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The Way of Kings: The Stormlight Archive Book One by [Brandon Sanderson]

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Brandon Sanderson

The Way of Kings: The Stormlight Archive Book One Kindle Edition

by Brandon Sanderson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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'I loved this book. What else is there to say?' Patrick Rothfuss

According to mythology mankind used to live in The Tranquiline Halls. Heaven. But then the Voidbringers assaulted and captured heaven, casting out God and men. Men took root on Roshar, the world of storms. And the Voidbringers followed...

They came against man ten thousand times. To help them cope, the Almighty gave men powerful suits of armor and mystical weapons, known as Shardblades. Led by ten angelic Heralds and ten orders of knights known as Radiants, mankind finally won.

Or so the legends say. Today, the only remnants of those supposed battles are the Shardblades, the possession of which makes a man nearly invincible on the battlefield. The entire world is at war with itself - and has been for centuries since the Radiants turned against mankind. Kings strive to win more Shardblades, each secretly wishing to be the one who will finally unite all of mankind under a single throne.

On a world scoured down to the rock by terrifying hurricanes that blow through every few day a young spearman forced into the army of a Shardbearer, led to war against an enemy he doesn't understand and doesn't really want to fight.

What happened deep in mankind's past?

Why did the Radiants turn against mankind, and what happened to the magic they used to wield?

Print length

1005 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Gollancz
Publication date

30 December 2010
File size

14104 KB
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Product description

Review

I loved this book. What else is there to say? - Patrick Rothfuss, New York Times bestselling author of The Name of the Wind, on The Way of Kings

Sanderson is a master of hooking the reader in the first few pages, and once again he doesn't disappoint. Fans and lovers of epic fantasy will find the ending satisfying, yet will eagerly await the next volume - Library Journal, on The Way of Kings --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Book Description

The brand new epic fantasy series from international bestseller Brandon Sanderson. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

Brandon Sanderson was born in Nebraska in 1975. Since then he has written, amongst others The Mistborn books and begun the internationally bestselling Stormlight Archive. He was also chosen by Robert Jordan's family to complete Jordan's Wheel of Time Sequence. He lives in Utah.

Visit his website at http://www.brandonsanderson.com, follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BrandSanderson and like him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BrandSanderson. Read his blogs at http://mistborn.blogspot.co.uk andhttp://mistborn.livejournal.com. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

About the Author

Brandon Sanderson was born in Nebraska in 1975. Since then he has written the Mistborn series, amongst others, become a New York Times bestselling author and been hailed as the natural successor to Robert Jordan, indeed he was appointed by Jordan's estate to complete Jordan's Wheel of Times. He lives in Utah. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"I loved this book. What else is there to say?" --Patrick Rothfuss, bestselling author of The Name of the Wind

"This is a great choice for fans of Robert Jordan and Terry Brooks." --Voice of Youth Advocates

"The best part...is the compelling, complex story of Dalinar, Kaladin, and Shallan as they struggle though emotional, physical, and moral challenges. Fans and lovers of epic fantasy...will eagerly await the next volume." --Library Journal

"Epic in every sense. Sanderson has built a world that leaps to life, a cast of varied characters and a vast history which slowly unfolds with the deepening story of Roshar." --Guardian (UK)

"[Sanderson] will be spoken in the same breath as Tolkien, Leiber, Moorcock, Jordan...and George R. R. Martin." --SFFworld.com

"Featuring ingenious magic . . . feisty characters, and a complex plot likely to unwind over several volumes, this high-spirited, exciting story will appeal to readers of all ages." --Publishers Weekly, starred review, on The Rithmatist

"Sanderson's outstanding fantasy debut, refreshingly complete unto itself and free of the usual genre clichés, offers something for everyone. . . . The intrigue and excitement grow steadily in this smoothly written, perfectly balanced narrative; by the end readers won't want to put it down." --Publishers Weekly, starred review, on Elantris

--This text refers to the paperback edition.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004H4XAXO
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Gollancz (30 December 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 14104 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 1005 pages

Best Sellers Rank: 2,974 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 30 in Contemporary Fantasy (Kindle Store)
- 35 in Historical Fantasy (Kindle Store)
- 50 in War Fiction (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
19,724 ratings

About the author

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Brandon Sanderson

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I'm Brandon Sanderson, and I write stories of the fantastic: fantasy, science fiction, and thrillers.

