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A review by spootilious
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
Read: January 16, 2022
Title: The Way of Kings
Series: The Stormlight Archives (Book 1)
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Epic Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Rating: 4/5
Review:
The Way of Kings has been on my TBR for a very very long time. The Stormlight Archives is my husbands favorite book series, and he has been recommending it since he read it (before we were even married). As the years went on, other recommended it to me as well, but I was always hesitant to pick it up. What if I don’t like it? What if I do what I always do and pick it apart piece by piece? They’ll hate me for it.
Ten years later and that’s exactly what I did. Turns out… I didn’t hate it.
I eased my way into Sanderson’s work, starting with The Wheel of Time, moving into Mistborn, and rounding it out with Warbreaker. So, I finally felt that I had a decent enough grasp of Sanderson’s style to acknowledge that even if The Way of Kings disappointed me, I would still enjoy it.
Sanderson continued his unique world building, breath-taking cultures, and stunning characters that I have witnessed in his other novels. With imaginative creatures, and a magic system only he could come up with, there is so much to learn in this new world that it is no wonder the first book is 1200+ pages.
As with all of his books his cadence is steady, attention to detail commendable, descriptions absolutely beautiful. He is thorough in building each political system, belief style and even personality of his characters.
All of this is expected of him, and it is certainly no wonder he is one of the leading names in Fantasy. Though, I will say that the story drags quite a bit in The Way of Kings. I grew a bit worried when I reached the last hundred pages and there was no climax in sight. Sanderson has always floored me with his ability to write a perfect ending and yet how would he achieve this in a hundred pages?
Somehow… He managed it. Though, ‘perfect’ is not the descriptor I would use for the ending of The Way of Kings. Fitting is a better word. There was no real revelation, some of the twists were quite predictable but it got the job done and set the story up for the next book. Overall, I’m satisfied (not thrilled).
I would also like to add that it, at times (specifically the prologue), seems that Sanderson had started writing this book long before his others. Occasionally a repetitive word or the occasional mundane descriptor feels a bit below the skill of his consistent prowess he has shown over the years. This of course is not a bad thing, but something to note. To me it marks this book as the start of a passion project years in the making and makes me all the more excited to continue reading.
Quotes:
The purpose of a storyteller is to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.
And so, does the destination matter? Or is it the path we take? I declare that no accomplishment has substance nearly as great as the road used to achieve it. We are not creatures of destinations. It is the journey that shapes us. Our callused feet, our backs strong from carrying the weight of our travels, our eyes open with the fresh delight of experiences lived.
Sometimes the prize is not worth the costs. The means by which we achieve victory are as important as the victory itself.
A man’s emotions are what define him, and control is the hallmark of true strength. To lack feeling is to be dead, but to act on every feeling is to be a child.
Somebody has to start. Somebody has to step forward and do what is right, because it is right.
Must someone, some unseen thing, declare what is right for it to be right? I believe that my own morality -- which answers only to my heart -- is more sure and true than the morality of those who do right only because they fear retribution.
Too many of us take great pains with what we ingest through our mouths, and far less with what we partake of through our ears and eyes.
Ignorance is hardly unusual, Miss Davar. The longer I live, the more I come to realize that it is the natural state of the human mind. There are many who will strive to defend its sanctity and then expect you to be impressed with their efforts.
Weakness can imitate strength if bound properly, just as cowardice can imitate heroism if given nowhere to flee.
Death is the destination. But the journey, that is life. That is what matters.
Better to exist in agony than to vanish entirely.
Books can store information better than we can—what we do that books cannot is interpret. So if one is not going to draw conclusions, then one might as well just leave the information in the texts.
A story doesn’t live until it is imagined in someone’s mind.
Scared to go onward... but terrified to go back to what you were.
Don't try to stop yourself from feeling. You'll hate who you become.
There are worse things to be than a disease... When you have one, it reminds you that you're alive. Makes you fight for what you have. When the disease has run its course, normal healthy life seems wonderful by comparison.