Clara’s Verdict
I have reviewed well over two thousand audiobooks, and I can count on one hand the ones that genuinely altered my sense of what the form is capable of. The Way of Kings is one of them. Brandon Sanderson’s first volume of The Stormlight Archive – book one of ten in a planned series that is already, partway through, being spoken of as one of the monuments of fantasy literature – is narrated by Kate Reading across forty-five hours and twenty-nine minutes. That runtime is not padding. Every hour earns its place.
The world of Roshar is unlike anything else in contemporary fantasy: geologically and ecologically alien, shaped by centuries of catastrophic storms, governed by a rigid caste system that is both fantastically inventive and unmistakably an allegory for class, gender, and inherited privilege. Sanderson’s ambition here is simply enormous, and what’s remarkable is how fully he delivers on it.
About the Audiobook
Published by Gollancz and released on Audible in 2011, The Way of Kings opens the Stormlight Archive with three primary viewpoint characters. Kaladin Stormblessed, a former military medic reduced to slavery, must find the will to lead and protect his fellow slaves in a war that seems to serve no rational purpose. Dalinar Kholin, a great lord and military commander, is haunted by visions of an ancient order of warriors called the Knights Radiant and increasingly uncertain of his own sanity. And Shallan, a scholar’s daughter, seeks to apprentice under a celebrated heretic scholar while concealing a secret that could destroy her.
The mythology Sanderson has constructed – the Shardblades and Shardplate, the spren, the highstorms, the ancient oaths of the Knights Radiant – is intricate without being impenetrable. He seeds mysteries throughout the narrative that won’t be resolved until much later in the series, but the immediate story of each POV character is satisfying on its own terms. Kaladin’s arc in particular is one of the most moving things Sanderson has written: a slow recovery of purpose and hope from the deepest possible despair, rendered with psychological honesty.
The Narration
Kate Reading – who shares narration duties with Michael Kramer on some Sanderson titles, though Reading handles the bulk here – is exceptional. Roshar has an enormous cast and she keeps every voice distinct. Her Kaladin carries exhaustion and buried fury in equal measure; her Dalinar projects authority with the cracks beginning to show. The forty-five hour runtime is a genuine marathon of sustained performance, and Reading’s energy never flags. This narration has become inseparable from the text for many listeners; to encounter Roshar in her voice is to encounter it properly.
What Readers Say
Rated 4.7 out of 5 from 80 reviews. UK reviewer Caine was effusive: “From the very first pages, readers are transported into a richly crafted world where each character springs to life.” Velah offered a revealing personal note: “Since finding him, I’ve not been able to tolerate reading books from other authors that are simply ‘okay’ or ‘good.’ I get a few dozen pages in and start daydreaming about going back to the Cosmere.” M. Wilcox gave four stars and offered the most honest review: “A tough book to review… I finished it within a week because the thing is so hard to put down; on more than a couple of occasions I decided to call it a night only to find it was 3am.” The consistent message across reviews is that this is a book that takes hold of you and doesn’t let go.
Who Should Listen?
Committed fantasy readers who are prepared to invest in a long series will find nothing better available in the genre today. The forty-five hour first book should not intimidate you; it reads quickly because Sanderson never lets the pace drop for long. Readers who’ve enjoyed Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time, Patrick Rothfuss’s Name of the Wind, or Joe Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy will feel at home in Roshar, though Sanderson’s moral vision is considerably more hopeful than Abercrombie’s.
This is one of the rare audiobooks I recommend with genuine urgency. Listen to The Way of Kings on Audible UK – and clear your schedule for the week after you start.
