The Way of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson, is the first book of the Stormlight Archive fantasy series. It introduces several protagonists, Kaladin, Shallan, and Dalinar, who are revealed to have ancient powers previously possessed by certain infamous figures of the past who betrayed the kingdoms. While most people are against these powers, and what they thought happened with them in the past, the characters begin to spread newfound knowledge of their abilities and convince others that they are not what they seem. Meanwhile, a great war is raging between the kingdom of Alethkar and a strange people known as the Parshendi- who claimed responsibility for assassinating the first king of Alethkar. Dalinar, Highprince of one of the Armies of Alethkar, must convince the King and the other highprinces that alliance is the only way to succeed - for even though they are all one kingdom, they act as separate powers. Kaladin, betrayed by the leaders of the army and branded as a slave, must work his way back up and learn to teach, lead, and trust again. Shallan, who travels to steal a special artifact from the King’s sister to save her indebted family, has great talent in art but begins to see what others cannot. The three are pitted against the greatest criticism, mental and physical roadblocks, and an ongoing war all while trying to reverse the world’s impending collapse.
Brandon Sanderson specially crafts each character’s personality and development arc. His books and characters are mesmerizing to follow. The Way Of Kings is one of the best books I’ve ever read and the rest of the series is just as good. The storyline and character plots are unique and entertaining, and I found it very hard to put this book down when reading as I had to know more.
For fans of complex and/or lengthy fantasy sagas, I highly recommended this book. While each entry in the series is over 1000 pages long, every chapter is entertaining and interesting. For those who have not had much experience in going through such a long story, this is also a great place to start because it is a recently written series that could be a gateway into older storylines of similar length. Overall, this is one of the number one books I have ever read.
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