“I will do this thing.” -me trying to figure out how I’m going to review one part of such a massive story. Also Rock from the story I’m trying to review.
First let me emphasize this book is 1000+ pages and my partner read it in 6 days. That’s how engrossing it is, but I still don’t really know how he managed that.
As much as I hate to admit it, I typically struggle with High Fantasy. Lord of the Rings is the obvious exception, but usually the worlds feel a little bland, like a chef trying to add every herb and spice before remembering to add salt, or too vast, to the point where I struggle to connect to the characters because there’s just so much going on. Brandon Sanderson is the all mighty exception to this, and The Way of Kings is the pinnacle of this exception.
The story is set in a fantastical world where everything revolves around great Highstorms that regularly sweep through the landscape. These massive, destructive storms shape the landscape, the evolution of the plants and animals, and the society of the people who live there. The narrative generally follows three main characters–Kaladin, a young surgeon turned soldier with a tragic backstory, Shallan, a young noble woman scholar with a tragic backstory, and Dalinar, uncle to the king and with a slightly tragic backstory (probably). They each have their own stories that only slightly intersect, though as the story goes on, it becomes more obvious what each of their parts will be.
The first few chapters of this book left me so confused. Radiants? Heralds? Shardblades? Stormlight? It’s decidedly one of those book that throws you headfirst into the world and explains it as it goes. And it does a wonderful job, every revelation was satisfying and I was never left feeling frustrated. Along those same notes, having read this book twice now, Sanderson is constantly hinting at future events, like from the very first chapter. These books are so worth rereading, just to see all the hints and comments he drops.
Most of the reviews I see talk about how insane and amazing the worldbuilding is, the narrative, the characters, etc. In a book with over 4.5 stars, I feel like that can be taken for granted. Instead I’m going to focus on perhaps my favorite aspect of any Sanderson book I’ve read, and this one even more so. Every character’s mental health is so incredibly well executed. Shallan has CPTSD and Kaladin has depression. I have both of those and I’ve never seen them depicted so well and respectfully as they are in these characters.
My other favorite part of this story is religion. Every character has their own religious journey and they all vary greatly. From heresy and atheism, to monasticism, to regaining one’s faith are all addressed respectfully and without a hint of preaching. Each character handles religion differently, and none is portrayed as being the “right” way, leaving it up to the reader to identify with each one as they choose.
I’ll wrap up with another quote from Rock about this book:
“This is good thing.”
Read it. Every page is worth it.
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