The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1)

by Brandon Sanderson

“What am I?” Szeth whispered, a bit of Light leaking from his lips as he looked past the man down the long hallway. “I’m … sorry.”

damn bro :(

He looked down at Szeth. Down at the spear tip pointing directly at his heart. Violet fearspren crawled out of the stone ceiling around him. The Light ran out. The guard fell.

holy shit brutal

What was the safest place for your king? In the hands of some guards, fleeing? Or protected in a suit of Shardplate, left behind, dismissed as a bodyguard?

WHAT THE FUCK THAT'S SO COOL

With that, Szeth escaped into the night. He left the king’s Shardblade; he had no use for it. The Blade Szeth already carried was curse enough.

chilling ending paragraph.

As he spoke, he attracted a few hungerspren. They looked like brown flies that flitted around the man’s head, almost too small to see.

bruh is there a spren for everything? hornyspren that appears when i see big squishy mommy milky women

“Ignorance is hardly unusual, Miss Davar. The longer I live, the more I come to realize that it is the natural state of the human mind. There are many who will strive to defend its sanctity and then expect you to be impressed with their efforts.”

Six months ago, she had explained a desperate plan to her brothers. She would apprentice herself to Jasnah Kholin, scholar, heretic. Not for the education. Not for the prestige. But in order to learn where she kept her Soulcaster. And then Shallan would steal it.

WOAH what a punchy chapter end

“The world just changed, Gaz,” Kaladin said, leaning in close. “I died down at that chasm. Now you’ve got my vengeful spirit to deal with.”

oh that's cold as hell

Other men thought they understood Shardblades and Shardplate, but Dalinar Kholin … at times, he proved them all children.

HYPE

Dalinar held back the claw and matched its strength, a figure in dark, silvery metal that almost seemed to glow. The beast trumpeted above, and Dalinar bellowed back a powerful, defiant yell.

DUDE HE'S SO RAW

Elhokar held aloft the grisly prize, golden gloryspren appearing around him, and the soldiers yelled in triumph.

This was one of the coolest action scenes i've ever read

“Sadeas. Surely I did not just hear you openly—before the king—call my son useless. Surely you would not say that, as such an insult would demand that I summon my Blade and seek your blood. Shatter the Vengeance Pact. Cause the king’s two greatest allies to kill one another. Surely you would not have been that foolish. Surely I misheard.”

cold

Wit shrugged. “I point out truths when I see them, Brightlord Sadeas. Each man has his place. Mine is to make insults. Yours is to be in-sluts.”

I LOVE WIT

“If the Wit is a fool, then it is a sorry state for men. I shall offer you this, Sadeas. If you can speak, yet say nothing ridiculous, I will leave you alone for the rest of the week.” “Well, I think that shouldn’t be too difficult.” “And yet you failed,” Wit said, sighing. “For you said ‘I think’ and I can imagine nothing so ridiculous as the concept of you thinking.

holy shit dude let him BREATHE

Dalinar’s Calling was to be a leader, and his chosen Glory was determination. He’d chosen both in his youth, though he now viewed them very differently than he once had.

This is extremely video game-y sounding

“What’s your real name, then?” Teft asked. “You won’t be able to say it.” Teft raised an eyebrow. “Numuhukumakiaki’aialunamor,” Rock said. Teft hesitated, then smiled. “Well, I guess in that case, Rock will do just fine.”

HEHEHE this is cute

It’s good to care when you fight, so long as you don’t let it consume you. Don’t try to stop yourself from feeling. You’ll hate who you become.

“I’m putting it all on the long bet,” Kaladin whispered. “If I die, then they’ll come out, shake their heads, and tell themselves they knew it would happen. But if I live, they’ll remember it. And it will give them hope. They might see it as a miracle.” Syl was silent for a moment. “Do you want to be a miracle?” “No,” Kaladin whispered. “But for them, I will be.”

What a legend.

“When we are young,” Jasnah said, “we want simple answers. There is no greater indication of youth, perhaps, than the desire for everything to be as it should. As it has ever been.”

Jasnah is one of my favorite characters for sure.

She looked away. “Well, go on, boy,” she said. “Do as you’re told. We’re hungry.”

Oof. Kal's going through quite the culture shock.

“I want to start going by my full name,” he replied, surprising himself. “Kaladin.” It was a man’s name. He’d always disliked how it sounded like the name of a lighteyes. Now it seemed to fit. He wasn’t a darkeyed farmer, but he wasn’t a lighteyed lord either. Something in between. Kal had been a child who wanted to join the army because it was what other boys dreamed of. Kaladin would be a man who learned surgery and all the ways of the lighteyes. And someday he would return to this town and prove to Roshone, Rillir, and Laral herself that they had been wrong to dismiss him. “Very well,” Lirin said. “Kaladin.”

