Reviews with content warning for Child death - The Way of Kings

This book was absolutely fantastic. While the vibe is much different from Mistborn, and feels much more like high fantasy (which I think it is), it stands apart from every other fantasy book I've ever read, and should I read the rest of the series, will probably become my favorites. The sheer depth of the world Sanderson has created here is phenomenal. I can't begin to explain all of the details because I still feel so lost on many of them, but that is because of their strength and how real the world feels.

The character building is fantastic as well, and I think it plays a big part in this book as setup for the rest of the series. Kaladin's character arc (or the beginnings of it) is gorgeous, and I love Dalinar and Adolin and Jasnah, and all of the various storylines explored throughout the book.

Sanderson's plotting is tight, as always, and while I had seen some reviewers mention the hugeness of the climax, I didn't really sense that because I thought the rest of the book was paced very well, and I think I'd gotten emotionally invested enough in the characters by that point that it didn't feel as shocking as it could have. I have a feeling the big plot twists will come later in the series. But that epilogue was distressing, to say the least. I can't wait to continue.

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happyducks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Wow.

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thesinginglights's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Speak again the ancient oaths: Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination.

I return to the fantasy book to end fantasy books. The epic fantasy of huge proportions, the heir apparent to the Wheel of Time (baby), the beginning of The Stormlight Archive

Coming back to this nearly a decade later is strange. With the benefit of hindsight I can see how much of future events had been laid out here. It makes the reading a lot richer, even when I did feel like it didn't earn its page count. I initially read it in the two volume format but as it was for the first time, the second half was much sharper when it didn't have to spend so much time setting up the world, characters, etc.

While the worldbuilding is truly impressive with the depth of the systems—the ecology especially is incredible—what Sanderson shines with is the characters. The cast is large but there is usually one character per volume focused on. The series kicks off with Kaladin Stormblessed, a kindhearted and just young man down on his luck. The exploration of his life and struggles is touching and he's so well-realised and complex that I want to hug and shake him in equal measure. Kaladin will standout as one of the great fantasy protagonists. He's amazing.

With that being said, with the tight focus of one character, other characters sort of fall in and out of the narrative for several hundred pages at a time, giving you a sense of loss when at least you reconnect with them.

The magic is another strong point as well. Sanderson is known for his Laws of Magic so naturally he does this fantastically. Stormlight's (the magic) presentation is stellar, especially through the lens of Szeth, one of the book's most intriguing characters.

I could go over several thousand times why I think you should give The Way of Kings a go: its world, magic, and characters, etc. But it is not for the faint hearted. It is a large book and while Sanderson's prose is showing some flair previously absent in his career, it's still the weakest point of his writing overall. He makes up for it in spades in other ways, but know that he has a tendency to overexplain some things in places. It's not super info-dumpy but some of the sentences are clumsy in their exposition. You get used to it. I think this is also not amazingly paced and lagged a bit in the middle but the story is interesting enough to pull you along.

On balance, there's a lot to love about this weighty tome. I do feel like this a bit of contemporary history: we are witnessing in real time the making of an epic that will be remembered by future generations. If that sounds too grandiose, then look at it for what it is: some fine-ass fantasy reading.

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emilyplun's review against another edition

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adventurous dark inspiring mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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riccii's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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idksamiguess's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

catch me reading this for the 3rd time and crying for all new reasons.

Anyways. This series is so unabashedly Fantasy. Big-ass swords. Magical sprites. A world with maps and a history. Big Damned Heroes and 50-page climactic battle sequences.

It takes like 150 pages for the story to really get rolling, but this baby gains momentum like a freight train. It is worth it.

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