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Reviews tagging 'War'
The Way of Kings: Book One of the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson
229 reviews
lizziaha's review against another edition
4.0
Sanderson lays A LOT of groundwork in this first book, and there’s simply not enough payoff yet. I will trust the process and assume that the payoff will come in the later books, but it made for a very slow reading experience. The bridge crew pov was by far the most interesting perspective—everyone loves an underdog—and Syl carries.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Gore, Blood, and Grief
mauchette's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Grief, War, and Classism
Minor: Suicide attempt
erin_362's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Started rereading this in August bc i wanted to finish a reread of the series before Wind and Truth (obviously that didn’t happen) but I always find something new when I’m reading this, I love it so much :D
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Classism
engelika's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and War
bookishmk's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I listened to the audiobook version so that perhaps may have changed how I experienced this book, but I loved it. It's a little slow but because I was listening to it, that didn't bother me as much. The character development is strong in this book since it's setting up the series and introducing everything.
Sanderson does a great job of world building and creating interesting magic systems and fantasy elements.
I found myself surprised by how philosophical this book is, exploring various themes and perspectives around war, religion, leadership, roles of different peoples in civilization, classism, prejudices, etc. There are different cultures and peoples across the world built in this book and they all have different ideals on war, gender roles, religion, culture, some find fighting detestable while others relish it as their main purpose in life.
The book follows characters that are royalty and slaves, soldiers and scholars, those that both use and are used. One of my favorite parts of this book was the philosophical debates the characters would have. It was surprisingly witty and smart.
" I’m not trying to make a point consciously ever in my writing–though I do think that good stories should raise questions and make readers think. " - from Brandon's FAQ - https://faq.brandonsanderson.com/knowledge-base/tell-me-more-about-religion-and-your-writing/
While Sanderson explores various aspects of being human that relate heavily in our own world, depending on what your experience is, the story doesn't explore much in the way of sexuality of the human condition, but Sanderson doesn't dive into this aspect much anyways.
" I don’t make a big deal of it, because I tend not to make a big deal of the sexuality of side characters in general. " - https://faq.brandonsanderson.com/knowledge-base/how-do-you-feel-about-gay-characters/
I got curious and read through his FAQ a bit on his beliefs. He is very open in these FAQs, answering difficult questions, but explains himself well. He is a Mormon, but liberal in a way. It seems he has changed in the past 10-15 years, and now supports the LGBTQ+ community. I'm curious to see if he explores various sexualities in his more recent books or going forward.
All in all, I enjoyed the book very much and look forward to reading the rest of the series.
Sanderson does a great job of world building and creating interesting magic systems and fantasy elements.
I found myself surprised by how philosophical this book is, exploring various themes and perspectives around war, religion, leadership, roles of different peoples in civilization, classism, prejudices, etc. There are different cultures and peoples across the world built in this book and they all have different ideals on war, gender roles, religion, culture, some find fighting detestable while others relish it as their main purpose in life.
The book follows characters that are royalty and slaves, soldiers and scholars, those that both use and are used. One of my favorite parts of this book was the philosophical debates the characters would have. It was surprisingly witty and smart.
" I’m not trying to make a point consciously ever in my writing–though I do think that good stories should raise questions and make readers think. " - from Brandon's FAQ - https://faq.brandonsanderson.com/knowledge-base/tell-me-more-about-religion-and-your-writing/
While Sanderson explores various aspects of being human that relate heavily in our own world, depending on what your experience is, the story doesn't explore much in the way of sexuality of the human condition, but Sanderson doesn't dive into this aspect much anyways.
" I don’t make a big deal of it, because I tend not to make a big deal of the sexuality of side characters in general. " - https://faq.brandonsanderson.com/knowledge-base/how-do-you-feel-about-gay-characters/
I got curious and read through his FAQ a bit on his beliefs. He is very open in these FAQs, answering difficult questions, but explains himself well. He is a Mormon, but liberal in a way. It seems he has changed in the past 10-15 years, and now supports the LGBTQ+ community. I'm curious to see if he explores various sexualities in his more recent books or going forward.
All in all, I enjoyed the book very much and look forward to reading the rest of the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Murder, War, and Classism
hannahbeanans's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Racism and Suicidal thoughts
kaitlinlovesbooks11's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and War
corinthiana's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Mental illness, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and War
frogpirate's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
zias's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
What a massive chunker of a book for me. I have always shied away from Brandon Sanderson books because the commitment to 1k pages was just not my vibe. But it is my fiancés favorite series ever and I decided to face my fear. I enjoyed this book and the myriad of characters met along the way. There were plenty of reveals that I didn’t expect but was certainly a light bulb moment. Sanderson is known for his world building and while I can objectively appreciate and respect it, there were a handful of times I wished something HAPPENED besides world building through what I felt was infodumping through character dialogue/conversations. Overall, I enjoyed it and will continue the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Medical content, War, and Injury/Injury detail