#Stormlight archive series#

The lords of Alethkar (known as вЂњhighprincesвЂќ) have descended upon a region known as the вЂњshattered plainsвЂќ to fight these people, and by fate or coincidence, our characters seem to be working their way together in a story that soon begins to appear much bigger than just a war of revenge.

The story kicks off with the Kingdom of Alethkar at war with a group of people known as the Parshendi after they assassinated a very prominent individual in the kingdom.

WellвЂ¦ We are definitely not in Kansas anymoreвЂ¦ Is the story perfect? No, but it is well-executed and I will be one among many to say that if you enjoy fantasy with deep characters and an extremely well-developed worlds, then I would highly recommend picking up this book. I tend to read around 10 to 15 fiction books a year and while many of them are good, itвЂ™s rare when I stumble across one with such a well-developed world and story that IвЂ™ll try to grab any five minutes I can just to read another page or two. I will jump right out and say it, The Way of Kings is excellent and it is one of those rare books that I got lost in the richness of its world and characters. For example, one character rallies a group of slaves into a brotherhood that looks out for each other, while a separate character chooses to give up one of his most precious items for those who are far below him in society. The Way of Kings is no different as we see his characters carrying significant baggage, but ultimately overcome their struggles to help others.

Positive themes: I have read several Sanderson books in my time and one thing I have always appreciated about his characters is their struggle to overcome personal demons and the evil that bears down upon them. It goes the other way as well, we see dark eyes judge and reject some light eyes for no other reason than they are in a different caste. We also see elitism among the nobility of society (known as вЂњlight eyesвЂќ) as they often look down upon the lower caste of society (known as вЂњdark eyesвЂќ). For example, some of these slaves consider suicide as an escape from their difficult lives. One of the primary characters is a slave and Sanderson doesnвЂ™t pull any punches on how challenging life as a slave can be. With that type of society comes many of the issues we often associate with medieval societies, such as slavery and elitism. Other Negative Content: The story of The Way of Kings primarily takes place around the Kingdom of Althekar, which is a standard medieval feudalistic society. Language/Crude Humor: Very little, there are some swear words, such as d*** and h****, but most of the swear words in the story are reinvented swear words like, вЂњStorms!вЂќ or вЂњYou storminвЂ™ fool!вЂќ It reminds me of the Roman Catholic Church of medieval Europe. The people do not just practice their religion, but live their religion in their daily lives. Religious practices drive the culture of the societies present in the story. The primary religion of the main characters is Vorinism, which is a monotheistic faith and is the closest thing to a Judeo-Christian religion, but it is still entirely fictional.

#Stormlight archive series#

Spiritual Content: Sanderson creates several different fictional religions in this series and most of his characters follow them in varying degrees. However, some of his characters will occasionally ogle each other and state how attractive they find this or that feature, male and female alike.Дrug/Alcohol Use: Many of the characters drink wine and some get drunk on occasion. I would argue this almost true for The Way of Kings as there is no sex or descriptions of sex to be found. Sexual Content: Brandon Sanderson is famous in the world of fantasy for being a вЂњcleanвЂќ author in regards to sexual content. Most of these scenes are not gruesome, but when Sanderson feels it is necessary for the plot, he will add more description to violence, but those moments are rare.

Violence: Standard fantasy violence, such as sword fighting, duals between nobles, large-scale battles, and brawls. The Way of Kings has been on store shelves for a few years now, but if you havenвЂ™t heard of it or are unsure you are ready to take on such a massive story, then let me be the first to tell you that this book is worth the journey! Content Guide The Way of Kings is the first book in a projected ten book fantasy epic called the The Stormlight Archive, and when I say epic, I mean epic because the first book is over 1,000 pages long! Brandon Sanderson, well known for many fantasy and sci-fi series like the Mistborn trilogy or Reckoners series, has become a household name in the world of fantasy literature. The summer is nearly upon us and you may be asking yourself, вЂњIs there a great book out there that I could get lost in?вЂќ Well, my friend, you are in luck! That book is The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson.