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 Witcher: House of Glass

With Netflix’s new series The Witcher now available, I fully have the bug again. I am halfway through my viewing of season one and am enjoying the show. During the last ten years, The Witcher franchise has surged to prominence thanks in large part to Polish video game developer CD Projekt Red’s trilogy of games. Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels were relatively unknown in the United States before the first game was released in 2007. A year later, Orbit Books, the science fiction and fantasy imprint of Hachette Book Group, released The Last Wish, a mass market paperback short story collection originally published in Poland in 1993. A cult following developed in the United States following in the footsteps of the existing fandom in Europe and in recent years, has evolved into a popular fan base.

My own experience with The Witcher began some time around 2007-2008 when I was listening to an episode of, I believe, The PC Gamer Podcast. One of the hosts was describing the main character as something akin to a Jedi in a fantasy genre setting. I was strapped for cash at the time but I put the title in my memory banks for future reference. Since then, I have played and loved all three Witcher video games, racking up a total play time of two hundred and eighty eight hours between the three titles. They are really good, you guys. Really, really good. It is such a vibrant world with familiar fantasy themes and imagery but presented in its own way and with Eastern European mythological flavor. Original author Andrzej Sapkowski has written eight novels so if you want to root your experience firmly in the franchise’s original source material and eschew the expanded universe of games and graphic novels, you have plenty of stories to devour.

I have read The Last Wish and have a few of the novels sitting on my bookshelf, patiently awaiting my attention, but today, I read the first graphic novel featuring the Witcher, House of Glass. The graphic novels are not written by Andrzej Sapkowski, but are original stories by Paul Tobin. Produced by comic book publisher Dark Horse Comics in partnership with the game developer CD Projekt Red, they are collections of individual issues of the monthly comic book series that was introduced in 2014. The five issues collected in House of Glass tell the story of the Witcher, Geralt of Rivia meeting a hunter at his riverside campsite. Over a meager meal of scrawny fish and some wine more elegant than the scene required, the hunter tells Geralt the sad tale of the premature demise of his beautiful wife Marta who was taken by bruxae (powerful vampires in Witcher lore) and converted into one of their own. The hunter points to a nearby hill atop which stands a lone silhouette, gown and long hair waving in the breeze. “That’s her, watching us from up the hill,” the hunter says. Though the hunter says Marta is now a bruxa, she does not harm him. She just watches. The next morning, Geralt and the hunter decide to travel together. Safety in numbers and all that. Their journey draws them to a creepy house deep in a dark forest. The hunter sees his deceased wife standing silent on the balcony, watching. Then she is gone. The rest of the story follows Geralt and the hunter as they explore the house, the contents of which are much more than they expected.

This is a spooky story well-suited to the Witcher universe. Being the comic book introduction of the character, writer Paul Tobin inserts explanations of the Witcher’s special powers into the story via dialogue between Geralt and his companion. This allows Tobin to educate readers new to the Witcher universe while crafting an exciting story for veteran fans. Artist Joe Querio’s work is just right for the setting with lots of good shadow work and great facial expressions.

If you are curious about the world of the Witcher and do not have the dozens of hours to spend playing the video games as I have, do not have a subscription to Netflix to watch the new Henry Cavill-led series, and do not have time to read one of the eight novels, this graphic novel will be a great hour-long-ish introduction to the world, the lore, and the character. Having experienced so much of the world as I have, I can tell you that the magic and mystery on display in this graphic novel are just a hint of the expansive, creative, and engaging thrills at the heart of the Witcher’s world, so if you like what you see here, I suspect you will enjoy the other products in the franchise. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to press play on the next episode of the Netflix series while also playing the third video game while also listening to the Audible version of book two and sipping some Temerian Ale. GIVE ME MORE WITCHER!

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.

