The Stormlight Archive

Did You Know?

• Sanderson completed the first draft of The Way of Kings in 2003, initially calling it part of The Oathshards Series.
• The biggest time skip in the series occurs between the fifth and sixth books.
• The novella Edgedancer was originally published in the collection Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection in 2016.

Major characters

Kaladin Stormblessed, a surgeon apprentice turned soldier and slave, becomes leader of the Order of Windrunners bonded to honorspren Sylphrena. Szeth-son-son-Vallano, the Assassin in White, later joins the Order of Skybreakers. Shallan Davar, a noble with dissociative identity disorder, becomes a spy and leader of the Order of Lightweavers bonded to liespren Pattern. Dalinar Kholin, a general and nobleman, becomes a Bondsmith and leader of the Knights Radiant.

His sons Adolin, a skilled duelist, and Renarin, bonded to corrupted mistspren Glys, are also members. Navani Kholin, an inventor and scholar, becomes a Bondsmith after bonding with the Sibling. Jasnah Kholin, a scholar and atheist, becomes Queen of Alethkar and an Elsecaller bonded to inkspren Ivory. Eshonai and Venli are Listener characters; Venli bonds lightspren Timbre as a Willshaper.

Lift, a young thief, is an Edgedancer bonded to cultivationspren Wyndle. Rlain, a Listener soldier, bonds corrupted mistspren Tumi. Moash, later Vyre, betrays Kaladin. Taravangian, king of Kharbranth, supplants the apparent arch-villain Rayse.

Taln is a Herald tortured for 4500 years. Wit, also known as Hoid, is an ancient interplanetary traveler and archenemy of Odium.

Plot summary

Kaladin, enslaved after capturing a Shardblade and Shardplate, is forced to carry bridges and gains magical powers. Dalinar, guided by visions, tries to unite his nation's nobility. Shallan becomes Jasnah's student to steal a Soulcaster but learns Jasnah has magical abilities. A countdown appears in the Kholin palace; Jasnah is assassinated, and Shallan uses Lightweaver powers to survive. Kaladin defends Dalinar from Szeth but ultimately sides with the Kholins against Moash. Dalinar's assault on the Listeners fails when they summon a new storm, and Shallan teleports the Kholin army to the lost city of Urithiru. The new storm transforms parshmen into Fused, servants of Odium. Jasnah survives using Radiant powers. Moash joins the Fused and kills King Elhokar. Szeth joins the Skybreakers and receives a sapient sword. Odium attempts to recruit Dalinar, who refuses, leading to a battle.

Reception

The Way of Kings reached No. 7 on The New York Times Best Seller list in its first week. Early reviews were positive, with Unshelved and Elitist Book Reviews giving favorable opinions, though the latter noted too much exposition. SFReviews.net gave a mixed review, praising creativity but criticizing length and lack of action. KeepingTheDoor.com compared the series to works by Robert Jordan, George R. R. Martin, and Robin Hobb, calling it essential reading. Words of Radiance debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times Hardcover Fiction Best Seller list. io9 described it as an old-school fantasy behemoth with an epic ending. Tor Books called the journey worth it. Oathbringer also debuted at No. 1. The A.V. Club's Samantha Nelson expressed concern about the series' power lasting ten books, noting surprises and humor but concluding Sanderson needs to keep things fresh.

Adaptations

Unabridged audiobooks of the first five novels, read by Kate Reading and Michael Kramer, were released by Macmillan Audio. The novellas Edgedancer and Dawnshard were also released as audiobooks. GraphicAudio produced dramatized adaptations of all novels and novellas, with multi-part releases from 2016 onward. In October 2016, DMG Entertainment licensed the Cosmere rights and hired screenwriters Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan for a Way of Kings adaptation. In January 2026, Apple TV secured rights for the Cosmere, with The Stormlight Archive to be adapted as a TV series. A VR game, The Way of Kings: Escape the Shattered Plains, was released in March 2018. A Crusader Kings III mod based on Roshar was published in 2020. A stand-alone expansion to the board game Call to Adventure was released in 2020.