#9 in Action & adventure fiction books
Use arrows to jump to the previous/next product
Reddit mentions of The Way of Kings
Sentiment score: 12
Reddit mentions: 33
We found 33 Reddit mentions of The Way of Kings. Here are the top ones.
or
Tor Fantasy
Specs:
| Height | 6.72 Inches |
| Length | 4.31 Inches |
| Number of items | 1 |
| Release date | May 2011 |
| Weight | 1.25 Pounds |
| Width | 2.04 Inches |
Amazon will gladly sell it to you. The paperback version is $7.88, and the Kindle version (which you can read on any computer or mobile phone, not just a dedicated hardware reader) is $7.49.
Steven Erikson - Malazan Book of the Fallen
Brandon Sanderson - Mistborn
Brandon Sanderson - The Stormlight Archive
Peter Brett - The Demon Cycle
R. Scott Bakker - The Second Apocalypse
Joe Abercrombie - The First Law
Scott Lynch - The Gentleman Bastard
Patrick Rothfuss - The Kingkiller Chronicle
All excellent. Some slightly more excellent than others.
Let's see...
If you like villain protagonists, the Vlad Taltos by Steven Brust series might be up your alley. The protagonist is an assassin who has access to multiple types of sorcery, magical items, and epic level allies who are equally or more overpowered. In specific, one of the main "allies" - Sethra Lavode - is an overpowered character that gets directly involved in some of the books. Morollan, a swordsman/sorcerer that owns a flying castle, probably counts, too. The first book is Jhereg.
If you like anime-style combat and character progression, I'd recommend Will Wight's Traveler's Gate Trilogy. There are lots of high powered "legendary" figures that get involved directly, especially in the second and third books. The first book is House of Blades.
Several characters in the Stormlight Archives are very quickly getting into overpowered territory, and only two of the ten projected books are out. Like most of Sanderson's work, the Stormlight Archives has epic action scenes and a fantastic magic system. This may not be quite as directly what you're looking for - it has very powerful characters, but you only get a little bit of the perspective of the puppet masters. The first book is The Way of Kings.
But by far, my favorite series:
The first trilogy follows the Island of Nantucket, which is thrown back to the bronze age and loses access to high-energy physics. The Emberverse is the rest of the world (though mostly the US) who stay in present day, but also lose access to high-energy physics.
If you want to go more Sci-Fi, I'm currently reading and enjoying:
Also on my list to read:
Brandon Sanderson. He's a very prolific, steady author (puts as many hours per day into writing/editing/plotting as most people put into a 9-to-5 job, I'd guess) who's produced a pretty wide variety of fantasy and scifi stories, many of which exist in the same universe (kind of like GRRM's scifi short stories, in that the books don't really overlap except with for a name here and a traveling character there). There are tons of subtle connections and a sense of a much bigger universe, which is cool, but you don't pick up on it at all unless you're looking for it and you don't miss anything important in the story you're reading by being unaware of it.
He's working on an epic fantasy series called the Stormlight Archives, which starts with The Way of Kings. He's a very popular author, although his prose is very accessible and some people don't love that. He is very involved in keeping his fans updated on his progress (regularly progress bars for each series/book/story on his website, and I think regular podcasts and blog updates, too). He still tours a lot, but...wait for it... he writes while on tour. I know, crazy.
I'd say he's at the other end of the fantasy spectrum as Joe Abercrombie, in that his protagonists tend to be good people trying to do what's right instead of violent anti-heroes, although his work is far from black and white/good and evil and his characters still have interesting shades of gray.
He also pops up on reddit in /r/Fantasy pretty often, which is nice.
Fellow fan of series here! Let me see...
Young Adult
Percy Jackson series is fun (and finished, too, I think).
Artemis Fowl series isn't quite as good as Percy Jackson IMHO, but it's got a following.
Fantasy
Harry Dresden series This is one of my favorites. Harry is Chicago's only professional wizard. There are a ton of these books and they are still going strong.
Game of Thrones These are great...but unfinished. If you watch the show, reading the books does help you get even more out of the story, I think.
Wheel of Time Another good series. There is a LOT of this series and it's finished. (Thank you, Brandon Sanderson!)
Mistborn Speaking of Brandon Sanderson... This one is very good. I highly recommend reading the Mistborn books before trying the Stormlight Archive, but only because as good as Mistborn is, Stormlight Archive is even better.
