“I must know something true about you. Tell me. The stronger the truth, the more hidden it is, the more powerful the bond. Tell me. Tell me. What are you?”
“Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination. Speak again the ancient oaths and return to men the Shards they once bore…The Knights Radiant must stand again.”
And so an epic journey comes to an end. When The Way of Kings was released and I saw how beautiful the book was, with its Michael Whelan cover and its interior illustrations, I still scoffed. The book was enormous, it was book one of an ongoing series, and there was no way that I would be reading it.
Never say never…
If all my friends jumped off a bridge, would I do it? Possibly so. I am certainly glad I took this leap of faith.
The Way of Kings is a marvelous achievement, worthy of whatever string of pretty words critics and fans alike might choose to laud upon it. The book is at once simple and infinitesimally complex. Brandon Sanderson juggles a manageable set of characters and plots and weaves them together so subtly that you don’t realize you are being ensnared in an elaborate web of masterful storytelling until it is too late–you are caught.
This post marks the final portion of The Way of Kings group read. Part 5 is a slight section but so full of substance. Suey handled this week’s questions.
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 5 times (now):
Henceforth there be SPOILERS
1. It seems like every main character had a little wrap up chapter in this section, with each section ending on a bit of a cliff hanger. What do you think? Do you appreciate these cliff hangers or do they make you crazy? Did you predict some of them, or have no idea they were coming? Did one of them stand out as most surprising?
I couldn’t help but have the extended edition film version of The Return of the King come to mind as I read Part 5 with its multiple closings focusing on the various characters who had an important part to play throughout this novel. And like The Return of the King, I highly enjoyed it. The ending of Part 4 was so emotionally satisfying and climactic that this felt like a chance to peek in one last time on each of these characters before we parted ways for a few years. Thank you Brandon Sanderson for giving us this last, for the moment, glimpse.
But despite Part 5 being a winding down, of sorts, these 50 or so pages packed in a startling amount of information. I didn’t feel like every story ended with what might traditionally be thought of as a “cliff hanger”. Sure, in some way they all do as we know there are nine more books to go. But I felt like some of the endings were such that I felt satisfied with being able to step away for awhile.
The biggest shocker of all was of course the identity of Szeth’s newest master and the true nature of what this master was doing. The fact that we finally found out the origin of some of the opening chapter quotes was possibly more unsettling than if we had been left in the dark. I assure you I felt the full dramatic weight of that scene as I read it.
I was happy to see that my spoken wishes for a continued pairing of Shallan and Jasnah is to be and I was surprised to learn more about who the Voidbringers might actually be. Being two weeks removed from actually finishing the book and just typing these words now I see that Sanderson was certainly not winding the story down at all with this last Part but was actually still ratcheting things up to just the right fever pitch to make the reader anxious for Book Two.
2. Did the book leave you with an overall satisfied feeling, or are you left with too many unanswered questions? If so, what are some of the questions bothering you the most?
I did not expect to have so many questions answered so thoroughly in this first book. I was very impressed by that. Of course every answered question leads to more questions but I appreciate that level of complexity. Sanderson manages to satisfy curiosity while assuring the reader that there is more where that came from. Even with those characters, like Wit, who we had very little exposure to, I am satisfied by how and where Sanderson left them. I actually feel extremely contented with this book. If I never read another one it would not diminish my feelings about this story. I feel like Brandon Sanderson managed to walk a fine line between almost telling a stand alone story while at the same time leaving enough unsolved mysteries for you to want to go on reading. He left me anxious for the last one but not aching for it, if that makes any sense. I find that brilliant.
I don’t know of many questions that bother me. I feel satisfied and yet have a sharp curiosity about what is to come. The one thing I think that does still bother me is something I’ve mentioned in previous conversations, and that is the origin behind Szeth’s commitment to assassinate people despite his obvious distaste at doing so. I trust Brandon Sanderson to reveal more about this in the future and to make it make sense. But for now Szeth remains a character whose devotion is inexplicable and ever so slightly annoying.
3. What did you think of the book ending with a Wit chapter? Did you understand what he was trying to say? What does this chapter mean in relation to the rest of the series?
I think it was Logan who pointed out that Wit, known by another name, is a character who has appeared in other Sanderson novels and I find that an interesting enough idea that I would want to read his other books just to learn more about that, let alone just to spend some more time reading this author’s work. I thought it was great to end with an enigmatic Wit chapter. It let us know that despite a few satisfying conclusions to current events that there remains bad things to come for our beloved characters, be they good, bad or somewhere in between.
