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

by Brandon Sanderson

He had dark brown skin and black hair—that meant he was Makabaki, from southwestern Roshar.

World Building

He was the only bridgeman without a beard, and judging by his smooth accent, he was probably Azish or Emuli.

He had tan skin, deep red hair, and was nearly seven feet tall, with large arms and a powerful torso. The Unkalaki—simply called Horneaters by most—were a group of people from the middle of Roshar, near Jah Keved. He’d given his name as “Rock” the previous night.

World building

“I’m changing.” She shivered—it must have been an intentional action, for her entire figure fuzzed for a moment. “I know things I didn’t just a few days ago. It feels so strange.”

Character Development

“Scared to go onward,” Kaladin said, “but terrified to go back to what you were.”

Quotes

Adolin was shorter than Dalinar, and his hair was blond mixed with black. The blond was an inheritance from his mother, or so Dalinar had been told. Dalinar himself remembered nothing of the woman. She had been excised from his memory, leaving strange gaps and foggy areas.

Character

The gemhearts had changed everything for the war. The Parshendi wanted them too, wanted them badly enough to extend themselves.

World Building

Each highprince wanted those gemhearts. Paying and feeding thousands of troops was not cheap, but a single gemheart could cover a highprince’s expenses for months. Beyond that, the larger a gemstone was when used by a Soulcaster, the less likely it was to shatter. Enormous gemheart stones offered near-limitless potential. And so, the highprinces raced. The first one to a chrysalis got to fight the Parshendi for the gemheart.

Magic

They could have taken turns, but that was not the Alethi way. Competition was doctrine to them. Vorinism taught that the finest warriors would have the holy privilege of joining the Heralds after death, fighting to reclaim the Tranquiline Halls from the Voidbringers. The highprinces were allies, but they were also rivals.

History/Lore

“Sometimes,” Dalinar said, “the prize is not worth the costs. The means by which we achieve victory are as important as the victory itself.”

Quotes

Dalinar hesitated. “It is a secret he and I share. Other than us, only Jasnah and Elhokar know of it. I’ve contemplated for a time whether I should tell you, as you will take my place should I fall. I spoke to you of the last words my brother said to me.” “Asking you to follow the Codes.” “Yes. But there is more. Something else he said to me, but not with spoken words. Instead, these are words that … he wrote.” “Gavilar could write?” “When Sadeas discovered the king’s body, he found words written on the fragment of a board, using Gavilar’s own blood. ‘Brother,’ they said. ‘You must find the most important words a man can say.’ Sadeas hid the fragment away, and we later had Jasnah read the words. If it is true that he could write—and other possibilities seem implausible—it was a shameful secret he hid. As I said, his actions grew very odd near the end of his life.” “And what does it mean? Those words?” “It’s a quote,” Dalinar said. “From an ancient book called The Way of Kings. Gavilar favored readings from the volume near the end of his life—he spoke to me of it often. I didn’t realize the quote was from it until recently; Jasnah discovered it for me. I’ve now had the text of the book read to me a few times, but so far, I find nothing to explain why he wrote what he did.” He paused. “The book was used by the Radiants as a kind of guidebook, a book of counsel on how to live their lives.”

History/Lore

The king was married, however; his wife the queen managed his affairs back in Alethkar.

Character

“What, really?” Laral asked, as she walked across the edge of the rock just in front of him. She had golden streaks in her otherwise black hair. She wore it long, and it streamed out behind her in a gust of wind as she balanced, hands out to the sides. The hair was distinctive. But, of course, her eyes were more so. Bright, pale green. So different from the browns and blacks of the townspeople. There really was something different about being a lighteyes.

Character Intro

“What you said earlier is right; men are unreliable in many things. But if there’s one thing you can count on, it’s their greed.”

Quote

“That’s what we’re doing,” he said, turning to smile. Janala stood with arms folded, wearing a sleek yellow dress of impeccable fashion, buttoning up the sides, cupping around the neck with a stiff collar embroidered with crimson thread.

Character Intro

Teshav joined him. She had streaks of blond in her otherwise black Alethi hair, which she wore up in an intricate crossing weave. She had violet eyes, and her pinched face bore a concerned expression. That was normal; she always seemed to need something to worry about.

