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The Way of Kings: Book One of the Stormlight Archive
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$29.79
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Hardcover
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9780765326355
Overview
Overview
From #1 New York Times bestselling 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 ten 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 ten 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 over ten 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 (forthcoming)
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
- Format: Hardcover
- Author: Sanderson, Brandon
- ISBN: 9780765326355
- Condition: New
- Dimensions: 9.30 x 2.00
- Number Of Pages: 1008
- Publication Year: 2010
Language:
English
Customer Reviews
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An incredible start to a genre defining classic.
null null. - 4 months agoThe Everstorm approaches and no one is ready. A dishonored soldier becomes a slave and works on the front lines. A young sheltered scholar travels the world to help her family. The right hand to the king is having visions of the past. At first the information (and page count) the reader gathers can be overwhelming. But the information is delivered in such a thoughtful and interesting way that you can't help but keep reading. You can feel the world as you read through it and want more by the time it's done. The characters are so thought out and unique it's hard to find something better. Sanderson should be read for as long as books exist.
HPB Staff Review -
Epic Fantasy
Nikki L. - 2 years agoThis is the first book of an amazing series. So far the author has only written the first three books but plans to have ten books in the series. This story is written from three main characters' point of view and they are all very deep and complex, but also very easy to fall in love with. The magic in this world is so incredible and different from any I have ever read. The best part about this book is the illustrations they are so beautiful and they are all part of one of the characters' journals. The author is a must and by far my favorite!
HPB Staff Review -
A Whole New World
Darrell M. - 2 years 2 months agoIt's a world where lightning can be bottled. It's a land where 10 armies war separately against the same enemy. It's a time when honor is scarce and glory is king. Brandon Sanderson spent ten years building this world and writing this story and it shows. The characters grow as you watch. Their motivations change, and you truly feel their struggles. It's the 1st of 4 books in "The Stormlight Archive" series and if you like fantasy, action and magic, you will not be disappointed!
HPB Staff Review -
A world of ancient magic, deadly politics, and brutal war.
Joshua B. - 3 years 7 months agoThis book serves as a reminder why epic fantasy series remain relevant and as an example of the power the lengthy plot can wield. The story takes a few chapters to take form, but the world building is superb and it serves as an excellent base from which to introduce the plot and characters. I love the deliberate pacing and the suspense that comes from having multiple narrators.
HPB Staff Review -
Sanderson is a solid writer and tells a good story.
Tera B. - 3 years 11 months agoHigh-fantasy epics are monsters. They are long journeys with numerous characters, shifting politics and rich environments. At near 1000 pages, The Way of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson, will take more than a quick a few hours on an afternoon to get through, it might take several afternoons--with a long weekend and maybe a few sleepless nights and it is very worth it. The hardest part of talking about The Way of Kings is figuring out where to start. Sanderson writes well enough. His prose is never really beautiful but it is smooth and carries the story, something that a large portion of the fantasy genre lacks. Well written tension makes the pages turn fast and the meandering moments make you slow down and enjoy every sentence. The Way of Kings can drag its feet and take a slower pace for a few chapters. This is a problem that reoccurs frequently in fantasy epics and should not be a surprise to fantasy readers. Luckily, Sanderson does not put those slower moments to waste. The environments are vivid and saturated with diverse ecosystems. Towns and cities are fully formed monstrosities that can be as real as the world outside your bedroom. It's a delight to slow down and experience the sights as Sanderson paints them. The most notable things about the Way of Kings are the characters. Sanderson writes people. His male and, more importantly, female characters are real. There are never any walking shells, never any that are just there to look pretty or to throw the plot forward. Every character is treated with respect and is fully realized with their own personalities and goals. Sanderson could have afforded to give his characters a bit more gray. His characters often flit between good or bad with little middle ground that would have added some nice depth and tension to the plot. There is never really a question of how Sanderson's characters will act but that never detracted from the enjoyment of reading to any large extent. There's also the bit about magic, since The Way of Kings is fantasy. There are no all powerful wizards shooting lightening bolts out of their eyes, the magic is more subdued and generally restricted to a select few, often the main characters. The magic system is explained and kept grounded throughout the novel. Never once did it feel like any character was playing god, which is how good magic systems should work. The Way of Kings without a doubt is good, Sanderson is a solid writer and tells a good story. It is well written, the characters get you invested, the environment is immersive and the magic system is believable--all facts that, depressingly, most fantasy novels cannot claim. If you love fantasy that alone should make it worth the pick up. The Way of Kings is a warm hug that is worth the embrace.
HPB Staff Review