Stormlight Archive Amazing. Man, these are good. The series isn't finished, but the two books that are available are some of my favorites ever.
Kingkiller Chronicles I loved the first book. I could not freakin' believe I enjoyed the second one even more. The third one is still pending.
Temeraire Dragons in Napoleonic times. Super cool premise! This one is not finished (I don't think, anyway).
Gentlemen Bastards Con men in a fantasy realm. It's pretty light on the fantasy elements. Very light, I'd say. I'd also say that it has some of the very best swearing that I've ever come across. :D
Scifi
Old Man's War I'm almost finished this one--it's amazing!
Horror/Thriller
Passage Trilogy I've heard these described as vampire books...maybe zombie books... It's apocalyptic for sure. Great books!
Mysteries
Amelia Peabody Egyptology + murder mysteries. Super fun, but trust me...go with the audiobooks for these. They are best when they are performed.
Stephanie Plum Total popcorn reads. If that's your thing, shut off your brain and just enjoy.
Walt Longmire These get particularly good as it goes along. The main character is a sheriff in modern day Wyoming. (Side note: The TV show is also great--just don't expect them to stick to the books.)
Graphic Novels (Everything recommended can be gotten in a "book" format instead of only in comic form, in case that matters. I've gotten most of these from my local library.)
Locke & Key Eerie as crap. Love the art! This one is on-going.
Y: The Last Man All the men on the planet drop dead in a day...except for Yorrick. REALLY good. This is the series that got me reading graphic novels. Plus, it's finished!
Walking Dead I am not a zombie fan...but I like these. They're not done, but I've read up through volume 22 and am still enjoying them.
Other
OutlanderI have no idea how to categorize these or even give a description that does them justice. I refused to pick it up for AGES because it sounded like a bodice-ripper romance and that's not my bag. But these are good!
I hope there's something in there that'll do for you. Have fun and read on!
Edit: Apparently, I need to practice formatting. :/
Edit 2: I forgot to add the Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentlemen Bastards #1).
Rocky
Aliens
Bluetooth Headphones
Game of Thrones
Gears of War 4 Collector's Edition
Seven Samurai
Big Trouble In Little China Board Game
VR Headset
Samurai Champloo
Dredd or Dredd
Dead Rising 4
2TB Portable External Hard Drive
Aliens: The Set Photography
The Way of Kings
The Eye of the World
Army Of Darkness
Ash
RoboCop: Trilogy Collection
Cold Steel Tanto Pocket Knife
I really enjoyed Sapiens, and I'm picking up some more of the author's books soon. Fascinating theories on why humans developed language, money, art, religion... All of it. Well worth your time.
Becoming Who We Need To Be was a good (short) read. I'm a fan of the author's work already (particularly his podcast), and the book is a thought-provoking look at a wide variety of topics. More a collection of essays than anything.
Jordan Peterson gets a fair bit of stick, but I found 12 Rules for Life to be quite a powerful read. I don't agree with all of what he writes, but there are some very good lessons in here for sorting one's shit out. A lot of it very obvious now that I've read it, but sometimes you need things spelling out for you.
Religious or not, I would encourage anyone to read The God Delusion. Dawkins is quite militant in his atheism, but it does present a lot of good arguments as to why religion isn't necessary for a person to act morally.
How To Be Miserable resonated with me quite a lot. Bits of it are in a similar vein to 12 Rules for Life, but essentially it's a self-help book that's approaching the matter from the slightly tongue-in-cheek perspective of wanting to make yourself as miserable as possible (ie. don't do these things). Another fairly short, but quite enjoyable read.
​
Bonus fiction recommendation:
The Way of Kings. I just got finished reading this last night, and oh boy was it good. It's an absolute tome at 1200 pages, but it's a proper un-put-down-able. Really great work of fantasy, with some outstanding worldbuilding, fascinating characters, and one of the best climaxes I've read in years.
I'm not sure, this is the Mass Market Paperback Edition. Not too sure how it stacks up against the normal copy.
I recommend Way of Kings. It's really good. And when you're done with it, you can use it as a door stopper.
Shadow's Son stars an assassin and opens with an assassination. I found the book a bit bland and stopped halfway through. Maybe you'd get more out of it than me, though. Different strokes for different folks. Eh, I'll probably give it another try eventually.
.
Next up is The Emperor's Knife, the first book of the Tower and Knife series. I know that it stars an assassin as a main character, but I haven't gotten around to reading my copy yet. I think I got it for free at some point.
