Helpful Score: 2
Sanderson has created a dynamic world with incredible characters. The magic system is complex and very interesting. Since this is the start to a large series you won't learn everything you want to know about the world or the magic or the characters, but it is so worth it to read this book. It is a great story and the 1001 pages flew by. The artwork is also incredible. From the cover art done by Whelan to the gorgeous art inside the cover to the wonderful art inside before many of the chapters, I have never seen a book with artwork as memorable and beautiful as Th Way of Kings.
Steven C. (SteveTheDM) -
Helpful Score: 1
I am flabbergasted at the quality of this book. If you're at all a fan of Epic Fantasy, Sanderson has gifted you with something truly awesome.
Worldbuilding: woven seamlessly into the narrative, it takes longer to learn but you never notice that you're learning it. And wildly complex, as well. As the details come to light, you piece them together and they make sense, without anything every having been pointed out. After reading so many infodumps in so many other novels, this was remarkably refreshing.
Clarity: I've read plenty of novels where huge battles take place and I'm left in confusion about what just happened. Mostly all at the end of novels, where the author is clearly just trying to make the deadline and has to get something written. That's not true here. Many battles happened. And every time one happened I kept being surprised that I could follow what was going on. Sanderson's concentration on his small groups of people and keeping the focus tight on small groups (even with a phenomenally huge backdrop) meant that keeping engaged with the prose was a delight.
Characters: There are a handful of main protagonists; each growing in some way, and each having a story worth hearing. And leaving me eager for more. Following characters was the main structure of the novel, and works well.
The story itself was great; and shows tremendous promise. I'm not sure it shines above other great epics (LotR, Dune), from that perspective, however. But the skill that Sanderson gave to the presentation was simply stunning.
An easy 5 of 5 stars.
Worldbuilding: woven seamlessly into the narrative, it takes longer to learn but you never notice that you're learning it. And wildly complex, as well. As the details come to light, you piece them together and they make sense, without anything every having been pointed out. After reading so many infodumps in so many other novels, this was remarkably refreshing.
Clarity: I've read plenty of novels where huge battles take place and I'm left in confusion about what just happened. Mostly all at the end of novels, where the author is clearly just trying to make the deadline and has to get something written. That's not true here. Many battles happened. And every time one happened I kept being surprised that I could follow what was going on. Sanderson's concentration on his small groups of people and keeping the focus tight on small groups (even with a phenomenally huge backdrop) meant that keeping engaged with the prose was a delight.
Characters: There are a handful of main protagonists; each growing in some way, and each having a story worth hearing. And leaving me eager for more. Following characters was the main structure of the novel, and works well.
The story itself was great; and shows tremendous promise. I'm not sure it shines above other great epics (LotR, Dune), from that perspective, however. But the skill that Sanderson gave to the presentation was simply stunning.
An easy 5 of 5 stars.
Helpful Score: 1
It's long, way longer than some of the Wheel of Time books. But despite it's length, it doesn't drag at all. The viewpoint switches alot in this book, and it's hard to see why there are so many characters and events, but it starts to converge near the end, and in subsequent books all the events come together and have hooks and references to each other. I found myself picking this book up again multiple times and flipping through to re-read something that was mentioned in the next book. Writing is engaging, I cared about all the characters, I felt like they had depth and interest.
Helpful Score: 1
From reading his other books, I noticed that Brandon Sanderson is gifted at making his characters more personal and real. It is far easier to get to understand a character that has their own flaws and quirks. You will find yourself empathizing, loving or despising any character he creates, rather than just being uninterested.
With the start of the eleven book Stormlight Archive series, Sanderson starts to delve into a world just as complex as Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. It may be a bit discomforting to pick up the book and notice you have a thousand page monstrosity to leaf through, but if you have read and liked any of Sanderson's other work, then you might be up to the task.
The book cycles through four primary characters. There are a few interludes in between to help get the reader integrated with the different cultures in the world. As with the Mistborn trilogy, the world seems to have a good number of different magic/science systems related to structure of the world (most of which is just hinted). Unlike other fantasy titles, the races are not based on some rehash of western or eastern mythological figures. Rather, it is truly an inventive mix of racial and cultural traits. The concept of flora and fauna is also turned on its head with the use of carapace-wearing animals, and mollusk-like plants.
The writing in itself did not seem to have any slow spots, nor descriptive breaks that seem to last forever, which nearly destroyed most other fantasy series. The writing seems to flow from point to point, though I found myself hoping for the continuation of one characters story and dreading the break between his and another. In the end the breaks seemed to be well timed and planned.
Overall, the book was a great read with many elements being brought together and formed into a brilliant cohesion. If you are a fan of Sanderson's other works, or interested in other long running series, you will not be disappointed. For those that can not commit to a 1000 page book, or wait for the ten following volumes, I'd suggest books like Elantris, or other good one-shot stories.
With the start of the eleven book Stormlight Archive series, Sanderson starts to delve into a world just as complex as Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. It may be a bit discomforting to pick up the book and notice you have a thousand page monstrosity to leaf through, but if you have read and liked any of Sanderson's other work, then you might be up to the task.
The book cycles through four primary characters. There are a few interludes in between to help get the reader integrated with the different cultures in the world. As with the Mistborn trilogy, the world seems to have a good number of different magic/science systems related to structure of the world (most of which is just hinted). Unlike other fantasy titles, the races are not based on some rehash of western or eastern mythological figures. Rather, it is truly an inventive mix of racial and cultural traits. The concept of flora and fauna is also turned on its head with the use of carapace-wearing animals, and mollusk-like plants.
The writing in itself did not seem to have any slow spots, nor descriptive breaks that seem to last forever, which nearly destroyed most other fantasy series. The writing seems to flow from point to point, though I found myself hoping for the continuation of one characters story and dreading the break between his and another. In the end the breaks seemed to be well timed and planned.
Overall, the book was a great read with many elements being brought together and formed into a brilliant cohesion. If you are a fan of Sanderson's other works, or interested in other long running series, you will not be disappointed. For those that can not commit to a 1000 page book, or wait for the ten following volumes, I'd suggest books like Elantris, or other good one-shot stories.
