The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1) in /r/Fantasy Discussion Group

Feb 12, 2023 Carrie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Brandon Sanderson makes a 1200+ page book feel like it's not long enough. ...more

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Mar 26, 2017 Sherwood Smith added it

Shelves: fantasy

This is one of those books that took a couple of tries to get into.

The first, oh, eighty pages or so are nested prologues, and they are all about war and death. When I first attempted this book shortly after publication, I put it down at that point, thinking that this was one for young guys who liked a lot of war porn.

Well, after several years of being told that no, I was totally wrong, I ought to try it again, I pulled it out a few nights ago, and grimly smacked into those early pages again. Y This is one of those books that took a couple of tries to get into.

The first, oh, eighty pages or so are nested prologues, and they are all about war and death. When I first attempted this book shortly after publication, I put it down at that point, thinking that this was one for young guys who liked a lot of war porn.

Well, after several years of being told that no, I was totally wrong, I ought to try it again, I pulled it out a few nights ago, and grimly smacked into those early pages again. Yep, more guys killing each other . . . but as soon as I reached Shallan's entry--a seventeen year old artistically inclined girl, sent by her family on a secret mission--I thought ah, at last some story outside of war, war, war.

Well, the more I got into the book, the more I began to see that Sanderson was playing hard with the tropes of war, glorious war. It's most clearly embodied in Dalinar, the high prince who feels the thrill of battle (he calls it the Thrill) but then is appalled at the destruction when he falls out of the trance. By studying the Code, he's striving to impose a modicum of civilization over the savagery of constant warfare. His co-high prince, Sadeas, thinks he's cracked, and weak, in trying to find a moral path.

Sadeas is an interesting character--just when you think you can predict his reaction, he takes a left turn. Ditto Jasnah, the tough, scholarly princess who utterly rejects the current organized religion, and so is constantly visited by a handsome young priest who also befriends the determined Shallan . . .

Then there is Kaladin, the soldier who strove to be the best he could be, and keeps getting knocked back down, and down, and down, until he's hit the worst level: a bridgeman under Sadeas, equivalent to slaves. Only worse, because they are what we'd call cannon fodder if there were any cannon.

Add in Dalinar's son Adolin, who reflects his dad's striving for a moral center in a situation where that seems impossible, and you've got a set of interesting characters to root for, though whew, the body count is right up there.

Terrific worldbuilding--so many fascinating little details--and a lack of graphic rape scenes that in too many epic fantasies seem to be regarded as necessary furniture--and I found myself sucked in just as much as predicted.

It's not perfect. I think many of Kaladin's flashbacks weren't needed ((view spoiler)), and some of Dalinar's tended to repeat the same information, and a couple of intriguing plot threads were totally dropped ((view spoiler)).

Overall the story was absorbing, the world fascinating, and the characters deeply involving. I can totally see why this series is as popular as it is--I want to read the next! ...more

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Dec 18, 2018 Rinaldo rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, united-states

4.25/5

So, I accidentally started this book when I was in the middle of Toll the Hounds (Malazan Book of the Fallen #8). The original plan was to hold up until the 4th or even ideally 5th book is released, but alas, I'm that weak.

“Expectations were like fine pottery. The harder you held them, the more likely they were to crack.”

Speaking about expectations, I came to this book with perhaps too high expectations. It's almost universally well-loved by my trusted reviewers and friends in fantasy ...more

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Jan 14, 2014 Jeff Raymond rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own-on-kindle, read-fantasy-and-horror

I first read The Way of Kings back in the fall of 2010 when it first came out. I had vowed to reread it closer to when the sequel was going to come out, and knowing I had 6-8 hours of airport time coming up pretty quickly, it sounded like a good time to dive back in. I can count maybe a dozen books I've reread ever, so that should speak to how highly I hold this book.

