The Way of Kings is an epic fantasy novel by Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson is an American fantasy author. A Nebraska native, he currently resides in American Fork, Utah. He earned his Master's degree in Creative Writing in 2005 from Brigham Young University, where he was on the staff of Leading Edge, a semi-professional speculative fiction magazine...

. It was released by Tor Books

Tor Books

Tor Books is one of two imprints of Tom Doherty Associates LLC, based in New York City. It is noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. Tom Doherty Associates also publishes mainstream fiction, mystery, and occasional military history titles under its Forge imprint. The company was founded...

 on August 31, 2010. It is the first volume in a planned ten-novel series called The Stormlight Archive

The Stormlight Archive

The Stormlight Archive is an ongoing epic fantasy series by Brandon Sanderson. The world of The Stormlight Archive is one constantly assaulted by hurricanes. Flora and fauna have evolved to cope with this condition. It is a planned multi-novel series, plotted to require ten books to complete...

.

Synopsis

The world of The Way of Kings is one constantly assaulted by hurricanes, referred to in the book as highstorms. Flora

Flora

Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...

 and fauna

Fauna

Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...

 have evolved to cope with this condition.

In response to an attack by malevolent entities (known as Voidbringers), the "Almighty" fashions magical weapons and suits of armor, called Shardblades and Shardplates. The "Almighty" equips knights, known as Radiants, with these, and, eventually, the Radiants defeat the evil Voidbringers.

Then, for unknown reasons, the Radiants turn against mankind, ignoring their cause and vanishing. They leave their Shardplates and Shardblades for all who want them, thus creating wars and strife. The book begins at a phase where warlords have, for many years, been gathering armies around Shardblade-wielding fighters. These armies fight over possession of the remaining Shardblades in an attempt to acquire a decisive advantage.

Plot

The book begins with a look at the life of the Heralds, the leaders of the Knights Radiant. For thousands of years, the Heralds have waged war against a race of 'monsters', called "The Voidbringers", in order to protect humanity. The perspective of this plight is told from the viewpoint of a male Herald. The Voidbringers always appear in a regular cycle, during which the Heralds battle against them. He reveals that all the Heralds are 'cursed' to ultimately perish in battle driving back the monsters. After dying, they are sent to a place of fire and brimstone where they suffer greatly, only to eventually be reborn and start the cycle of war and death again. After countless rebirths, and weary of the tortuous cycle, the Heralds abandon and condemn one of their own to remain eternally in that place of fire and cast down their Dawnshards, swords similar but more powerful than Shardblades, and abandon their calling, disappearing into history. Leaderless, the Knights Radiant gradually die off or are consumed by corruption until the order ceases to exist. The only remnant of their order are their shardblades and shardplates.

Thousands of years later, the story then switches from their point of view to the point of view of Kaladin, Shallan, Szeth, Dalinar Kholin, and many others, who lead seemingly unconnected lives. Szeth, a "Truthless" (a Shin man cast out by his people and condemned to do the bidding of whoever holds his Oathstone except taking his life, or giving up his shardblade) is sent to murder the king of one of the world's most powerful nations.

A peace-loving believer in non-violence, he cries as he's forced to do the bidding of his unknown master. As the story progresses, he continuously changes hands, doing his best to hide the fact that he possesses a Shardblade, a magical blade given to the Knights Radiant that can cut through any material and end lives with a single cut. He also possess an ability called 'Surgebinding', an ability once possessed by the Knights Radiant and thought lost. This ability allows him to "lash" himself to objects, making him incredibly difficult to defeat in battle. (His "lashing" allows him to run on ceilings, pull objects toward him, and freeze men where they stand.)

The story then shifts to the stories of Highprince Dalinar Kholin, who is the brother of the King who was murdered. Before he died, his brother scrawled a message onto the ground, directing Dalinar to an ancient tome called 'The Way of Kings'. His studies of the book leads Dalinar to start questioning the Alethkar way of life. He also begins to experience visions in which he both sees and interacts with the ancient Knights Radiant. These visions not only cast doubt on the mistaken history of the Radiants, but also begin to reveal the truth about the Voidbringers and the current state of the world. All of these events make Dalinar reluctant to do battle, causing other powerful Highprinces to try and eliminate him. He must also contend with his nephew, the son of his dead brother and the new King, who as time passes becomes more and more paranoid. The story is also told from his son, Adolin Kholin's point of view as the young man, who possesses a Shardblade like his father, struggles to understand his father's change of heart and his fear that the man he's always respected has gone mad.

