The Way of Kings

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, 1258 pages

For six years, the Alethi people have been at war with the Parshendi warriors that live across the Shattered Plains — after all, it was the Parshendi who hired the assassin that killed the Alethi king the same day that peace was declared six years ago, right? Right? Today, we find the king's brother Dalinar attempting to lead and live by the Codes that his brother held dear, despite the scoffs of his peers and his nephew, the new king — yet Dalinar is also experiencing mysterious visions (hallucinations?) that he's unsure how to interpret. Elsewhere, the king's daughter Jasnah is off on a deep research trip when she decides to take on the persistent Shallan as her apprentice and ward, though Shallan has her own ulterior motives for seeking the apprenticeship. Finally, we have Kaladin, a slave-branded former warrior who carries the guilt of many deaths — as well as the disappointment of his father, who wished him to become a surgeon — heavy on his shoulders.

Bouncing between these three storylines, Sanderson weaves a compelling story of a world on the brink of an untold disaster. It's a long book that takes a bit to get into (the completely alien flora and fauna certainly make it a bit harder to dive right in), but once you do, it's a fantastic story full of multi-dimensional characters battling their demons and struggling to make sense of the world around them. Despite the time commitment of a book of this size, I already have plans for reading the next tome in this series. It's well worth it.