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A review by snslayer
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Way of Kings is more an experience than a novel and I loved every immersive, detailed, trope-defying second of it wholly without reservation. I have read Sanderson's books before and enjoyed them, but this novel was something entirely different for me. It is dense, and it requires close reading in places to really get the most from it, but it was a joy to read.
This book has politics, military strategy, familial bonds, mysterious magic, divine-ish happenings, destinies, romance, humor. It has a little bit of everything. And best of all, it did not need to resort to Darkness, Grittiness, and Sexual Violence to achieve a textured, fully-formed fantasy world or paint an authentic-feeling picture of fantasy warfare. This novel is the M*A*S*H* to ASOIAF's Full Metal Jacket.
I would want to recommend this book to everyone, but it is a bit of a dense read and may feel meandering to some. Fans of fantasy and/or Sanderson's other books should definitely enjoy it, and anyone who is tired of the near-pornographic violence and sexual assault many writers are currently using as shorthand for unflinching realism should absolutely read this book.
This book has politics, military strategy, familial bonds, mysterious magic, divine-ish happenings, destinies, romance, humor. It has a little bit of everything. And best of all, it did not need to resort to Darkness, Grittiness, and Sexual Violence to achieve a textured, fully-formed fantasy world or paint an authentic-feeling picture of fantasy warfare. This novel is the M*A*S*H* to ASOIAF's Full Metal Jacket.
I would want to recommend this book to everyone, but it is a bit of a dense read and may feel meandering to some. Fans of fantasy and/or Sanderson's other books should definitely enjoy it, and anyone who is tired of the near-pornographic violence and sexual assault many writers are currently using as shorthand for unflinching realism should absolutely read this book.