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A review by themelodyofspring
The Way of Kings, Part Two by Brandon Sanderson
5.0
I do not know how to start this review. I feel like if I start listing down all the good things in this book, I’ll just end up copying the whole book down word-to-word. That’s how good it was. But let’s try to write a coherent review as best as it can be done, without any spoilers. Most of the reviews on goodreads are more about the author and less about the characters so let me try to sell this book based on the characters, and not the reputation of the author (He's great, though :D).
I bought the Gollancz UK editions which consists of two parts per book, so that I could carry this book around with me and not be overwhelmed with the sheer number of pages in it. After having finished book one, all I want to say is – Increase the page count! Give me moreee!
Part One contains the slow building up of a crescendo, making us familiar with the characters and their motivations through their backstories. Part Two is just chaos left and right which leaves you gasping in horror!
Dalinar Kholin is a Brightlord of Alethkar, whose brother was the King (murdered in Chapter 1), and is now fighting alongside the other Brightlords of Alethkar on the Shattered Plains to fulfil the Vengeance Pact (The words mean exactly what they sound like). So Roshar is a world where men don’t really live by honour (much like our real world). They do what they like, they subdue those they think to be lesser than them, and they don’t trust each other, even if they all serve the same king.
Now, this is where Dalinar differs from them. Dalinar lives by something called as ‘The Codes’, which tells you how to live your life with honor. How to live with obedience and principals – and not lavishly. If you are a soldier, then you should act like one in all facets of your life, and should not be lax at any given point of time. After his brother’s death, Dalinar started wondering why his brother had acted differently during his last years, and started following in his footsteps by following the teachings of a book called ‘The Way of Kings’ (yes, it’s an actual book in the story). Now this book says, that a King should not ask his people to do something that he himself won’t be willing to do.
In short, Dalinar Kholin is the one good Brightlord in this storming book (everyone else can go jump into a chasm!).
This book is mainly focussed on Kaladin, a slave in the army of one of the Brightlords of Alethkar. How he came to be there, what decisions led to his current state, and if he will ever be able to get out – all these questions constitute the wonderful characterization of Kaladin, which is so brilliantly written that it’ll make you cry. Kaladin is one of those people who feels every loss greatly, and the one who gives people around him hope when he himself has none. I loved each and every chapter about Kaladin. Every single one. Bridge Four chapters were easily the best. And Kaladin has spren that follows him around everywhere and their interactions were some of the best in the book.
Shallan is a woman scholar, who sets out from her kingdom to look for a world famous scholar to take her in as an apprentice. Shallan’s story is so much more than it seems at first and there isn’t much of her in this book as book two is more focussed on her. Shallan’s chapters will make you see the world of Roshar through a woman’s eyes, and make you more aware of the structure of their society. Some of the things would be so silly that they’d make you laugh-out-loud (the whole safehand thing was weird and hilarious). Also, Shallan sketches so yay! :D
Things I liked:
- The currency system - you have spheres with gemstones in them which shine and run out of light after a while, but you can imbibe them again by leaving them out in the Highstorms.
- Parts 4 and 5, specifically the very last chapters of Part 4 :D No spoilers, but that was what I had wanted to read after all the characters were introduced and I couldn’t believe that I got it within the first book only!!!
- The magic system was amazing! The sprens, the highstorms, the lashings, the Shardblades.
- The sprens are literal personifications of things/forces of nature. They are little blobs of light for different things like windspren for winds, painspren for when someone is in pain, anticipation-spren when you’re looking forward to something, flamespren around fire, and many more.
- All the characters were so well written.
- Only the women can read/write and the men are illiterate morons who need scribes at every step. Like, you get a woman scribe to write down history as you see fit, and if the woman disagrees with you, she writes footnotes in the books that only other women can read and interpret and they never told the men about this!! This made me laugh so much!
- Every time Dalinar chose to follow the codes.
- Every time Kaladin came up with something new for Bridge Four.
- There’s some technology in this world which uses the power of gemstones, and is created by women (as all the men do is fight and brutally murder each other).
- Shardblades! And Shardplates. The whole concept was amazing. Expand on it more.
- The interludes with Szeth were ah-mazing. The character which showed up the least in the book had some of the most engaging chapters.
- Adolin Kholin, for being one of the most understanding and best son in literature.
Things I didn’t like: (this gets a spoiler tag)
- Sadeas -_-
P.S. The book has two maps at the beginning and some illustrations after every few chapters which help add more detail to the story.
