Hardcover, 1008 pages

English language

Published April 1, 2010 by Tor.

ISBN:
978-0-7653-2635-5
Copied ISBN!
OCLC Number:
471819495

View on OpenLibrary

4 stars (235 reviews)

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 …

2 editions

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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

5 stars

Wow! It really was just as good as everyone said it would be. It's been a long time since I have read a "so good you can't put it down" book. I loved the story. I LOVED the lore. I loved the characters. I had some trouble with the pacing at times, it was a very long book and there were moments in the middle that felt very "filler" but I never felt bored. The last hundred pages were the most exciting, and I almost wish some of that excitement was peppered in throughout the slower parts. I have already picked up the next two. Looking forward to them!

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

5 stars

I don't often write reviews, but I'd like to at least to keep some rough notes on what I read, and this is as good a place to start as any.

This is a pretty long book, the first 2/3s or so of which are mostly slow-paced, with lots of worldbuilding, character introductions and general table setting. That isn't really a negative, the straightforward writing and thorough explanations really helped my immersion and kept me from feeling overwhelmed with the intricate lore, which is often a concern of mine when reading through long fantasy epics.

The last third of the book delivers on what the rest of the book has built up towards in a very satisfying and rewarding way. The pace also picks up and it all ends with the right mix of closure and excitement for what comes next. I'll be reading the second book for sure.

