The Way of Kings

When I read Elantris during the summer of 2018, I was impressed, but The Way of Kings is next storming level.

This one-thousand-seven page epic is just the first of a planned ten-novel series that already has at least one novella (Edgedancer, 2017) on bookstore shelves, virtual or otherwise, to sate voracious fans awaiting the fourth behemoth. I cannot imagine how author Brandon Sanderson plans to fill ten to eleven thousand pages, but I will say this. Despite the incredible length of The Way of Kings, I was not bored at any point. That is astounding. I have read some three-hundred page books that struggled to hold my attention throughout, but Brandon Sanderson managed to enthrall me from beginning to end. Every page was full of interesting details that exploded my imagination. Print copies are further enriched by beautiful chapter header artwork and full-page illustrations and maps. I spent several minutes perusing each of these, drinking in every detail.

Brandon Sanderson eschews the traditional fantasy races like dwarves, elves, and orcs in favor of a rich variety of human cultures with their own traditions and physical attributes. The only exception to that might be parshmen who are described as having human or human-like physiology but they have another quality that is certainly extraordinary. Sanderson teases details about these different cultures throughout the story and by the time I flipped to the last page of the novel, I had some understanding about a few of them but yearned for more. Sanderson offers little in the way of direct explanation, instead allowing me to explore and imagine on my own and when a new piece of information is provided, to chew and savor. The Way of Kings is one of those epic fantasy novels that delights in slowly dragging the reader deeper into its world. I loved every second of it and am in no hurry to escape it.

Living among the characters of Sanderson’s world are a diverse ecology of flora and fauna. Aside from horses, there are no recognizable animals in this world. Oh sure, one can recognize the earthbound inspirations for Sanderson’s creations, but the animals living on Roshar are strange and magnificent and I do not want to pet any of them. I was fascinated by the plant life and its sentience, reacting to outside stimuli, hiding like a timid animal and slowly reemerging when the coast is clear. Even the weather and the seasons have a strange, otherworldly quality to them. Such details were a warm blanket on a cold night and burrowed deeper.

Magic systems are important to epic fantasy fans. BookTubers produce entire episodes ranking their favorite magic systems and discussing in detail which are the best and which authors they think need to put a little more effort into the mystical actions their characters take. Personally, I do not think about it quite that much but I certainly do recognize and appreciate when an author has put extra effort into designing a system of magic that has rules and makes sense. Throughout his career, Brandon Sanderson has established a reputation for being one of those authors and in The Way of Kings, he introduces readers to characters with astounding abilities and then slowly sprinkles bread crumbs of information such that by the time the story is over, we understand the basic rules but still have so many questions. This is a great trick, especially when one intends to write nine more novels in the series. I expect to learn more about this Stormlight and how it can be harnessed in book two.

As Brandon Sanderson himself stated in an article on Tor.com, “I do put a lot of effort into the magic in my books. But a great book for me isn’t about a magic, it’s about the people that the magic affects.” As such, the characters in The Way of Kings are probably real people you can meet provided Brandon brings them along to his book signings. When I read Elantris, I loved the main characters and was surprised when I was drawn in by the villain’s story and felt some measure of empathy for his plight. The Way of Kings is no different. There are heroes and there are villains, but all of them are interesting and breathe. I identified with Kaladin the most because I recognized in his actions what I had hoped to accomplish in my former career. I was not successful and so I rooted for him to succeed that much more. The scholar in me envies Shallan and I want nothing more than to spend a day with her in one of the Veil balcony alcoves, reading books and discussing philosophy. I grew up in a family of military men — we can trace our military roots back several generations and therefore have tremendous respect for our men and women in uniform — and thus I admire and fear for characters like Adolin and Dalinar, but am thrilled when they are on the page because their adventures are just so storming exciting! Szeth-son-son-Vallano, like Hrathen in Elantris, is one of those villains deserving of sympathy and about whom I want to know so much more.

Another aspect of this novel that inspired me is the philosophical discussions. Throughout the novel, characters debate topics such as theology and faith, ethics and morality, prejudice and classism. Sanderson does not do it in a superficial way either. He presents valid arguments on both sides of the discussion and a handful of times, I actually set the book down to ponder what was just stated. I love it when a fantasy novel — a genre not given much credit in literary circles — has something profound to say about the real world. That is really every author’s goal but I feel like fantasy authors are largely ignored in this respect. Hopefully, authors like Sanderson can break through.

I love this book so much. For the past couple of years, my New Year’s Resolution has involved a pledge to read a book that I have been putting off for one reason or another. I had heard incredible things about The Way of Kings and so purchased a copy several years ago, but since then, it has sat on my shelf. The sheer size and weight of it intimidated me. Until six months ago, I was working a job that did not afford me much leisure time and so reading a novel the size and depth of The Way of Kings did not seem possible. I left that job in December and so in January I decided that in 2020, I would finally read this behemoth that had put Brandon Sanderson at the top of the fantasy author pile. Thanks to a buddy read hosted by my friend Dean Ethington, I can finally check The Way of Kings off my list of shame, off my TBR, and off my #20BooksIn2020 list. More than all of that though, I have taken the first step into an amazing fantasy world and I am excited to continue that journey.