What I found pretty quickly was that this book really is a treasure. There's something special about this that doesn't exist in Br I first read The Way of Kings back in the fall of 2010 when it first came out. I had vowed to reread it closer to when the sequel was going to come out, and knowing I had 6-8 hours of airport time coming up pretty quickly, it sounded like a good time to dive back in. I can count maybe a dozen books I've reread ever, so that should speak to how highly I hold this book.

What I found pretty quickly was that this book really is a treasure. There's something special about this that doesn't exist in Brandon Sanderson's other books, nor in a lot of books I read period. I've always considered it an all-time favorite, but coming back into the book and getting back with all these plotlines and characters, it became clear pretty quickly how superior this is to everything else I've read.

My initial review is here, and I didn't have a ton to say about it then, but what grabbed me this time is how much I really didn't remember as compared to what I read now. My recall of a lot of Kaladin and the bridge crew was filled with holes, I didn't like the Shallan parts the first time around and it was easily my second favorite part, and I couldn't recall much of the Dalinar storyline at all. I completely forgot about sprens. I'm glad I reread it based on that alone.

Really, though, rereading it was a joy only because it's so good. Kaladin is an interesting, complicated character. The Shallan story pays off. My hopes for a great Szeth tale might be delayed a while longer, but that's okay. That we have about 6 weeks until my reading life goes on hold for a few days while I tear through 1100 pages.

As an aside, this is one of the longest books I've read on a Kindle yet. Reading a Kindle on an airplane is possibly the best flying experience in the world, especially when it's a Paperwhite and it's a night flight and you're able to hole up in the corner of your row with a book you know you won't finish, so you can just sit back and enjoy. It's great, and the Kindle version of The Way of Kings is formatted perfectly for it. I'm almost considering getting the second book on Kindle as well so I have it, but that seems ridiculous. ...more

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Sep 23, 2010 Jennifer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: thebest, fantasy, been-waiting-for, mythology, magic, reread, outdoors, medical, military, combat

This book is a MONSTER fantasy. On one hand, I love the detail that Brandon Sanderson goes into with the worlds, the magic system, the people. On the other hand, sometimes it's SO MUCH that you get lost in it instead of the story. There are a lot of characters in this one, which is to be expected in a book that has more than 1000 pages. I don't doubt this took BS ten years to write--it shows. The story is there, sometimes buried underneath the detail, and usually it's quite a good story. I have ...more

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Jul 09, 2010 Jeff Raymond rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-fantasy-and-horror, books-i-own-on-kindle, books-i-own, all-time-favorites

This is probably the best fantasy book I've read since The Name of the Wind came out a few years ago.

I hesitate to even say much about it in fear of giving things away, but this is a 1000 page monstrosity that is the first of ten planned volumes, follows at least four different character storylines, and didn't feel long enough.

Completely, 100% epic in every sense of the word, it's simply the best thing I've been able to read in ages. It's high fantasy without obvious tropes. It's an interesting ...more

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Sep 01, 2010 Liam rated it it was amazing

As the first book in a seven book cycle it took a while to coalesce into a coherent story. It definitely got there though. With a vengeance. I can not wait for the next installment.

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Jul 29, 2014 Dave rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

Some really great worldbuilding and ideas in this. It's a bit of a rocky start, but the storytelling comes together wonderfully. ...more

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May 01, 2014 Vinay Badri rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2024-read

Nov 2024 Re-Read update - 4 star read this time around

You know its coming despite that the climax of this book is absolutely power packed, exhilarating and brilliant - a thrill that never stops to amaze no matter how many times you read it

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Wow. Just Wow. Cant wait for the next installment of the series

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Aug 18, 2014 Michael Underwood rated it really liked it

Shelves: speculative-fiction, 2014-reads

Ambitious and lush. However, I feel like it would have been a stronger 500-page novel. More decompressed than is my preference.

Also, I'm not at all confident that a medieval-ish patrilineal patriarchy would persist when only women are literate. Correspondingly, women's voices are backgrounded in the work. ...more

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