Book Review
Title: The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive Volume One)
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Fantasy/Political
Rating: *****
Review: So I didn’t know a thing about the Way of kings before I read it, but I have read a lot by Brandon Sanderson, so I was looking forward to getting into this monster of a book. The opening of the Way of Kings was very interesting as we learn of the Oathpact and the ten men bound to it including Kalak who are bound to fight the same battle known as Desolations with purgatory-like punishments in between. However, this battle is different as it is their last for all but one as he died and must repeat the same process alone but Kalak knows he won’t endure the punishment but we then we up forward 4500 years into the future. In the opening chapter after the prelude we are introduced to Szeth who carries a Shardblade, a mythical weapon once used to destroy beasts not made of flesh and bone, but at this moment he is nothing more than an assassin for hire. He has been hired by a race called the Parshendi to kill the King of the Alethi; Gavilar Kholin. We see that Szeth uses a type of magic he calls Lashings when he gains by absorbing something called Stormlight. While he completes his mission Szeth believes the Shardblade he carries is a curse as he flees into the night with an orb that radiates black light.
We then jump five years forward where many battles are being fought as the world is crumbling and it is here we are introduced to Kaladin who has recruited Cenn into his Squad, but he longs to be fighting on the Shattered Plains where the real fighting is taking place. It is clear to see that Szeth was right and the world seems to be falling apart as the Parshardi wage war against the Alethi. Only eight months after the battle we learn that Kaladin is now a slave and his squad is dead, however, he is broken and has lost hope, but he does have the company of an unusual windspren. Windspren are the curious and mischievous spirits but most don’t talk, and they aren’t seen as intelligent but this one followed Kaladin for months and even engages in conversation as he is heading to be sold yet again. We are then introduced to Shallan, a Brightlady who is seeking out Jasnah Kholin, the sister of the current King in order to become her ward and save her house after her father died leaving them with vast debts. In this time, we have been a lot about this now, its people, its political system and its magic system which are divine, and I wouldn’t expect anything less from Sanderson. We learn that society is broken up into two main factions; lighteyes and darkeyes. We learn that Kaladin and the other slaves have been taken to the Shattered Plains possibly to be sold into the kings’ army, the very place Kaladin was trying to read before the Bright lord Amaram sold him into slavery. Meanwhile, Shallan meets Jasnah only to learn her place as her ward isn’t guaranteed but she has one motive for becoming the Princess’ ward; to steal her Soulcaster. from what I can understand a Soulcaster is a device powered by Stormlight that allows the caster to change the state of matter. Jasnah’s Soulcaster is the most powerful in existence and getting hold of it will save ShaIIan’s house but it won’t be easy. While Shallan’s journey to become Jasnah’s ward is interesting I was far more interested in Kaladin’s story and how he is adjusting to his new role which seems to be a living nightmare.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, the two stories and we have been following take dramatic turns, we see Shallan manage to convince Jasnah to take her on as a ward furthering her goal, but the most dramatic shift is in Kaladin. when Syl his windspren leaves him he falls into a deep depression and is about to kill himself when SyI returns and convinces him to try again which makes him face up to Gaz and even get to know the men he is working with. During this time we get a peek into his childhood where we learn his father was a surgeon and tried to teach Kaladin that you can’t save people by killing a lesson he is only now learning after he has lost everyone he loves and everyone he has tried to protect including his younger brother Tien. There is also a lot of political tension in this novel, after the death of King Gavilar his son became King who is watched over by his uncle Dalinar, his sons Adolin and Renarin as well as the Highprinces. However, here is a lot of unrest as the war with the Parshendi has been going on for six years with no sign of it ending, but there is more to this we learn that the last words Gavilar spoke are a quote from an ancient text called The Way of Kings which Dalinar has had read to him as men in this now are illiterate as reading and writing are seen as feminine arts. This book, however, states that darkeyes like Kaladin and the other lower classes are actually higher ranking than the reigning lighteyes, so he keeps it secret, but he is plagued by visions during the highstorms with the sole message of unite them, but the question is who and how. So far I was so invested in these characters and this world that I couldn’t stop reading and the audible narration is divine and really helps with the pronunciation.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, the level of political intrigue is huge, but everything seems to stem from the Knights Radiant who seem to be the cause of Dalinar’s vision sending him messages to unite the world once more as it was before the end of the Voidbringers. However, the synopsis mentions a soldier, a brightlord and woman scholar and I believe this refers to Kaladin, Shallan and possibly Dalinar. There are also many things going on in the background that I don’t understand yet and may not for a little while as it is going to be longer series from what I can gather. The relationships between the characters were just as much importance as the magic system or the politics and I am intrigued to see where these characters end up at the end of this novel and in the sequel. Seeing DaIinar and KaIadin’s stories progress was delightful especially since Dalinar discovers more about the Knights Radiant and even learns there were female Knights which don’t exist in his time as warfare is seen as a masculine art just like reading is seen as a feminine art. It may not seem like much is happening, but we can feel something building.