Fantasy is popular on  page and on screen. The genre truly lets the creator imagine new worlds in great detail, from establishing an entire nation to the most in-depth character progressions ever on paper. Classic creators like John Tolkien, known for creating “The Lord of The Rings,” established amazing worlds and characters that go on epic adventures. 

One book in particular that could become more popular in the mainstream fantasy community is “The Way of Kings” by Brandon Sanderson.

 It is the first book in a series called “The Stormlight Archive” that has potential to arguably go down as one of the best fantasy series. Its unique world provides a different take from other fantasy worlds. 

The story of the first novel is set in a world called Roshar. The setting and landscapes are alien-like compared to other fantasy worlds that are more reminiscent of a medieval European one. At the backdrop of the story are recurring national disasters known as the desolations, which are horrific storms. 

The story rotates around the points of view of Kaladin, Shallan Davar, Dhalinar Kholin and other minor characters throughout the book. The characters’ journeys are seemingly unconnected but still intertwined in some capacity. The book kicks off with the assassination attempt of a king and follows the aftermath of this event. 

Besides the landscape and geography of the world, the lore is fascinating as well. There is a deep history, and we learn more about it as the book continues. Different transcripts and diagrams between chapters give even more backstory to the world. The magic system is treated as science and is studied thoroughly by Roshar’s scholars and residents. The story introduces different ideologies between the religious and scientific aspects of the world throughout. 

What first attracted readers to the story were the magic system and the primary sought-after fantasy weapons of the series called shard blades. Shard blades are powerful weapons that can appear at will by the user and can cut through almost anything. What’s fascinating is that these weapons do not cut through human flesh but can burn the inside of human organs. 

Overall, the books are packed with content. “The Stormlight Archive” currently has four books, with “The Way of Kings” being the first. As the series progresses, the books get a little longer in page count. “The Way of Kings” clocks in at around 1000 pages, which is hefty. There are 10 books expected in the series at the moment, with the fourth book recently released, called “Rhythm of War,” which was published on Nov. 17, 2020.