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Eon Windrunner's Reviews > The Way of Kings
The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1)
by
The best stories always stay with you
After you have finished the last page and closed the book, the stories and their characters live on in the libraries of your mind. Sometimes you are able to shelve them and move on quickly - they are easily forgotten as you open another book and enter another world, another reality. But sometimes they linger. Sometimes they refuse to leave. Sometimes, they make it really, really hard to meet exciting new characters and explore strange new worlds.
The Way of Kings is such a story. It transports you to another dimension, one so filled with the fantastical that to take leave of the place would be akin to parting with a piece of your bliss. I always struggle to read anything else after it, because the tale won’t leave me, the characters unwilling to be shelved.
At 10 books of 1000 pages each, this series is truly an investment of your time, but judging by the opening salvo that Brandon has fired, absolutely worth every single minute. It is an epic in every sense of the word. It starts off with the tease of a very intriguing prologue, with a devastated landscape, strange beasts dying…
...and a betrayal...
And then the timeline shifts to 4500 years later.
Something is changing in the world, something is coming,
and it does not seem that anyone on Roshar is ready for it.
Our story introduces us to a large cast of characters and is told from multiple POV’s (17), but the most important ones are Kaladin, Szeth, Shallan, Dalinar & Adolin, with Kaladin getting the lion’s share. Each storyline is unconnected at first, but slowly weaved together page by page with the promise of some very highly anticipated character meetings. Brandon has stated that each book in this ten book series will focus more on one of the characters than the rest, and The Way of Kings is Kaladin’s book with the sequel, Words of Radiance, being Shallan’s, and the next book to be written, Oathbreaker, being Dalinar's. After those are Eshonai's and Szeth's, followed by Taln, Renarin, Jasnah, Lift, and Shallan, but not necessarily in that particular order.
To prevent this review from carrying on for pages and pages I will refrain from stating the plot outlines as there are heaps of great reviews that will give you a perfect picture. (There are almost 6800 to choose from at the time of this review!) I will also refrain from mentioning in detail the wonderful worldbuilding, the badass Blackthorn, the sassy & sweet Sylphrena, my love of knowledge that has been lost to the ravages of time and is aching to be rediscovered, the bromance of Bridge Four, kickass Kaladin and the wicked wit of …Wit among other things.
The story while masterfully told, moves slowly at first. I believe this is due to the focus on character rather than plot development and of course the vast amount of worldbuilding and some explanation of the magic systems present. Don’t get me wrong – the plot is there and hints at what is to come, but it is focused on the setup of the rest of the series which is pretty much unavoidable with a project of this scope. Luckily the author knows what he is doing and the pace increases exponentially as the story progresses. If you did not already know it, Brandon is one of the best finishers in the business and the final 100 pages or so ...wow... Like a coming storm, it gathers momentum and builds steadily with the promise of imminent awesomeness until you are treated to a crescendo of EPIC MAGNIFICENCE that will have you turning the pages in a frantic race towards the ending, followed by the perfect little epilogue that hints at disaster...
PS: The second book blows this one out of the water.
- Way of Kings font is called Ravenwood Two by Stephen Miggas and is used under a CC 3.0 licence.
- Images of eyes by Botanicaxu on Deviantart
- Image of Chasm Duty by Lyraina on Deviantart
by
Eon Windrunner's review
bookshelves: favourites
Sep 13, 2012
bookshelves: favourites
Read 5 times. Last read July 30, 2024 to August 11, 2024.
The best stories always stay with you
After you have finished the last page and closed the book, the stories and their characters live on in the libraries of your mind. Sometimes you are able to shelve them and move on quickly - they are easily forgotten as you open another book and enter another world, another reality. But sometimes they linger. Sometimes they refuse to leave. Sometimes, they make it really, really hard to meet exciting new characters and explore strange new worlds.
The Way of Kings is such a story. It transports you to another dimension, one so filled with the fantastical that to take leave of the place would be akin to parting with a piece of your bliss. I always struggle to read anything else after it, because the tale won’t leave me, the characters unwilling to be shelved.
At 10 books of 1000 pages each, this series is truly an investment of your time, but judging by the opening salvo that Brandon has fired, absolutely worth every single minute. It is an epic in every sense of the word. It starts off with the tease of a very intriguing prologue, with a devastated landscape, strange beasts dying…
...and a betrayal...