Elantris and the Tsundoku Condition

I first heard Brandon Sanderson’s name when he was hired to complete Robert Jordan’s mammoth The Wheel of Time fantasy series after Mr. Jordan passed away in 2007 — gee, has it been 11 years already? The Wheel of Time was a favorite series of a few friends of mine, but I never tackled it and so I missed my first potential exposure to Sanderson’s talent. I then started seeing Sanderson’s name mentioned in discussion forums like Shelfari and Goodreads and hearing about him on bookcentric podcasts like Sword & Laser. Then some commentators I trust began shouting his name from the mountaintops after Sanderson’s The Way of Kings was released. I started doing something weird. I bought The Way of Kings, the first book of a series called The Stormlight Archive, but I was not able to read it yet. Then book two of The Stormlight Archive, Words of Radiance — what a beautiful title — was released and I bought that, still having not read The Way of Kings. Then the third title, Oathbreaker, hit store shelves and I exchanged my paycheck for it. Here is the truly bizarre aspect of this entire situation: I still have not read any of them. Is it not madness to buy the second and third volumes of a series when one has not yet read the first? There is a Japanese term for this practice of continuing to buy books but not reading them: 積ん読 or tsundoku. Here is an applicable quote attributed to American author Alfred Edward Newton:

Even when reading is impossible, the presence of books acquired produces such an ecstasy that the buying of more books than one can read is nothing less than the soul reaching towards infinity … we cherish books even if unread, their mere presence exudes comfort, their ready access reassurance.

Right? If you are reading this, you are probably an avid reader like me and nodded in agreement while reading that quote. Welcome, brethren. So here I was with this condition I now know is called tsundoku and a heap of unread Brandon Sanderson novels. Three beautiful hardcover volumes comprised of three thousand three hundred forty two pages. It is intimidating. Then a colleague gave me a copy of Elantris, Brandon Sanderson’s debut novel. Unlike much of Sanderson’s later work, Elantris is a single story encased in a single volume. Being the man’s debut novel, I decided this was the best place to begin exploring his work and so on a warm, midsummer night, I entered the gates of Elantris. Holy cow, smoke, and Toledo, y’all. I enjoyed this story so much!

When the beloved Prince Raoden of Arelon wakes up one morning to discover he has been afflicted with a magical disease, his father the king secretly exiles him to the nearby walled city of Elantris. Once a majestic and beautiful city inhabited by people with godlike powers, Elantris is now a festering prison populated by the rotting unfortunates slung low by the disease known as the Shaod. Raoden must now fight the debilitating effects of his disease as he attempts to investigate the cause of the fall of Elantris with the hope of restoring the city to its former glory and healing himself and the hundreds of others with his condition. The Shaod brings madness quickly though so Raoden has little time before he is lost forever. Outside the walls, Teoish princess Sarene arrives in the kingdom to discover the man she was to marry has mysteriously died. She suspects foul play and conspiracy and begins an investigation to discover what really happened to her betrothed. As she works, she allies herself with a group of nobles with designs to overthrow the corrupt king of Arelon and becomes embroiled in a dangerous political coup just as the external forces of neighboring Fjordell threaten to assault Arelon. High Priest Hrathen of Fjordell has seen what war does to a kingdom his nation means to subjugate and so has just ninety days to peacefully convert the people of Arelon to his nation’s religion before the powerful armies of Fjordell arrive to bring destruction and death to the unfaithful.

All three primary characters are so enjoyable that I found myself conflicted when a chapter switched perspective from one character to another. I wanted to remain with each of them and continue exploring their story and their world, but I was also excited to learn more about the other two characters. This inspired me to read deeply and quickly as I thirsted for more information about each character. Even Hrathen, who is supposed to be the villain, is so deserving of empathy that I found myself struggling to hate him even as he executed his plans to bring about the conquest of the kingdom of Arelon. Prince Raoden is exactly the kind of leader I wish to be: decisive, intelligent, earnest, clever, empathetic. I loved his chapters and rooted so strongly for him. Sarene is a wonderful character, a strong female protagonist in a patriarchal society, fighting for truth and for civil rights in a kingdom foreign to her.