Meanwhile, Kaladin, a 'darkeye' peasant, with a burning hatred for 'lighteyes' nobles is close to despair. Trained in his youth as a surgeon, Kaladin volunteered to go to war for the army of a local lord. He did this in order to protect his younger brother who was drafted against his will into the same army. With in his third battle Kaladin fails in protecting his brother and his brother is killed. Which causes Kaladin to reinlist to become a better fighter, hoping to be able to protect others. During a later battle, Kaladin succeeds in killing an enemy shardbearer, and by right could claim the enemy's shardblade and shardplate, becoming a light eyes himself. However, Kaladin is then betrayed by the brightlord Amaram, who takes the shardblade for himself, and sentenced Kaladin into slavery to hide the theft of the shardblade and plate. This event not only cements his hatred for nobles, but also leaves deep emotional scars. Now a slave he is forced into service as a bridgemen in one of the ten armies battling on the Shattered Plains. Bridgemen struggle to lay large mobile bridges for their cavalry to cross large fissures on the plains, and are living targets for the opposing armies archers. Beaten down and hopeless, Kaladin manages to rally the other men in his group and turn them into a team that can survive. As time passes, the men start to become more like a family, giving Kaladin a will to live.

However, after he accidentally ruins a raid by teaching his men to use the bridge as a shield, he is beaten half to death and left outside during a highstorm (a death sentence). He manages to survive however by unconsciously draining stormlight from the money he was holding, (the money glow utilizing the stormlight). As a result, he discovers that he possesses the 'Surgebinding' ability (although he doesn't know its name or capabilities). As he struggles to find a way for his men to escape their lives as bridgemen, he comes to terms with his powers and learns how to use them.

On the other side of the ocean, Shallan, a minor light eye whose family and lands are in danger, hatches a daring plot to switch a broken Soulcaster (a device that allows people to change objects to other things, such as water to food) with a working one belonging to Jasnah Kholin, a notorious heretic. She petitions Jasnah to become her apprentice, but is initially rejected. Through persistent effort, however, she manages to get Jasnah's confidence and becomes her apprentice and constant companion. However, as she gets to know the woman behind the stern facade, she starts to struggle between what she must do and her growing love for her new life. The situation is further complicated by her inability to use the Soulcaster until one fateful day, when she accidentally turns a goblet into blood. Jasnah comes in at that exact moment, and Shallan breaks a pitcher and cuts herself to make it seem as though the blood was hers, inadvertently making it seem as if she was trying to commit suicide. Shallan soon discovers that a Soulcaster does not possess the ability to transmute, but is instead simply a focusing tool for a person's natural ability. When Jasnah learns that Shallan can transmute she forgives the girl for trying to steal her Soulcaster and begins instructing her on the proper use of the device. She also reveals her researching into the origins of the Knights Radiant and the Voidbringers and prepares herself and Shallan to travel to the Shattered Plains to meet with her uncle Dalinar.

Back Cover Prophecy

Brandon Sanderson's website gives the readers a hint at how the lives of these people are interwoven through this blurb, whose speaker is unknown:

"I long for the days before the Last Desolation.

The age before the Heralds abandoned us and the Knights Radiant turned against us. A time when there was still magic in the world and honor in the hearts of men.

The world became ours, and we lost it. Nothing, it appears, is more challenging to the souls of men than victory itself.

Or was that victory an illusion all along? Did our enemies realize that the harder they fought, the stronger we resisted? Perhaps they saw that the heat and the hammer only make for a better grade of sword. But ignore the steel long enough, and it will eventually rust away.

There are four whom we watch. The first is the surgeon, forced to put aside healing to become a soldier in the most brutal war of our time. The second is the assassin, a murderer who weeps as he kills. The third is the liar, a young woman who wears a scholar's mantle over the heart of a thief. The last is the highprince, a warlord whose eyes have opened to the past as his thirst for battle wanes.

The world can change. Surgebinding and Shardwielding can return; the magics of ancient days can become ours again. These four people are key.

One of them may redeem us.

And one of them will destroy us."

Viewpoint characters

The primary chapters within the book are told from the viewpoint of several major characters, while the book's interludes are told from the viewpoint of other characters (not all of which repeat).

