The Way of Kings: The first book of the breathtaking epic Stormlight Archive from the worldwide fantasy sensation
Brandon Sanderson
May 2011 Ā· STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE Book 1 Ā· Gollancz Ā· Narrated by Kate Reading and Michael Kramer
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45 hr 28 min
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The groundbreaking first book of an epic series that has changed the face of fantasy. The Way of Kings begins The Stormlight Archive.
Speak again the ancient oaths:
Life before death.
Strength before weakness.
Journey before Destination.
Return to men the Shards they once bore.
The Knights Radiant must stand again.
Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter.
It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them, and won by them.
One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. There, Kaladin, who traded his medical apprenticeship for a spear to protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. In a war that makes no sense, where ten armies fight separately against a single foe, he struggles to save his men and to fathom the leaders who consider them expendable.
Brightlord Dalinar Kholin commands one of those other armies. Like his brother, the late king, he is fascinated by an ancient text called The Way of Kings. Troubled by over-powering visions of ancient times and the Knights Radiant, he has begun to doubt his own sanity.
Across the ocean, an untried young woman named Shallan seeks to train under an eminent scholar and notorious heretic, Dalinar's niece, Jasnah. Though she genuinely loves learning, Shallan's motives are less than pure. As she plans a daring theft, her research for Jasnah hints at secrets of the Knights Radiant and the true cause of the war.
Readers love The Way of Kings:
'A masterpiece series in epic fantasy' Novel Notions
'It's multi-POV, action-packed, heartfelt, exciting, thrilling' Goodreads reviewer, ā ā ā ā ā
'The story is mind-blowing' Goodreads Reviewer, ā ā ā ā ā
'[It's] elevated the art of storytelling to a different league' Goodreads reviewer, ā ā ā ā ā
'Introduces a series that will change the history of Fantasy' Goodreads reviewer, ā ā ā ā ā
'I really wish I could give The Way of Kings a sixth star' Goodreads reviewer, ā ā ā ā ā
Other books by Brandon Sanderson
The Cosmere
The Stormlight Archive
The Way of Kings
Words of Radiance
Edgedancer (Novella)
Oathbringer
Rhythm of War
Wind and Truth
The Mistborn Saga
Mistborn
The Well of Ascension
The Hero of Ages
The Alloy of Law
Shadows of Self
The Bands of Mourning
The Lost Metal
Speak again the ancient oaths:
Life before death.
Strength before weakness.
Journey before Destination.
Return to men the Shards they once bore.
The Knights Radiant must stand again.
Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter.
It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them, and won by them.
One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. There, Kaladin, who traded his medical apprenticeship for a spear to protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. In a war that makes no sense, where ten armies fight separately against a single foe, he struggles to save his men and to fathom the leaders who consider them expendable.
Brightlord Dalinar Kholin commands one of those other armies. Like his brother, the late king, he is fascinated by an ancient text called The Way of Kings. Troubled by over-powering visions of ancient times and the Knights Radiant, he has begun to doubt his own sanity.
Across the ocean, an untried young woman named Shallan seeks to train under an eminent scholar and notorious heretic, Dalinar's niece, Jasnah. Though she genuinely loves learning, Shallan's motives are less than pure. As she plans a daring theft, her research for Jasnah hints at secrets of the Knights Radiant and the true cause of the war.
Readers love The Way of Kings:
'A masterpiece series in epic fantasy' Novel Notions
'It's multi-POV, action-packed, heartfelt, exciting, thrilling' Goodreads reviewer, ā ā ā ā ā
'The story is mind-blowing' Goodreads Reviewer, ā ā ā ā ā
'[It's] elevated the art of storytelling to a different league' Goodreads reviewer, ā ā ā ā ā
'Introduces a series that will change the history of Fantasy' Goodreads reviewer, ā ā ā ā ā
'I really wish I could give The Way of Kings a sixth star' Goodreads reviewer, ā ā ā ā ā
Other books by Brandon Sanderson
The Cosmere
The Stormlight Archive
The Way of Kings
Words of Radiance
Edgedancer (Novella)
Oathbringer
Rhythm of War
Wind and Truth
The Mistborn Saga
Mistborn
The Well of Ascension
The Hero of Ages
The Alloy of Law
Shadows of Self
The Bands of Mourning
The Lost Metal
The groundbreaking first book of an epic series that has changed the face of fantasy. The Way of Kings begins The Stormlight Archive.
Speak again the ancient oaths:
Life before death.
Strength before weakness.
Journey before Destination.
Return to men the Shards they once bore.
The Knights Rad...
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Ratings and reviews
62 reviews
Alexander
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January 28, 2021
Narrator Michael Kramer uses different voices for narration, but they are hardly distinct from eachother, and the narrative voice is hardly distinct from dialogue. Even worse, Michael Kramer appears to be the kind of person who uses rising inflection in the wrong places. It is really blurred by the low indestinct voices and really jarring because of the rising inflection. Really very poor narration. A real shame for such a highly valued story. This version should be archived and a new version created with less amateurish narration. Listen at 1.5x playback speed if you decide to buy this audiobook. More hours in - the skipping, stuttering and general poor audio is disgraceful.
mat
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October 20, 2019
The book is a great read but audiobook is terrible the narrator's are just plain boring the woman sounds like a computer and the guy sounds like he should be reading something about the wild West.
Martin Barnes
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November 9, 2019
Listened to this triology twice and probably will do so again in a year or two. As for knocking the narrators I actually think these 2 two are the best narrators I have heard. I highly recommend listening just get past the first chapters and you'll love it. Bridge four
About the author
Brandon Sanderson grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. He lives in Utah with his wife and children and teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University. His bestsellers have sold 50 million copies worldwide and include the Mistborn saga; the Stormlight Archive novels; and other novels, including Tress of the Emerald Sea, The Rithmatist, Steelheart, and Skyward. He won a Hugo Award for 'The Emperor's Soul', a novella set in the world of his acclaimed first novel, Elantris. Additionally, he completed Robert Jordan's The Wheel of TimeĀ®. Visit his website for behind-the-scenes information on all his books.
Kate Reading is the recipient of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards and has been named by AudioFile magazine as a "Voice of the Century". She was deemed the Best Voice in Science Fiction & Fantasy in 2008 and 2009 by AudioFile magazine. Her audiobook credits include reading for such authors as Jane Austen, Robert Jordan, Edith Wharton, and Sophia Kinsella. She has performed at numerous theaters in Washington D.C. and received a Helen Hayes Award for her performance in Aunt Dan and Lemon.
Brandon Sanderson grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. He lives in Utah with his wife and children and teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University. His bestsellers have sold 50 million copies worldwide and include the Mistborn saga; the Stormlight Archive novels; and other novels, including Tre...
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