In November 2020 we saw the release of Rhythm of War—the fourth massive book in the New York Times #1 bestselling Stormlight Archive series that began with The Way of Kings—and Dawnshard (book 3.5), a novella set in the same world that bridges the gaps between the main releases. This series is my love letter to the epic fantasy genre, and it's the type of story I always dreamed epic fantasy could be.

November 2018 marked the release of Skyward, the first book in a new YA quartet about a girl who dreams of becoming a pilot in a dangerous world under alien attack. The follow-up, Starsight, was released December 2019. Also out that year was the final volume of the Stephen Leeds saga, Legion: Lies of the Beholder, which was also published in an omnibus edition, Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds, that includes all three volumes.

Most readers have noticed that my adult fantasy novels are in a connected universe, called the Cosmere. This includes The Stormlight Archive, both Mistborn series, Elantris, Warbreaker, and various novellas available on Amazon, including The Emperor's Soul, which won a Hugo Award in 2013. In November 2016 all of the existing Cosmere short fiction including those novellas was released in one volume called Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection. If you've read all of my adult fantasy novels and want to see some behind-the-scenes information, that collection is a must-read.

I also have three YA series: The Rithmatist (currently at one book), The Reckoners (a trilogy beginning with Steelheart), and Skyward. For young readers I also have my humorous series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. Many of my adult readers enjoy all of those books as well, and many of my YA readers enjoy my adult books, usually starting with Mistborn.

Additionally, I have a few other novellas that are more on the thriller/sci-fi side. These include the Legion series, as well as Perfect State and Snapshot. There's a lot of material to go around!

Good starting places are Mistborn (a.k.a. The Final Empire), Skyward, Steelheart, The Emperor's Soul, and Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. If you're already a fan of big fat fantasies, you can jump right into The Way of Kings.

I was also honored to be able to complete the final three volumes of The Wheel of Time, beginning with The Gathering Storm, using Robert Jordan's notes.

Sample chapters from all of my books are available at https://www.brandonsanderson.com/books-and-art/—and check out the rest of my site for chapter-by-chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and more.

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3 star		2%
2 star		1%
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Rinaldo

Epic, but Imperfect Fantasy of 2010s

Reviewed in Australia on 18 December 2018

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With colossal scale of story and worldbuilding, Sanderson brought possibly one of the gamechanger in fantasy literature of 2010s decade. Told in a sprawling style, Way of Kings explores multiple themes of trust, honour, and resolve among many. However, it falls into similar trappings of its predecessors: lengthy, slow, and sometimes repetitive build ups with relatively short climax that leaves you wanting. As most of the subplots are mostly stationary (as opposed to grand adventures in classic epic fantasy), it also creates an illusion of slow, almost static plot progression.

While Way of Kings still delivers, it lacks the exciting page-turning element of Mistborn and philosophical finesse of Emperor's Soul. On other hand, it does a great job in addressing some subplots in extended last chapters, similar to what Tolkien did with Return of the King.

6 people found this helpful

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Ryan

Well written and fabulously setting up of a system and universe

Reviewed in Australia on 29 August 2019

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I don't quite understand what people mean when they say this trails on in the middle. I thought this book was fantastic from start to finish and thoroughly enjoyed it. I do believe that the character jumping that's classic of Sanderson is a bit hanky. I'd much prefer to spend more time with a character than jump around quite so much but I understand the structure and why it's important.

Would recommend this to anyone who has enjoyed Sanderson's other works and to those who like funky "magic" systems in a fantasy world set in a mostly mediaeval setting.

3 people found this helpful

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Owen

Amazing, brilliant, insert overly zealous adjective here

Reviewed in Australia on 24 November 2015

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Wow, where to begin. It's been a long time since I've been so engrossed in a book, and to come in the form of such an epic fantasy novel is both a surprise and a joy. I came into this with mixed expectations. The Mistborn series was not my cup of tea. It was a nice idea, but a lot of the mechanics behind the world seemed forced onto me. Additionally, I’m a huge fan of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, and for those that don’t know, the author passed away and Mr Sanderson completed the final books. They were well written, but the style was sufficiently different to Mr Jordan’s that it irked me in an unknown way.