• Prelude: Kalak, one of ten Heralds of the Almighty. This takes place 4,500 years before the events of the first chapter.
• Szeth-son-son-Vallano, an assassin from the land of Shinovar. He refers to himself as a "Truthless" who must serve those who bear his Oathstone. Bearer of a Shardblade and wielder of Stormlight. He hates being forced to murder and cries as he does.
• Kaladin: A darkeye, or peasant, from the nation of Alethkar during the main timeline of the book who is forced to serve on a bridge crew in the army of Highprince Sadeas. Formerly an apprentice learning surgery from his father, and a member of the army of the brightlord Amaram, he hates light-eyes because of Amaram, who betrays him by first allowing his brother to die and then taking the Shardblade Kaladin earns and gives to his men by force. Kaladin is able to use Stormlight to heal himself and make himself stronger and faster than any normal human being.
• Shallan: A minor lighteye, or noble, from the nation of Jah Keved. Her family has fallen on hard times after the death of her father. She seeks to be accepted as the ward and student of the scholar Jasnah Kholin, sister to King Elhokar of Alethkar. A skilled artist who can with a single glance remember and recreate a scene with charcoal and paper, she learns that she is able to Soulcast without a Soul-Caster, just like Jasnah. Though the beginning of the book has her plotting to steal Jasnah's Soul-Caster to save her family, she has become Jasnah's true apprentice by the end of the book.
• Dalinar Kholin: A highprince of Alethkar, brother to the slain King Gavilar, uncle to the current king. Nicknamed the Blackthorn. A general who helped unite the kingdom with his brother. A man who experiences visions during the highstorms, and bearer of a Shardblade and Shardplate, he is criticized as weak after he begins to follow the Codes and talk about stopping the pointless war Alethkar is engaged in.
• Adolin Kholin: A lighteye of Alethkar and heir to his father Dalinar's highprince seat. A skilled duelist and a bearer of a Shardblade and Shardplate, he loves and respects his father despite fearing that he has gone mad.
• Navani Kholin: Widow of King Gavilar, mother of King Elhokar and Jasnah. A skilled artifabrian (one who creates devices known as fabrials). She has always loved Dalinar, even when she was married to his brother, Gavilar. She attempts to rekindle a relationship with Dalinar but initially rebuffed; eventually she convinces Dalinar to embrace his feelings at the end of the book.
• Wit: The King of Alethkar's "Wit". His real name is unknown but he also refers to himself as Hoid, a recurring name in Brandon Sanderson's works. He seems to know more about the Desolation than anyone else, though he doesn't share his knowledge. The book ends with him telling a bedraggled messenger that it's too late.

Single Interlude Only

• Cenn: young spearman who served under Kaladin in Amaram's army for a single battle. He reminds Kaladin of his younger brother Tien.
• Ishikk: A resident of the Purelake region of the world.
• Nan Balat: A minor lighteye from Jah Keved. Brother to Shallan.
• Rsyn: merchant's apprentice to the first man to hold Szeth's Oathstone
• Axies the Collector
• Baxil
• Geranid

Races

The Way of Kings features several different fictional races, although they are often portrayed as different (albeit fictional) ethnicities of humans. Some of these races include:

• Thaylens - Renowned traders and merchants native to an island nation. Possessed of very long white eyebrows and white beards on the males.
• Alethi - Native to the nation of Alethkar, the Alethi are members of one of the four Vorin nations. They have a famed military heritage and are possessed of tan skin and dark hair.
• Veden - Native to the Vorin nation of Jah Keved, the Vedens are characterized by pale skin and reddish hair.
• Natanatani - Native to the Vorin nation of Natanatan, the Natanatani often wear gloves and have faintly bluish skin.
• Horneaters - A relatively rare race, Horneater is actually a term used by other races to describe them. They possess reddish hair, dark skin, and stand well over seven feet tall.
• Parshendi - A proud, tribal race native to the Shattered Plains which possess a warrior culture. The Parshendi are viewed by many other races as savages. They have mottled red and black skin that forms patterns unique to each individual, and are at war with the Alethi during the novel's main timeline.
• Shin - A race native to the region of Shinovar, Shin have large eyes, bald heads, and stand shorter than most others, averaging roughly five feet tall.

