Background
The Way of Kings is genuinely a brilliant book created by Brandon Sanderson and is a part of the Stormlight Archive, Sanderson’s longest-running series to date. My introduction to The Way of Kings is deviously simple. I discovered it during a call with some of my friends and decided to read it as soon as possible. Obtaining the book was a slight struggle as the price was steep at around $30, but I would say it is worth it. So for the past few months, I have been obsessed with The Way of Kings. But a book like this can’t be extraordinary without more context to fully grasp it.
The Sword, Spear, or Sphere?
The Way of Kings is a hulking 1005 pages with a carefully developed story within each page. As you’re reading you’ll notice this book follows multiple perspectives, but only truly three matter. A warlord and tyrant struck with visions of the past named ‘Blackthorn.’ A surgeon turned a soldier, one who is called Stormblessed. Lastly a thief with a scholar’s mantle over her heart. I can barely reveal who they are or what they intend to do because it would ruin the experience Brandon Sanderson carefully constructed.
However, besides our cast, some more information is required to properly appreciate this world. The Way of Kings does not take place on earth, far from it. The world named Roshar contains ground made entirely of stone with no soil to be found for miles upon miles. Every few days on an unpredictable schedule a weather phenomenon called a “Highstorm” goes across the land. While a reader may think this is just a thunderstorm, it is far worse. Just like the cast, I cannot give away too much without ruining surprises and moments of awe. One last bit of context I want to give is to keep an open mind to everything, every single word and event is important to unique characters.
Conclusion
I have stated it once and will repeatedly say it again. The Way of Kings is a must-read if you want to get into high fantasy or remain a lover of the genre. There are more works in the Stormlight Archive so if you want to not become an absolute maniac because you read the book three times over? Then purchase all of them at once to get the full reading experience. However, if you’re unsure then give a listen to a review or the preview of the audio book on audible. I am not forcing you to read the book, but I do enthusiastically recommend at least looking into The Way of Kings for some good content.
