The Stormlight Archive - Review
Link to the author's (B. Sanderson) personal website
Book 1: The Way Of Kings
Book 2: Words of Radiance
Book 3: Oathbringer
Book 4: Rhythm of War
Blurb: (From Book 1) I long for the days before the Last Desolation.
The age before the Heralds abandoned us and the Knights Radiant turned against us. A time when there was still magic in the world and honor in the hearts of men.
The world became ours, and we lost it. Nothing, it appears, is more challenging to the souls of men than victory itself.
Or was that victory an illusion all along? Did our enemies realize that the harder they fought, the stronger we resisted? Perhaps they saw that the heat and the hammer only make for a better grade of sword. But ignore the steel long enough, and it will eventually rust away.
There are four whom we watch. The first is the surgeon, forced to put aside healing to become a soldier in the most brutal war of our time. The second is the assassin, a murderer who weeps as he kills. The third is the liar, a young woman who wears a scholar's mantle over the heart of a thief. The last is the highprince, a warlord whose eyes have opened to the past as his thirst for battle wanes.
The world can change. Surgebinding and Shardwielding can return; the magics of ancient days can become ours again. These four people are key.
One of them may redeem us.
And one of them will destroy us.
Review: This is a quintessential must-read for those looking for a large scale fantasy. The array of characters are interesting, the world's setting is cool, and the magic system's inventive. Each book is mainly based on one particular character, but there's still plenty of perspectives within each book. The second book, Words of Radiance, has also maybe the best fight scene in all of fantasy. The chills from 'Honour is dead' and the follow up intensity that could probably induce a second round of puberty for some is just genuinely great. Huge kudos to the author as well, Sanderson consistently writes high quality material and somehow does so while swapping between stories.
Update: I just finished the fourth book Rhythm of War and it kept itself to the insanely high standard. It was more multi perspective and longer than I remember the others being, but that was necessary to get to where the story is heading. I thoroughly enjoyed some of the new characters introduced this book too, but am a bit worried to mention any without risking spoilers. Series easily remains quintessential, and if anything reaffirms its position as one of the fantasy must reads.