The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1) in Building a SciFi/Fantasy Library

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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Feb 19, 2017 Dave Johnson rated it liked it

This is a review that really needs a half-star rating system, because I would definitely give this book 3.5 stars. I am conflicted about Brandon Sanderson as a writer. On one hand, he has really solid creative ideas for his world, action scenes, and magic, but on the other hand, I find that his writing is really mediocre at best. I have read a few of his books now, and every time I start one, I am optimistic that it will be better than the last, only to have my hopes mildly dashed. Often his wri This is a review that really needs a half-star rating system, because I would definitely give this book 3.5 stars. I am conflicted about Brandon Sanderson as a writer. On one hand, he has really solid creative ideas for his world, action scenes, and magic, but on the other hand, I find that his writing is really mediocre at best. I have read a few of his books now, and every time I start one, I am optimistic that it will be better than the last, only to have my hopes mildly dashed. Often his writing comes off as fan-fiction quality: flat, lifeless characters; far too verbose; verbiage akin to renaissance fair language; plots, protagonists, and antagonists I don't care about; writing that is far too preachy (this criticism coming from someone who doesn't mind preachiness); and far too many groan-worthy scenes that took me out of the immersion, only to shout at the book, "NO! That wouldn't happen!"

I found myself comparing Sanderson to George R. R. Martin, and while that might be a bit unfair given GRRM's experience, I still think the comparison stands. These are writers of "epic fantasy". Yet Martin's writing differs vastly. In Stephen King's book On Writing, King mentions that the main goal of every writer is to "tell the truth", which seems contradictory if you are writing fiction. But King means is that you write in a way where your characters, world, plot, etc., all follow a certain set of guidelines. These guidelines are what your readers will infer upon the text on every page, and if you hold true to that "truth" then your characters will seem real, your world will seem deep, and your plot will seem complex and unexpected. Martin has a knack for this. His characters are deeply complex, and even if you don't empathize with their position or choices--even if you despise their choices--you still love the characters. What I found with Sanderson is that all of his characters are essentially good. And none of the bad characters are really that bad. This makes really tedious dialogue that is far too self-righteous almost all the time. Contrast that with Martin, and you get the feeling that Martin is telling the "truth" while Sanderson is not.

Those are my main criticisms, and before I talk about the good, let me mention one more nitpick. Sanderson has created a sort of cohesive universe where all his books somehow connect, the "Cosmere", he calls it. In that Cosmere is a character called Hoid that apparently appears in all his books (though I think this was a retcon after The Way of Kings was published since I don't recall any Hoid in the other books. This book highlights Hoid on a few occasions, and he is annoying. Like, really, really annoying. Without giving any major spoilers, there is a scene toward the end of the book where Hoid is playing a song, and the narrator says it's "Silent Night" and implies the importance of Christ's birth. This is another moment where I am left scratching my head and the utter "untruthfulness" of this scene. Now, I am a Christian, so I understand the importance of the song and of Christ's birth. Yet this is completely random. If there were a Slim Jim commercial transcript in this book with Macho Man Randy Savage telling a character to "SNAP INTO A SLIM JIM", it would be no less random and just as bad.

Okay, finally the good. Despite all that I've said, this book was not terrible. If I just make the justification that it's Young Adult fiction, maybe that might excuse the sub-par writing. I honestly don't think this is YA, but I'm gonna go with that anyway. I need the help. This book had some good moments, though they were few. The action is generally very good--some of the best in fantasy. And as I mentioned earlier, the magic system is really cool. He didn't go into much detail about it, so I am curious to see how it unfolds in other books. Even though it is plodding at times, with far too many uninteresting words, I am still somewhat interested in the next book. So I might read it soon.

This book is really long, and barely worth a read. I think if you are on the fence about it, it might be a pass for you. But if you are a fan of Sanderson already, I think you will enjoy it.

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Sep 04, 2013 Dolphe rated it it was amazing

As with many fantasy epics, there is a period of adjustment for the reader during the first several chapters. After all, you've just entered an entirely new universe of characters, camaraderie and conflicts. It understandably takes some time to get your bearings. Patience offers a great reward here as the author crafts a thoroughly entertaining tale of honor and faith. Those are subjects authors often attempt to wrap their pages around, but few succeed as well as Sanderson. Yes, the geeks among ...more

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Apr 14, 2022 William rated it it was amazing

Shelves: action-adventure, series, fantasy, supernatural, goodreads-authors, e, favorites, high-fantasy, epic-fantasy, read-in-2022

I don't know where to really start. This is the longest book I have read in a long time. It took me forever, not because I am a slow reader or lack of interest, I just didn't have the time to devote. Needless to say, it was still very much worth the read.

The world building, character development, total imagination is incredible. The world building rivals TGOT even though it is completely different. I like the concept of shardblades and shardplate and soulcasting and stormlight lends themselves t ...more

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May 13, 2019 Alan rated it it was amazing

Aside from the last few books of the Wheel of Time, this is the first Brandon Sanderson book I've read. It's sprawling, engrossing, and I've immediately started onto the second one. More please. ...more

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