The Shadow of What Was Lost

In early November, I returned home after a vacation to Japan with a brief stop on the Hawaiian island of Maui on the return trip. Travel and experiencing a different culture is simultaneously stressful and rewarding. Despite being long infatuated with Japan, I had never traveled to an Asian country before and worried that my attempts to speak the language and navigate the cities would be disastrous. A short time after arrival, my concerns melted away in a wondrous bliss that persisted through the beautiful modern metropolis of Tokyo, the picturesque original capital of Kyoto with its myriad shrines and old castles, and on to the vibrant, youthful Osaka. I fell in love with the people, the place, and the sensation of Japan. It was everything I wanted it to be and I was reluctant to leave. During the journey home, we stopped on Hawaii where our final adventure was rappelling down a rainforest waterfall. It was an amazing trip enjoyed with two of my favorite people. I felt more relaxed than I had been in hundreds of weeks after battling through a challenging and wearisome period of time at work. I returned home happy and tired and with a renewed list of personal priorities.

One of those priorities is to revitalize this book blog which has long sat neglected. As co-host of The Hero’s Journey Podcast, my creator bio identifies me as a book blogger. Of late, I have been struggling with that identification because the aforementioned challenging and lengthy period of time at the office had prevented me from doing much of anything beyond work. If you are a listener of the podcast, you may recall that during one of our segments, my co-host Jeff and I discuss books we have been reading, movies or television shows we have recently watched, and video games we have been playing. I often blame “the day job” for being the reason I have little to contribute during the segment. The trip to Japan was a desperate escape and upon my return, I was inspired to make a drastic career change. After fourteen years with the company, I resigned my position. This is a scary period, but I am also excited. I feel renewed and I look forward to exploring new opportunities. I am also happy that I can return to writing, a pursuit I have always enjoyed, but has had to take a far backseat in my life for far too long. I am rusty. My vocabulary has atrophied and I probably lost track of my style, but this is where I start working those muscles again.

A few weeks ago, I posted a poll in my Instagram stories and asked people to cast their vote for the next book I would read. The options were Neal Stephenson’s Seveneves and James Islington’s The Shadow of What Was Lost. It was an experiment with zero risk because I wanted to read both books so either result would have been equally satisfying. The People chose fantasy over science fiction by a 4:3 ratio and so I began my journey through Islington’s debut novel. The first volume of the Licanius Trilogy, The Shadow of What Was Lost is a chunky book at 693 pages for the Orbit imprint U.S. hardcover edition. This is one of those sweeping epic fantasies that started with Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, was revitalized in the 1990s by authors like Robert Jordan and George R.R. Martin, and continued to gain steam in this century. One would think that with so many epic fantasy series out there, the bubble would burst but so far, it seems there is no lack of thirst for these massive tomes. The audience is as broad as the pool of authors feeding them and with authors like Brandon Sanderson leading the charge, it seems epic fantasy has a lot of life left.

My first experience with The Shadow of What Was Lost came a few years ago when the publisher, Orbit Books (a science fiction and fantasy imprint of Hachette Book Group) published a sample chapter on their website. It turned out to be effective advertising, at least on me, because I wish-listed the book right away and made sure I obtained a copy upon release. Due to a ridiculous TBR however, I only just now managed to find the time to read, but I am pleased to say I enjoyed the experience.

The initial few pages gave me a bit of a Harry Potter vibe what with the setting essentially being a school for magic users, but the similarity stops there. In short order, The Shadow of What Was Lost becomes dark and tragic in a way Harry Potter is not, even at its darkest point. I suppose this is typical for the epic fantasy genre and if I really think about it, it fits right in with the Hero’s Journey. The tragedy is the hero’s call to adventure, the event that makes it impossible for the hero to continue living their normal life. It pushes the hero out of the nest and forces them to plummet or fly.

Islington provides four primary characters from whose point of view we experience this story of discovery. I enjoyed the characters and could relate to all of them to some degree, but I find Davian the most interesting. He is the fish out of water. The journey he undertakes is arduous and his growth throughout the novel is substantial. It is exactly the kind of development that makes the Hero’s Journey such a cultural constant century after century. My only gripe might be that the way Davian obtains his abilities seemed a little too easy, but the author did provide an explanation so while I might not entirely care for it, at least it saves Davian from the dreaded, worn out Mary Sue label.

The world Islington has built is thoughtful and interesting. People like Davian’s friends Wirr and Asha are known as Gifted, able to channel an energy source known as Essence to various effect, like healing injury or conjuring bolts of destructive force. Because of their frightful power, the Gifted are mistrusted and persecuted by those without the Gift. A rebellion against the Gifted decades ago resulted in their power being severely limited and their activities being closely monitored by Administration, an organization that takes Gestapo-like pleasure in carrying out their duties of hunting down and punishing Gifted who step out of line. Davian used to be able to channel Essence, but as his final exams loom, he finds he has lost his abilities and does not understand why. His Essence impotence motivates him to undertake his journey and abandon the only world he has ever known. I liked being on the road with Davian, imagining his surroundings, feeling his sorrows and his triumphs. He is a good person, but there are seeds planted here that suggest things may not stay that way during the next two books. I am excited to see where he ends up.

Islington does a great job of introducing immediate threats to challenge Davian and his companions while also teasing a greater antagonist to be confronted later. The journey ends with an exciting climax that reveals the answers to several of my questions, but introduces several more that will surely inspire me to read the second and third volumes of the trilogy.