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

Gripping, spectacular, but Kate Reading ruins it

I've never been jarred more out of a story by a narrator. Kate Reading I am sure is a very nice person, and I hate being this negative, but her cadence and narration in this is just awful.

When I first started listening, I was glad there was a female narrator integrated into the story. But her narration honestly feels like a librarian reading a childrens story to a bunch of kindergartners - over-pronouncing words, a weird lilt at the end of each sentence, absurd male voice impersonations (at a certain point, if it's going to be that bad just read the voice close to normal).
I feel like I'm sitting criss-cross on the floor in front of a lady with a picture book, who is pointing out each thing on the page in order to teach us which animal is called what.

I suppose I'm not the only one, a lot of other reviews mention this.
That being said, the male narration is great. Feels like a breath of fresh air each time he comes back around - like I've clawed my way from my imprisonment at the kids table and am having a beer with an old, albeit serious, friend.

Wheel of Time Revamped and Refocused

Brandon Sanderson stays more focused than Robert Jordan but this series reminds me of Wheel of Time more than anything. Idk why everyone is hating on my girl Kate Reading, as far as narrators go, she's one of the best. It doesn't really get better than this in terms of fantasy unless you have poor taste.

The narration was fine!

This book is fantastic! I put off buying it for so long because some of the reviews had negative opinions on the narration. I did not notice a single problem.

Amazing.

So good. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an epic story. Truly amazing.

Well worth the read

An incredible feat of both World Building and Story Telling. A great beginning to what promises to be an epic tale.

Always amazing

Sometimes this series can lag a bit, but there’s a reason I always come back to it. Brandon Sanderson really created a work of art with this book.

Best Sanderson book I've read thusfar!

I have liked all of Sanderson that I've read, Elantris, Warbreaker, the last 3 Wheel of Time, and The Final Empire. But The Way of Kings is the best of those books in my opinion. I found its story compelling and I liked the parts that were philosophical. I look forward to more of this series.

Slow start but turned out great

I got the book for free, only because it’s one of the top fantasy books, and ran out of other books to listen to, so decided to give this one a try. It was really slow at the start, and I almost gave up a couple of times. But the story got interesting halfway through, and the story arcs had very satisfying payoffs. Will be following this series for sure.

Great book, so-so narrator

Kramer was a good narrator, but Reading’s voice got on my nerves. Perhaps it is because her POV character is so annoying (though that’s just my opinion) but otherwise this is a good book and lives up to the hype.

Kate Reading ruined it for me!

great story so far... male narrator, Michael Kramer I believe, is amazing as always but the female, Kate Reading is so horrible. she sounds like a robot... it makes listening almost unbearable. And she changes pronunciation of a character's name at the end of the book? how embarrassing.
I had to stop listening and read reviews to see if it was just me or if others were as disgusted with her as I am. apparently it's not just me. thinking about returning this book just because of her.