Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive, #2) in Audiobook Junkies

Dec 14, 2012 Mogsy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, favorites, epic, magic, review-copy

5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.blogspot.com/201...

I don't know what was more intimidating, the size of Words of Radiance when I first beheld it, or the thought of having to write the review when I finished. I took me about seven days to read this giant tome, and then five more just to let everything sink in. So many emotions. So amazing. Even now, I don't know if I can completely separate my subjective feelings for this novel, simply because of the MAJOR soft spot I harbo 5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.blogspot.com/201...

I don't know what was more intimidating, the size of Words of Radiance when I first beheld it, or the thought of having to write the review when I finished. I took me about seven days to read this giant tome, and then five more just to let everything sink in. So many emotions. So amazing. Even now, I don't know if I can completely separate my subjective feelings for this novel, simply because of the MAJOR soft spot I harbor for this particular series. See, I wasn't always a fan of epic fantasy. I was the type to take one look at the page count and run the other way! Of course, that was before The Way of Kings became one of my favorite books. I guess you could say that I credit Brandon Sanderson and that book for being my gateway into this genre, and I've always been glad for that.

To finally read Words of Radiance was like fist-pumping excitement and all my restless giddiness rolled into one. In this second volume, the world of The Stormlight Archive becomes even more incredible and captivating. My favorite thing about Sanderson's stories are his magic systems, and I know everyone always says that but I don't care! It bears saying again because it's true. Here I thought he was done laying down the ground rules for his world's magic in The Way of Kings, but clearly he was just getting started. It's actually getting so elaborate that part of me is beginning to worry this could become too confusing before long. But if you love Surgebinding, rest assured the storyline continues to build upon basic principles regarding stormlight and its uses in the various types of surges. When it comes to beefing up his magic systems, Sanderson never ceases to amaze.

I've also noticed he has a way of writing inherently good people in the roles of main protagonists. This certainly applies to the important characters here -- Kaladin, Shallan, Dalinar, Adolin, etc. -- all decent folks with decent intentions, natural leaders who always in the end succeed. It took tension out of the story at times, but it's also nice to feel exultant when a character gets ahead. That said, there were still plenty of twists and a couple of big surprises in this book, and of course when bad things happened, the impact of those setbacks felt all the more powerful. Sanderson knows how to pull me in and make me care, even when it comes to his more minor characters.

But what I really didn't expect was how things turned around when it came to the major ones. Kaladin pretty much made the first book for me, so I was shocked to see that his chapters in this one failed to hold my attention the same way. Kaladin himself, the ex-soldier and former bridgeman who has become a Knight Radiant, spirals into self-pity, anger, and impulsion because of his new powers and responsibilities, and I just didn't like the man he was for most of this book. On the other hand, Shallan (who didn't really impress me in The Way of Kings) comes into her own, literally becoming a new woman.

While Kaladin shrank into himself, Shallan branched out, becoming more adventurous and daring. Every time the story focused on her again, I was completely rapt, drawn into her research and personal journey to find the mythical city of Urithuru. I was also impressed by the way Sanderson handled her different relationships with other characters, especially the surprising one developing between her and Adolin. There's no question, Words of Radiance is where Shallan steals the show and gets a lot more of her background filled in, plus the illustrations of "her drawings" do add so much to the narrative (and I agree, Shallan, Adolin is totally *sigh*). I just have to cheer for a fellow artist too, you understand.

As for the story, what can I say? It's moving along, and in a big way. Everything is now converging in on the Shattered Plains, with all the main characters and their plot threads finally weaving together to become more cohesive. There's a countdown to something huge, and while this is the main source conflict in the novel, I like how the side themes continue to play a role. Factors like the infighting between the Highprinces or the social class disparities between Lighteyes and Darkeyes or humans and parshmen only add to the immersion and world building.

I have to say that with Sanderson, you don't often get "epicness for the sake of being epic". Others may disagree, of course, but all I know is with 1000+ pagers like these I always tend to forget a lot due to information overload. However, three and a half years after The Way of Kings, I still find myself remembering almost all the details of Roshar, of its peoples and cultures, lore and magic, the different creatures and spren. My memory's not the best either, so the fact I can remember even the little things means that they really stuck with me, and that simply does not happen with fluff or filler. It tells me the details in The Stormlight Archive are there for a reason, and not just to pad a book. Even the Interludes, which I don't really care for, I can still appreciate because something tells me they will be important at a later stage.

Honestly, sometimes I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that I'll probably be well into my fifth decade by the time the last book of this vast, sweeping series comes out. It's an accepted reality for epic fantasy fans I'm sure, but you can bet your spheres that I'm in this one for the long haul. Premature as it is to say, but I think things are shaping up real nicely, and if you enjoyed the first book then picking up this one will be a must as well. Needless to say, Words of Radiance gets 5 hearty stars from me. Really, was there ever any doubt? ...more

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Nov 07, 2013 Wendy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, fantasy, series

I am giving this epic fantasy a grudging four stars. I gave the previous book the same, teetering towards five stars because of the exciting finale, but this book is a much slower burn and there were many elements that I did not enjoy.

First of all, I will remind you that I am not a fan of epic fantasy for the sake of epic fantasy. This book is HUGE. The previous book was HUGE. And I expect the next books to be—wait for it—HUGE. I have no idea how Sanderson fits all of his worlds, theologies and I am giving this epic fantasy a grudging four stars. I gave the previous book the same, teetering towards five stars because of the exciting finale, but this book is a much slower burn and there were many elements that I did not enjoy.

