Book of the Week

The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson
Reviewed by Sebastian Rodger

Brandon Sanderson is an American author who writes books in the fantasy and science-fiction genres. He is best known for his ‘Mistborn’ series; however, I will be reviewing his latest series the ‘Stormlight Archives’. So far, he has written two books, The Way of Kings (available in two parts, each around 600 pages) and Words of Radiance (full volume 1087 pages). The books are set on a dystopian world called Roshar, which is barren and hostile. The book begins many years before the book’s main events. An army called the Knights Radiant survive a recurring event called ‘a Desolation’ in which most of humanity is wiped out. However the Heralds, their leaders, wield weapons that carry a curse meaning that should they die, they will suffer greatly then be reborn to repeat the process. After many cycles the Heralds give in, drop their weapons, and die off. Leaderless, the Knights Radiant split up into royal families, passing on their own weapons, ‘shardplate’. These are inferior to the Heralds, but carry no curse. The story then follows many characters such as ‘Kaladin’, ‘Dalinar’ and ‘Szeth’ in the lead up to the next Desolation.

One of the strongest parts of these books are their descriptions of epic landscapes, such as ‘the Shattered Plains’, a desert with huge chasms, and towering plateaus. These dexterously crafted areas make the story extremely engaging, put you in awe, beckoning you to read on and explore further. An example is “His passing churned up a tempest, slamming waves into one another, lifting white caps to be caught in the wind” when Sanderson describes a storm approaching.

Another scenario Sanderson excels at describing are battles. These are what has made this book popular among science fiction fans. He illustrates huge armies dominated by the elite in their shard armours. He shows every detail as the battle develops. “They formed a wedge behind their shardbearers, prying the Parshendi armies open, using spearman formations to cut through and keep going forward.” This is an example of Sanderson showing the tactical efforts of an army.

However, the best part of this book is the storyline. You view it from seven viewpoints, with many more in the book’s interludes, such as the character ‘Geranid’, a humble farmer and ‘Elohkar’, a warlike king. Sanderson makes the most of this, allowing you to piece together parts of the story that are flung across the history, people and landscapes of Roshar. The book also has a religious theme. Part of the story is similar to The Fall in Genesis. The humans are thrown out from of, and left to survive on Roshar. Although the story is very different, it adds familiarity to for the reader, making it easier to get engrossed the series.

In essence this is a series within the epic fantasy genre, which has won a ‘Best Fantasy of the Year’ award, and is my favourite series. I enjoy its thrilling storyline, and imagining the incredible settings that the events leading up to an apocalypse take place in. It is very easy to get absorbed into it, and earns the clichéd plaudit of being ‘unputdownable’. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.