.
The Demon of Cliffside is a book that you've probably never heard of before. It stars a nameless demon as the main character, and while she's not an assassin, she does a lot of "assassin-ey" things. It's the only book of these so far that I've read all the way through, and it comes with my stamp of approval. For what it's worth.
.
...and now for the obligatory The Way of Kings reference, because someone had to do it. One of the viewpoint characters is "The Assassin in White," and he has some very fun sequences. However, this is probably not the type of book you're looking to get out of this thread, and I imagine you've likely read it already anyway.
.
Well, I did my best. I'd probably recommend them in this order:
That made me check! My oldest daughter & I always shared The Wheel of Time series, which my middle daughter never got into. So my middle daughter chose The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson, who finished WoT, as a series we could all read and obsess over together. I'm waiting for book 3 in that series but it won't come out until November. Sadness.
Here's book one
Medium-to-high fantasy, very intriguing worldbuilding mechanics, and excessively well-developed characters. Starts slow, but I think it's worth the build.
E: Fucking hell, it's supposed to be a 10-part series. That finished series will weigh more than some houses by the time it's done.
I have the perfect book for him based on that list. The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. Sanderson finished Wheel of Time when the original author died. This book, and the sequel, are well over 1,000 pages long. They're epic fantasy, just like ASOIAF. His writing is very very good. His world building is exceptional.
The book and the sequel spent multiple weeks (book 2 spent multiple months, I think) at number 1 on the amazon bestseller list. I really really think this book would be great for your dad. It's intended to be a 10 book series, and book 2 is already out, so it'll give him a series to look forward to as well.
Brandon Sanderson is one of my favorite authors. Both his Mistborn series and The Stormlight Archive are among my top ten, probably. Hell, I've read every single book of his, even the children's, and they're all goddamn amazing.
It definitely does, and Sanderson's work on the final 3 books was pretty inspired to say the least.
Also, check out
https://www.amazon.com/Lies-Locke-Lamora-Gentleman-Bastards-ebook/dp/B000JMKNJ2
https://www.amazon.com/Way-Kings-Brandon-Sanderson/dp/0765365278/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=KRSFJE42GMR8VFGZGC72
https://www.amazon.com/Blade-Itself-First-Law/dp/0316387312
https://www.amazon.com/Prince-Thorns-Broken-Empire-Lawrence/dp/1937007685/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492715571&sr=1-1&keywords=prince+of+thorns
Here's the goodreads page on the series. And here's the Amazon page for book 1 (The Way of Kings).
It's epic fantasy, and the world building is amazing. :) It's hard to fully explain because the world Sanderson has built is so complex.
Essentially, it's about a world where a group of people (called the Heralds) wage war against these monsters (called Voidbringers) in order to protect humanity. If a Herald dies, they always resurrect and come back (bc the monsters keep coming back in cycles after many years). It's part of an oath they make.
After countlessly dying, they decide - screw this. We're tired. And they leave.
The book is about what happens thousands of years later, when people have forgotten what the Voidbringers are (or believe that the war is done). It follows multiple characters (none of which are Heralds) and the adventures/politics/learning of magic and war, etc.
There is magic, but it's sooo unlike any magic (in function and description), that it's absolutely intriguing. :)
Try it! If you're interested, PM me!
[Stormlight Archive](
https://www.amazon.com/Way-Kings-Stormlight-Archive/dp/0765365278/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1473012699&sr=8-3&keywords=stormlight%23) heir to the Wheel of time.
So I am writing an epileptic MC... Beyond the scientific research, I've also been doing a lot of lurking in forums. It's one thing to read about potential side effects, etc, etc, and another to see what most people are complaining about.
I've also got a lot of reading to do.
Books with Epileptic Characters
The Queen's Fool (adult historical)
Incarceron & Sapphique (YA steampunk)
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (MG contemporary - doesn't come up, just a passing line about history)
How Evan Broke His Head and Other Secrets (contemporary)
The Universe Versus Alex Woods (YA magical realism? contemporary? I don't know yet)
Epileptic (graphic novel)
Prizefighter en Mi Casa (MG contemporary)
The Way of Kings (Supposedly. Adult fantasy in any case.)
Haven't read the ones at the bottom of the list yet.
I'm finishing a re-read of the Wheel of Time. Currently on Crown of Swords.
