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

well worth the time

i just got done with it early this morning. i work nights and find that a good book makes the time go by better. the book has a slow start but if you can make it past the first three hrs you will find it very well worth it. there are good pausing points well spaced. the reason it did not get a full five stars from me is do to the fact that by the end you all ready new what was to come. the way that "brandon sanderson" captured the true passion of the people of the book just brings you to feel for them knowing how life is not equal for every person. can not wait for more to come.

Read It!

Not very many writers can be so consistant with writing amazing books with storys that have meaning in everything that is put on paper. Add another to sandersons record. Great book!

Overall quite good, but not without it's flaws

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Overall, yes. The main drawback to this book is the disjointed timeline, and the enormous amount of information that you have to absorb entering into this universe- there are so many politics and subtle plot lines, it is hard to discern exactly what is going on for several chapters- Sanderson likes to go from one plot line to the next, out of sequence and sometimes telling it through the eyes of minor characters that get killed off in a single chapter. That makes it very hard to follow exactly what is going on and why- I believe a more straightforward storyline would have helped the book. Having said that, however, this is my 1st Sanderson book, so perhaps if I had been more familiar with his other works, I would have had a better grounds for comprehending the story more quickly.On the positives, the characters EVOLVE and GROW, unlike Jordan's "wheel of time" series, which I finally gave up on at book 6. There is an arc of discovery and they learn more about themselves and those around them and how to adapt to the situations they are put in. The main characters are not the edgy, conflicted and morally ambiguous people of other trendy stories. The "good guys" can be clearly identified, and while they struggle with the hard decisions they have to make and their consequences, they almost always take the moral high ground. Personally, I find that refreshing- I really enjoyed the characters.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Way of Kings?

I really enjoyed the character arc, and the way everything (finally) tied together at the end, but still left a fair amount of mystery at the end for the next book. Satisfied, but still wanting more. The storyline of the 2 major characters come together towards the end in a powerful way that I really found rewarding.

Which scene was your favorite?

The end battle where 2 of the main characters come together- as I said, a very well written and powerful sequence of events. To say more would be spoiling.....

Any additional comments?

A very long book and hard to fully understand the dynamics initially, but well worth the "read". I look forward to the other books in the series.

No profanity? None that I remember.

I really have enjoyed this book. This is a long book, but I am enjoying it.When this book goes to 2 credits, I will still recommend it. There are a few spots that are rough when war and the aftermath is described. BUT! No profanity! Just goes to show that a good book can still be written without profanity.

worth the listen

Would you listen to The Way of Kings again? Why?

yes I would. It was a bit tough at first, trying to understand the names etc as it is a typical Sanderson build up with a lot of description... in the end it is a compelling story, I got to like the characters and am looking forward to the next book. I will likely listen to this again prior to the next coming out.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

most interesting was the people relearning the skills of the radiants, least interesting is the constant mention of the women's "safe hand".

Have you listened to any of Kate Reading and Michael Kramer ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have, it's the reason I decided to try it. Loved them in the Robert Jordan series, and they are just as good here.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

too long for that. several days of driving to and from work, made the drives worth it.

A great start

This book is amazing.. i love it... i have never read such a long book. and i have never read a book in the beginning of a long list of books... it has a good feeling of waiting and waiting for the next book. but at the same time i have to wait wait and wait, and then wait some more.
I loved the number of characters. how you feel that there is some kind of connection between them and not and the same time... the way the story goes and how everything is balanced somehow between the characters.

I have never read such a fantasy book before. and i love how a whole new world is available. and how you can feel sometimes that it is real from the way Sanderson explains and describes this new world.

i am not a book reviewer or something like that. so i can't say its well written or blablabla... AMAZING AND FANTASTIC is good enough...

highly recommended.... hope you will love this book too.

Got to go now... have to read it again. :)

A Solid Beginning on a Vivid World

I listened to this book a while ago and now again as its sequel is coming out soon. It is a very good book and fans of Sanderson’s other work will likely enjoy it a great deal. The book highlights the things Sanderson is very good at. His world-building is deep and wide. He seems to want his stories to take place on world that has fully realized ground underneath them, so that if the listener were to question, “Where does this tradition come from? Why do these people always do this or that? What is the origin of this feature?” he has already thought it through and has an explanation and, what’s more, made it significant to the narrative. Sanderson may do this better than anybody and this book is a good example.

He also makes a complex, but coherent structure to his magic. Importantly, magic, for him, is not the purview of bearded old men who sling bolts of lightning. His magic augments his warriors so they end up like superheroes. This makes his fight scenes as vivid as if they were drawn in comic books.

His characters are great if a little conventional. I am always a sucker for nobility and honor in my protagonists. I forgive other faults when the hero is a stand-up guy or gal. His certainly are that. Thankfully, he gives backstory to explain why they are the way they are. Other authors often pick their good guy, invest him or her with a nobility of spirit and let that be that. Sanderson builds a character who is noble, but also conflicted and also shows you why. So his people are not very complex, but very relatable.

The one major complaint I have of this book is that it bogs down in the middle. We are treated to too many cycles of Kaladin being depressed at losing friends, finding his resolve, coming up with a solution, and then having that solution negated by the Man, causing him to lose more friends (repeat, repeat, repeat). It even happens in flashback. The middle of this book abides there a bit too long. Maybe this was intentional to build tension for the last fifth of the book which was really spectacular, but I think they could have pared it down a little.

The reading was generally good. Kramer did a very good job. Kate Reading was ok. Her characterizations lacked energy. There were some differences in pronunciation that grated. This pair, who have combined for some very good reads in the past, should have known better, but still a solid reading.

Beware some reviews that overstate the candlepower of this book. It is a solid start, but it is not an instant classic. The book has general appeal for those that like a long series and fans of Sanderson will really like it. I would recommend this book to almost any fantasy reader. I don’t doubt other reviewers’ sincerity, I just think some may be dedicated Sanderson fans and forgive some of the negatives.

Please, no more Kate Reading.

If you are going to gave two people read the story, please have them pronounce the names of characters the same way.

Great story, too long, good but odd reading

Story excellent but stretched out. Readers: skilled but differing name pronunciations and unusual, distracting inflections.

Great story but slow to develop

Would you consider the audio edition of The Way of Kings to be better than the print version?

I enjoyed the narration but actually wished I had the print version because I could have skimmed through some of the slower sections (battles for example) faster. Also it is an involved story with a lot of jumping around and it would be nice to go back and reference in a printed book.

What other book might you compare The Way of Kings to and why?

I don't think it is like any other book I have read. I was interested in the book because of its comparisons to "The Game of Thrones" series, but after reading it they have hardly anything in common. Sanderson does a great job of presenting a totally new world with new laws of physics and interesting drama, but doesn't focus as much on the characters.

Which character – as performed by Kate Reading and Michael Kramer – was your favorite?

My favorite character was Jasnah Kholin, she is mysterious and interesting.

Any additional comments?

The slow writing pace of this book took some getting used to, I didn't know if I would finish listening to it after spending one 45 minute drive listening to only one battle scene. The story is great though, and I found myself getting the second book as soon as I finished with this one.