The Way of Kings

by Brandon Sanderson

Published Aug. 3, 2010 by Tor.

ISBN:: 978-1-4299-9280-0

View on OpenLibrary

(284 reviews)

3 editions

velvet_shrimp reviewed The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (The Stormlight Archive, #1)

So much effort was put into this

2 stars

But I still hated it... The so praised world building has a lot of parts that didn't make any sense. At least to me. I understand the ideas that went into it but I think it has some logical flaws. (Eg men rule but don't know how to read?) Also the fighting scenes, how do you fight an enemy for years and years without ever capturing and questioning one? Nothing is known at all about the mysterious enemy at all after all these years? And they haven't adapted their strategy all this time to actually try and win in a greater scale? The hero is so concerned about honor, but the way he acts, especially regarding the enemy I found horrible. Don't want to spoiler anything but the armour - wtf? And then, its so long without much happening at all. Yes some character development I guess but kaladins story …

G. Deyke reviewed The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (The Stormlight Archive, #1)

[Adapted from initial review on Goodreads.]

2 stars

The Way of Kings was in general a pretty decent read once I got into it, and by the end (a rather extreme cliffhanger) I was sufficiently invested that I quite wanted to know what happens next, and would certainly have read the next book in the series if I'd had it available.

That said, it suffers in several points, most notably that it positively oozes with Straight White Male Author Disease. The book is glaringly, painfully cisheteronormative, to the point where it's seriously uncomfortable to read in parts: the sort of thing you'd expect from a 50s sci-fi novel you read mainly out of academic/historical interest, not from a contemporary fantasy which hopes to be taken seriously.

I'd read the rest of the series if I had it available; I might even seek it out, as long as I didn't have to pay for it. But I'd be seriously …

I'd read the rest of the series if I had it available; I might even seek it out, as long as I didn't have to pay for it. But I'd be seriously reluctant to recommend it to others, except in dearth of other reading material.

Myaa reviewed The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (The Stormlight Archive, #1)

Amazing Fantasy Book!

5 stars

Sanderson does an amazing job building the world of Roshar and establishing well rounded and thought out characters. An absolutely incredible first entry into the series, it had me hooked by the end of the first chapter. Definitely pick this up, if you're a fan of fantasy you wont regret it!

masires reviewed The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (The Stormlight Archive, #1)

Only put this gem down when I HAD to!

5 stars

I haven't been this hooked on a story since I read Isabel Allende's Kingdom of the Golden Dragon back in my early teenage years. I'm already mad that I started such an epic story that is only 4 books into a 10 book series.

Marfey reviewed The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (The Stormlight Archive, #1)

Great fantasy

5 stars

Brandon Sanderson builts fantastic worlds and stories. The Stormlight Archives starts slow, but it is worth the time. Just trust the author, most oft the worldbuilding blossoms in the later books

forpeterssake reviewed The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (The Stormlight Archive, #1)

Really long

4 stars

I'm not sorry I read it, I liked the world-building, but I don't know if I can make it through 11 more books in this series!

Radio reviewed The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (The Stormlight Archive, #1)

Review of 'The Way of Kings' on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

Holy shit can Brandy write an action scene. And build a world.

NewCountry reviewed The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (The Stormlight Archive, #1)

Review of 'The Way of Kings' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Time taken to read: 24 hours 30 minutes

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Literally every single story line was captivating circling around the theme of honor, "the way of kings." God. What a perfecting title for this book. Every single main character exemplifies the theme of honor in some way. The way Brandon brings up "Life before death" in the book hits every single time it comes up.

If I had to choose a favorite character, it would definitely be Kaladin. His sections just hit soooo fucking hard man. God. I love everything about his story and character, his struggle, his childhood, his demons, and he even gets the badass anime transformation scene at the end of the novel that had me so fucking hyped. GOD. I loved it so much.

Kaladin's dad gave me thors vibes, very "You have no enemies" vibes.

Dalinar would be my second favorite character because his struggle with "the way of kings" and conflict between culture and the right thing.

Strangely enough, my third favorite character isn't the third POV character, but is instead Jasnah because she's cool and based.

ALSO THE WORLDBUILDING. Just so good.

MY BOY HOID (who I didn't give a single shit about until this book) FINALLY GETS SOME FREAKING CHARACTERIZATION BEYOND WORLD HOPPER. Also he mentions sigzil is done being his apprentice or whatever but I looked it up and he's not in any of other cosmere books I've read so idk what the point of that was, maybe just a "Hey heads up, this guy is also going to be a worldhopper" ?

AND THE ENDING. God showing up to Dalinar was so hype. It sounded to me like he was hyping up something about the cosmere when the lights were going out across the stars and he mentioned stuff about the origin of humanity? In the context of that, it sounds like "unite them" refers to humanity spread across the stars. He mentions "Conviction" like it's another god with reminded me of "ruin" and "preservation" from mistborn.

God there were so many hard hitting quotes in this book.

“Life before Death.
Strength before Weakness.
Journey before Destination.”

“And so, does the destination matter? Or is it the path we take? I declare that no accomplishment has substance nearly as great as the road used to achieve it. We are not creatures of destinations. It is the journey that shapes us. Our callused feet, our backs strong from carrying the weight of our travels, our eyes open with the fresh delight of experiences lived.”

“Somebody has to start. Somebody has to step forward and do what is right, because it is right.”

“Death is the end of all men! What is the measure of him once he is gone? . . . The end is the same. It is the path that separates men. When we taste that end, we will do so with our heads held high, eyes to the sun.