That final scene, with Wit’s cryptic closing words, was something I could see in my mind’s eye as if I were watching the end of a film. Loved it.
4. If someone asked you what this book is about… how would you answer them? In just two or three sentences!
Two or three sentences?!?! To summarize a thousand page novel?!?! Oh, Suey, you have such faith in us.
Let’s see:
The Way of Kings is a story about the awakening of a people and their reunification with the origins of their culture and beliefs. It is a tightly-woven opening chapter of an epic story exploring loyalty and betrayal and the cost of true heroism set against the backdrop of a richly realized world that is both familiar and at the same time unlike our own world. The Way of Kings is a story of the bonds of family and how those bonds form, not merely from shared genetics but from shared suffering and pain and hard-won triumph.
There you go, three sentences. Three sentences that don’t even come close to doing Sanderson’s story any justice. I feel so inadequate. I guess if someone asked me what this book was about my safest answer might be to revert to my natural sarcasm and respond, “It is about the only thing you should be reading right now!”.
5. And finally (even though I suspect I know everyone’s answer) will you be reading the rest of this series? Will you be there the day it comes out? Or just whenever? Will you be recommending this to others?
I will be picking this up at the soonest possible moment of its release. And I am declaring right now that, barring this form of gathering ceasing to exist, we will be doing a group read of the next book and I am asking you all now to make a concerted effort to come back and join in, and bring friends with you. It would be amazing to continue to share this experience with all of you.
It is without hyperbole that I declare that The Way of Kings exploded any expectations I had for it. I never once felt like I was reading a thousand page novel. There were no periods where the story dragged, no moments where I felt that Sanderson had lost control of any element of the story, and there were no moments when I wasn’t dying to read just a few more pages. I am so happy that this group read happened. With the benefit of having read The Way of Kings I cannot imagine how disappointing it would have been had I continued in my prejudice against long, multi-volume series and not picked up this book.
It comes highly recommended and the pleasure I have had discussing this book with all of you cannot be adequately expressed, especially not in two or three sentences! I want to thank each of you for your impassioned discussions on the various websites of those participating and want to encourage group participants and non-group participants to please visit the host page for this experience and follow the links to the various sites.
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By way of a complete, spoiler-filled review, here are the other four parts of this 5 week discussion on The Way of Kings.
I would love to come back and read the next book as a group. That would be a lot of fun. 🙂 I am two weeks behind on my questions, but I do plan to have them up today. I am very happy that I managed to finish the book because I don’t have the greatest track record in the world with large books. I was so proud of myself I started Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.
I don’t either, Kailana, not at all. And Jonathan Strange is a great example of a book I didn’t have a good track record with despite really enjoying it. Need to get back to it.
Look forward to your responses to the last two weeks of questions.
Which “ending” in the final section did you enjoy most?
I am going to type up my post and then I will be back to answer your question and discuss. I just need to get my head around everything. 🙂
Okay, I am back!
I don’t know if I have a favourite. There was so much wrapped up in the last section… And then there was so much unexplored or set-up for the next book. It is hard to pick. I was like glued to the page for this section. There was so much playing out and I wanted to hear about all of it. I enjoyed how things played out for Kaladin. He is a VERY interesting character. I am glad that things are moving in a different direction for him. I am just fascinated by so many ideas. What Kaladin represents, the research about the Voidbringers, why their enemies act the way that they act… It’s all very exciting!
It is very exciting. I hope Kaladin and his men get a break from their travails for awhile. I don’t want to leave their story, but I would like to see things improve for them for awhile. It would be almost too tragic if things turned south too quickly. With nine books to go there is no doubt that Kaladin has trouble ahead, but it would be nice to see him continue to succeed for awhile.
Yes, I am hoping he will continue to succeed. I am excited that you say the next book will be Shallan. For her bookish connections, I think that will be the perfect book for me! I think going back and seeing her past will be interesting. Plus, other than a brief glimpse in one of the interludes we never really saw her brothers, so I am curious to see them developed as characters.
I never did get any service on my book being damaged. I might just buy a hardcover copy because it bothers me that I don’t really have a physical copy on my shelves. I wound up reading it on my e-reader… And, I am glad I got an e-copy! I wouldn’t have wound up reading it otherwise.
