THE WAY OF KINGS  (English, Book, BRANDON SANDERSON)

The Way of Kings is an epic fantasy that follows the lives and adventures of diverse characters engulfed in the mystical world of Roshar, filled with dangerous and powerful weapons.

Summary Of The Book

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson comes under the fantasy novel genre. The book encompasses a variety of fascinating magical objects, methods, and weapons. It talks of different abilities, like the Surgebinding, Shardwielding, and Soulcasting abilities, which can redeem or destroy.

Roshar, the imaginary world described in The Way of Kings, is constantly hit by hurricanes called ‘highstorms’. In order to fight the evil Voidbringers, the Almighty equip the Knight Radiants with weapons called Shardblades and armors called Shardplates. The Heralds are the leaders of the Knight Radiants.

Eventually, after every war with the Voidbringers, the Heralds emerge victorious. But all of them are destined to die fighting. Then follows a cycle of painful rebirth at a place of fire and brimstone, after which they repeat the process of war and death. After several such cycles, the Heralds finally choose to stay at this place of fire and not return back to the vicious circle of war. Without the leaders, the Knight Radiants soon become a part of history.

The story is then told from the viewpoints of several interesting characters like Dalinar Kholin, Kaladin, and Szeth.

Szeth owns a Shardblade and has the power to do surgebinding, something that is unknown to others. Even though Szeth is a peace-lover, he is sent to murder a powerful king by his unknown master. Kaladin is a ‘Darkeye’ peasant who hates the Lighteyes, who are essentially nobles. Dalinar Kholin, the Highprince, comes across an ancient book after the death of his brother, which opens a world of secrets to him that lead him to change his beliefs and perspectives.

The book portrays the paths of these characters as they attempt to pursue their individual quests. The novel presents images of beautiful landscapes and unusual wildlife and ecology, accompanied by a torturous and complicated history, and conflicting religious beliefs.

The book topped bestseller lists in its initial weeks. Even though the book was termed lengthy, it garnered positive reviews from its readers.

About Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson, born on December 19, 1975, is an American fantasy novelist. He completed his masters in Creative Writing from Brigham Young University.

The Way of Kings is the first novel of a planned ten-part series. Apart from The Way of Kings, some of Brandon’s other works include Elantris, Warbreaker, and The Alcatraz and Mistborn series of novels. Brandon’s books are fantasies and are usually part of a series. He is also a participant in the weekly podcast Writing Excuses.