If you enjoy fantasy novels that are not just all about sword fights, stories that include intrigue and clever magic systems, read Elantris. If you have not read a Brandon Sanderson novel yet, this one will make you a fan and is an excellent example of his talent as a storyteller. I have a lot of Sanderson still on my shelf and the tsundoku still rages, but reading Elantris is a positive first step toward controlling it. One page at a time.

The Companions

Twice in my life, I have had the honor of performing the role of Dungeon Master for my circle of gaming friends and both times I have used the Forgotten Realms campaign setting designed by Ed Greenwood. It is a rich, fully realized world that allows me to concentrate on the collaborative interactive story my friends and I are creating and not worry so much about building the world itself. I have infinite respect for those who can create their own world, e.g. Matthew Mercer of the Geek & Sundry show Critical Role, but it is not for me. To help me fill my knowledge of the world I am using for my games, I read a lot of novels set in the Forgotten Realms and there are a ton of titles from which to choose. All of the books bearing the Forgotten Realms name are canon and while many fans read them for the pure joy of it, I also read them as source material.

One of the most voluminous series available --we are talking 30+ titles as of this writing-- is R.A. Salvatore's epic saga of the drow with a heart, Drizzt Do'Urden. It is a series I never picked up because by the time I discovered Salvatore, the mountain of titles available in the series was so intimidating that I had no chance of succeeding a Will saving throw. In 2013, Wizards of the Coast, the parent company of the Dungeons & Dragons product line, released the first book of a new series that would set up the next evolution of their Forgotten Realms setting, a world-shattering event called The Sundering. To explain this event, six authors were commissioned to write six novels, each one telling the story of one of the six stanzas of The Prophecy. Salvatore lead off with The Companions and I was concerned because I had not read any of his previous novels and I knew that the titular companions were those of Salvatore's Drizzt. I worried that the history of the characters across the dozens of preceding books would make The Companions difficult to follow or relate to.

I am pleased to say my concerns were alleviated. While there are several references to the events of other novels in the Drizzt series, Salvatore does a fine job of providing enough context that I, as a new reader of his work, did not feel lost. I would even go so far as to say the references piqued my interest enough to want to seek out those older stories. As the novel opens, the companions are dead and in the Forgotten Realms's version of Purgatory. They have the opportunity to choose to pass through to the Paradise of their chosen deity or return to the mortal world in infant bodies. Those who chose to inhabit mortal bodies again make a pact to meet at a location called Kelvin's Cairn on the night of spring equinox of their twenty-first year. They each experience rebirth, becoming infants born to unfamiliar parents, but with all of the knowledge and experience and memories from their previous lives. How many of us have wished we could live life again knowing what we know now? If only.

Each of the titular Companions relives life, battling through childhood and adolescence again, but with adult sensibilities and experience, en route to their preordained meeting. They inhabit the weak and ineffective bodies of children, not the strong adult bodies to which they are accustomed. They may have been granted a second chance, but they are still mortal. How many of them will survive their first twenty-one years again with the forces of evil still to content with? I thoroughly enjoyed finding out. The story is exciting, the characters are interesting, and I had a great time following them on their respective journeys, fantasizing about how I might handle the opportunity to relive life with my current mind and memory fully intact. Throughout the novel, I found myself caring deeply for each of the characters, cheering for them to succeed and fearing their failure.

Fans of Salvatore's series will not be disappointed in The Companions unless they only like Drizzt (he makes a cameo appearance but is absent for most of the story) and for readers new to his work, this is a great place to start. I may jump back to the inaugural Drizzt novel and experience the entire saga from the beginning. It will be a steep mountain to climb, but having experienced The Companions, at least I can be quite certain I will enjoy the hike. But first, there are five more novels in The Sundering series, each of which sits on the bookshelf above my writing desk, daring me to take the next step.