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, a lot seems to be happening as Shallan’s deadline is approaching but the loves her studies under Jasnah but knows what he needs to be done, however she is seeing things, not in the same way Dalinar does, but mysterious figures are appearing in her drawings which unnerves her. In the same boat is Dalinar who has decided to step down from his post and let Adolin take over, but he is in two minds about it for a while but ultimately decides it is best to return to his own lands before people really start to see him as mad. On the other hand, we have Kaladin who has been working hard to keep Bridge Four alive, but it takes time to win the men over and get them training with him. However, men who are higher up have been noticing his efforts and want him eliminated, so we Gaz their commanding officer witnesses Kaladin’s efforts at carrying the bridge at an angle in the hope of stopping Parshendi’s arrows Gaz encourages him to use it out on the Plains in the hope Kaladin will get himself killed but I don’t think this is going to happen. So for now, we are just bouncing back and forth between the perspectives waiting for something significant to happen and I believe Szeth is going to play a key role in this. After changing hands many times Szeth has ended up in the hands of a group that understands the power he has and plans to be them to full effect by sending him to kill some very important men including six Highprinces and a King. Szeth is certain that by carrying out these orders it will plunge the whole world into war.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, Kaladin carries out his plan to keep his crew alive but accidentally undermines the whole assault and while he could have been killed for it he barely manages to escape with only a beating and swears to explain to the superiors that it was his fault the assault failed but he kept his word and not a single one of his men died on the assault but he did cause the deaths of many others. So many things are beginning to happen that my brain can’t keep up, Shallan manages to complete her mission but has to get away without being implicated in the theft which isn’t going to be easy. However, the most interesting things seem to be happening to Kaladin. As we get chapters to piece together his past we also witness his punishment for what happened during the battle and unlike so many before him, he manages to survive the Highstorm but may die from his wounds. It is the unassuming Teft who realises that the sphere Kaladin had with him during the storm is dun when it should have been infused with Stormlight, he sets out on a mission to prove his theory right which he manages to do, and he knows of a way to save Kaladin and he knows what Kaladin is. Both Shallan and Kaladin are under pressure, Shallan has one week before she has to leave Jasnah and return home while Kaladin is regressing to the man who didn’t care as he finally realises Saedas’ true purposes for the bridgemen and there is still the matter that Teft knows what Kaladin is when he himself doesn’t seem to know anything other than he healed from his wounds abnormally quick for someone is his condition. Learning more about him is getting more and more heartbreaking as the girl he hopes to marry is engaged to a lighteyes he hates but we still don’t know how it joined the army.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, Sanderson hits as with a crushing blow as we learn Tien is forced into the army and while Kaladin can’t go in his place he can go with his brother to protect him and try to bring him home in four years, but we already know he fails. When we return to Shown we know she is leaving but the mysterious figures she has been drawing return and speaks to her and she learns she can Soulcast without a fabrial and we also discover she is in possession of a Shardblade which is going to undo everything if anyone finds out. Holy Hell, so much is happening as Szeth begins to carry out his mission to learning more about Kaladin’s tragic past and why Amaram sold him into slavery, to Shallan’s tragic present as she is poisoned by Kabsal and in order to survive she has to return the Soulcaster to Jasnah sacrificing her only chance at saving her house unless she can control her power. I am still loving Kaladin’s story more than the rest as he is secretly training his team to use spears and hopefully escape the war camp before they end up dead. I also have a feeling that Kaladin, Shallan, Szeth, and Dalinar are all linked to the Knights Radiant in some way as they either have powers or visions relating to Old Magic and I can’t wait to see how Sanderson concludes the first installment in the Stormlight Archives. While Shallan is falling into despair both Kaladin and Dalinar are changing the attitudes of those around them with no idea that a much larger war is about to erupt but I have a feeling that Teft is giving Kaladin hints about his true nature without directly saying what he thinks but more and more people even the Parshendi are beginning to notice Kaladin and Bridge Four. A lot is happening with Kaladin as he trains his men ready for their escape, but I don’t know if it will be successful but Dalinar is also changing the minds of those around him and he makes a notable impression on Saedas after he saves his life by following the codes Saedas scoffed at earlier in the novel. As this is the first in a series, not all my questions are going to be answered but I was really excited to see what Sanderson could cram into these final 200 pages. While we haven’t heard from Shallan in a while we do get plenty from Dalinar as he changes his goals and the ideals of those around him, and Kaladin who is slowly gaining some control over when he absorbs the Stormlight and what he can do while he has it absorbed.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, everything is happening as Kaladin forces people to notice the bridgemen but Saedas and Dalinar are planning to try and seize control of the Tower, a Parshendi stronghold and possibly end the war but something about Saedas isn’t sitting well with me especially since rumours about Dalinar and Navani’s relationship are increasing but they also happen to be true. They also manage to prove that Dalinar’s visions are real and not fabrications of his mind. However, the battle doesn’t go their way when Saedas betrays them leaving them behind for the Parshendi to kill but unknown to Saedas, Kaladin and his men were planning to escape but go back to save Dalinar and his men and in return he offers them from Saedas who seems to be trying to force a war to erupt between the Highprinces. God, the last 150 pages of this novel hits us with so many revelations that it is difficult to process but all I can say is that war is coming but Words of Radiance and Oathbringer is going to have so much in store for us and I can’t wait to read them. My favourite character by far was Kaladin but my favourite scene was when Dalinar confronted his nephew and told him that he and Navani are courting and decides to follow his own heart for the first time in decades.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Also see: The Emperor’s Soul by Brandon Sanderson
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