That is what Sanderson said in that interview. And now that I am expecting it I hope he doesn’t change his mind. Shallan got very interesting there by the end and now I’m wanting her back story.
I’m thrilled that you read it with us. I know I’m glad I bought a hard cover. It is just too good and I’d be unhappy now if I didn’t have the big ol’ thing to put on my shelf.
I agree about Shallan. At first I didn’t think she was that interesting compared to Kaladin, but as the book progressed I kept wanting to see more of her.
I liked her right away because of her artistic talents, but it did take awhile for her story to get as deeply engrossing as Kaladin’s did.
I really enjoyed her!
I know. I wish I had bought a hardcover book in the first place…
I’m a bit behind this week too… I finished the book, I just need to type up my final post. I’m really curious about the Parshendi/Voidbringer connection.
Look forward to reading your answers Grace.
I’m sold, but it’s the wait between books… Darn!
I know Richard. I’ve decided to try to come to terms with it. Honestly I think it will be worse once the second book is out and I’m done with it. One positive is that I don’t think I’ll need a Who’s Who list to remember the characters once the second book comes out.
Agreed. Reading this entire series as a group would be pretty cool.
I’m with you. I think the wait after the second book will be harder than this one. Way of Kings was great for getting the ball rolling, but as the series picks up steam, I expect it to be nigh impossible to wait between books.
I’ll echo my previous sentiments: I hope you read more Sanderson and see how you think the cosmere all fits together.
I think so too Logan. I think ahead and imagine how cool it would be to be discussing that final book as a group, looking back over this journey that we have all been on.
As per the wait, I am also wondering if each book after this one will feel as complete as this one does (although “complete” isn’t the right word) or if they will feel even more like the next chapter in a larger story. If that is the case it will increase that longing for the next book to arrive.
I definitely will. I was already interested in Mistborn because Jeff had read the first book and really thought I would enjoy it and I had another friend who (oddly) read the second book in the trilogy first and also was very impressed with it.
I’m not sure if I’ll have time to write up a post for this week, but really I could just say “ditto” to all that you have written. It ended with just the perfect combination of surprising revelations, questions answered, and mysteries unresolved. I will buy the hardcover of the next one as soon as it is released which is a rarity for me. I’ll admit I’m a little stressed though–will he be able to continue such great writing and storytelling for nine more books? I can’t wait to find out. And we’ve placed so much deserved attention on the cover art that I’m also anxious to see what the next cover will be like.
Based on the praise I have heard about his other books I am not so worried about his ability to continue to write at a high level. The only concern I might have about that is that if it takes him too long to finish this series there is always that risk that he will slow down as he gets older.
Personally I would love to see Tor commit to Michael Whelan, and vice versa, for the entire series. I prefer book series to be aesthetically similar and would love to see that kind of continuity.
First off let me say I LOVED this book and enjoyed the group read more than I would have imagined. I for one would also like to return for another group when book 2 comes out one day. Thanks go out our wonderful hosts and question providers.
1. I for one enjoyed the ending where Sanderson let us visit with the main characters one more time. We were able to see exactly were they were now and he dropped major hints on where their stories were going in future books.
I was shocked by the reveal on where the quotes were coming from as well as pissed when the old king told Szeth his next mission was to kill Dalinar. I grew to love Dalinar over this book and now I find out we are going from one person trying to kill Dalinar to an even deadlier enemy. Sigh… not good.
I also really liked that Jasnah and Shallan made some peace. I think they grew together to become an interesting duo and I wanted to see more of them together and that looks to be the case. Their idea on wear the voidbringers were hiding was quite shocking to me.
Kaladin’s future fit his character and made me want to follow Bridge Four into another book.
Lastly Wit’s chapter made me go back and read the prologue again. His was the the real hook that demanded that my brain remembers to book 2 the minute it hits the shelves in the next year or so.
By the way Carl your comparison to the multiple endings of the LOTR: ROTK movie was dead on.
2. I was completely satisfied. I thought Sanderson did the impossible in that he made a book that stands perfectly well on its own yet gives you enough that if you want more their is a lot of questions left unanswered as well for those who want to return to Roshar.