First of all, I will remind you that I am not a fan of epic fantasy for the sake of epic fantasy. This book is HUGE. The previous book was HUGE. And I expect the next books to be—wait for it—HUGE. I have no idea how Sanderson fits all of his worlds, theologies and magics in his head. Each of his realms are richly detailed and complete, to the point of perfectionism, and Sanderson works hard to deliver ALL of that information to the reader. It goes against the “show, don’t tell” writing policy, especially when pages are spent on things like how-to magic, back story, or the tiniest bug is described in detail. Once again, I mostly listened to this as an audiobook, narrated by Michael Kramer and Kate Reading, and I believe that helped me get through what may well have been too much for me to handle, what with my constant distractions of late.

Words of Radiance follows directly on the heels of The Way of Kings, with Kalladin and Bridge Four now firmly in place as the bodyguards of Dalinar Kholin and his family, including the whiny king of Alethcar. Dalinar’s former BFF continues to harry Dalinar’s efforts to unify Alethcar against the Parshendi, bringing an end to the greedy squabbles between the highprinces and ultimately ending the war that was originally intended to avenge the death of their previous king, Dalinar’s brother.

While I enjoyed some aspects of the internal politics, a lot more of it was just annoying because of how childlike it was. I certainly understand that it is intended to be so, as the nobility fight over baubles and pride, but this became most disappointing when it came to Sadeaus using such childish means to undermine Dalinar. I felt that Sadeaus’ character was done a great disservice in this book. He went from a stalwart general, fighting alongside Dalinar, and eloquently expressing his grievances when they did not see eye-to-eye, to a man who didn’t want to share. That can be an understandable transition for many reasons, but I felt that his stubborn refusal to consider Dalinar’s proposal and his juvenile attempts to discredit Dalinar were not well portrayed in a character that initially was better written and seemed above such pettiness. I suppose that is a true enough reflection of reality, but, as with many things in the book, the repetition of Sadeaus’ foils grew tedious and ultimately disappointing.

I will also add Shallan’s tongue to my collection of annoyances. She is a young woman with a sharp mind who, against protocol, tends to speak it, often in witty commentary. Only, her commentary is not particularly amusing, and as she keeps pointedly using it to spar, it just became an irritation, especially when dealing with Kalladin, who seems to have been set up as a potential second love interest for Shallan, as they bicker in true kindergarten playground fashion.

I also got tired of Shallan’s back story. I didn’t enjoy this form of interjecting pieces of the life altering moments of Kalladin’s life in The Way of Kings, and I liked Shallan’s back story even less as it dragged on and on. It is meant to give the characters depth, and help us understand why they come to certain pivotal decisions, or undertake certain actions, but I find this storytelling process tedious. More so because the climax of these past events had become glaringly obvious several hundred pages earlier.

I ought to be subtracting points for what I want to proclaim are extra pages, but damn it, I can’t. Because, while there is more than necessary and it does bog the book down, all the detail comes back around to serve a purpose. Nothing is forgotten. There are no loose threads left dangling in the storm, and no meandering subplots to be excised when the author (looking at you, GRRM) can’t figure out what to do with them. Sanderson seems to know exactly where everything is going, and has everything neatly packaged in his mind. For this reason, I am cautiously willing to forgive all of the things I complained about above, and even the introduction of a few characters over the course of the two books, who appear and seem to be of importance, but are not mentioned again for a long time, if at all. I’m sure they will return, but perhaps their introduction would have been better served later. Ultimately, I’m sure that in the next however many books the Stormlight Archives will take, Sanderson will unravel and connect everything for us.

Plus, any of the blah blah blah is balanced by these rich characters and plots. I particularly loved being able to see this war from the side of the Parshendi in this book and to better understand why they are fighting against the humans. There is still much to be revealed there, but I was pleasantly surprised to be offered the opportunity to meet the “enemy” so soon, and I loved the insight into their sing-song forms of communication (which, incidentally, reminds me of elcor—because Bioware ruins everything…).

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Jun 19, 2017 Tim The Enchanter rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-stars, fantasy, top-10, favorite-audiobooks-of-2017

This is simply one of the best books I have read across any genre. It took me some time to get around to it though. The Way of Kings was a good book but it was rather dense and long. It didn't leave me wanting to rush to the second book. The second installment on the other hand, had me completely engaged from start to finish. The pains that Sanderson took to build and prepare the reader were paid amazing dividends in Words of Radiance . The scope of this book/series is truly epic in nature an ...more

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Jun 22, 2014 Marcela (BookaholicCat) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

Audiobook

This audiobook was so good I'm sure I'm going to experience book hangover for days.

The world and the story are simply amazing. It's been a long time since I encounter a series as good as this one.
I'm glad I went the audiobook way because the narrators do an outstanding job bringing the characters and world to life.

Now after finishing it I can only say I want more, I need more.

If you like epic fantasy this series is a MUST read/listen.

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Oct 16, 2021 Hilary Whatley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, favorites, fiction, epic-high-fantasy, series-most-current-read

Amazingly good fantasy. Keep in mind, the first half of the book is slower. The story is building up. It can take a long time to read through it, but it's not a boring read. The second half will keep you hooked until the end. Can't wait for the next. ...more

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