Difference between revisions of "The Way of Kings"

{{book

|cover=TheWayOfKings.png

|series=[[The Stormlight Archive]]

|sequel=Words of Radiance

|publisher=Tor books

|ISBN=978-0765326355

}}{{for|Way of Kings|the in-universe text|pre=This article is about [[Brandon Sanderson]]'s novel}}

 

It has three main characters and several minor characters, many of whom are explored through Interludes.

The book is set on [[Roshar]] and follows the stories of [[Kaladin]], [[Dalinar Kholin]], and [[Shallan Davar]]. There are also several minor characters who receive viewpoints; [[Szeth]], [[Adolin Kholin]], [[Wit]], and [[Navani Kholin]] in the main text, and several others in the Interludes.

 

'''[[Kaladin]]''' is the focus character of the novel. At the beginning of his story, he is a squadleader in [[Amaram]]'s army. His storyline then cuts to his time as a slave. As a slave in [[Sadeas warcamp]], he is placed in Bridge Four, and made to run headlong into enemy fire with the rest of his bridgecrew to give the army a way to cross the chasms. After a period of despair, Kaladin works to improve the life of his bridgecrew, and figure out how to escape the trappings of the army.

 

As the focus character of ''The Way of Kings'', Kaladin's past is viewed through the use of flashbacks. The flashbacks show his childhood and his surgeon apprenticeship under his father, as well as how he joins the army and why he became a slave.

 

'''[[Dalinar Kholin]]''''s story centers around the politics of the Alethi nobility.

 

Following his brother [[Gavilar]]'s assassination, Dalinar took his last words to heart, and began following the [[Alethi Codes of War]] and the teachings of the [[Way of Kings]], a book written by [[Nohadon]]. He is plagued by visions of the past during every [[highstorm]], and has a strong sense that the war on the [[Shattered Plains]] is not what the king needs to be focused on, but rather uniting the Alethi highprinces completely. Following the betrayal by [[Torol Sadeas]], he finally drops politics and embraces the Blackthorn, realizing that he must force the highprinces to unite and finish the war quickly, so they may focus on the [[Desolation]] to come.

 

'''[[Shallan Davar]]''' becomes the ward of the rather infamous scholar [[Jasnah]], in the hopes of stealing her [[Soulcaster]]. Her story is a mostly an internal conflict between continuing her wardship, which she loves, and stealing the [[fabrial]] to help her family. As her conflict progresses, Shallan begins to draw mysterious spren when she's not paying attention, and she believes she is going mad. Things come to a head when her love interest [[Kabsal]] is caught trying to poison Jasnah, and Shallan's theft is revealed. She confronts Jasnah, who can also see the spren and can [[Soulcast]] without the use of a fabrial, and she reveals that she is researching the [[Voidbringer]]s.

 

'''[[Szeth]]''''s story is told through the Interludes. A [[Truthless]] of [[Shinovar]], he is first introduced when he famously assassinates King Gavilar of [[Alethkar]]. Known as the Assassin in White, he goes through several masters before getting orders to assassinate several highranking people by a mysterious master. Hating himself, he murders the people on his list until he gets to King [[Taravangian]], who turns out to be the man holding his [[oathstone]].

 

''The Way of Kings'' consists of one prelude, one prologue, seventy-five chapters, ten of which are reserved for flashbacks of the focus character of the book, nine interludes and one epilogue, reaching a total 384,265 word count. There are seventeen different unique point-of-view characters in a total of 123 POVs, although twelve of these characters occupy a much shorter portion of the book than the other five.

 

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