The Way of Kings Part 1 – Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Gollancz 

SPEAK AGAIN THE ANCIENT OATHS,
LIFE BEFORE DEATH.
STRENGTH BEFORE WEAKNESS.
JOURNEY BEFORE DESTINATION.

AND 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 are fought for them, and won by them.

One such war is about to swallow up a soldier, a brightlord and a young woman scholar.

Sanderson! Ma man! Doing it again and again. I cannot get enough of his writing, plotting, characters, world building, and dialogue are ALWAYS on point.

The Way of Kings Part One is a phenomenal introduction with multiple characters that are multidimensional and in depth world building.

Kaladin was by far my favourite of the bunch introduced in Part One. He’s inspiring and resourceful with considerable influence despite is lack of awareness of his own qualities. His journey through this first half of the story is emotionally and physically draining and I loved every second of it.
Shallan spoke to me more than any other character. She has endless wit that comes out most often at inappropriate moments. Her thirst for knowledge is unquenchable, which made reading her chapters interesting because the reader learns much about the world.
Danilar and Adolin took me a bit to warm up to. Their chapters were the most confusing at the beginning because of all of the names and relationships to each other. Once I got a handle on who everyone was, I found myself thoroughly enjoying their interactions. I cannot wait to see what happens next with Danilar.
Also, HOID!

Overall, The Way of Kings Part One is great introduction to an impressively massive world with a complicated history. The characters are all or mostly fleshed out with complex personalities and conflicting ideologies. The Way of Kings is best consumed knowing little about the story, hence my vague review.