Sci-fi and Fantasy Reads discussion

Hey all group members... I am going to start reading this book in about a week, and if you want to read it with me as part of the group then try your best to pick up a copy this week.

Well, I was going to wait a few years before I read this one.
I read somewhere that this is the first book in a projected ten book series!.
But since I already own the thing and I've always liked Sanderson you've twisted my arm! I'll start it next.

Awesome! I'll probably start it sometime later in the week.

That's about when I'll be ready to start it as well.

I am now starting the book. Have you started it yet?

Yep, I've started it.
I've never done a group read before so I'll follow your lead on this one.

This is my first group read also so I'm not exactly sure what to do

Where are you at in the book? And do you like it so far?

Can't give an exact page number as I'm listening to this on audio. If you go by the 1200 page estimate of the paperback version then I reckon I am at about page 350.

I liked the opening segments about the heralds and the assassin, thought they got the book off to a suitably epic start.
I'm glad the boy from the third segment was only a red shirt, Doubt I would have liked him much.

At this stage I thought the book was like a cross between Mistborn and Gardens of the Moon.

My initial thoughts on the main characters:
Khaladan: my favorite character and the soul of the story.
Shallan: I like her OK. I'm sure as she gets more chapters I'll like her even more.
Dalinar: Warrior and man of honor, what's not to like.

The shard blades and Armour are pretty cool and I can't wait to find out more about how the magic works. There is plenty of hints so far that there will be some major evil to battle at some point in the future.


I thought Way of Kings would be a great book and so far it's exceeding my expectations.

What do you make of it so far?.

I'm only on page 100 of the paperback book and it's very good so far. I'm going to try and catch up to you today and see if it gets better.

It's still getting into the book so I'm just starting to get to know the characters but so far Khaladan is probably my favourite and I'm not sure who Dalinar is yet.

Also on another topic, I was just wondering, but is Sanderson's book Elantris worth reading?

Elantris was the first Sanderson book I read, way back in 2006. I sure the book was an import from the USA and not readily available here at the time.

I loved it when I first read it and it held up pretty well when I re-read it last summer.

I prefer Elantris to the Misborn trilogy, but I can see why people would not. Raoden, the main character, is the traditional fantasy good guy. There is no shades of grey where he is concerned, he does what he believes is right and the other characters can always depend on him.

I thought the plot of Elantris was great as well. The magic of Elantris failing and turning from a blessing to a curse. Those that were once Demigods now stuffed out of sight in a cursed city. Raoden is a great lead character and I found the supporting cast to be interesting as well.

Some people find Elantris a little slow, but it's no slower than Way of Kings!.

Should you read it?, Hell yes!.


As for why I'm a little further into Way of Kings than expected?. It's not because I read super fast, it's because I started reading it at the start of the week. I got through my last book a bit quicker than I anticipated.

Ok I'll defiantly read Elantris next then! Thanks!

Where are you at now in The Way of Kings? I'm almost at page 300.

I'm at about page 550.
What do you think so far?.
Who do you like?, Who don't you like?, What do you make of the magic system?.

I'm at page 300, and I really like the magic system. So far I really like the book!

My favourite character would probably be Kaladin, but that might just be because he has been in the book the most so far.

A weird part of the book was the Interludes where new characters were introduced, but I think it will make more sense as I read farther in the book.

Dalinar and his son Adolin are likable characters, and the Alenti king Elhokar is alright but not as likable. I don't really like Sadeas, but I think the author wants to make you feel that.

So far the plot is very interesting, and I am really enjoying the book.

Geniusbookreviews wrote: "A weird part of the book was the Interludes where new characters were introduced, but I think it will make more sense as I read farther in the book."

Mmmm.. These interludes just keep getting stranger, but I'm sure Szeth will be a major character as the series progresses.

Syl, Adolin, and Rock are my favorite of the secondary characters. I wonder as the series continues if some of these seconderies will become main POV characters.
That happened to great effect in Jordan's WOT series and Martin's ASoIaF series.

I'm loving this so far, its a pity all ten of the Stormlight Archive books are not published right now!.

This is unrelated to The Way of Kings, but have you read Sanderson's fourth Mistborn book the Alloy of Law?

No, I have not read The Alloy of Law yet.
I have always been hesitant of this book, it's set so far in the future of the original Mistborn series it's really more like a western.

Okay, I'm not sure if I will read it or not. I like the magic system in Mistborn though.

I'll still read The Alloy of Law, I've never read a bad Sanderson book yet. It just will not be at the top of my to-read list.

Where are you in The Way of Kings now?

I'm just starting part four, which I guess is past page 800.

Khaladan is still my favorite character but at this stage of the book even the Shallan chapters are exiting stuff.
I do not want to spoil to much by commenting on specific events. Where are you at? and what do you think of what's happened so far?.

I'm at page 500 and so far it is really interesting. Right now most of the chapters are about Dalinar and it's very exciting to see what happens.

I'm going to try to catch up tomorrow but I'm a slow reader so I might not make it that far.

I'm finished now. Easily one of my favorite books of all time.

How are you enjoying it so far Matt?.

It's amazing so far! I'm far behind you though and just reached page 700.

Now I am at page 1000. I hope to finish within the next two days.

I'm done!! I loved this book! It was one of the best I have ever read. How did you like the ending of the book?

I have now finished Way of Kings. It's not an exaggeration to say this is one of my favorite books of all time.
I have enjoyed previous Brandon Sanderson books such as the Mistborn trilogy, and Elantris, but I believe Way of Kings to be on a level above them in terms of writing, character development, and world building.

I enjoyed all three of the major characters, Khaladan, Dalinar, and Shallan, and their respective storylines.

Khaladan was my favorite character in the story. I loved his storyline with the bridgerunners, how he battled against his own despair to them hope. It probably helped that Khaladans story was backed by a number of fascinating secondary characters such as Syl, Rock,and Teft. And that the magic Khaladan himself developed as the book progressed was interesting.

Dalinar was my second favorite character. A powerful warrior and a man who follows a strict code of honor. I found his struggles with the Ilethi lords to be some of the most interesting chapters of the book. Adolyn, Renaran, Alocar, and Sadeass were also great characters for different reasons. Dalinar's visions during the high storm were a great sources of information about the Voidbringers and the radients, and finished on a real shocker!.

Shallan was the least interesting of the main characters. A quick witted scholar who did a least become more interesting as her own magic developed. For some reason I never liked Yasna or the Ardent she spent most of her time with. I did love the guy who escorted her from the ship and took her book shopping, hope we see more of him in future books.

Liked the interludes as well and thought they provided us with some great characters. The best two being Zseth, the self-loathing assassin, and Hoid/Wit, who was humorous, intelligent and seemingly going to be a major player in the series.

Sanderson built a large and complex world with an interesting magic system and a number of different distinct cultures. Sanderson also done a great job in throwing in some real shockers. Saddeas's betrayal of Dalinar, the revelation during Dalinar's final vision, the truth about the Parshendi, and the identity of the individual who owns Zseth's oathstone.

I really hate that we have to wait for the next book to be published!

I listened to this in audio so might have spelled a few names wrong?.

I agree with you on every point you just said. This defiantly is better then Sanderson's other books and the world he created was outstanding.

I loved the magic system though it got somewhat confusing at times.

I can't wait until the next book is out!