Class structure

Much of the Way of Kings takes place within the nations of Alethkar and Jah Keved. Both of these nations divide their people into classes, primarily based on the color of their eyes. Those with dark eye colors are the peasants (and can even be made slaves). Those with light eye colors are the noble and ruling class. Within these classes there are further class distinctions known as nahn (for darkeyes) and dahn (for lighteyes).

Religion

Much of the world follows the Vorin religion. Vorinism tells of a struggle between forces of the Voidbringers and humanity. The Voidbringers forced humanity out of its afterlife, called the Tranquline Halls. They believe that when you die you continue in the role you are in, but towards the regaining of the Tranquline Halls. In Alethkar, a man's highest calling is as a warrior in life so they can be a warrior in the afterlife. The religion also tells of the Knights Radiant, an order who once fought against the Voidbringers during the wars against them on Roshar (known as Desolations). This order was said to abandon or betray humanity at some point in the distant past. The priesthood of the Vorin religion are referred to as Ardents. Those who reject the existence of the Almighty, such as Jasnah Kholin, are referred to as heretics.

Other religions are mentioned, especially through discussions amongst members of "Bridgecrew Four" at the Shattered Plains, which contains slaves who are from many nations and cultures.

Soulcasting

Soulcasting is a practice where objects are changed from one form to another. It has been shown to turn rock into smoke, purify the blood from poisons, and create food, and has many other uses. The only known practitioners of soulcasting are Jasnah Kholin, and the Ardents of the Vorin religion. By the end of The Way of Kings

The Way of Kings

The Way of Kings is an epic fantasy novel by Brandon Sanderson. It was released by Tor Books on August 31, 2010. It is the first volume in a planned ten-novel series called The Stormlight Archive.-Synopsis:...

Shallan is shown to begin Soulcasting. Also, Shallan's father's steward knew how to use a soulcaster, as he used Shallan's father's soulcaster.

Shardblades and Shardplate

Shardblades are powerful swords which have the ability to cut through any non-living matter with ease. When used on living creatures they can kill with a single cut, when the blade passes through the spine, or render limbs useless when they cut through them. The only known defenses against a Shardblade are Shardplate, shields called "Half Shards", and another Shardblades. Those who own a Shardblade can summon their blade from thin air in ten heartbeats, and can make their blade disappear at will. The blades are rare and highly valued, and there are estimated to be fewer than one hundred known blades in the world.

Shardplate is full plate armor which both protects and strengthens their wearer. The armor provides protection against Surgebinding, as one wearing the armor cannot be "lashed" directly. Repeated strikes at the same spot on the armor by regular weapons or Shardblades can cause the armor to crack and break. The armor can be repaired or "regrown" though it is costly to do.

A shardbearer, one wielding both Shardblade and Shardplate, is a force capable of turning the tide of battle on their own.

Surgebinding

Surgebinding is a talent where the wielder uses the power of Stormlight to affect gravity. It is described in three methods known as the "Three Lashings". A Basic Lashing changes the direction of gravitational pull for an individual (causing the person to be pulled towards another object or direction instead of towards the center of the planet). A Full Lashing is described as creating an almost unbreakable bond between two objects until the Stormlight dissipates. A Reverse Lashing causes an object to have a much stronger gravitational pull, causing objects to be pulled towards it. To power Surgebinding, the user literally consumes Stormlight, drawing the light through their mouth into their bodies. They must then hold their breath to keep the Stormlight contained, which in turns allows them to invoke their abilities. As a Surgebinder invokes their abilities, the Stormlight that is used slowly leeches out of their bodies through their pores, causing the wielder to glow. The more powerful the ability the more powerful the glow. It is this after-effect that is revealed to be the source of the Knights Radiant's name. The Knights could utilize Surgebinding, and when they did their bodies would glow and Stormlight would escape between the joints in their armor, making them appear 'radiant' to onlookers.

The only individuals in the book seen to use Surgebinding are Szeth-son-son-Vallano, Kaladin, and through the visions of Dalinar, members of the Knights Radiant.

Spren

Spren are spirits in the land of Roshar which either cause, or are drawn to, different conditions or emotions. One character, Hesina, the mother of Kaladin states, "Spren appear when something changes-when fear appears, or when it begins to rain. They are the heart of change, and therefore the heart of all things." With the exception of Syl, they are never shown to speak or have intelligence.

