The Way of Kings
by Brandon Sanderson · first published 2010
60% recommend31% neutral9% critical
Why HN recommends it
Immersive epic fantasy with detailed world-building, a fantastic magic system and a complex plot in lucid prose; suits readers who want a long, big-scale series and don't mind a large commitment.
Common criticism: Some find the pacing slow and the invented names and terms overwhelming
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Widely acclaimed for his work completing Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time saga, Brandon Sanderson now begins a grand cycle of his own, one every bit as ambitious and immersive. 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 Radia
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…fantasy recommendations: The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss The Lies of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch The First Law series, by Joe Abercrombie (especially the standalone books #4, #5 and #6) The Way of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson
on “YC's Winter Reading List” ↗Brandon Sanderson is my go to recommendation for fantasy nowadays. Mistborn is a great place to start but The Way of Kings is the real meat and potatoes. He also links all these books together in the same universe and it's fun to notice the connections.
on “The Animal Is Tired” ↗…by Brandon Sanderson, I enjoyed the Mistborn Trilogy and am currently awaiting the next book in his Way of King Series (which promises to be a big epic) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7235533-the-way-of-kings https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68428.Mistborn The Malazan series grew on me, I understood very little about the series' world by the time I read the first book, I think it's by design. Not as enjoyable…
on “Entitlement issues (2009)” ↗Thanks for being vague, I just started The Way of Kings last week. I've read Elantris and the first Mistborn trilogy from Sanderson. I'm roughly half way into this first book of The Stormlight Archive and I've already come to the conclusion that this likely…
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life?” ↗I'm happy they went with Sanderson, too. His styles fits so well with Jordan's, and his Way of Kings series has started of really well.
on “Ask HN: What are you reading right now?” ↗…- there is an audio production company called Graphic Audio, their tagline is "a movie in your mind." The absolute BEST story I have ever heard, in my entire life, is the Stormlight Archives Series - Way of Kings & Words of Radiance books. These are written by Brandon Sanderson. I don't actually read much fantasy when I read fiction it tends to be scifi or historically based. But this series, with the voice actors…
on “Ask HN: What are the best audiobooks you have ever listened to?” ↗Checkout Way of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson.
on “How Netflix outsmarted everyone else in TV” ↗Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive) by Brandon Sanderson Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss
on “Entitlement issues (2009)” ↗Tend read more Sci-fi/fantasy. Some good ones this year: Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss http://amzn.com/B0010SKUYM Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch http://amzn.com/B000JMKNJ2 The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson http://amzn.com/B003P2WO5E Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson http://amzn.com/B002GYI9C4 The above four are the first book in their respective series. I've also enjoyed the sequels to…
on “Ask HN: What were the best fun books you read in 2014?” ↗Favorite fantasy book far and away is "The Way of Kings" (a random Sanderson), favorite sci-fi book is Snowcrash (Neal Stephenson)
on “What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?” ↗Why did you have to remind me about Kingkiller Chronicle :( Also Brandon Sanderson's Way of Kings (fantasy and same author as Mistborn). The audio books are really good.
on “Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?” ↗…read. Also really recommend 'Snow crash'. Also adding a couple fantasy recommendations: Lies of Locke lamora, and any basically any novel by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn: the final empire, Warbreaker, The way of kings etc.)
on “Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction” ↗…me up! If you are wanting to scratch a fantasy fix, you can't go wrong with Brandon Sanderson. He is really good at world building, and his books are very immersive. His 'The Stormlight Archive: The Way of Kings' is the first book in the Stormlight Archives, my favorite series of his. If you like to save the best for last, you could do his Mistborn series or Elantris to start. If you are wanting science fiction,…
on “Ask HN: Which audiobooks did/do you like?” ↗Here are a few recommendations based on things I've read this year and last: - Infinite by Jeremy Robinson - The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (this series is a rabbit hole) - Scythe by Neal Shusterman - Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson - Stranger In A Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
on “Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?” ↗Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankel, it is his experience of how he managed to survive the concentration camps. Book of Mormon The Stormlight Archive series (Way of Kings, Words of Radience, Oathbringer) - Brandon Sanderson, I've heard it compared to the Kingkiller Chronicles in terms of depth, intricacies and overall masterfully executed plot but Sanderson is also one…
on “Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?” ↗