Spoilers: This is actually my first Brandon Sanderson read and my god that word count! Overall, I’d say the pacing at the beginning is a bit slow as Sanderson takes his time with the world building but what a world it is! He does an excellent job of embedding the magic system into the world of Roshar. Stormlight, Highstorms, Spren, and the oaths of man give a richness to the world’s magic system. Likewise the cast system of light and dark eyes create uneven power dynamics the characters must overcome. The story centralizes around three characters: Kaladin the warrior turned slave, Shallan the lady turned would-be-thief, and Dalinar the General fearing the loss of his sanity by strange visions. While I have complaints about pacing here, I think these characters are intriguing enough to keep going. The end is well worth the wait and setups a rich world filled with Stormlight.
Briarpatch Book Review: The Way of Kings
Published by Laughing Briar
Budding author, Laughing Briar, is a science fiction and fantasy writer, traveler, and lover of the written word just like any other flower pen out there. Feeding on the madness of a woman’s mind, they’ve planted roots in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Nourished by an engineering education from The Ohio State University, a blended family upbringing, and an insatiable wanderlust, Briar draws deeply from these wells to inspire their stories. In their free time, Briar enjoys tumbling down mountain trails, seeding songs in karaoke, and rooting for their D&D party to survive the darkest of dungeons. Today, they are the author of exactly forty-two short stories and are planning to release their debut novel, ‘Gambling on Common Sense,’ by 2024. For those new to them, time is a cycle, and it’s great to see you again. View more posts