Character

“You have matters pressing upon your mind, bright one?” Kadash asked. “Is this about your Calling? You haven’t made much progress lately.” Adolin grimaced. His chosen Calling was dueling. By working with the ardents to make personal goals and fulfill them, he could prove himself to the Almighty. Unfortunately, during war, the Codes said Adolin was supposed to limit his duels, as frivolous dueling could wound officers who might be needed in battle.

Character

Character

Do you know much of the Hierocracy, the War of Loss?” “The church tried to seize control,” Adolin said, shrugging. “The priests tried to conquer the world—for its own good, they claimed.” “That was part of it,” Kadash said. “The part we speak of most often. But the problem goes much deeper. The church back then, it clung to knowledge. Men were not in command of their own religious paths; the priests controlled the doctrine, and few members of the Church were allowed to know theology. They were taught to follow the priests. Not the Almighty or the Heralds, but the priests.” He began walking, leading Adolin around the back rim of the temple chamber. They passed statues of the Heralds, five male, five female. In truth, Adolin knew very little of what Kadash was saying. He’d never had much of a mind for history that didn’t relate directly to the command of armies. “The problem, bright one,” Kadash said, “was mysticism. The priests claimed that common men could not understand religion or the Almighty. Where there should have been openness, there was smoke and whispers. The priests began to claim visions and prophecies, though such things had been denounced by the Heralds themselves. Voidbinding is a dark and evil thing, and the soul of it was to try to divine the future.” Adolin froze. “Wait, you’re saying—” “Don’t get ahead of me please, bright one,” Kadash assured, turning back toward him. “When the priests of the Hierocracy were cast down, the Sunmaker made a point of interr...

History/Lore

I won’t repeat his mistakes, and you should avoid them as well—rather than listening to a book that claims that lighteyes should be the slaves of the darkeyes.” “That’s not what it says,” Dalinar said. “It has been misinterpreted. It’s mostly just a collection of stories which teach that a leader should serve those he leads.” “Bah. It was written by the Lost Radiants!” “They didn’t write it. It was their inspiration. Nohadon, an ordinary man, was its author.”

History

A woman Shardbearer, Dalinar thought. He’d never seen such a thing.

Word Building

Dalinar recognized the symbol, the particular pattern of the stylized double eye, eight spheres connected with two at the center. It had been the symbol of the Lost Radiants, back when they’d been called the Knights Radiant.

History/Lore

“Thank you,” Hobber whispered, taking Kaladin’s hand, clutching it. He actually seemed to be tearing up. That smile forced back the gloom, made the aches and soreness fade.

Things I Like

“What is madness?” she asked, sitting with one leg up against her chest, vaporous skirt flickering around her calves and vanishing into mist. “It’s when men don’t think right,” Kaladin said, glad for the conversation to distract him. “Men never seem to think right.”

Things I Like

He’d been burned too often to trust the flame.

Quote

He’d visited that western region of Roshar during his youth. And the Purelake.

Reference

“No, no assassins yet,” Wit said, amused. “I guess I’ve already got too much ass sass of my own.”

Quotes

Navani, the king’s mother, was a stately woman with intricately woven black hair. And she was not supposed to be here.

Character Intro

Navani just turned her head and looked at Dalinar with a pair of light violet eyes. She wore an elegant dress, its shimmering red surface unbroken by embroidery. The gems in her hair—which was streaked with a few lines of grey—were red as well. The king’s mother was known as one of the most beautiful women in Alethkar, though Dalinar had always found that description inadequate, for surely there wasn’t a woman on all of Roshar to match her beauty.

Chracter Intro

A few of them attracted creationspren, the tiny shapes rolling across the tops of their easels or tables.

World Building

Those tufts were extremely important, for hidden among them were thin reeds known as knobweed. Their rigid stalks were topped with delicate fronds that could retract into the stem. The stems themselves were immobile, but they were fairly safe growing behind boulders. Some would be pulled free in each storm—perhaps to attach themselves in a new location once the winds abated.

Description

Nomon—the middle moon—shone with his pale, blue-white light.