3. I enjoyed Wit’s chapter as it gave you the final statement in letting the audience know we haven’t read anything yet. That the old guard was returning. It was a cool ending which caused me to go back and read the prologue again. Usually prologues are pointless but this made a difference and I appreciated that.
4. Ummm… I can’t do it. Maybe girl and boy face huge obstacles in effort to help themselves and their world.
5. Oh yes!!! I will be picking this book up on day one just like I did this volume. I even used my receipt for a book mark. I also hope they have Whelan locked up to paint covers for the entire series.
Thanks again to everyone who participated in the group read. It was very motivating for me which helped a bunch.
Thanks,
Jeff
As we’ve both said to each other, I’m amazed that we got through this and did so in the time allotted. A great pleasure to read this with you as well as the rest of the online gang.
Wit was great. Very cool to have a character who has precious little “screen time” have such an interesting and meaningful impact on the story. I keep meaning to go back and read the prologue. Maybe over lunch today. I’m sure it will have much more meaning now that I’ve read the book.
I was shocked about Dalinar and Szeth as well, shocked but not dismayed. Something has to impact Szeth’s storyline to make him change direction (in my opinion) or he will grow into a very one-note villain. I’m already losing sympathy for him and as he is a potentially interesting character I don’t want to do so. Perhaps having him and Dalinar meet will make for an interesting twist to his story. And I’m still not expecting him to kill Dalinar. The only way I could see that happening and not pissing me off is if, when the two of them meet, there is some greater purpose to Dalinar being willing to sacrifice himself.
Then again, I’m not the writer. Maybe Sanderson will have Szeth kill Dalinar so that Adolin and Renarin’s role in the story grows. I hope not. Dalinar is rivaling Kaladin as my favorite character right now.
I’m looking forward to more with the Bridge Four crew as well, especially now that they’ve moved up in the world.
I’m looking forward to the day when we can walk in the bookstore on release day and snag a copy. We’ll certainly have done some group read planning before that time so that we are all set with our schedule and ready to go.
“Maybe girl and boy face huge obstacles in effort to help themselves and their world.” Best summary I’ve read. 😉
It will be cool to see Jasnah & Shallan working together, especially once they get to the Shattered Plains. And if they arrive about the same time Szeth gets there…
Oh, a thought… What if Dalinar thinks that Szeth is there to assassinate the king and he doesn’t realize the Assassin in White is there for him? And if Kaladin goes all glowy while Szeth’s around, maybe the Truthless will snap out of his stupor?
Reading through everyone’s thoughts just makes me want the book more so than I did.
I know, Logan. I’m the same way. I think I’m fine with the wait and then we all start chatting and speculating and I find myself wishing we were reading the first section of Book Two and getting ready to answer questions on it next Monday! Ah, the wait…
I liked seeing a group of characters come together the way they did at the end of Part Four, and it would be fun to see more of these characters converge on the same place the way you speculate.
Hi Carl. I know I’m late to the party. My apologies! Oh man, those last 50 pages were packed full of stuff. And finding out about the quotes, that was disturbing. I was also happy that Jasnah and Shallan were able to continue working together. I’m really curious to learn more about what they will find. I think he has some good surprises in store for us.
I really liked the way he ended it. And I loved the Wit section. How does he keep the story going in such a well planned way.
Ha ha…I can’t believe Suey tried to limit you to two to three sentences. Nicely done!
As of now, I am in for the next group read on this one. Hopefully I won’t be in the middle of a move (I never want to move again, but I say this every time).
Jasnah and Shallan were way too good together to think that they would end up separated so soon into the series. I’m glad they resolved that question before the book ended. I’m curious about a lot of things with Shallan, not the least of which is what happens with her family now.
I’m in awe of Sanderson’s meticulous planning, which can be seen throughout this volume.
I won’t let you *not* be in the next group read! Even if we are exchanging thoughts via carrier pigeon, you will be a part of it, LOL!
Yeah, what was that last part about Shallan and her father. That was out of the blue. Maybe Yalb will make an appearance in the next volume.
And I didn’t think that the king was so creepy. That was an awesome twist! I wanted Szeth to kill him on the spot. Not too nice of me, but what the?
I don’t know how he keeps all the characters straight. He has so many. Even the bridge crew are all individuals.
Carrier pigeon…now that could be fun!
I bought the Butcher book! Also, I had the Da Vinci Code on my Ipod so I listened to half of it and I should be able to finish it. I will be able to post at least two books for RIP and one group read. Not too shabby!
