The Way of Kings

The Stormlight Archive, Book 1

By: Brandon Sanderson

Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer

Length: 45 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

From number one New York Times best-selling author Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings, book one of the Stormlight Archive, begins an incredible new saga of epic proportion.

Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter.

It has been centuries since the fall of the 10 consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them and won by them.

One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. There, Kaladin, who traded his medical apprenticeship for a spear to protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. In a war that makes no sense, where 10 armies fight separately against a single foe, he struggles to save his men and to fathom the leaders who consider them expendable.

Brightlord Dalinar Kholin commands one of those other armies. Like his brother, the late king, he is fascinated by an ancient text called The Way of Kings. Troubled by over-powering visions of ancient times and the Knights Radiant, he has begun to doubt his own sanity.

Across the ocean, an untried young woman named Shallan seeks to train under an eminent scholar and notorious heretic, Dalinar's niece, Jasnah. Though she genuinely loves learning, Shallan's motives are less than pure. As she plans a daring theft, her research for Jasnah hints at secrets of the Knights Radiant and the true cause of the war.

The result of more than 10 years of planning, writing, and world-building, The Way of Kings is but the opening movement of the Stormlight Archive, a bold masterpiece in the making.

Speak again the ancient oaths:

Life before death.

Strength before weakness.

Journey before destination.

And return to men the Shards they once bore.

The Knights Radiant must stand again.

Other Tor books by Brandon Sanderson:

The Cosmere

The Stormlight Archive:

• The Way of Kings
• Words of Radiance
• Edgedancer (Novella)
• Oathbringer

The Mistborn trilogy:

• Mistborn: The Final Empire
• The Well of Ascension
• The Hero of Ages

Mistborn: The Wax and Wayne series:

• Alloy of Law
• Shadows of Self
• Bands of Mourning

Collection:

• Arcanum Unbounded

Other Cosmere novels:

• Elantris
• Warbreaker

The Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series:

• Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians
• The Scrivener's Bones
• The Knights of Crystallia
• The Shattered Lens
• The Dark Talent

The Rithmatist series:

• The Rithmatist

Other books by Brandon Sanderson:

• The Reckoners
• Steelheart
• Firefight
• Calamity

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2010 Dragonsteel Entertaiment, LLC (P)2010 Macmillan Audio

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I found it mildly odd that there was a female and a male narrator, but they only narrated the chapters not the parts

The best book I've ever read

This book completely blew every other book I've read out of the water with its incredible world building as well as character development its a phenomenal book and there isnt any book I've read since that's even compared to what The Way of Kings is thank you Brandon Sanderson for this amazing journey through the world of Roshar

RIVETING

I was very wary of the length at first, but I was hooked for every minute. Sanderson's world building and descriptive character development had me absolutely enthralled, and I can't wait to start the next story :)

Epic in all ways

Great start to an epic series with amazing narration by both Kate Reading and Michael Kramer. I Highly recommend this if you're into fantasy and looking for something different.

Amazing

One of the best fantasy books I have ever read the plot was fascinating and his ability to switch seamlessly between characters and plot lines was remarkable. I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves this genre and anything akin to GOT

The two Narrators pronounced words differently.

It starts with the Male narrator so his pronunciations became the correct way for me mentally. The female narrator puts emphasize on all the wrong syllables. Sometimes it's standard english words she mispronouncing. If the story wasn't as good as it is I would have been tempted to skip her sections. Most of the book is narrated by the Male narrator and he does a great job.

Slow but pays off

I really enjoyed Sanderson's deep dive style into the characters personal feelings and emotions. In addition the twists and turns of the plot keep it engaging.

Long and disconnected until the very end

This is any extremely long book. It takes a very long time to get the individual characters’ stories to connect. Additionally there are chapter intros that never did make sense to me (“...seconds before death...”). I stuck with it through to the end since the other reviews were so positive and the book is so expensive.
I am pretty sure I won’t pursue the following parts of this series for these reasons.

Get this book

this is 55 hrs of enjoyment. everything you think you know gets flipped and changed to make one hell of a story. what are you waiting for BUY IT!!!

Worth the 45 hours

I don't even know where to begin with this story! It was so epic!

The book begins with the assassination of a king and branches out to follow several different people.

It is very much in the same vein as Lightbringer by Brent Weeks.