The Way of Kings, though, was simply amazing. The shear extravagance of the world is breathtaking, with every country appearing to have a rich history and lore. Despite this, I don’t recall reading anything I would classify as an info dump. There is a little bit of a learning curve, with terms being thrown into the mix that don’t get explained until later, but it is this effect that I believe lets the story flow. And boy does it flow. The characters are well rounded, dealing with real issues in believable ways. By the end of the book, I was emotionally invested in their journey, cheering them on inside my head. Finally, the magic system is seamlessly tied into the world.

For those who enjoy truly epic fantasy, than this is the book for you.

8 people found this helpful

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KurtyD

Intriguing start to an epic series

Reviewed in Australia on 22 April 2018

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Can be a bit of a 'slog' in the middle, as it feels like things are stalled, but then it just blows you away with a fantastic last quarter. Being the first book in a pretty large, and still ongoing series, it needed this time to establish the world, characters, and fantastic magic system / mythology. There's alot to sink your teeth into here, and it does it without being overtly violent and depressing as many other newer fantasy titles. Cant wait to dig into the other books in this series!

3 people found this helpful

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P. Ashhurst

Best book I've read in years. Minor quibbles about kindle formatting

Reviewed in Australia on 24 January 2015

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I really enjoyed this book. I don't read much fiction and even less fantasy, but this was a great read from beginning to end. Sanderson has created an entire world populated with a vast array of unusual races, creatures, weather, geography, magic and cultures. It wasn't all frenetic action (which I find generally dull), but had excellent character and story development. However, Sanderson's battle scenes are breath-taking and gripping. Never violent for violence's sake alone, at times they left me nearly exhausted, with heart-rate racing.
My only complaint (for which it would be churlish of me to deduct even half a star) was the number of typos, and, in particular, the formatting problems in the kindle version, e.g. words staying hyphenated even when not spanning a line break. Dialogue was also strangely formatted at times (not sure if this is just in the kindle version), leading to confusion about who was speaking. I.e. when a new character is speaking, it should be indicated at the least by beginning a new paragraph. That all being said, I have no hesitation in recommending this book to anyone disenchanted with much modern fiction (like me), and looking for a book that is generally very well-written, with characters worth barracking for, and a story in which you can invest your long-term interest.

3 people found this helpful

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ivan brewer

are almost impossibly good. Completely addictive

Reviewed in Australia on 29 January 2015

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I must admit to now being a full blown Sandersen Groupie; I first stumbled upon his mistborn series, and proceeded to read 7 of his books in a row.

The Stormlight Archive, and its first installment The Way of the Kings, are almost impossibly good. Completely additive, and so very difficult to put down. I have a voracious reading appetite, and have been reading Sci Fi/ Fantasy for 30 years, right back to the Gods of the genre, Vance, Heinlein, Burroughs, Clarke, Howard etc.

Sandersen is a marvelous story teller, world builder and technician.

Simply superb!!

One person found this helpful

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Steve Androulakis

Incredible worldbuilding

Reviewed in Australia on 10 June 2018

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The world constructed over 1000 pages is incredibly detailed. From it’s mythology, ancient history, battle tactics, traditions, culture, religion and even biology.. book one is long but once finished, you now live in two worlds, not just one.

One person found this helpful

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R. A. Prideaux

An engrossing read

Reviewed in Australia on 7 July 2014

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I must state first off - I think most novels under 4-500 pages are a joke - they should be classified as a Novella or often short story. This is a REAL book - 1009 pages - and not a one regretted.

I have now read Vols 1 and 2 - and am very impressed with Mr Sanderson's work. His characters live and develop, his backgrounds and concepts are easily imagined and make a holistic "sense" in the story line.

It is a "Fantasy" novel - with the usual swords and sorcery, so to speak - but nothing mundane or tired.

I heartily recommend this series.

One person found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Stay away from this book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 February 2020

