Genre: High Fantasy
Published: Tor Publishing, August 2010
My Rating: 5/5 stars
"Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination."
I promise that I'm a level-headed, well-adjusted, adult member of society. I am stable and not prone to hysterics... Except when I read a Brandon Sanderson novel and am actually reduced to squeeling-fan-girl status…
There are plenty of incredibly in-depth reviews and analyses about The Stormlight Archives and I’m not even going to attempt to add on to those. Instead, this is my attempt to capture a snippet of the many reasons why The Way of Kings is one of the best modern fantasy novels I’ve read.
Story and Pacing:
I’ll be the first to admit that I was beyond intimidated by this 1000+ page behemoth. Yet once I flipped those first pages, there was no stopping… We follow three main storylines in the same world, which seemingly have little overlap at the start. There’s Dalinar: a high-ranking military leader, tormented by the knowledge that he couldn’t prevent the assassination of his brother the High King. Kaladin; a former surgeon turned slave and foot soldier in seemingly unwinnable war. And Shallan, a scholar with an ulterior motive for her prestigious apprenticeship with High Scholar and Magician Jasnah. Through their storylines we organically learn more about the incredibly expensive world, its history and ongoing wars, and the intricate connections Sanderson’s created for each of them.
I’ve heard people critique the story for being too slow, yet I strangely had the opposite experience. Although long, the story is expertly paced with well-timed switches between POV’s to keep the tension of different storylines high. Moments of epic action (and I mean truly EPIC) are balanced with quieter moments of character building, and it’s that build-up that truly enhances it all to more than the sum of its parts.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but after 1000+ pages, I’m satisfied by what I read, but I also feel like these stories are only just beginning and I want to know more. As a fantasy-reader who often doesn’t feel the strong urge to continue a series; that’s a big one for me!
Characters:
The characterization and development of both the main characters and side characters is supreme, although I do have clear favourites among them. Shallans and Kaladins stories stand out above Dalinars for me and there were moments where I found myself wishing I could just skip over his sections to get back to theirs. Details about their development soon verge into spoiler-territory, so you’ll have to take my word for it: some of my favourite main-characters in high fantasy.
And let’s not forget the side-characters: Hoid obviously, Syl and pretty much the entire Bridge-four crew being standouts. There’s an emotional investment I felt to them that I don’t encounter too often.
On a similar note, and this is a spoiler: character-development left me completely blindsided to a particular twist. The way Sanderson so genuinely penned the dynamic between (view spoiler)
Worldbuilding:
This is obviously where Sanderson shows his real mastery of creating a living world out of words. All I can say is that I’d love to pick this mans brain as to how he does it… If Mistborn was his masterclass (literally, the thing that made him a master) in worldbuilding, than The Cosmere clearly is his magnum opus. Roshar comes to life on the page, from its magic system and mythology, to its climate and geography, to its politics, races and cultures: everything is there for the exploring. Sanderson’s readable and precise prose supports this incredibly expansive world, introducing elements well-times and organically as to not overwhelm the reader. Although it feels accessible, I was amazed by the depth of it all. This is Epic Fantasy with a capital E; a world that feels expansive with both its scope and set-pieces, and yet is so well realized that I felt like I could touch the every-moving grass and breath the dust of the shattered plains.
If, like me, you feel any doubt/intimidation, I hope to convince you to put that aside and take the plunge. Sanderson is going to go down as one of the Greats of Fantasy, and it’s warranted. The only true downside is that I'm now fully committed to The Stormlight Archives, which means I will somehow need to find the time to read an additional 4000+ pages in this series... Let's just say: that's a sacrifice I'm happy to make... :)
You can find this book here on Goodreads.
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