Words of Radiance

February 24, 2014
Trapped in an interminable war with the Parshendi, the kingdom of Alethkar is further handicapped by quarreling aristocrats and the racial divisions between the elite lighteyes and downtrodden darkeyes. Against this background, Sanderson's sequel to The Way of Kings has several intertwined storylines. The scholar Jasnah seeks proof for dark suspicions, while her apprentice Shallan struggles to find an identity in a world determined to define it for her. Dalinar, uncle to hapless King Elhokar, strives to reform Alethkar despite the opposition of the self-consciously corrupt aristocrat Sadeas and the much-betrayed darkeyed Kaladin who is forced to choose between personal vengeance and the greater good. Urgency is heightened by the approach of a long forgotten menace, one a divided world may not survive. Kaladin's situation echoes the Parable of the Faithful Servant and while most readers will miss the significance, both the myth behind the ascension of the lighteyes and certain aspects of the Parshendi recall the Curse of Lamanites, a now obscure bit of American folklore. Those elements aside, the novel is weighty without being ponderous, and delivers a satisfactory story despite being part of an episodic secondary world fantasy series.

Starred review from March 15, 2014

Almost everyone in the world of Roshar is oblivious to the pending return of the mythical Voidbringers and the Desolation that will surely follow. In the past the Voidbringers were always opposed by the Knights Radiant, but that was so long ago that even the oldest histories shed little light except that the Knights Radiant somehow betrayed humanity after the last Desolation. Kaladin, a former military slave and now head of the royal bodyguards, must come to trust his emerging abilities as well as the lighteyes leader Dalinar in order truly to become a Windrunner. Likewise, Shallan's new powers are key to the future. Not only must she master them, but she must come to grips with her haunting past. VERDICT Sanderson's skill at worldbuilding is unmatched, and in the "Stormlight Archive" series he has developed an innovative magical system and combined it with rich, complex characters to create a compelling story. His eagerly awaited sequel to The Way of Kings exceeds expectations. This developing epic series is a must-read for all fantasy fans. [See Prepub Alert, 9/16/13.]--William Baer, Georgia Inst. of Technology Lib., Atlanta

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

A compelling epic fantasy set in a world poised on the brink of disaster.Shallan, a talented but troubled provincial girl, has betrayed the brilliant scholar Jasnah Kholin, and yet the older woman has responded by taking Shallan on as a student and partner in the quest to prevent the terrifying Voidbringers from returning to destroy mankind. Now all Shallan has to do is prove herself useful--and try to stay ahead of the terrible memories she keeps buried inside. Kaladin has risen from slave to bridgeman to captain and trusted bodyguard in highprince Dalinar's army. Now he has to turn a thousand downtrodden bridgemen into a respectable fighting force--while looking for a way to make two powerful, duplicitous men pay for what they've done. Both Shallan and Kaladin must learn to use and understand their strange abilities, which hearken back to the myths of the lost Knights Radiant. Meanwhile, the warrior Dalinar struggles to understand the visions sent to him by a god who claims to be dead, visions he believes are telling him to refound the Knights Radiant to prevent a catastrophe. This book picks up where The Way of Kings left off, diving deeper into the vivid characters readers have come to know and love and pushing each of them closer to their breaking points. The vast scope of the world Sanderson (The Way of Kings, 2010, etc.) has created remains, but the story is even more tightly focused, driving toward a suspenseful climax.Balancing fascinating worldbuilding with a page-turner of a plot, this is a series fantasy fans won't want to miss.

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (Online Review)

Starred review from April 1, 2014
The readers of Sanderson's The Way of Kings (2010) may have been waiting for him to return to the Stormlight Archives from his labors in finishing the late Robert Jordan's epic Wheel of Time. The wait is now over, and devoted followers of fantasy on the grandest imaginable scale can make themselves comfortable and start reading. The world of Roshar is still very close to being a character in its own right (one thinks of Dune), as Sanderson has used the room afforded by a book of this size to build it in loving detail, including the fierce storms that make civilized life difficult even in peacetime. But the humans and the humanoid Parshendi are still fighting, although Brightlord Kholin is leading an army deep into enemy territory. His sister, Jasnah, is with him, seeking a legendary lost city that her student, Shallan, believes may hold the key to victory. Far below the level of the high command, the rising young slave warrior, Kaladin, learns that the Parshendi have a counterstrategy in preparation, one that portends the destruction of the world unless he can become the founder of a new order of the legendary Knights Radiant. Many readers will find Shallan and Kaladin the most absorbing of the major characters because they have the most to lose, but the characterization is on the whole as meticulous as the world-building. A very impressive continuation.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)