And then the timeline shifts to 4500 years later.
Something is changing in the world, something is coming,
and it does not seem that anyone on Roshar is ready for it.
Our story introduces us to a large cast of characters and is told from multiple POV’s (17), but the most important ones are Kaladin, Szeth, Shallan, Dalinar & Adolin, with Kaladin getting the lion’s share. Each storyline is unconnected at first, but slowly weaved together page by page with the promise of some very highly anticipated character meetings. Brandon has stated that each book in this ten book series will focus more on one of the characters than the rest, and The Way of Kings is Kaladin’s book with the sequel, Words of Radiance, being Shallan’s, and the next book to be written, Oathbreaker, being Dalinar's. After those are Eshonai's and Szeth's, followed by Taln, Renarin, Jasnah, Lift, and Shallan, but not necessarily in that particular order.
To prevent this review from carrying on for pages and pages I will refrain from stating the plot outlines as there are heaps of great reviews that will give you a perfect picture. (There are almost 6800 to choose from at the time of this review!) I will also refrain from mentioning in detail the wonderful worldbuilding, the badass Blackthorn, the sassy & sweet Sylphrena, my love of knowledge that has been lost to the ravages of time and is aching to be rediscovered, the bromance of Bridge Four, kickass Kaladin and the wicked wit of …Wit among other things.
The story while masterfully told, moves slowly at first. I believe this is due to the focus on character rather than plot development and of course the vast amount of worldbuilding and some explanation of the magic systems present. Don’t get me wrong – the plot is there and hints at what is to come, but it is focused on the setup of the rest of the series which is pretty much unavoidable with a project of this scope. Luckily the author knows what he is doing and the pace increases exponentially as the story progresses. If you did not already know it, Brandon is one of the best finishers in the business and the final 100 pages or so ...wow... Like a coming storm, it gathers momentum and builds steadily with the promise of imminent awesomeness until you are treated to a crescendo of EPIC MAGNIFICENCE that will have you turning the pages in a frantic race towards the ending, followed by the perfect little epilogue that hints at disaster...
PS: The second book blows this one out of the water.
- Way of Kings font is called Ravenwood Two by Stephen Miggas and is used under a CC 3.0 licence.
- Images of eyes by Botanicaxu on Deviantart
- Image of Chasm Duty by Lyraina on Deviantart
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Quotes Eon Windrunner Liked
“The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.”
― The Way of Kings
― The Way of Kings
Reading Progress
September 13, 2012
– Shelved
October 21, 2013
–
Started Reading
November 5, 2013
–
Finished Reading
March 3, 2014
– Shelved as:
favourites
April 1, 2015
–
1.0%
"...he could not help glancing back at the ring of swords and the single open spot. The place where the tenth sword should have gone. The one of them who was lost. The one they had abandoned. Forgive us, Kalak thought, then left."
April 2, 2015
–
Started Reading
April 2, 2015
–
8.24%
"“I have seen the end, and have heard it named. The Night of Sorrows, the True Desolation. The Everstorm.”"
page
83
April 3, 2015
–
30.09%
"Claws raked his back; he clutched Seeli, back arching in pain. He cast his eyes upward, toward the sky. And there, he saw a brilliant blue light falling through the air. It was like a star rock, dropping at an incredible speed. Dalinar cried out as the light hit the ground a short distance away, cracking the stone, spraying rock chips in the air. The ground shook. The beasts froze."
page
303
April 6, 2015
–
60.28%
"‘Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination.’"
page
607
"
April 11, 2015
–
Finished Reading
September 15, 2017
–
Started Reading
September 15, 2017
–
1.49%
"Even after all these centuries, seeing a thunderclast up close made Kalak shiver. The beast’s hand was as long as a man was tall. He’d been killed by hands like those before, and it hadn’t been pleasant. Of course, dying rarely was."
page
15
September 18, 2017
–
29.59%
"Only years of training allowed him to maintain his stance as he saw what he was facing. The creature’s smooth, dark-as-midnight skin reflected light like a pool of tar. It had no visible eyes and its black, knifelike teeth bristled in a head set on a sinuous, boneless neck. The six legs were slender and bent at the sides, appearing far too thin to bear the weight of the fluid, inklike body."
page
298
September 25, 2017
–
Finished Reading
October 8, 2017
–
Started Reading
October 19, 2017
–
Finished Reading
July 30, 2024
–
Started Reading
August 11, 2024
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-50 of 64 (64 new)
message 1:
by
Anirudh
(new)
-
rated it 5 stars
Apr 03, 2015 06:43AM
Already?!
reply
|
flag
Read the whole book?
