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

War, war, and more war

If reading about war is your thing, this is your book. The imagination and knowledge of the author fascinated me, but I wish there would have been a little more to the story than all the different ways of doing a civilization in. I kept listening thinking that there was a lesson learned and some form of peace. It wasn't a "feel good" book, but I did enjoy the reader. If you are a person who likes a happy ending this is not the book for you.

Fantastical

I would recommend this book. I've listened to two other works by B.Sanderson before listening to this one. I have to say this one is my favorite so far.

Sanderson has a great talent of building worlds with unique magic systems and creating interesting characters.

★★★★★ 5/5

Great Story, Woman narrator is almost unbearable

Other reviews dive into the bad reading by Kate Reading more and I can confirm she’s not good. Every time she started reading I’d groan and by the end I was speeding her up.

But overall I loved the story.

I Came From WOT

God how did I just get into reading. This book is frikkin amazing. I just listen at work and man its a trip.

Loved it

Really good book, although nothing happens, it doesn't mean it's bad. I mean alot of things happen but at the same time they don't.

My favorite Sanderson

Not only is this my favorite book by Sanderson, it is my favorite book series period. Richly crafted characters, deep and varied history, with an engaging pacing. It does not get any better.

Storms I love these books

I always use Libby to rent audiobooks and save money. I bought the audible for this series despite having physical copies and having read the book 3 other times.

Brandon Sanderson is an amazing author with hard-hitting characters that face real-life issues--prejudices, self-doubt, depression, and more--as well as their fantastical issues.

Not only that, but the duo of Kate Reading and Michael Kramer is, as always, superb.

a must listen

uhhhhh, very good! can't wait to listen to the rest!!!!! 100% recommend, especially to fill the void of the kingkiller chronicles.

welcome to a new world

keeps you hopping, twisting, turning. it seems the different story lines start coming together but then they diverge.

Wow

WHAT A BOOK! I can’t wait to start the next one. I can’t imagine how this story will go on for 10 books but I’m all in.