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

My personal thoughts

Simply amazing! Nothing else really to say other then if you get hooked in the beginning, it just keeps getting better.

Really encouraging

First audiobook. Really great experience. The voice actors really put emotion into the words. Gave me chills

One of my favorite books of all time

Great story well read very touching and relaxing. The characters and story are incredibly well developed. My favorite of Sanderson's epic works.

Crazy good!!!

For the entirety of the book i was captivated by Sanderson writing. He not only bring you into the world through description, but that world is deep and living filled with lore and legends which the story barely scratches the surface of. Highly recommended.

excellent

immediately one of my all time favorites. world building at its finest. if you like fantasy, this is a must have.

A long haul but worth it in the end

First I have to say that I love both the narrators and their performance greatly enhanced the listening experience.

This book is good, but, and wildly impressive from a sheer world building perspective. I do think the author provides many unnecessary chapters and flashbacks as well as leaves some mysteries/reveals that don’t ultimately pay off as well as others. I think the book would’ve been just as epic if certain areas would be condensed.

I came here after reading all of the Mistborn Books. I think I still prefer those but I’m still in it for the long run with Sanderson and excited to check out the second book in the series.

Masterclass in Worldbuilding

Brandon Sanderson yet again develops a great concept for a unique world. The reading was great as well.

so good and keeps getting better every time

this series has quickly become an absolute classic and i stg it’s better every time i read it. michael and kate do an amazing job as always.

Magnificent

I mean, it’s just good. It’s slow to start yes, but the investment in the characters is worth it. It has a kind of JRR respect for the micro experience mapped on top of sheer, macro, epic-ness. I really did love it.

Great Story. Dampened by one poor narrator

There are two narrators for this book. One voiced male dominated stories and the other female dominates stories. The male one is great. Good range, has a few different voices for characters that help with differentiation. The woman narrator is not so good. She has an awful inflection at the dog sentences that makes it grating to listen to when you notice it. I skipped all her chapters towards the end and just read them instead. That’s how annoying she was. Her male voices are all old man voices; she doesn’t even try with those. The story was good and I look forward to the other books… but I will skip her chapters since she is awful to listen to.