From Kal, to Kaladin Stormblessed, to Kaladin of Bridge Four... i love how compelling his arc has been.

At that moment, Kaladin knew he could kill, if he needed to. Some people—like a festering finger or a leg shattered beyond repair—just needed to be removed.

Delicious

“In four years, I will bring him home safely,” Kaladin said. “I promise it by the storms and the Almighty’s tenth name itself. I will bring him back.” I promise. …

FUUUUCK MAN

Her safehand was still exposed. Sleek, with tan skin, the fingers long and delicate. Kaladin found himself staring at it and blushing.

EVERYONE HAS A HAND FETISH???

“Shallan,” Jasnah’s voice said, anxious, very soft. “I’m going to have to Soulcast your blood to purify it. It will be dangerous. Extremely dangerous. I’m not good with flesh or blood. It’s not where my talent lies.”

Jasnah is a very good person. This is going to be a disaster.

“You are being discharged as a deserter and branded as a slave. But you are spared death by my mercy.” He opened the door and walked out. The branding iron fell, searing Kaladin’s fate into his skin. He let out a final, ragged scream.

god this shit is so unfair

Finally, Szeth raised his Blade over his head, looking down at the king. “What are you?” the man whispered, eyes watering with pain. “Death,” Szeth said, then drove his Blade point-first through the man’s face and into the rock below.

holy shit

“The lighteyes talk about honor. They spout empty claims about their nobility. Well, I’ve only known one man in my life who was a true man of honor. He was a surgeon who would help anyone, even those who hated him. Especially those who hated him. Well, we’re going to show Gaz, and Sadeas, Hashal, and any other sodden fool who cares to watch, what he taught me. Now go to work and stop complaining!”

FUCKING GOOOOO

Many people were dying on the other side of the chasm, but Kaladin didn’t feel a thing for them. No itch to heal them, no desire to help. Kaladin could thank Hav for that, for training him to think in terms of “us” and “them.” In a way, Kaladin had learned what his father had talked about. In the wrong way, but it was something. Protect the “us,” destroy the “them.” A soldier had to think like that. So Kaladin hated the Parshendi. They were the enemy. If he hadn’t learned to divide his mind like that, war would have destroyed him. Perhaps it had done so anyway.

i've thought about this sort of thing a lot. when two things seem irreconciliable, it is ultimately better for a compassionate person's peace of mind to view the other "side" as an enemy. you can't get a desired result without "choosing", and understanding all perspectives means nothing because no matter what, "someone" must lose.

“Sitting. Occasionally playing … with the minds of bridgemen.”

OMG HOID

“Many a thing, and only some of them polite. Almost all are true, unfortunately. You, however, you may call me Hoid.”

HOOOOOID

“The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon. Too often, we forget that.”

Excellent

“If I’m not cursed,” Kaladin said softly, “then why do I live when others die?” “Because of us,” Syl said. “This bond. It makes you stronger, Kaladin.” “Then why can’t it make me strong enough to help the others?” “I don’t know,” Syl said. “Maybe it can.”

the hero rising.... Slowly...

“ ‘And so, does the destination matter? Or is it the path we take? I declare that no accomplishment has substance nearly as great as the road used to achieve it. We are not creatures of destinations. It is the journey that shapes us. Our callused feet, our backs strong from carrying the weight of our travels, our eyes open with the fresh delight of experiences lived. “ ‘In the end, I must proclaim that no good can be achieved of false means. For the substance of our existence is not in the achievement, but in the method.

Fucking excellent

Strength does not make one capable of rule; it makes one capable of service.”

Lopen winked. “A one-armed Herdazian is still twice as useful as a nobrained Alethi. Plus, so long as I’ve got one hand, I can still do this.” He covertly made a rude gesture toward the marching soldiers.

I love how chill Lopen is

“No. I know I’m not.” He looked up at the overcast sky. “But that means the failures were all just me. I let Tien die, I failed my spearmen, the slaves I tried to rescue, Tarah …” He hadn’t thought of her in some time. His failure with her had been different from the others, but a failure it was nonetheless. “If there’s no curse or bad luck, no god above being angry at me—I have to live with knowing that with a little more effort—a little more practice or skill—I could have saved them.”

Accepting the fault of the individual is always a hard thing to do. Wouldn't it be easier to chalk all misfortune up to a higher power…?

Leyten shrugged. “When a piece of armor breaks and a lighteyes takes an arrow in the shoulder, someone has to take the blame. I’m convinced my master keeps an extra apprentice especially for those kinds of situations.” “Well, his loss is our good fortune. You’re going to keep us alive.” “I’ll do my best, sir.” He smiled. “Can’t do much worse on the armor than you did yourself, though. It’s amazing that breastplate didn’t fall off halfway through!”