Things I Like

Need. That word had strange effects on men. Some ran when you used it.

Quote

Others grew nervous. Teft seemed to long for it.

Character Development

“Thaylenah has five Blades and three full suits of Plate, all held by the royal guards. The Selay have their share of both suits and Blades. Other kingdoms, such as Herdaz, have a single Blade and set of Plate—this is passed down through the royal line. But the Unkalaki, we have not a single Shard. Many of our nuatoma—this thing, it is the same as your lighteyes, only their eyes are not light—”

World Building

Nomon was setting in the west, and the small green disk of Mishim—the final moon—was rising in the east.

Things I Like

He laughed—forced himself to laugh—with them.

Character Note

“Lad,” Teft said. “I’ve seen katas before. But never one like that. The way you moved … The speed, the grace … And there was some sort of spren zipping around you, between your sweeps, glowing with a pale light. It was beautiful.”

Charater Building

There was no strap. Kaladin frowned and peered underneath the guard, trying to pry it up. The skin lifted with it. “Stormfather!” he said. He inspected the helm. It was grown into the head. Or grown from the head. “What is this?” “Do not know,” Rock said, shrugging. “It is looking like they grow their own armor, eh?” “That’s ridiculous,” Kaladin said. “They’re just people. People—even parshmen—don’t grow armor.” “Parshendi do,” Teft said. Kaladin and the other two turned to him. “Don’t look at me like that,” the older man said with a scowl. “I worked in the camp for a few years before I ended up as a bridgeman—no, I’m not going to tell you how, so storm off. Anyway, the soldiers talk about it. The Parshendi grow carapaces.”

World Building

The grandest of masculine arts was to become a great warrior, and the most important Calling was to fight. The Almighty himself depended on the Alethi to train themselves in honorable battle so that when they died, they could join the Heralds’ army and win back the Tranquiline Halls.

World Building

The results of what he did to protect Elhokar were often difficult to gauge; it was fulfilling to be able to do something where his progress was obvious.

Things I Like

It all swirled around in him. The Codes, the teachings of the book, the things the visions—or delusions—showed. Never fight other men except when forced to in war. Bang! Let your actions defend you, not your words. Bang! Expect honor from those you meet, and give them the chance to live up to it. Bang! Rule as you would be ruled. Bang! He stood waist-deep in what would eventually be a latrine, his ears filled with the groans of breaking stone. He was coming to believe those ideals. No, he’d already come to believe them. Now he was living them. What would the world be like if all men lived as the book proclaimed?

Underline

that. As an aside, has it ever struck you that most masculine arts deal with destroying, while feminine arts deal with creation?”

Things I Love

“I didn’t pick him because he would become king, Dalinar. Though that’s what everyone says. I chose him because you frightened me. That intensity of yours … it scared your brother too, you know.”

Underline

When he continued walking, she said nothing, though she did eye him slyly from time to time. Eventually, they reached his personal complex, marked by fluttering blue banners with the glyphpair khokh and linil, the former drawn in the shape of a tower, the second forming a crown. Dalinar’s mother had drawn the original design, the same his signet ring bore, though Elhokar used a sword and crown instead.

World Building

Jasnah was a Veristitalian. She’d explained it to him once; they were an order of scholars who tried to find the truth in the past. They wished to create unbiased, factual accounts of what had happened in order to extrapolate what to do in the future. He wasn’t clear on why they thought themselves different from conventional historians.

Charcter Building

“These are painful memories, Jasnah. I wish I’d never convinced your father to go on that expedition. If we’d never discovered the Parshendi, then they couldn’t have assassinated him. The first meeting happened when we were exploring a forest that wasn’t on the maps. This was south of the Shattered Plains, in a valley about two weeks’ march from the Drying Sea.”

Plot

Revenge wouldn’t drive her. But questions. Yes, questions would.

Quote

Still, the picture was marvelous. This isn’t Jasnah, Dalinar realized. Whoever was doing the drawing was far, far more talented than his niece.

Things I Like

“This picture’s of a chasmfiend,” Dalinar said. Danlan wrote the words. A moment later, the reply came. “ ‘The book describes this as a picture of a Voidbringer.’

History/Lore