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

Love it! Couldn't stop listening!

Love it! Couldn't stop listening! Love it! Couldn't stop listening! Love it! Recommended whole heartedly

Truly an Epic

World-building, world-building, world-building. Wow! Sanderson outdid himself with this first book in the Stormlight Archive, a work of amazing detail and depth. The character building is thorough (although that's to be expected when a book is so darn long), the ideas are fresh, and the prose is enjoyable.

As much as one often forgives an author for writing so many darn pages on an epic fantasy such as this, it did seem like it was taken to the extreme, which tends to really bog down in the third book. Still, it's an impressive series, deserves credit as some of the best work by Sanderson and stands out among epics for its originality.

The audiobook version stars narrators Kate Reading and Michael Kramer, who are both fantastic. They really take a story to the next level and I applaud Sanderson for his talent choices.

A delightfully circuitous route

This book provides a wonderful long journey into another world with lessons on character and leadership that we can apply to this one.

WoW! These guys are an amazing team.

I could listen to these people read Sanderson for a very long time. I highly recommended Sanderson, Reading and Kramer.

Great, Epic

I read his Mistborn trilogy which deserves a movie franchise. This book was just as cool, though much more in depth with more characters and character building. It also seemed to be written with the intent that more is coming. There is also some similarity in themes to the Mistborn trilogy. Currency is used for powers in some way. Slavery and revolt, etc. For narration I don't like Kate Redding so much as I like Kramer.

slow start but finished strong!

I was skeptical for the first half of the book. It had a slow start and the narrating seemed a little dull BUT I'm very glad I stuck it out! By the end of the book I did not want to stop listening. I'll definitely be purchasing the next book.

Outstanding

I was quickly drawn into this story. Brandon Sanderson is an amazing author, I can see why he was tapped to complete the wheel of time.

one of my favorites

A beautiful story with wonderful storytelling. worth listening to more than once. Be warned that there are many characters, settings, and times. So it may be hard to keep it all straight on your first listen.

Way of Kings

Loving the story and Micheal Kramer’s narration I couldn’t finish it when Kate Reading starts narrating she does not sell me into the story she could do voices but terrible narrator lost me completely.

pick this up immediately

this book is worth every second. unknown it's long but please read it! you won't regret it.