characters who are evil.*By the end of the novel, so much is in doubt that it's hard to figure out everything. This would be a problem in a standalone, but this is a first novel in a series by an author whose trademark is surprises, so I guess we can't complain about this too much.* The sense of humor in this book is a crime against humanity. Especially in Shallan's chapters. The author's problem, with these jokes, is that he takes a moderately decent one liner, and then builds on it too much. The character who says it is considered brilliant for it. This is moderately irksome in the case of Wit, and terrible in the case of Shallan.All in all, I can't recommend this novel enough. It was one of the better times I've had reading a book, and I've read quite a few. Anyone who's read a Sanderson book before and liked it HAS to read this one, and anyone who hasn't should give this book a try, though I recommend Warbreaker (By the same author) first. Warbreaker is superior to The Way of Kings, and not only because it works much better as a standalone.

no se si cuente esto como spoiler pero spoiler!!!!ok, si has leido mistborn trilogy, probablemente has encontrado los comentarios que dicen que este libro es muy bueno el mejor de todo los libros de fantasia y demas, y no lo niego, pero vamos primero al punto que quiero tomar.el libro esta muy bueno ( todavia no llego al climax de la historia pero enserio) no esperen un libro como mistborn que es facil de dijerir y facil de entender.the way of kings es demasiado "complejo" en terminos de el mundo, sociedades, religiones e incluso palabras si estas leyendo el libro en ingles... buena suerte ;3la historia va muy lenta (que no es malo) y los personajes cada uno te lo representan demasiado bien que tienes miedo de que vaya a pasar con ellos.pero como lo vuelvo a mencionar, mistborn es demasiado facil de entender, pero es muy probable que cuando leas el libro The Way of Kings (sin importar el dialecto que lo leas) no entenderas nada, absolutamente nada de nada. y si, es normal, muuuy normal, mistborn te lo presentan con la protagonista(V) y el protagonista (K) y te describen los mundos ( si me permiten decirlo) como el mundo en que vivimospero que sucede con the way of kings?es JOD*DO de AMADR*ES (osea que es dificil de entender) no solo te enseñan que pasa cada cierto tiempo, que pasa cuando utilizas una cosa que te ayuda (si lo has leido sabras que es), como se utiliza y cual es su efecto (recuerda a D)mistborn te enseña que todo tiene reglas y bases como diria K “Every action we take has consequences, V,"pero TWoK te enseña que esto es si una historia del cual hablar.has sentido que sabes que pasara con las peliculas, series o inclusive musica, ese pensamiento de :"creo que ya se como acabara", con mistborn no lo lograras o no lo lograste (si ya lo has leido)con the way of kings sera como si estuvieras jugando ajedrez con un AI del primer mundo(osea windows 7 xd)tl;dr: deberias comprar The Way of King...... absolutamente si, si, si, si, siojo, es mucho pero muuuuuucho "mundo para construir"(me refiero que tiene muchas cosas que tienes que enterarte para que puedas seguir la historia como los "chulls" o los "cremlings" o inclusive las groserias xd)

Allt jag kan säga är "Ha tålamod". Det tog mig nära på ett år att ta mig igenom denna och det var värt det i slutändan. Väldigt bra men skulle säga att det blir riktigt bra först mot sista tredjedelen av den. Ska ta en paus i serien men komme läsa nästa bok också

The sheer grandiosity of this book is unmeasurable, and yes, it is long, and yes, it drags at times, but that is to be expected since this is the first book in a long series (10 books).I loved Mistborn, but this book eats trilogies like the Mistborn for breakfast.What exactly is this book about?In short: The King gets murdered, and the Parshendi (a race of people) take the blame even though they did NOT kill the King.In light of this, all of the other little Kings, AKA High Princes, join forces to avenge the loss of their King, and so the War begins.(This is all I can say without spoiling it or writing a 600-word review.)The world-building is INSANE, and I have never seen anything like it before.The story takes place in Roshar, a world within the Cosmere, full of rocks and highstorms that shape most of the ecosystem; plants and animals have adapted to the environment.For example, most animals have shells, even some plants, and it's fascinating to read (Dogs have shells that make them look like weird four-legged shrimps).This world also has a really unique currency and weapons - shardblades, super powerful and light swords that can cut through stone and flesh like butter.When it comes to the characters, I had all kinds of emotions, these are some of the bravest, most heroic, and brilliant characters I have ever had the pleasure to meet. I love a good character-driven book, and it did not disappoint whatsoever.My favorite would have to be Khaladin (the most honorable dude ever) and Syl (a spren, she is everything I look for in a character.Brandon Sanderson just raised the bar for what I want in an epic fantasy book, seamlessly blending sci-fi and fantasy, and to say that I'm obsessed is an understatement.I want to get one of those tattoos under my eye in bold lettering saying BRANDON SANDERSON 4 LIFE; I think I am ready for such a commitment.Themes mentioned throughout the book:Racism, honor, self-doubt, dealing with trauma, and depression.