Im only 322 pages in.
Absolutely brilliant review! And to think you almost gave up twice before posting it.....
Joanita wrote: "Absolutely brilliant review! And to think you almost gave up twice before posting it....."Difficult to review something you love so much. :D
Wow, great review! It manages to describe how awesome it is quite eloquently without spoilers. And I love how you described the main characters using words that repeat the first letter of their names!I'm completely with you regarding how hard it is to move on. My review of the next book I've read, House of Chains, kind of reflected that methinks. I felt so disconnected.
Eon (Windrunner) wrote: "Joanita wrote: "Absolutely brilliant review! And to think you almost gave up twice before posting it....."Difficult to review something you love so much. :D"
Damn right!!! I still can't find the Words!! ;)
Lol, thank you. As Joanita said, I almost didn't post it, because word crashed and I lost most of it, then had to retype it, then the browser screwed me over by losing everything and I started feeling like it wasn't meant to be.
But you two have made me feel much better now for persevering :D
Eon (Windrunner) wrote: "Lol, thank you. As Joanita said, I almost didn't post it, because word crashed and I lost most of it, then had to retype it, then the browser screwed me over by losing everything and I started fe..."
For the love of this book, it is definitely worth persevering! Pour it all out! :)
Great review, Eon! This is certainly a HUGE investment, but the bigger the investment, the bigger the payout, right? ALSO, the six foot sword thing seems a lot less silly in the context of that picture. Just sayin'. ;)
Jessica (Rabid Reads) wrote: "Great review, Eon! This is certainly a HUGE investment, but the bigger the investment, the bigger the payout, right? ALSO, the six foot sword thing seems a lot less silly in the context of that pi..."Thanks Jessica! My mind is struggling to comprehend the final book payout... lol.
Definitely help to be able to see the sword this way, otherwise you're just left wondering how anyone can wield something so huge. Also, they are supposedly super light, so that must be helpful, but also really weird if you pick it up.
Great review, Windrunner. While I don't feel completely similarly about this book, I definitely know the feeling :)
"“The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.”The best stories always stay with you.
Long after you have finished the last page and closed the book, the characters and their lives live in your mind. Sometimes you can move on and they are quickly forgotten as you open another book and enter another world, but sometimes they linger. Sometimes they refuse to leave. Sometimes, they make it really hard to meet new characters and explore new worlds."
Nice review. I completely agree with what I quoted of your review, unfortunately for me I've never felt that way about anything Brandon Sanderson has written.
Markus wrote: "Great review, Windrunner. While I don't feel completely similarly about this book, I definitely know the feeling :)"Thanks Markus. :)
Terence wrote: ""“The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.”The best stories always stay with you.
Long after you have finished the last page and clo..."
Thanks Terence
Wow! AMAZING review, Eon!!!
Joanita wrote: "Wow! AMAZING review, Eon!!!"Thank you Jo :)
I *really* want to reread these soon, but I'm trying to hold off until we get a release date for book three... they're a big investment :P
This is freaking amazing Eon!! (O_O)
Steven wrote: "I *really* want to reread these soon, but I'm trying to hold off until we get a release date for book three... they're a big investment :P"Same here Steven - I have a couple of rereads under the belt already but eager to do another. Have to wait for the release date of book three though ;)
Haifoun wrote: "This is freaking amazing Eon!! (O_O)"Thank you Haïfa! :)
Ten wrote: "This review is so beautiful!*Likelikelikelikelikelikelikelike*"
Hahaha - thank you Ten. :D
Ten wrote: "Eon ♒Windrunner♒ wrote: "Same here Steven - I have a couple of rereads under the belt already but eager to do another. Have to wait for the release date of book three though ;)"Oathbringer's 3rd ..."
November 2017 it sounds like Ten!
Ten wrote: "A year from now? :(Well, I guess I don't have any leverage for complaints: many of you Stormlight Archive's fans have been waiting for a much longer time than me (and I'm not even done reading); c..."