There are thousands of types of spren. The various spren shown or mentioned in the book include:

• Alespren: These spren are either drawn to those who are drunk, or are a figment of their intoxication.
• Anticipationspren: Are seen when anticipation is felt, as in the presence of an army about to charge.
• Bindspren: Appear when Surgebinding is used to bind objects together.
• Creationspren: Apparently drawn to people creating works of art.Resemble silvery figures who change form continuously.
• Cusicesh, the Protector: Only one is known, which is seen in the bay of the city of Kasitor at 7:46 am every day. Named by the city's inhabitants, and is an enormous sea-blue spren which appears, stays for ten minutes, and leaves. Its face constantly changes from one human face to another.
• Deathspren: Seen only by someone who is dying or near death, though possibly only hallucinations caused by extreme trauma.
• Decayspren: Occur when something has decayed or is decaying. Mentioned by Syl.
• Exhaustionspren
• Flamespren
• Fearspren: Drawn to individuals experiencing fear, particularly fear of death. Resemble glowing purple globs.
• Gloryspren: Drawn to great acts of valor, such as a Shardbearer in the midst of battle. They resemble glowing gold lights.
• Groundspren: Pull people downward, explanation of or substitute for gravity.
• Honorspren: Syl, the spren who accompanies Kaladin is the only example shown in the book of Honorspren. She takes the form of a translucent female and has intelligence beyond any shown by other spren in the book. Also referenced by Nohadon, ancient author of The Way of Kings (within the story), in Dalinar's vision of him.
• Lifespren: Seen to appear when plants are actively photosynthesizing or absorbing water. Resemble tiny flecks of green light.
• Logicspren: Said to appear in the presence of great arguments.
• Musicspren: Appear when a musical sound like a pure note is made.
• Painspren: Attracted to individuals in pain. Resemble glowing orange hands with overly long fingers.
• Passionspren: Appear when someone feels something strongly, such as love (perhaps only love).
• Riverspren
• Rotspren: Attracted to festering or infected wounds. Resemble brown flies.
• Starspren
• Windspren: Appear floating on winds at seemingly random times and places. Seen in force during Highstorms.
• Unnamed spren which appears near recently killed greatshells.
• Unnamed spren seen by Shallan and Jasnah during their Soulcasting. Also seen by Elhokar and are a source of his paranoia

There have been some speculation by the characters in The Way of Kings, wondering whether Spren cause their namesakes, (a.k.a. deathspren cause death), or whether they are attracted by it. (deathspren are attracted and therefore appear when death seems near.)

Pre-publication

The publication

Publication

To publish is to make content available to the public. While specific use of the term may vary among countries, it is usually applied to text, images, or other audio-visual content on any medium, including paper or electronic publishing forms such as websites, e-books, Compact Discs and MP3s...

 of The Way of Kings was delayed when Sanderson, instead, decided to focus on his Mistborn trilogy

Mistborn series

The Mistborn series is a trilogy of high fantasy novels, written by Brandon Sanderson. Published by Tor Fantasy between 2006 and 2008, the series currently consists of Mistborn: The Final Empire, Mistborn: The Well of Ascension, and Mistborn: The Hero of Ages. A stand-alone short novel titled...

.

On June 10, 2010 the prologue and the first three chapters of the book were released, along with an introduction by Sanderson, as a preview on the Tor website.

On July 8, 2010, the next three chapters (4-6) were released in audio format exclusively on the Tor Website.

On August 5, 2010, chapters 9 and 11 were released exclusively on the Tor Website. Tor wrote that they did not release chapters 7, 8, and 10 because they wanted to focus on the storyline of Kaladin, one of the main characters.

On August 26, 2010, chapters 12 and 13 were released exclusively on the Tor Website

Reception and sales

In its first week of release the book was #7 on The New York Times Best Seller list. In subsequent weeks the book was #11, #20, and #25.

An early review from the website Unshelved

Unshelved

Unshelved is a daily comic strip most notable for being set in a library. Published by Overdue Media, the web comic was created by writer Gene Ambaum and co-writer/artist Bill Barnes, and has been appearing at the rate of a strip per day since February 16, 2002, with a virtual circulation in...

gave the book a positive review. A review from Elitist Book Reviews pointed out small problems with the book, (black-and-white characters, too much exposition) but gave an overall positive opinion of the book. The website SFReviews.net gave the book a mixed review, praising Sanderson's writing and creativity, but criticizing its extreme length and overall dearth of action.