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A beautiful and utopian setting, plagued by the hearts of men. Assassination, slavery, and lust are all a regular part of life in Author Brandon Sanderson’s book, “The Way of Kings”
If you have ever read any other of author Brandon Sanderson’s books, you know that Sanderson likes the fantasy genre. A lot. So it was no surprise when back in August 2010 Sanderson published epic fantasy novel, “The Way of Kings.” Many thought it would be hard to follow up after the renowned Mistborn trilogy and his work on “The Wheel of Time,” but boy were they wrong. “The Way of Kings” has since received three awards, including the David Gemmell Legend Award for best novel and was nominated for Goodreads best fantasy in 2010.
Sanderson truly let his imagination run wild while writing this book. “The Way of Kings” is set in a world full of magical creatures, mysterious powers, and incredible weapons called Shards. Not to mention the incredible plot! I found myself envisioning what would happen next, and I couldn’t wait to find out.
But what I loved most about this book was the engaging characters. All of the characters actively change mentally and emotionally throughout the book, and unlike many fantasy books these days, each character has their own unique personality, shaped by the events surrounding them.
“The Way of Kings” follows the lives of three colorful main characters, along with several minor characters. Kaladin, a sure favorite among readers, is a surgeon turned soldier turned slave, battling self doubt and fighting to keep his fellow slaves alive.
Shallan, a lighteye ward taken in by the king’s daughter desperately attempts to save her family’s house from her father’s debt, and Dalinar, a member of the kingdom’s royalty, seeks for honour as he wars against a race called the parshendi.
But as much as I loved “The Way of Kings,”I couldn’t help but notice a few drawbacks.
This book is exceptionally long, like, over 1,000 pages long, so don’t be expecting this to be anywhere near a quick read.
And it doesn’t help that it can get a bit boring at times. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the fight scenes and the constant sense of mystery and suspense, but during numerous parts of the book, I found myself tempted to skip past chapters I thought were long and monotonous.
In total, I saw “The Way of Kings” as creative and inspiring, but too long for my liking, Nonetheless, it is one of the favorite fiction novels I’ve ever read, and I’ll definitely be looking forward to the new installments in the series.
