The Way of Kings

Author:  Brandon Sanderson

Begun: End of April 2025

Finished: Around May 20th 2025

Type: Audiobook on Libro.FM

Narrator: Michael Kramer, Kate Reading

Rating: 8/10

This is my third...or maybe fourth? readthrough.  

I have to say this read through had me picking up on things I didn't pick up on the first time around.  Things that irritated me.  

Sanderson is really good at creating worlds and interesting premises...and really not good at creating deeply satisfying conclusions.  I've noticed that in his books and it's really bloody annoying. 

Some of the visuals his prose created were so trite it had me rolling my eyes. 

But Kaladin's arc....oh I liked that very very much.  From slave beginnings to the Battle at the Tower.  So good.  SO good.

It ticks me off that in the sequel Sanderson embarrasses and humiliates Kaladin on occasion. for no real reason that I can see other than he as an author was irritated with the character and wanted to knock him down a couple of notches.  BAH!

Further, I've heard Sanderson identifies with Hoid/Wit.  Hold is represented in the books as someone who is really knowledgeable and smart and clever....is that how Sanderson sees himself?  Cos I don't think of Hoid that way at all.  He's really mean and cruel and nasty and a bully.  He doesn't use his insight kindly - he's just a nasty piece of work.  One can be extremely knowledgeable and yet be kind.  Hoid/Wit is not that. 

Do I recommend the book though?  YES.  While it's not perfect it has some really excellent bits.  It's the first Sanderson book I ever read, and is still my favourite along with Warbreaker and Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell.  

The audiobook was endured rather than enjoyed.  I do not like the male narrator at all.  Kate Reading was good...but Michael Kramer was like nails down a chalkboard.  No.  that's not correct.  If it were that bad I couldn't have listened to it.  I managed to get through it because I wanted to hear the story while knitting.  If were were so dreadful I would simply have switched books.  Let's just say it's far from my favourite audio narration and I'm kind of bummed I spent the money on it.  At least it was on Libro.FM, so it was somewhat affordable.