Super

As one of the most popular fantasy series of the last few years, it should be no surprise that the first book in this series sucked me in from the very beginning. It's epic in scope, well-developed, and hard to put down with all of the action and political machinations and, of course, magic. Huge recommendation for fans of high fantasy.It's nearly impossible to summarize a 1200+ page book in a few sentences, as there are so many characters and sub-plots that run through the story, but the main characters stay consistent in their frequency of appearance in the chapters. Kaladin is a young former soldier of prodigious talent with a spear, who we discover through the book was betrayed by his commander and sold into slavery as a "bridgeman," a worker whose sole purpose is to carry portable bridges to span the chasms on the plains where his nation is fighting a war against a strange race of human-like beings; Kaladin is a natural leader with a painful past, but an ability to encourage men to unite and better themselves. Dalinar is a middle-aged highprince, part of the light-eyed nobility of his nation, brother to a king who had been murdered by an assassin a handful of years ago, sparking the current war, and uncle and principle advisor/general to the current king; Dalinar is plagued with strange visions of the past featuring the Knights Radiant, a near-mythological group of ancient knights with magical weapons, armor, and abilities, some of which have drifted down through history to be held by regular individuals in the current age. Adolin, Dalinar's son, is an excellent solider and duelist, and at times a spoiled prince, who tends to rebel against his father's need to stick to outdated Codes outlining the honorable conduct of a soldier. Shallan is a teenaged girl blossoming into womanhood, left with the weight of saving her declining house from total bankruptcy after her father had lost all fortune and the respect of his peers; Shallan has a brilliant mind, a quick wit, and a true talent for artistry that seems almost supernatural, and seeks to gain the trust of Jasnah, niece of Dalinar and sister of the king, who is a respected and erudite scholar, and just maybe a bit of a heretic against her own culture's religion. The cast of characters is voluminous, but most chapters revolve around these main ones, as they seek to understand the world and their roles in it, and possibly avert a world-changing disaster they've just become aware is brewing.The plot is epic in all meanings of the word: big, lengthy, involved, full of emotions and motivations and purpose, stretching to all points of the world that Sanderson has created out of whole cloth. It's clear that the author has spent a great deal of effort planning the millenia of backstory that predates the setting of the novel, and that plan is detailed and rich. There are multiple independent systems (or sources) of magic, each with its own rules and users, some seeming to be created from nature, others seeming to be fabrications of men and women. The history of the novel's world is deep, and trickles out in small bits throughout the long story, such that once the reader feels the dominant religion/mythology is finally understood, a new bit of ancient history is revealed that shows just how that religion has changed over time and may not be fully grasped by either the reader or the religion's current adherents. The characters are very well-developed, each with his or her own motivations and reasons for being where he or she is in life. All told, the plot is thick and convoluted, but in such a good way that the reader feels each character is growing and developing, while the action and plot still move along at a quick pace. This is one of those books that is incredibly hard to put down, so you may find yourself up all night reading.I really did struggle to find something to criticize in this book, but I did find a few things. While I know the author has his main characters trying to build a better world while battling their society's own shortcomings, there is still a startling undercurrent of racism to the culture being described: the main opponents of the war on the Shattered Plains are a mostly dark-skinned race seen as primitive, whose more docile cousins are used by the other nations as slave labor and described as all looking alike, which is viewed as normal and almost necessary for the culture of the mostly light-skinned and -eyed, and supposedly more noble, race on the other side of the war. At one point, the author made the surprising use of the word "moolie," which shocked me -- its use was as a pejorative nickname for a mute, and not a racial slur, but still it's a choice that the author made that perhaps wasn't well thought out and struck me as unnecessarily offensive when he could have used literally any other existing or made-up word.There was also the problem that I find all too pervasive in many fantasy books, a genre I love: there is a stark overuse of names using the letters A, K, L, and N (e.g., Kaladin, Dalinar, Adolin, Adalar, Elhokar, Navani, Jasnah, Shallan, etc.) -- after a while, all the names seem to have come from a standard Boggle tileset with only a few letters or syllables to choose from. I know that this may be passed on as distinctive for the racial/linguistic setting of the novel, but its similarities to many other names in many other fantasy series leaves me with the taste that such overuse of certain syllables is derivative, rather than original. Also, a surprising number of these names, when combined with the character's family name, follow a strange rule that Aleister Crowley (the occultist) set out that the best-sounding names are a dactyl (three syllables with emphasis on the first syllable) followed by a spondee (two syllables of equal emphasis), as if they were all created specifically for fitting in a certain poetic meter -- I'm not sure if I'm impressed by this, or if I view this as another example of derivative names.As for the writing mechanics, the book is incredibly clean. Sure, there are a few split infinitives and a handful of examples of "most everyone" or "most all," but in a book more than 1200 pages long, the number of grammatical or syntactical errors is actually miniscule compared to a lot of books out there these days. I enjoy Sanderson's writing style, which hints at both "high" fantasy writing and colloquial conversational banter. It's nice to read such a long book without wanting to throw it against the wall every few pages because of an egregious writing error.Overall, I'm excited to be into this series at long last. I understand it's intended to be a 10-book series, and so far there are only 3 released (with a fourth maybe coming later this year?), so I fully expect to be enjoying this rich world Sanderson has built for another few years. A huge recommendation for anyone who even kind of likes high fantasy series.