I love how Bridge Four really feels close now

“Sure. But there’s a difference between us, Kaladin.” Kaladin raised an eyebrow. “You wanted to be able to save someone. Me, I want to kill somebody.”

He's def gonna become a traitor

“Bah,” Sadeas said. “I’ve got a new way of using bridgemen, one that doesn’t cost nearly as many lives. Their casualties have dropped to almost nothing.” “Really?” Dalinar said. “Is it because of those bridgemen with armor? What made you change?” Sadeas shrugged. “Perhaps you’re getting through to me.

Interesting that it was Kaladin's idea but Sadeas just accepted it ultimately

The Parshendi rolled awkwardly, holding his arm, no doubt shattered as he was thrown down. He looked up at Dalinar, terrified, fearspren appearing around him. He was only a youth. Dalinar froze, Blade held above his head, muscles taut. Those eyes … that face … Parshendi might not be human, but their features—their expressions—were the same. Save for the marbled skin and the strange growths of carapace armor, this boy could have been a groom in Dalinar’s stable. What did he see above him? A faceless monster in impervious armor? What was this youth’s story? He would only have been a boy when Gavilar was assassinated.

I love a good ol War Bad

“I told you, old friend,” Sadeas said, voice soft but distinct, overlapping the distant screams. “I said that honor of yours would get you killed someday.” He shook his head.

fucked UP man

“I know!” Dalinar yelled back. “We walked right into this,” Adolin continued, shouting as if he hadn’t heard Dalinar. “We let him take away our bridges. We let him get us onto the plateau before the second wave of Parshendi arrived. We let him control the scouts. We even suggested the attack pattern that would leave us surrounded if he didn’t support us!” “I know.” Dalinar’s heart twisted inside of him.

God dude. So much for trusting him.

“What would you have done differently?” Adolin asked. “Would you stop trying to make something better of Alethkar? Would you become like Sadeas and the others? No. I wouldn’t have you become that man, Father, regardless of what it would gain us. I wish to the Heralds that we hadn’t let Sadeas trick us into this, but I will not blame you for his deceit.” Adolin reached over, gripping Dalinar’s Plate-covered arm. “You are right to follow the Codes. You were right to try to unite Alethkar. And I was a fool for fighting you on it every step along the path. Perhaps if I hadn’t spent so much time distracting you, we would have seen this day coming.”

awh...

Did it matter that the visions had been wrong about Sadeas? Was he ashamed of the man that they, and the readings from the book, had made him become? The final piece fell into place inside of him, the final cornerstone, and he found that he was no longer worried. The confusion was gone. He knew what to do, at long last. No more questions. No more uncertainty. He reached up, gripping Adolin’s arm. “Thank you.”

Stay true to your values, Dalinar!

“It is time for us to fight,” he said, voice growing louder. “And we do so not because we seek the glory of men, but because the other options are worse. We follow the Codes not because they bring gain, but because we loathe the people we would otherwise become. We stand here on this battlefield alone because of who we are.”

OH FUCK YEAH LET YA NUTS HANG

“Death is the end of all men!” Dalinar bellowed. “What is the measure of him once he is gone? The wealth he accumulated and left for his heirs to squabble over? The glory he obtained, only to be passed on to those who slew him? The lofty positions he held through happenstance? “No. We fight here because we understand. The end is the same. It is the path that separates men. When we taste that end, we will do so with our heads held high, eyes to the sun.”

GRAAAAHH

He held out a hand, summoning Oathbringer. “I am not ashamed of what I have become,” he shouted, and found it to be true. It felt so strange to be free of guilt. “Other men may debase themselves to destroy me. Let them have their glory. For I will retain mine!” The Shardblade formed, dropping into his hand.

GOAAAT GOAT GOAT GOAT

He did, however, discover one regret: He was leaving poor Renarin as Kholin highprince, in over his head and surrounded by enemies grown fat on the flesh of his father and brother. I never did deliver that Shardplate I promised him, Dalinar thought. He will have to make his way without it. Honor of our ancestors protect you, son. Stay strong—and learn wisdom more quickly than your father did. Farewell.

awww man

He did, however, discover one regret: He was leaving poor Renarin as Kholin highprince, in over his head and surrounded by enemies grown fat on the flesh of his father and brother. I never did deliver that Shardplate I promised him, Dalinar thought. He will have to make his way without it. Honor of our ancestors protect you, son. Stay strong—and learn wisdom more quickly than your father did. Farewell.

awwwh man