“This world, it is a tempest sometimes. But remember, the sun always rises again.”

lijadora reviewed The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (The Stormlight Archive, #1)

Review of 'The Way of Kings' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Loved the elaborate introduction of the characters at the start. E.g. Shallan who is witty in an incredibly cringe way - extremely well written!. The world is weird/ novel - but Sanderson doesn't use the trope of the wide eyed ignorant hero - but instead lets the reader discover tidbits on their own. Like there is no soil or grass - except in a small country in the far west. Plants move and react to people (and storms).

Story is solid - character development believable.

Very long but very enjoyable read. Best fantasy novel I've read in a long time. Story is not rounded though - continued in the next book in the series.

marksutherland reviewed The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (The Stormlight Archive, #1)

Review of 'The Way of Kings' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Epic slow burn fantasy that ruminates on trauma, the horrors of war and what it takes to overcome our propensity for treachery. Somehow Sanderson has managed to cram in: a pending climate apocalypse, a war started for vengeance but dragged out for financial gain and political expedience, a society segregated by sex and eye colour (what) with strict caste systems, an ancient esoteric conspiracy that makes Qanon seem reasonable and all the usual heroic tropes you'd expect as well. As long as you don't expect any quick answers and appreciate its deliberate pace, it rewards with lots of character development and juicy dilemmas to ponder and regular super powered action sequences. There's so much in here, and yet it also feels like the tip of the iceberg, a world we've barely begun to explore that might be ripped apart before we get the chance. Big millennial feels.

Olivia Appleton reviewed The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (The Stormlight Archive, #1)

Fantastic book with only one major flaw

4 stars

The Way of Kings is a worldbuilding masterpiece. Its characters are rich and internally complex, their stories are fascinating, and their motivations compelling (even when you disagree with them). The single exception to this is the Shallan arc.

This is not because Shallan is a bad character, but because she's a decent character surrounded by great ones, and because it takes too long for her arc to connect to the main story.

I highly, highly recommend reading this book, and most of this author's other works.

Bradley 🏳️‍🌈 ブラッドリー reviewed The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (The Stormlight Archive, #1)

Review of 'The Way of Kings' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Amazing! I enjoyed this book so much, from world building to climatic twists. I am so excited to read the next in the series

gamer reviewed The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (The Stormlight Archive, #1)

Review of 'The Way of Kings' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

The entire story felt carefully engineered, and I kept seeing parallels to tropes in fantasy I've been familiarized with. As something that's as well regarded as this is, I kept expecting to have all these tropes turned on their head and have them slap me on the face, but they just kept coming. The characters especially felt like they were heavily inspired by fantasy tropes, and in the end they're mostly just kind of archetypal. In general, it lacks spice. But that's quite possibly due to non-spicy stories selling better.

But the engineering worked. After about 1/3rd of the story I was drawn in, and I'm going to buy the next one.

Shack70 reviewed The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (The Stormlight Archive, #1)

Review of 'The Way of Kings' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Slow getting started. Lots of world building setting up the rest of the books in the series.

Sean Gursky reviewed The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (The Stormlight Archive, #1)

Review of 'The Way of Kings' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

August 2020 Reread:
Three years have passed and some chapters are so clear in my mind, and others were brand new and a rush to live again. Each time I reread the books I connect something that comes up later, see a bit of Sanderson foreshadowing and, most importantly, still enjoy it.

Sometimes we find it hardest to accept in others that which we cling to in ourselves

Each time I start this book I tell myself that it won't be as good as I remember, it will be a slog, etc., and each time I am proven wrong and love being back in the Stormlight Archive series.

That smile forced back the gloom, made the aches and soreness fade. Kaladin's father had described that kind of smile. Those smiles weren't why Lirin had become a surgeon, but they were why he'd remained one.

Syl was silent for a moment. "Do you want to be a miracle?" "No," Kaladin whispered. "But for them, I will be."

There is so much of the series left (Rhythm of War releasing November) and I will be reading this book half a dozen times over those years/decades and I hope I continue to enjoy it as much as I have over the last five years.

October 2017 Reread: Yup, still good!

We fight here because we understand. The end is the same. It is the path that separates men. When we taste that end, we will do so with our heads held high, eyes to the sun.

The creation of the world and characters in this story is unbelievable. With the exception of a few Kabsal/Shallan moments each POV was brilliant. I was surprised with how much I remembered over the last two years however a summary of the book wouldn't do those moments justice.

On to Words of Radiance!

We fight here because we understand. The end is the same. It is the path that separates men. When we taste that end, we will do so with our heads held high, eyes to the sun.

Epic. That's the only word I can use to describe Way of Kings. As a standalone book it was epic. You are cast down in to a world with a volatile political landscape, a war that has lots its meaning and a hint of something greater to the east.

As the starting point to a ten book magnum opus the world of the Stormlight Archive will be epic. Sanderson writes such vivid characters that the men of Bridge Four have unique voices and become instant favorites. Somehow Sanderson creates another complex magic system that is easy to grasp but takes time to master and learn the intricacies of.

The shift of POV's on the Shattered Plains was fascinating. As you understand the futility of a life as a bridgeman being used as a disposable piece in war the words of the Radiants, life before death, and have the epiphany that Dalinar and Gavilar both encountered.

Way of Kings pleasantly concludes the conflict but sets the stakes up for Words of Radiance, which I was happy to easy transition in to after finishing this. I know there could be decades to wait until this series is finished, but even at the conclusion of Way of Kings I immediately wanted to reread it to pick up details I missed earlier, and as this series unfolds, I expect there will be a lot of payoff in rereading instalments.

A man's emotions are what define him, and control is the hallmark of true strength. To lack feeling is to be dead, but to act on every feeling is to be a child.

This book deserves five stars but is almost more deserving because Sanderson was able to prove that an introduction to a long series doesn't have to be tedious or boring, it can be exciting and engaging as you drop the reader in to the middle of a world they know nothing about.