Next on the list after the WoT re-read:
Probably will add to this after I get home and look at the actual stack of books I have sitting on my dresser to work through.
The Way of Kings, book 1 of the future series The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson, is a good read. The second book is coming out March 4th, 2014.
I also agree with the many comments about the Dresden Files.
If you want to get in on the ground floor of an epic series, Brandon Sanderson's Way of Kings is book one of the Stormlight Archive. Book 2 comes out early next year and I think he said he expects it to have about 9 or 10 books in the series.
Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive.
Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastards.
Peter V. Brett's The Demon Cycle is just ok, nothing amazing.
https://www.amazon.com/Way-Kings-Brandon-Sanderson/dp/0765365278/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499471289&sr=8-1&keywords=stormlight+archive
Phenomenal book. I've read the first one, I think there are two.
The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson.
You can keep your Steven Eriksons and your Patrick Rothfusses, this is the most enjoyable new fantasy series I've read in years.
Two things jump to mind for me, both fantasy.
The Coldfire Trilogy is set on a really strange world with a kind of natural force that gives life to people's fears or desires. It's really unique, and a great story with a great antihero.
Brandon Sanderson has also created some pretty unique worlds, his Stormlight Archives is probably his best work so far and the world there is refreshingly different than your typical fantasy fare.
It's possible this is what prompted your question, but if not you might enjoy reading about shardblades in Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive.
maybe look into Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. The protagonist is not necessarily ''slamming through'' his problems - but he is a survivor and he is damn god at it! It's a powerful slam through in the end for sure,
The paperback is 9.99 at my local bookstore, and it's been spread over the last 3 years. $50 a year to enrich the lives of my friends isn't that much. (It was more expensive close to launch, but several of those have been $5 amazon purchases http://www.amazon.com/The-Way-Kings-Stormlight-Archive/dp/0765365278/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8 )
You might also look into the work that Brandon Sanderson has done. His opening book to the Stormlight Archive series was pretty damn good imo. The downside is that it's still a work in progress, so The Way of Kings is the only book of the series available.
If you want me to pitch you something, I'd way recommend The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson instead. It's only 2 books in so far (The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance), but they are seriously just so good that I can't even do it justice giving you a synopsis, but here goes: There are a few different POVs, but mostly it focuses on Kaladin, a slave who gets assigned to this bridge crew in the military where they have to carry these giant, heavy bridges around so the assault troops can cross these giant chasms to fight the Parshendi--creepy bastards with shell-like armor that grows out of their skin. Eventually Kaladin finds out he can suck in stormlight from certain stones and do some neat magic stuff with it (don't want to give too much away here). There are also these knights called shardbearers who can summon these giant blades from thin air, which cut through just about everything like a lightsaber through butter, and if they cut through a person, their eyes burn out and their soul dies. The book is just so imaginative and awesome--it's unlike most other fantasy books I've read--plus, it has artwork every few chapters detailing the creatures, plants, etc.
Wheel of Time on the other hand, supposedly really bogs down in the middle (before the original author died and the series was taken over by Brandon Sanderson). But basically it starts out as a kind of Lord of the Rings clone, where these 3 kids from a small village set out across the world after it turns out they're the only ones who can stop the Dark One, who sends trollocs (basically orcs) and Myrddral (basically ringwraiths) after them, and they've got an Aes Sedai witch along with them to keep them from dying. It comes into its own by the 2nd book, and I've really been enjoying it so far (I'm only on book 4/15), so if that sounds at all interesting to you, check out book 1, The Eye of the World (link to the first half of the book, free on tor.com).
There're plenty of good recommendations over at /r/Fantasy, and many people (myself included) have asked your same question there.
As rumors swirl about a potential Game of Thrones spinoff TV series, we get to the bottom of whether spinoffs/crossovers/expanded universes are TRUE EXPRESSIONS OF ARTISTIC STORYTELLING or CAPITALIST CASHGRABS PREYING ON OUR CULTURALLY-PROGRAMMED COMPLETIONIST OBSESSIONS. It can only be one of the two.
Links we mentioned:
Star Trek Novels Inter-connected
List of TV Spinoffs
Recommendations:
Shadows of Mordor
Mechina - Conqueror
Rhapsody - Legendary Tales
Brandon Sanderson - The Way of Kings
Intro/Outro music courtesy PANDAS
If you buy any of our recommendations from the above links, we may receive a small commission.