My first introduction to Brandon Sanderson was with Mistborn. I loved Mistborn an awful lot, and enjoyed the concepts. When Words of Radiance came out, I decided it was time to discover his other series, so I picked up The Way of Kings. It has taken me a while to get through The Way of Kings. It is over 1,250 pages of awesomeness and my own life has been busy. I would have rather have devoted a week and read it non-stop!
Everything about The Way of Kings is awesome. Brandon Sanderson sets up the kingdom of Roshar, and the war the Alethi are waging against the Parshendi. In this world those born with lighteyes are above those born with darkeyes. Kaladin is a darkeyed, that has ended up a slave, and sees a life ahead of him carrying a bridge, and what will likely be a early death for him and his fellow bridgemen. Dalinar is the Uncle of King Elokhar and is trying to unite them and end the war against the Parshendi. Shallon is trying to steal a soulcaster and save her family, while she becomes an apprentice to the scholar, Jasnah. It is a world where only women read and write, and men fight the war of their lives. And there is also the lost radiants…
I don’t have a lot of experience with epic fantasy. I’ve read The Lord of the Rings and a few others, but I’m mostly a newbie to fantasy books. The Way of Kings blew my mind and if this is an example of what I can expect in other fantasy series, I can’t wait to discover them.
Each book in this series will mostly concentrate on one character and this was Kaladin’s story. While he wasn’t my favourite character (I really enjoyed the Shallon/Jasnah storylines), it was interesting to see his past and how he went from the son of a surgeon to a slave and a bridgemen in the war.
There is a lot of hints of other storylines to follow and questions that haven’t been answered. I absolutely can’t wait to read Words of Radiance, which has already been released. The Way of Kings is definitely my favourite book of 2014 and I can’t wait to read more from Brandon Sanderson
