Recap Review: The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

Some authors write doorstoppers. The first book of the Stormlight Archive would stop a barn door - in my e-reader, it's just over 1,000 pages, albeit including a brief excerpt from book two.

Somehow it manages to use all of them. Most authors can't get away with writing this long. Sanderson, though, struggles to write short.

He creates a world that echoes, but is not based on, Medieval Europe...there absolutely are knights in shining armor and elegant ladies, but he manages to move it far enough away to be at least somewhat original.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the gender essentialism of this world, even though it doesn't seem to be supported by the author. The strict gender roles in Alethkar are, indeed, purely cultural, and taken to ridiculous extremes (women eat sweet food and men spicy. I wouldn't want to be denied a healthy dose of capsaicin because I have boobs, just saying). But the story also, at least in book one, leaves little space for anything else. And the other cultures we see tantalizing hints of also seem to be somewhat tied to the gender binary.

It's a big problem, but it doesn't impact the story...and there are strong hints the men may only think they're the ones in charge.

This book is sweeping, violent (it dips into full blown military fantasy in places), and very much classic western epic fantasy. If you haven't read it already and that's your jam, check it out.

Moving on to book two.

Which is even longer, so help me.

Review: Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson

Really, this book is about good decisions. About right action. About hard choices. Honor is, of course, all about hard choices.

Sometimes there simply is no good choice. But this book is also about old things coming back. Are there any new things in this world?

Well, maybe the new storm. Which is going the wrong way...against the rotation of the planet. (Or is it a moon? The Weeping makes me think of something...)

It's too late to save the world. Or...is it?

Can even mythical knights turn back the apocalypse? And can anyone save the Parshendi? I really hope somebody can save the Parshendi...

As long as this book is, there's not as much to say about it. A lot happens, and doesn't...it's not too long or filled out, but much of it is conflict not plot, if that makes any sense. Not to mention a nice heaping helping of worldbuilding on a world to which it should be obvious humans are not native.

"Extinction moves from us to you."

That's not ominous at all...

I received free copies of these books for award consideration.