The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive #1)

 Synopsis

Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredibly 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 suit of armor that transform 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 case 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.

Loved

• Oh my goodness. I seriously don't know how to capture the scope of epic-ness that is this world into a few words on a blog! Writing a review about this book is like writing a review of the Bible- no review can capture the history, the development of the characters, and the inspiration to be a better person after following their stories. 

• With that said, I will try to give you some solid reasons why you should pick up this book. This tome sat on my shelf for four years and we eyed each other every time I passed it- the book knew I needed it, and I was too intimidated by its scope and length to dare pick it up ;) But I am SO happy I finally immersed myself in this world and I only wish I had done it sooner! Here are some reasons to pick up this book and read every single one of the 1,007 pages:

• Kaladin. Okay, I know of multiple people who have named their children after this guy- so I had high expectations that he had to be pretty awesome for multiple people to name their child after him. He completely exceeded my expectations and is now one of my very favorite literary figures. Kaladin is better than any superhero, prince, warrior, etc. out there because he is so GOOD. My favorite thing about him is that we can always trust him to do the right thing. No matter the cost to himself, he will always, time and time again, do the honorable thing. He does it over and over again throughout the story, even when it turns on him and burns him each time. I love his leadership, determination, pluck, and strength of not only body, but mind and heart to suffer all that he has and still feel so much compassion for everyone around him. Oh, and did I mention he does some crazy cool things that basically no other human can do? This guy alone is 1000% reason enough to read this book!

• Dalinar. Picture a completely stoic and unflinching general who has made conquest after conquest, could have the king under his thumb, and has a reputation of one of the greatest soldiers of the time. Dalinar is all that, but what distinguishes him is his honor. Where all the other "lighteyes" (nobles) see those below them as scum, risk lives for their own gain, and care only for wealth and power, Dalinar sees beyond the shallow squabbles and hypocritical system. Watching him sort through what honor is and how he himself can best portray it is inspiring and jaw-dropping. I hold a reverence for Dalinar because, like Kaladin, he does the honorable thing time and time again, never failing and never flinching in the face of destruction, defamation, and even death.

• The world. Some may disagree with this, but I believe Brandon Sanderson in the Tolkein of our time. In my opinion, Roshar completely rivals Middle Earth in its expansive history, species, languages, nuances, cultures, and rules. Whereas Middle Earth contains familiar and traditional fantasy such as elves, dwarves and dragons, Roshar is fresh and completely original. (Not to bash on Middle Earth- LOTR is one of my absolute favorites!) But anyone who has experienced this world has to salute Sanderson for his incredibly detailed, intricately thought-out, and unceasingly developed world. Having just finished the first book, I still feel like I'm just barely scraping the surface of this world and the secrets it contains- which is a testament to its detail since this book is over 1,000 pages ;)

• The character development. One of my favorite things about Sanderson's writing is that each character is so developed. In all of his books (that I've read at least), there are rarely black-and-white good and bad characters. Even the villains in this story have strengths that we can admire, and they do some heroic things. Conversely, even the heroes have vices and skeletons from their pasts they are trying to overcome. Since we get so many pages and chapters in this book, there is a lot of room for characters to become more honorable, more powerful in their roles, and more prone to develop integrity and honesty.  I can't wait for the rest of the series to see how each of the characters develops and reaches his/her potential.

• The mind-blowing factor. My other favorite thing about Sanderson's writing is that your mind gets blown over and over again. Just as you've gotten your jaw picked up off the floor from one plot twist, you're hit with another completely shocking revelation- one that you realize you've seen coming this whole time because it was dancing in front of your face, but you never acknowledged it. Sanderson is truly a master at writing in a way that helps you draw just enough subtle, subconscious conclusions that you didn't even realize you had made until it was shouted in your face. I'm still wrapping my mind around some of these developments and I am SO excited to see where they end up in the coming books!

• Okay, those are just a bare fraction of reasons why you should read this book. Add to that some jaw-clenching action scenes, mysteries, secrets, new creatures, hilarious secondary characters, and probably one of the coolest, more epic battle scenes in any work of fiction. 

Didn't Love

• I'll be honest, getting into this story was a little daunting. Partly because I didn't have time to read for the first few weeks reading this because I was so busy, so every time I picked it up I had to re-enter the world and try to remember what I had learned about it. BUT, it was WORTH IT. It's never really slow- it's always interesting, but it does get a little daunting picking up the book and opening the first few pages. But you get clues along the way, and before you know it, you'll be invested in the characters and starting to understand the essentials of the world.

Content

• Language: 
• Curses from the world "Storming," "Stormfather," "Almighty," etc.
• A few uses of "bastards" and "damnation."

• Sexual content: 
• Mentions of prostitutes. One character is offered sex after saving a prostitute's life, but he refuses.
• One or two kisses, not described.

• Violence:
• Just as I didn't know how to describe the epic-ness of this story, I'm not quite sure how to describe all the violence portrayed in this world. Because there is a LOT. Basically in every chapter we have death all around us.
• Many battle scenes where hundreds and thousands of people are killed by Shardblade, sword, and arrows.
• Shardblades kill the soul and eyes are burned out when struck by one. Many people die this way.
• One character watches his brother get stabbed in front of him.
• A character watches his men get brutally killed in front of him. Describes a friend having his head split in two, etc.
• Bridge crews are forced to routinely run in front of the enemy and many are killed every time. Injuries are described with blood, and deaths are disturbing because innocent people are forced into the situation.
• Kaladin tries to save many people throughout the story by taking care of their injuries- some people live and some don't, and injuries are always described in fairly graphic detail.
• Talk of executions- hanging, getting "strung up" in a high storm, getting stabbed.
• Disturbing deaths involving betrayal, poison, assassinations, unjust executions.
• Basically expect there to be death in nearly every scene of this story, and you'll be about right.


• Other themes:
• A main character almost jumps into the "Honor Chasm," where many men go to commit suicide. Some talk about suicide and depression.

Overall Thoughts

So as I said above, this book sat on my shelf for four years before I worked up the guts to open it. My husband read it and absolutely loved it, so that motivated me to finally read it. My only regret is just that I've been missing out on this world for 27 YEARS. This review doesn't do the book justice at all- it's like being on the top of Mt. Everest and trying to text someone a description of what it looks like from the top. Not even exaggerating you guys. This world and plot is so expansive that even after 1,007 pages I feel like I've just barely started understanding how epic this story is. I can't promise that you'll fall in love with this story, (although I'm pretty positive you will!), but I can absolutely, 100% promise you that you will be blown away by the depth, complexity, and honor of these characters, and that you will be impressed by the intricate detail and incredibly grand scale of history, culture, mystery, secrets, and depth that is this world. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book! Kaladin and Dalinar (and the other characters, but especially these two) deserve to have you meet them, and I promise you won't regret experiencing their journey of honor, integrity, compassion, and grit.