Other …

avatar for aandnota

rated it

4 stars
avatar for bbbhltz

rated it

5 stars
avatar for jaredmoody

rated it

4 stars
avatar for AHemlocksLie

rated it

5 stars
avatar for wilw

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Jezynka

rated it

4 stars
avatar for james

rated it

5 stars
avatar for hossbeast

rated it

5 stars
avatar for pjmyburg

rated it

5 stars
avatar for selykg

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Aardinkvis

rated it

4 stars
avatar for buu709

rated it

4 stars
avatar for nonskanse
Vee

rated it

5 stars
avatar for jamesravey

rated it

5 stars
avatar for salvage

rated it

5 stars
avatar for tdonn

rated it

4 stars
avatar for luddite

rated it

4 stars
avatar for mckmak

rated it

5 stars
avatar for kevolek

rated it

4 stars
avatar for GucciGarbage

rated it

5 stars
avatar for NoahFahlgren

rated it

4 stars
avatar for tehjer_

rated it

4 stars
avatar for fjordic

rated it

4 stars
avatar for mosspiglet

rated it

5 stars
avatar for derMax

rated it

5 stars
avatar for anndra

rated it

4 stars
avatar for writh

rated it

5 stars
avatar for richardash

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Daylight

rated it

3 stars
avatar for Ulrich

rated it

3 stars
avatar for astroMD

rated it

5 stars
avatar for curzon

rated it

5 stars
avatar for sdivyank

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Isadoorian

rated it

5 stars
avatar for wakatara

rated it

4 stars
avatar for kataract

rated it

5 stars
avatar for baerwolf

rated it

5 stars
avatar for IndustrialRobot

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Balint

rated it

5 stars
avatar for ScottSchlueter

rated it

4 stars
avatar for clayferris

rated it

5 stars
avatar for mattb

rated it

4 stars
avatar for paparomeo

rated it

5 stars
avatar for maleo
Dav

rated it

3 stars
avatar for paulralph

rated it

5 stars
avatar for KidDogDad

rated it

5 stars
avatar for tjhils

rated it

5 stars
avatar for jkwatson

rated it

5 stars
avatar for matthan

rated it

5 stars
avatar for joeyh

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Jolteon

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Solysto

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Korenwolf

rated it

5 stars
avatar for ajkerrigan

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Choir_Girl93

rated it

5 stars
avatar for alexcurtin

rated it

5 stars
avatar for curtdubya

rated it

4 stars
avatar for kwm

rated it

3 stars
avatar for dodgerwa

rated it

4 stars
avatar for jasondlee

rated it

5 stars
avatar for cwhitfield

rated it

4 stars
avatar for StormLord

rated it

5 stars
avatar for rene

rated it

5 stars
avatar for chrismaler

rated it

5 stars
avatar for MandolinDan

rated it

5 stars
avatar for kevlar

rated it

5 stars
avatar for theo_the_artist1

rated it

3 stars
avatar for paudie

rated it

5 stars
avatar for andrewmriley

rated it

5 stars
avatar for andrewmriley

rated it

5 stars
avatar for RxBrad

rated it

5 stars
avatar for ish-i-ness

rated it

3 stars
avatar for LindseyB

rated it

3 stars
avatar for Ivia

rated it

2 stars
avatar for jzacsh

rated it

5 stars
avatar for tremain

rated it

5 stars
avatar for perfischer

rated it

2 stars
avatar for LeadAnew

rated it

5 stars
avatar for JohSny

rated it

5 stars
avatar for wzhkevin

rated it

5 stars
avatar for kabi-chan

rated it

5 stars
avatar for mathiasrudolph

rated it

4 stars
avatar for bondolo

rated it

3 stars
avatar for Wyatt

rated it

5 stars
avatar for CSND

rated it

5 stars
avatar for WonkoTheSane

rated it

2 stars
avatar for overpear

rated it

5 stars
avatar for KyleStewart

rated it

5 stars
avatar for bhargav

rated it

5 stars
avatar for overtsun
Lia

rated it

5 stars
avatar for SeanMcTex

rated it

4 stars
avatar for solcita

rated it

5 stars
avatar for claracd

rated it

5 stars
avatar for dragna

rated it

3 stars
avatar for courts

rated it

5 stars
avatar for phox

rated it

5 stars
avatar for bombpersons

rated it

5 stars
avatar for turmacar

rated it

5 stars
avatar for TimmyMac

rated it

5 stars
avatar for yanni

rated it

5 stars
avatar for townbanshee

rated it

5 stars
avatar for nightgolfer

rated it

3 stars
avatar for boomboxnation

rated it

4 stars
avatar for joseprous

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Ghalidrim

rated it

3 stars
avatar for astrodad

rated it

5 stars
avatar for aadam

rated it

5 stars
avatar for rufzerg666

rated it

3 stars
avatar for phranko

rated it

4 stars
avatar for arnoud999

rated it

4 stars
avatar for AudientVoid

rated it

5 stars
avatar for ckiser

rated it

4 stars
avatar for herriott101

rated it

5 stars
avatar for cogmer

rated it

5 stars
avatar for chemicalprophet

rated it

4 stars
avatar for m4cb3th

rated it

5 stars
avatar for greystar

rated it

3 stars
avatar for Angzarr

rated it

4 stars
avatar for trillex

rated it

5 stars
avatar for future_will

rated it

5 stars
avatar for 5quid5

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Kriff

rated it

4 stars
avatar for jazz

rated it

5 stars
avatar for FrozenTrout

rated it

5 stars
avatar for parsnip

rated it

5 stars
avatar for rrreese

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Turtle4233

rated it

3 stars
avatar for CapnJazzHandz

rated it

5 stars
avatar for srypher

rated it

5 stars
avatar for lumii

rated it

5 stars
avatar for jbtchr

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Rand

rated it

5 stars
avatar for rechtsstaat

rated it

5 stars
avatar for JoeClu

rated it

5 stars
avatar for thrickles
Rob

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Silent-Rob

rated it

4 stars
avatar for michaelp

rated it

4 stars
avatar for HatlessDandelion

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Cmot_Dibbler

rated it

5 stars
avatar for ghost31416

rated it

4 stars
avatar for gatiteaux

rated it

5 stars
avatar for jeronimo

rated it

5 stars
avatar for RaveningHazelnut

rated it

4 stars
avatar for iamd3vil

rated it

5 stars
avatar for acidman

rated it

5 stars
avatar for shaffaaf

rated it

5 stars
avatar for jamesbrooks

rated it

5 stars
avatar for MrKurtz

rated it

4 stars
avatar for yamashita

rated it

5 stars
avatar for hello_navi

rated it

4 stars
avatar for adamkull

rated it

4 stars
avatar for cwzp

rated it

5 stars
avatar for carb

rated it

5 stars
avatar for rremizov

rated it

5 stars
avatar for CaerBannog

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Jaldert

rated it

5 stars
avatar for NetCaptive

rated it

5 stars
avatar for TurtleHat

rated it

4 stars
avatar for bookelf

rated it

4 stars
avatar for GooseThief

rated it

4 stars
avatar for piotr

rated it

5 stars
avatar for fatalicus

rated it

5 stars
avatar for clnaanderson

rated it

5 stars
avatar for thebeeks

rated it

4 stars
avatar for altlovesbooks

rated it

5 stars
avatar for M.Bognar

rated it

4 stars
avatar for jlevesque

rated it

5 stars
avatar for aaronhktan

rated it

4 stars
avatar for moohan

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Morganil

rated it

5 stars
avatar for pneuma

rated it

5 stars
avatar for ginkgo

rated it

4 stars
avatar for princeofspace

rated it

5 stars
avatar for CuriousLibrarian

rated it

4 stars
avatar for duck

rated it

5 stars
avatar for vishalbiswas

rated it

5 stars
avatar for mphilpot

rated it

5 stars
avatar for karlhungus

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Fantpmas

rated it

4 stars
avatar for ntavish

rated it

5 stars
avatar for tsukikage

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Eyeshine

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Nachtfalke

rated it

2 stars
avatar for Orso

rated it

2 stars
avatar for annyreading

rated it

5 stars
avatar for dpendolino

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Shtakser

rated it

3 stars
avatar for LordofCandy

rated it

5 stars
avatar for alma_de_cantaro

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Hipeople68

rated it

5 stars
avatar for RunningOutOf_Ink

rated it

4 stars
avatar for DrDash

rated it

5 stars
avatar for schmavery

rated it

4 stars
avatar for BillieCodes

rated it

3 stars
avatar for CharlesCrow

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Samasaur

rated it

5 stars
avatar for neilernst

rated it

5 stars
avatar for pdrbstmnt

rated it

3 stars
avatar for brzy

rated it

4 stars

Subjects

  • Fiction
  • Fantasy

Lists