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The Way of Kings

The Stormlight Archive, Book 1

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The Way of Kings

By: Brandon Sanderson
Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
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The groundbreaking first book of an epic series that has changed the face of fantasy. The Way of Kings begins The Stormlight Archive.

Speak again the ancient oaths:

Life before death.
Strength before weakness.
Journey before Destination.
Return to men the Shards they once bore.

The Knights Radiant must stand again.

Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter.

It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them, and won by them.

One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. There, Kaladin, who traded his medical apprenticeship for a spear to protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. In a war that makes no sense, where ten armies fight separately against a single foe, he struggles to save his men and to fathom the leaders who consider them expendable.

Brightlord Dalinar Kholin commands one of those other armies. Like his brother, the late king, he is fascinated by an ancient text called The Way of Kings. Troubled by over-powering visions of ancient times and the Knights Radiant, he has begun to doubt his own sanity.

Across the ocean, an untried young woman named Shallan seeks to train under an eminent scholar and notorious heretic, Dalinar's niece, Jasnah. Though she genuinely loves learning, Shallan's motives are less than pure. As she plans a daring theft, her research for Jasnah hints at secrets of the Knights Radiant and the true cause of the war.

Readers love The Way of Kings:

'A masterpiece series in epic fantasy' Novel Notions
'It's multi-POV, action-packed, heartfelt, exciting, thrilling' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'The story is mind-blowing' Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'[It's] elevated the art of storytelling to a different league' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'Introduces a series that will change the history of Fantasy' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'I really wish I could give The Way of Kings a sixth star' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Other books by Brandon Sanderson

The Cosmere

The Stormlight Archive
The Way of Kings
Words of Radiance
Edgedancer (Novella)
Oathbringer
Rhythm of War
Wind and Truth

The Mistborn Saga
Mistborn
The Well of Ascension
The Hero of Ages
The Alloy of Law
Shadows of Self
The Bands of Mourning
The Lost Metal©2010 Dragonsteel Entertainment LLC (P)2011 Orion Publishing Group Limited Action & Adventure Coming of Age Epic Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Metaphysical & Visionary Royalty War
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Critic reviews

The Way of Kings is epic in every sense
I loved this book. What else is there to say? (Patrick Rothfuss)
Sanderson has created a fascinating world here, one that deserves a sequel
An epic worthy of the name - and a real treat for fantasy fans
The Way of Kings is the very definition of epic
There is truly something enchanting, majestic, and magical about this series
Brandon Sanderson's reputation is finally as big as his novels
Brandon Sanderson is the most immersive fantasy writer I've ever encountered
This is a story of the indefatigable human spirit. It is an empathetic tale of courage, compassion, loyalty and honour
Sanderson creates the most intricate and fleshed out magic system I've read since The Wheel of Time
All stars
Most relevant
Brandon Sanderson has achieved something marvelous here. From the very opening scenes it is crystal clear that you are reading an author who has developed a fantasy world of incredible depth and detail. In these early action scenes he demonstrates a refreshingly ingenious form of combat magic, depth of character and hints at the world beyond. As the book unfolds the sheer scale of his imagination is revealed as the history, geography, flora, fauna, religion and mythology of his creation is revealed. This is done gradually without huge long paragraphs of description to bog things down.

The characters too are thoroughly detailed and explored through conversation, flashbacks to previous times and even their dreams. There are no one-dimensional heroes or villains here, nothing in that sense is spoon fed as the characters have a constant struggle to find their right path. When reading this book time and again you will imagine you know where something is heading and be pulled up short. Sanderson is a very patient author and doesn’t take the easy plot route often.

Of course with a book of this length the narration is important, forty-six hours of monotone would make this hard going and the idea of splitting the narration is a very sound one. Michael Kramer is excellent, he rumbles through the book adding real gravitas and atmosphere to Sanderson’s often grim world and its inhabitants. Kate Reading is eloquent and very precise but clearly not everyone’s cup of tea. I’m afraid she’s not mine, her intonation is too often lacking the correct inflection making her sound like an automaton at times. She does read much less of the book than her counterpart but I still think the audio sample should have included some of her reading to help prospective purchasers make an informed decision.

All told this is a book that demands respect, it does take an investment from you to get through it but the rewards are incredibly rich. I was hooked in from the brilliant opening scenes which included some very innovative ideas. Sanderson is a genuine giant in the fantasy genre and those wanting depth, detail and new ideas coupled with a gripping story will definitely want to head this way. The last few hours of the story are as good as anything I have read.

The Patient Giant of the Fantasy Genre

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Yet another corker from Brandon Sanderson. This enormous audiobook kept me gripped from start to finish, and I am eagerly awaiting the sequel.

An aside: The sheer size of this epic audiobook (45.5 hours) does make me wonder why the publishers of the Game of Thrones audiobooks cannot release them in one purchase per book such as this, when Brandon Sanderson's epic is fully 15 hours longer...

Astounding

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5 stars overall. The only problem I had was not with the length (I really don't understand it but apparently some people complained that the book was too long when it first came out) but with the way so much information was put in and the way it was ordered. I felt that some characters were introduced too soon and it was also a bit like a prequal for the main character and lots of side stories had been mixed into the main book. This disrupted the flow as it took a bit long to get to know any of the characters, as the story kept skipping to something else as soon as you got into anyone's story. Never the less amazing plot, characterization, dialogue and universe. Everything brilliantly written. Narration: Michael Kramer was brilliant as always, it's like listening to an old friend by now as he's narrated so many books I love. Kate Reading was a bit hit and miss but mostly good so 4 stars for narration. I'd recommend this one, I've already bought the next and I will be re-reading it at some point in the future.

One of the best.

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I found this a very fine piece of work indeed. It tells the story of a number of people, seemingly unrelated at first ....

The universe is very believable and comes across as substantial and real, character and drama is well expressed.

Its an immensely long book but is apparently just the start of a large cycle and indeed this novel is only really an introduction.

Basically, thorughly enjoyed it -- a great start to a hopefully great series.

Its also good that the author can write novels of this length and detail and not be edited out of existence! Hope to see more soon

Fine piece of work

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I wasn't a fan of the narrators at all but thats just personal preference. I continued reading the book and it's fantastic. Well worth a listen if you like the narrators, if not I highly recommend reading the book.

Amazing book but did not enjoy the narration

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