The Way of Kings – Brandon Sanderson (2010)
Brandon Sanderson’s The Way of Kings is the sweeping foundation of the Stormlight Archive, an epic fantasy saga that unfolds on the tempestuous world of Roshar, a land sculpted by supernatural hurricanes and ancient betrayals. The novel intertwines the destinies of three protagonists, each bearing the weight of a fractured cosmos:
Kaladin Stormblessed, once a gifted military surgeon, now a slave condemned to the lethal bridgcrews of the Shattered Plains, where he battles not only enemy arrows but the crushing nihilism of his past. His discovery of Surgebinding—a long-lost magic tied to storms and honor—threatens to reignite a war against the gods themselves.
Shallan Davar, a sharp-witted novice scholar with a talent for deception, infiltrates the court of the heretic princess Jasnah Kholin to steal a soulcasting device that might save her family. Her journey unravels into a labyrinth of lies, as she confronts the grotesque Cryptics and her own lethal artistic gifts.
Dalinar Kholin, the aging high prince haunted by visions of a radiant knighthood, defies his warlike nation’s traditions to pursue unity. His obsession with the cryptic “The Way of Kings” manuscript and his bond with the sentient Stormfather pit him against his own nephew, the tormented King Elhokar, and the scheming Sadeas.
Sanderson’s worldbuilding is unparalleled—from the chitin-armored crustaceans used as currency to the spren that manifest human emotions as living light. The magic system, rooted in oaths and stormlight-infused gemstones, unfolds with meticulous precision, while the deeper lore of the Heralds and the Voidbringers hints at a cataclysm waiting to repeat.
More than a fantasy, The Way of Kings is a meditation on resilience. Kaladin’s “Life before death” mantra, Shallan’s fractured identity, and Dalinar’s quest for redemption converge in a climax that reshapes Roshar’s fate.
“A stormwall of a novel—where the weight of history bends knees, but broken men rise to shatter it.”
The first of ten planned volumes, it redefined modern fantasy’s scope, earning comparisons to The Wheel of Time (which Sanderson later completed). Its 2014 sequel, Words of Radiance, escalated the series to critical acclaim.
