Before starting this review I should mention that I picked
this book up right after finishing, A
Dance of Dragons, by Goerge R.R. Martin. My expectations were high; I was
ready for another in-depth, detailed novel full of great character development…
The Way of Kings, is a fantasy novel written by Brandon Sanderson who is
best known for his Mistborn Series and as the concluding author of Robert
Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series. I have read neither series, nor do I care to
after reading this book. Sanderson’s novel simply failed to produce. For
reasons unknown he wrote this fantasy for a teenage reading audience (perhaps
his other well-known series are as well). Because of this, the novel was
lacking in more ways than one: swearing was nonexistent; kissing, at most, in
any romantic scene; descriptions of death were harnessed in for the younger
crowd; and character development was seriously lacking. I was thoroughly
disappointed at how childish the characters were portrayed, and to be quite
frank, they were predictable. Topping it all off, Sanderson relied on magic to
keep the momentum of the story moving forward. This problem occurs all too
often in fantasy, which leads to downright predictable situations that could
otherwise be avoided, and that is precisely the case with this book.
That is not to say all is bad. The story takes place in a
world known as Roshar with the bulk of action occurring in the shattered
plains, a war-ridden, chasm-filled plateau battered by millennia of colossal
storm systems known as highstorms. Even though I found myself repeatedly
disappointed while reading, I couldn’t put the book down. The plot was somewhat
interesting and fluid, despite annoying interruptions at the end of each section
about past events. Sanderson was obviously building up background information
in order to explain a big connection later on. The massive war and mystery
behind the enemy, a mysterious black race, is enough to keep my interest for
another book or two, but that pretty much sums it up as far as redeeming
qualities go. Considering the series is rumored to be ten books, waiting for it
to end is not likely.
There was one last thing that stood out in this book. A black race named the Parshendi is represented as a dumb race that
was conquered and turned into slaves during a massive rebellion in the story’s
history. Of course this is a fiction novel so anything goes, but it seems
Sanderson is implying something here that makes me question his underlying
principles. I would love to read the author who wrote about the enslavement of
whites. You know that story has been written.
B.-
B.-