I bought the Gollancz UK editions which consists of two parts per book, so that I could carry this book around with me and not be overwhelmed with the sheer number of pages in it. After having finished book one, all I want to say is – Increase the page count! Give me moreee!
Part One contains the slow building up of a crescendo, making us familiar with the characters and their motivations through their backstories. Part Two is just chaos left and right which leaves you gasping in horror!
Dalinar Kholin is a Brightlord of Alethkar, whose brother was the King (murdered in Chapter 1), and is now fighting alongside the other Brightlords of Alethkar on the Shattered Plains to fulfil the Vengeance Pact (The words mean exactly what they sound like). So Roshar is a world where men don’t really live by honour (much like our real world). They do what they like, they subdue those they think to be lesser than them, and they don’t trust each other, even if they all serve the same king.
Now, this is where Dalinar differs from them. Dalinar lives by something called as ‘The Codes’, which tells you how to live your life with honor. How to live with obedience and principals – and not lavishly. If you are a soldier, then you should act like one in all facets of your life, and should not be lax at any given point of time. After his brother’s death, Dalinar started wondering why his brother had acted differently during his last years, and started following in his footsteps by following the teachings of a book called ‘The Way of Kings’ (yes, it’s an actual book in the story). Now this book says, that a King should not ask his people to do something that he himself won’t be willing to do.
In short, Dalinar Kholin is the one good Brightlord in this storming book (everyone else can go jump into a chasm!).
“We follow the codes not because they bring gain, but because we loathe the people we would otherwise become.”
This book is mainly focussed on Kaladin, a slave in the army of one of the Brightlords of Alethkar. How he came to be there, what decisions led to his current state, and if he will ever be able to get out – all these questions constitute the wonderful characterization of Kaladin, which is so brilliantly written that it’ll make you cry. Kaladin is one of those people who feels every loss greatly, and the one who gives people around him hope when he himself has none. I loved each and every chapter about Kaladin. Every single one. Bridge Four chapters were easily the best. And Kaladin has spren that follows him around everywhere and their interactions were some of the best in the book.
“Somebody has to start. Somebody has to step forward and do what is right, because it is right.”
Shallan is a woman scholar, who sets out from her kingdom to look for a world famous scholar to take her in as an apprentice. Shallan’s story is so much more than it seems at first and there isn’t much of her in this book as book two is more focussed on her. Shallan’s chapters will make you see the world of Roshar through a woman’s eyes, and make you more aware of the structure of their society. Some of the things would be so silly that they’d make you laugh-out-loud (the whole safehand thing was weird and hilarious). Also, Shallan sketches so yay! :D
“Brightness...I believe you stray into sarcasm."
"Funny. I thought I'd run straight into it, screaming at the top of my lungs.”
Things I liked:
- The currency system - you have spheres with gemstones in them which shine and run out of light after a while, but you can imbibe them again by leaving them out in the Highstorms.
- Parts 4 and 5, specifically the very last chapters of Part 4 :D No spoilers, but that was what I had wanted to read after all the characters were introduced and I couldn’t believe that I got it within the first book only!!!
- The magic system was amazing! The sprens, the highstorms, the lashings, the Shardblades.
- The sprens are literal personifications of things/forces of nature. They are little blobs of light for different things like windspren for winds, painspren for when someone is in pain, anticipation-spren when you’re looking forward to something, flamespren around fire, and many more.
- All the characters were so well written.
- Only the women can read/write and the men are illiterate morons who need scribes at every step. Like, you get a woman scribe to write down history as you see fit, and if the woman disagrees with you, she writes footnotes in the books that only other women can read and interpret and they never told the men about this!! This made me laugh so much!
- Every time Dalinar chose to follow the codes.
- Every time Kaladin came up with something new for Bridge Four.
- There’s some technology in this world which uses the power of gemstones, and is created by women (as all the men do is fight and brutally murder each other).
- Shardblades! And Shardplates. The whole concept was amazing. Expand on it more.
- The interludes with Szeth were ah-mazing. The character which showed up the least in the book had some of the most engaging chapters.
- Adolin Kholin, for being one of the most understanding and best son in literature.
Things I didn’t like: (this gets a spoiler tag)
Spoiler
- Sadeas -_-
P.S. The book has two maps at the beginning and some illustrations after every few chapters which help add more detail to the story.