The Way of Kings question

This is an amazing book, I recommend it to everyone.

You can't really call it a "dark book" (it's not like ASoIaF, with rapes, incests, etc)but the World it's amazing, so creative and constructive, that pushes your imagination to the limit (in a good way :) ) where you feel that anything can happen, although there's purpose and logic beyond it. It's not "hearts and flowers" all the time, it has his dark moments, but it's far from gloomy.

The storyline and world building are very well written and acomplished and are the biggest feature of the book, in a way that you can only compare with other Sanderson books (which, by the way, I also recommend).

And no, the Knights Radiant aren't ridiculous at all.

I can kind of see where you are coming from with the whole PG-13 thing, but I think that's just a larger problem with our perception of media. I think it's kind of sad how people feel like a movie has to have an R rating to be taken seriously. It's sad because they are right. If the movie is PG-13, then the director wants a big blockbuster. If it's R, then the director is shooting for an Oscar. PG or G is for kids.

So I think basically you might be asking, is this the literary equivalent of a shallow but entertaining summer blockbuster? To that I would say no. TWoK is a book that takes itself seriously. It may not have the same level of grittiness and sexiness that Song of Ice and Fire has, but I don't think that means that it's aimed towards a less mature audience.

yes

As far as these being "dark" or PG-13, I'd say no to the former, and yes to the latter. This certainly isn't "grimdark" by any stretch of the imagination, however it does have some very well done action sequences. It is an amazing story told from multiple points of view, and the world building, as noted above, is incredible.

This certainly won't scratch the itch for a gritty story in the same vein as say Malazan, or the Black Company novels will, however it is definitely more of a High Fantasy story. If you do pick it up, I recommend not trying to skip ahead to only follow one story line. Every character is helping build the world, and taken together, the picture is amazing. :)

If you're loking for something where anything can happen, these are definitely books you'ld like.

David wrote: "Hi guys,

I'm a fan of fantasy and I've been hearing about this series a lot so I got the books, but I don't know if I should read them.

The problem is I am getting this feeling it's PG13 or some..."

I understand your concerns. I liked it well enough. The world building is extremely thorough, the history is interesting and the characters are believable enough. The dialogue annoyed me a bit though, but maybe that's just me.

Have you read anything else by Sanderson, for example Mistborn, Elantris or Warbreaker?

David,

I am an avid fantasy reader and feel the same way in that I typically do not like the more PG-13 stories. With that said this is not one of those types of series in my opinion and the first 2 books of this series have been some of the best fantasy books I have read in some years.

Couple of other fantasy options I have read recently are The Emperor's Blades & Blood Song.

These are 2 EXCELLENT fantasy debuts.

I am guessing you have read the 2 Kingkiller books but I thought I might mention those also. :)

Cheers!

My favorite fantasies are ASOIAF, Name of the Wind series, Lies of Loch Lamara series, Shadows of the Apt, The Warded Man series and the Night Angel series. I consider Way of Kings series to be one of my favorites also.

Way of Kings isnt as dark as the fantasies I like, but its not YA either. And it has plenty of OMG moments. Hope this helps you out a bit.

Sanderson brings complexity and flavor to the world building and magic systems in all his books. I truly enjoy how he explores and fleshes out his world and his characters. Made as a movie, he definitely would be R rated. Too many of the "dark" fantasy feels contrived to me. If you do find yourself enjoying the series, I also recommend his Mistborn trilogy.

It definitely has its dark moments (mostly psychologically dark rather than violent dark, and definitely light on the T&A). It seems weird to say it's PG-13, as there is violence enough that it could almost be R? At the same time, I would be okay with my pre-teen child reading it. It's very well-written and enjoyable, and many of the characters feel very real (though there will be a couple you may find too one-dimensional. Most of that changes by the second book). Somehow, even though it doesn't have the death, destruction, and boobs of other currently popular series, it feels more 'mature' a read (more 'Doctor Who' than 'Torchwood')

I will say this: the author's religion is *very* obvious in his storytelling. Obvious enough that I - who knows next to nothing about said religion - looked him up to verify my suspicions. I will be sorely disappointed if he goes C.S. Lewis and it turns out to be a massive allegory in the end. May not be something that bothers you, but it's something always in the back of my mind as I read (and still greatly enjoy!) all of his related books.

I really dont know if i want to wait for 20 years for the series to end

No question; Read it

You're crazy for doubting it. Though the author isn't extreme in some senses, he is an amazing writer. And the book takes you places you never thought possible. It was beautiful and you never get bored. There is blood and guts, don't you fret. And the main characters are taken to difficult places. If you want dark and twisty, there are many books out there that follow those standards all the way through, and this book has some of that. It's just amazing.

If you want dark, read A Game of Thrones. ;)

Sanderson is in the Automatically Read category right now. Excellent writing, always lots of new ideas, very well tied in. Usually annoys me every time I finish a book because I then realise I have to wait for the next etc.

I *might* swim slightly against the tide when I say that I think Elantris was one of his weaker books

This book isn't dark. The second one might be a little more dark, but this one certainly isn't. It might be considered PG-13, due to its vivid action sequences. I recommend you read it. (If you're willing to read any fantasy, you'll be okay with reading The Way of Kings.)

Yes.

A simpler answer does not exist. Sanderson's world is one you will want to immerse yourself in. Dismiss the reviews that peg it as "PG-13" writing - in no way does that impact the delivery of the story and Sanderson's absolutely delightful characters.

I'll be honest, I don't really get the praise that's heaped onto this book. The world is interesting, sure, but it's heavy-handed and really feels like Sanderson is more interested in showing off his world than telling a decent story. Parts of the book feel like a video game -- complete with tutorials. The book takes FOREVER to get ANYWHERE, and I'll admit that the last third/quarter of the book pick up dramatically and the second book is a huge improvement on many fronts (mostly in that things are actually happening most of the time), but if I hadn't had a boyfriend begging me to keep going, I would have dropped the thing long before getting to the good stuff. It's plodding, monotonous, and what passes for development of the main characters is mostly endless broody internal monologue. Also, there are certain weak and repetitive sentence structures that Sanderson uses over and over and OVER, and that may sound like a whiny English lit major's critique, but over the course of such a huge tome of a book... it's like walking with gravel in your shoe. It only gets more annoying with time.

I'm not saying this book is without merit. Like I said, it picks up, and eventually (mostly in the second book) I found myself interested in the story. I just don't think it deserves the MOUNTAINS of praise it gets buried under. It has its flaws, and they are grating. But if you like Sanderson's writing, or if you're a fan of genre fantasy, go for it.

You are an idiot if you don't give this a go. If you don't like it fair enough but in terms of how the series has been received it should be your top priority.