Yeah,the waiting times are not bad at all for a major epic fantasy series and Sanderson being so prolific means we at least get other books from him every year.
Ten wrote: "Say, while I'm sure some might be outraged at the size of the Stormlight Archive books, I have to say that, at this point, I'm beginning to think they're not long enough."And the whole world agrees with you! :)
Ten wrote: "I feel this thread will be my eternally happy place, TS. I feel the love; I feel the win.Actually, today I put together an entire catering order while I was thinking of Dalinar...
O_0"
Ah the love of books and its characters, how it brings us all together. This one book in particular, too much win! :D
Ten wrote: "I agree. My mind is blown in ways I didn't think possible. I'm only around 500 pages in, and I already smell the big, fat, juicy 5 stars I'll end up giving it.
Have you read the sequel yet, TS?
(I..."
Hahaha.. YES!! And 3 times!!!! :D
TS wrote: "Ten wrote: "Say, while I'm sure some might be outraged at the size of the Stormlight Archive books, I have to say that, at this point, I'm beginning to think they're not long enough."And the whol..."
YES!
Ten wrote: "I agree. My mind is blown in ways I didn't think possible. I'm only around 500 pages in, and I already smell the big, fat, juicy 5 stars I'll end up giving it.
Have you read the sequel yet, TS?
(I..."
Awesome, but the best is yet to come! And WoR!!!! My previous sentence needs more exclamation marks. :D
Ten wrote: "Eon, I have the most idiotic question, but I'm trying to fully picture the Shattered Plains War Camp:"If I may contribute, (view spoiler)
Wow this is the greatest review I've ever seen !!! Well done :)
☽Luna☾ wrote: "Wow this is the greatest review I've ever seen !!! Well done :)"LOL. Thank you Sarah :D
It's soo good, love the picsyou used. BEST BOOK IN THE WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD
☽Luna☾ wrote: "It's soo good, love the picsyou used. BEST BOOK IN THE WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD"Thank you :D - I worked my ass off on this one. I AGREE! But I am gonna say BEST SERIES because I love the second book just as much!!!
YAS !! Both books were amazing :D
I'm reading this right now Eon. There is a con, i wish the book were longer. 1000 pages is not enough
Haha Petrik! Some people would tell you that they won't start this BECAUSE of the 1000 pages!! But you're so right!! Not enough! These books were among my fastest reads ever!
Haïfoun wrote: "Haha Petrik! Some people would tell you that they won't start this BECAUSE of the 1000 pages!! But you're so right!! Not enough! These books were among my fastest reads ever!"It's crazy Haifa, i'm reading this like i'm obsessed. I'm trying my best to savor it to make my read last longer but I failed horribly. I'm at 600 pages mark now, in 3 days. Amazing
OMG 600 pages!! Well done!! I know it's worth it, but don't forget to eat ! XD
Eat? Nah just survive on Stormlight I'd say. :P
Petrik wrote: "I'm reading this right now Eon. There is a con, i wish the book were longer. 1000 pages is not enough"YES!!!
TS wrote: "Eat? Nah just survive on Stormlight I'd say. :P"Lol
Ten wrote: "Thank you, TS and Eon. [spoilers removed]Petrik wrote: "I'm reading this right now Eon. There is a con, i wish the book were longer. 1000 pages is not enough"Right? That's what I say! Would it ha..."
Yeah, it's crazy how good this book is. I read 600 pages in 3 days and that include forcing myself to stop
Ten wrote: "I've been reading it at a much slower pace. I agree it's hard to stop, but the idea of being done with this book kinda scares me a bit (nevermind I already have WoR at the ready).I'm going slowly ..."
I agree Ten, definitely agree with you :(
I'll be reading WoR straight after this, just the thought of it finished already made me sad. This is why I'm trying to slow down my pace!
Eon, as promised. I'm letting you know I finished way of kings already and now starting WoR. It was amazing to say the least
Petrik wrote: "Eon, as promised. I'm letting you know I finished way of kings already and now starting WoR. It was amazing to say the least"YES!!!! So happy you loved it Petrik. Well, of course you would. ;)
And now for more mind-blowing stuff with WoR! :D
Well, it didn't work for me; got a message saying it's only for Canadians and Americans... :-(