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This book is mind-bogglingly bad.
I'm always looking for fantasy books and I knew this was very popular so, after a few years I've decided to try it.
I can stomach the childish depiction of characters but I cannot bring myself to accept the utter idiocy of the setting. The opening is painfully bad: an all powerful assassin kills a king and his guard by having superpowers taken straight out of videogames. Then we are introduced with the hero, who, of course, rejects the greatest conceivable honour in the world out of pure spite.
He is then spared his life out of sheer plot armour, and the reader is left wondering why he hasn't been killed for constant rebellion. His mates are all killed, but he survives because, oh, he's sooo special.
Slaves are paid a living wage so that there is a way for the hero to earn money because it's needed by the story.
When the hero screws up, his senior officers are killed immediately but he's instead given a chance to survive, and, not very surprisingly, he does.
Then there is a war in the Shattered Plains: for six years the warriors, instead of fighting, go looking for overgrown shrimps to steal the enormous emeralds that grow inside of them. I kid you not, this is the primary purpose of the war: not beating the enemy but killing the shrimps while they're pupating (to turn into what, an enormous blowfly?) before the enemy slays it.
The entire strategy works like this: the entire army is sitting idly, wearing fashionable scarves and drinking wine. A horn sounds in the distance announcing that a shrimp has been found. The warriors scramble to arrive first, before the enemy but, more importantly, before the other commanders. The moronicity of the portable bridges defies belief.
The idiocy never seem to finish: soldiers with organic armour, illiterate kings with learned wives, even the regular storms that make magic. The hero, of course, discover magic that has been hidden in plain sight for countless years. In a specific kingdom, people live with feet constantly in two inches of water. In another, people eat horns and shells. For some reason, on a different planet, people know of Japanese katas. I could go on for hours: avoid this book.

50 people found this helpful

Pádraic Brady

Unmissable, mysterious, and world building at its best

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 February 2019

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I am not a fan of how the Wheel of Time was finished, finding the writing, plot and progression to feel overly simplified and hurried. It's hard to escape the feeling that the departed Robert Jordan had something much grander (and much longer!) in mind. I'm afraid that completely turned me off Brandon Sanderson completely.

Then I started reading Steelheart and I was hooked. Often noted as a YA novel, that was still quite a great read (the whole trilogy about the Epics is). The moral of the story is not to judge an author entirely based on their, quite possibly involuntary, approach to completing another's work. If they can write even a short novel like that, I've misjudged them.

The Stormlight series is so much better, that I can barely imagine this was the person who so dreadfully completed WOT. It is downright fascinating, raises more questions than answers, and creates such a complex world with memorable characters, locations and a "lost in the mists of times" historical background, that you cannot put it down. I was reading the final chapter at 3am! It's well written and you will end this book needing a second, a third, just...more. I've avoided Brandon's other works, but The Way of Kings has converted me - it's an excellent epic read that looks set to be a voyage of discovery into what exactly is Roshan, what are sprens, does anyone know what this world's "magic" really is? Who or what is Odium? The mind boggles, my brain sparks with possible theories, and I press the Purchase button for Book 2...

33 people found this helpful

Akshaya Sriram

Do not buy Mass Market Paperback

Reviewed in India on 28 January 2019

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When you're buying a Sanderson, and this is important for those of you who are his fans, buy the Gollanz edition. It's a little more pricey but worth it, in the end. The Mass Market Paperback back is cheaper, but it's cheaper for a reason. The book isn't bound well, the paper quality is cheap and the spine is wrinkled. Trust me. Tor fantasy edition ie Mass Market Paperback, does not deserve to rest on your bookshelf unless it's going to be thrown away after one read. Collectors: this edition is not for you.

83 people found this helpful

sethl

It also takes its sweet time to get anywhere and for the first 70% ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 April 2018

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First of all this book is LONG. I read it on kindle so didn't realise how big it was when I started. It also takes its sweet time to get anywhere and for the first 70% I had no idea what the story was actually about. It is a lot of set-up and worldbuilding. It also risks going into Grimdark territory a few times but it never quite got bad enough to make me roll my eyes and put the book down. However the world is interesting and novel, the characters are fun, and the writing is easy going. The final 30% got properly exciting and I definitely ended wanting to know more about what the hell was going on. I think if you try a sample and like the writing style you should definitely give it a go, as long as you're willing to read 40,000,000 words.

34 people found this helpful

Luke

Utterly fantastic - stick with it!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 August 2018

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Everyone is intimidated by a book that hits over 1000 words like this. But I praise you to stick with it as it is worth every word.

I've never read a book where I've felt so involved with the characters! You root for them and consistently want to get back to their story (referring to the book's chapter method of switching randomly between character stories).

On top of this, Brandon Sanderson has created a world like no other with creatures, religions, cultures and even the physical lands themselves all being unique and fantastical. I love fantasy but have never read a book where I've felt as truly.immersed in a world where I can physically picture it as a movie or TV show!

I would highly recommend this book if you're a fantasy lover and love to delve into other worlds!

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