I suspected all along that she killed her father. The way she talked about him made me think she was either abused somehow or that he was just a very bad man and so that part didn’t surprise me as much. I look forward to learning more about that. I wonder if we will get Kaladin-like flashbacks of her life in the next book since she is supposed to have the major story thread, like Kaladin did in this one.
That was a great twist with the king. Didn’t see that coming at all. And he is so cold-blooded about it, or so casual.
The few similar books that I’ve read, including A Game of Thrones, actually seem to have many many more characters (but perhaps that is just my imagination) and so I’ve felt that Way of Kings was pretty manageable by comparison. I still don’t see how he keeps all the story lines straight though and weaves them together so well. He is a craftsman.
Glad you got the Butcher book. I’ve read a bit of it and it is fun. Light reading in comparison to this, but should still be a lot of fun to group read and discuss. That reading starts Monday.
Not too shabby at all.
I had a feeling that her dad wasn’t the best father in the world, but I didn’t suspect that she took him out. Shallan flashbacks would be pretty cool.
The king is so evil. Oh man I read that and I was like wait a minute. Is this really happening?
I’ll have to give Game of Thrones a chance. A lot of people talk about it. But if it has more characters it might be rough for me. My memory isn’t as good as yours. I am amazed how well he weaves things together. It is flawless.
I have a long flight and wait time at the airport on Tuesday night. So I am hoping to get through a lot of the Butcher book. I have a really hard time sleeping on planes. I envy those who can.
I generally don’t figure things out in books, but I did have a hunch about this one.
I know what you mean, I did a double-take when the king started revealing the truth of what he was doing behind the scenes.
The Song of Ice and Fire series is certainly darker in the sense that the characters are more grey, less black and white (not that many of Sanderson’s characters were b&w either) and I believe there are more characters, but that first book was very well written and I just tore through it.
Hope you have a nice, uneventful flight. I don’t sleep on planes, generally. The longest flight I have taken was from Hawaii to St. Louis and I did sleep a little on that one. I prefer having the uninterrupted time to read, myself.
When he revealed the truth about the king I started to think that I missed a big clue. Maybe I did. But I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who was surprised.
St. Louis to Hawaii is a long flight. I loved Hawaii. I only spent time on Maui but it was a great trip.
I went once, to the big island, years ago. It was a very special trip. I could live on a beach and snorkel all day long if I had the means to. I just love the ocean and the life in it.
I think the king part worked really well because he was such an outside, seemingly non-important character. He was so nice to Shallan and Jasnah was obviously fond of him. Of course now I’m wondering if Jasnah knows what is going on. After all, her notebooks that Shallan read seemed to have some similar quotes in them. Ugh, I don’t like to think of that. Her “ends justify the means” approach to killing those bandits make me think she would be okay with what the king is doing if it serves what she sees as a greater purpose.
When people ask me what I want to be when I grow up, I say beach bum. I’m with you. I could live on a beach. Think of all the reading we can do. Or just sitting there and watching it.
I didn’t even think that Jasnah could be involved in obtaining the quotes. Or at least know about how they were obtained. Oh man. That would be something. I still don’t trust her completely. I like her drive, but when she killed those men…well I didn’t know what to think. I am not big on vigilante justice. No one should be judge, jury, and hangman.
I love spring and fall and even winter, but I could do with about 6 months of my year being a bum on some remote beach, snorkeling and diving and reading in the evenings. That followed by 6 months of spring, autumn and then brief snowy weather would be my idea of heaven.
I’m of course just thinking about the whole Jasnah thing. My first instinct is that she underestimates the king and doesn’t know, but what if she does? Not sure I would like that.
It is easy to get caught up in the rush of vigilante justice when you read or watch tv/movies, but the older I get the more I realize that maybe I shouldn’t be as entertained by someone getting vengeance. Or at least not in those instances when the whole thing is about vengeance at any cost.
Have you seen the film, The Next Three Days? I thought it had a really interesting take on the price that has to be paid when you take the law into your own hands.
I haven’t seen The Next Three Days. I’m guessing I’ll have to put it on my Carl list.
It certainly isn’t the greatest film in the world, but worth seeing if you like Russell Crowe, and certainly a film that does a good job with presenting the unglamorous side of making questionable and downright bad choices.