A little under a month ago I received Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson. Forty-eight listening hours later I finished. It was impressive. The second book in The Stormlight Archives, Words of Radiance picks up very soon on the heals of the first book, The Way of Kings and covers a period a little over two months. Here is a link to the Audible page for the book. I was a little concerned that I might not like it as much when I heard that it would follow the character of Shallan Davar, the main female lead. I liked her in The Way of Kings, but liked Kaladin more. I was concerned that her story would be more of the scholarly work she did in the first book. I was wonderfully surprised. There were plenty of viewpoints of other characters, so we had a lot of variety, and we got to see Shallan thrown into a host of situations that were both humorous and exciting. In addition we got her back story which was fascinating and I'm fulling convinced that she should be more messed up then she seemed. All in all, the book was full of good action, awesome characters, and answered a lot of questions. And now I get to wait a year or more for the next one. Sanderson, You better be working on it. The book was expertly read by Michael Kramer and Kate Reading.
Plot: Following the disaster on the Shattered Plains, Dalinar Kholin is determined to unite the Alethi high lords whether they want to be or not. The constant rivalry and bickering between them will not help them to be ready what what he feels is coming. Dalinar most find a way to control these "children with armies" and so he lets his son, Adolin, off his lease to beat some sense into their best men. With Dalinar's actions being so upsetting to the other high princes the job of protecting him and his family is not very easy. But then Kaladin of Bridge Four has never had an easy job. With his bridgemen safe from Sadeas' suicidal assault runs he now has to turn them into real soldiers - overcome their apathetic attitudes, and get them trained. To boot he gets to see what King Elhokar and his court are like. And he doesn't like it. But what does he do when what he feels needs to be done goes against what he's sworn to do? As Dalinar and Kaladin start wheels moving to reform the people of the Shattered Plains, Shallan Davar and Jasnah Kholin (Dalinar's neice) are on their way the the Shattered Plains to investigate to rise of the Voidbringers, mystical and mythical terrors that bring rise and lay waste to civilization. However, they are not the only ones interested in the Voidbringers. Shallan is put to the test when she is separated from Jasnah and most make her own way through rough and wild land only to enter the politics of the high princes of Alethkar. More deceptive, dangerous, and filled with hidden killers than the wilderness that surround them Shallan is forced to confront her past and her present in order to ensure a future for all the people involved. Even those that want to see her dead.
My personal favorites: Sanderson knows how to tell a long story in a way that keeps you interested. If there isn't action, there is intrigue. If there is no intrigue, there is suspense. If there is no suspense, there is drama. And each is more fulfilling than the last. Just about every character has a visible arc that leads them through their weaknesses and to their strengths. Yet they are not perfect. Up until the end of the story there are surprises and new promises made that we won't have fulfilled until the next book. While they may seem random, I found the interludes interesting. They provide us, the reader, with information to see what is going to happen and by informing us of things the characters can only suspect or guess at. It enables the author to fulfill promises to us the reader while leaving the characters in the dark - a hallmark of suspense. I love the action of the duels with Adolin and the battles. The pace was good and there was always something to wonder about without the book feeling overdone.
Considerations: Like most epic fantasy there is death and destruction, but never graphically described. You should defiantly read the first book prior to starting this one. Although - it did do a good job of giving us enough information to recall the previous book without bogging down the story. Shallan's father is a monster who does and experiences some very brutal treatment. Her home is not a happy one. The only other thing you need to consider is that the audio version does not have the illustrations that are in the book. However, Brandon Sanderson has posted them on his website. They are quite stunning and may help understand some things more.
Words of Radiance was fantastic and I enjoyed it immensely. I'm glad that I'm listening to these as they come out. It does make for a long wait between books, but I'm willing to do that. It just means I get to read other stuff in the interim. The total length was just over 48 hours.
Plot: Following the disaster on the Shattered Plains, Dalinar Kholin is determined to unite the Alethi high lords whether they want to be or not. The constant rivalry and bickering between them will not help them to be ready what what he feels is coming. Dalinar most find a way to control these "children with armies" and so he lets his son, Adolin, off his lease to beat some sense into their best men. With Dalinar's actions being so upsetting to the other high princes the job of protecting him and his family is not very easy. But then Kaladin of Bridge Four has never had an easy job. With his bridgemen safe from Sadeas' suicidal assault runs he now has to turn them into real soldiers - overcome their apathetic attitudes, and get them trained. To boot he gets to see what King Elhokar and his court are like. And he doesn't like it. But what does he do when what he feels needs to be done goes against what he's sworn to do? As Dalinar and Kaladin start wheels moving to reform the people of the Shattered Plains, Shallan Davar and Jasnah Kholin (Dalinar's neice) are on their way the the Shattered Plains to investigate to rise of the Voidbringers, mystical and mythical terrors that bring rise and lay waste to civilization. However, they are not the only ones interested in the Voidbringers. Shallan is put to the test when she is separated from Jasnah and most make her own way through rough and wild land only to enter the politics of the high princes of Alethkar. More deceptive, dangerous, and filled with hidden killers than the wilderness that surround them Shallan is forced to confront her past and her present in order to ensure a future for all the people involved. Even those that want to see her dead.My personal favorites: Sanderson knows how to tell a long story in a way that keeps you interested. If there isn't action, there is intrigue. If there is no intrigue, there is suspense. If there is no suspense, there is drama. And each is more fulfilling than the last. Just about every character has a visible arc that leads them through their weaknesses and to their strengths. Yet they are not perfect. Up until the end of the story there are surprises and new promises made that we won't have fulfilled until the next book. While they may seem random, I found the interludes interesting. They provide us, the reader, with information to see what is going to happen and by informing us of things the characters can only suspect or guess at. It enables the author to fulfill promises to us the reader while leaving the characters in the dark - a hallmark of suspense. I love the action of the duels with Adolin and the battles. The pace was good and there was always something to wonder about without the book feeling overdone.
Considerations: Like most epic fantasy there is death and destruction, but never graphically described. You should defiantly read the first book prior to starting this one. Although - it did do a good job of giving us enough information to recall the previous book without bogging down the story. Shallan's father is a monster who does and experiences some very brutal treatment. Her home is not a happy one. The only other thing you need to consider is that the audio version does not have the illustrations that are in the book. However, Brandon Sanderson has posted them on his website. They are quite stunning and may help understand some things more.
Words of Radiance was fantastic and I enjoyed it immensely. I'm glad that I'm listening to these as they come out. It does make for a long wait between books, but I'm willing to do that. It just means I get to read other stuff in the interim. The total length was just over 48 hours.
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