Review: Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive #2) by Brandon Sanderson

Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive #2) by Brandon Sanderson

Published March 4th 2014 by Tor Books

Hardcover, 1087 pages

Series: The Stormlight Archive

Genre: High Fantasy
Heat Rating: Kissing

Source:  I got a copy of this book from the publicist in exchange of an honest review.
Amazon | The Book Depository |  Goodreads

Summary from Goodreads

The eagerly awaited sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Way of Kings

Having met the challenge of a posthumous collaboration with the great Robert Jordan to complete his classic, bestselling fantasy series The Wheel of Time® with three #1 New York Times bestsellers in a row, Brandon Sanderson is at last free to return to the decade-spanning task of creating his own multi-volume epic, one that he hopes will make a comparable mark on the field. That epic is The Stormlight Archive and it began in 2010 with Tor’s longest, most elaborately embellished novel ever, The Way of Kings.
In that first volume, we were introduced to the remarkable world of Roshar, a world both alien and magical, where gigantic
hurricane-like storms scour the surface every few days and life has adapted accordingly. Roshar is shared by humans and the enigmatic, humanoid Parshendi, with whom they are at war. Among those caught up in the conflict are Brightlord Dalinar Kholin, who leads the human armies; his sister Jasnah, a renowned scholar; her student Shallan, a brilliant but troubled young woman; and Kaladin, a military slave who, by the book’s end, had become the first magically endowed Knight Radiant in centuries.

In Words of Radiance their intertwined stories will continue and, as Sanderson fans have come to expect, develop in unexpected, wonderfully surprising directions. The war with the Parshendi will move into a new, dangerous phase, as Dalinar leads the human armies deep into the heart of the Shattered Plains in a bold attempt to finally end it. Shallan will come along, hoping to find the legendary, perhaps mythical, city of Urithuru, which Jasnah believes holds a secret vital to mankind’s survival on Roshar. The Parshendi take a dangerous step to strengthen themselves for the human challenge, risking the return of the fearsome Voidbringers of old. To deal with it all, Kaladin must learn to how to fulfill his new role as leader of the restored Knights Radiant, while mastering the powers of a Windrunner.

With this second book, the Stormlight Archive grows even more richly immersive and compelling. Sanderson’s fans, old and new, are likely to lift it at least as high on the bestseller lists as its predecessor.

Brandon Sanderson has done something uncommon with this series. And that is used his imagination to create a fully fleshed fantasy world from scratch.  Nothing is left out, from the intertwining of the social classes to the unique variety of the flora and fauna.  He has masterfully woven a new world unlike anything I have ever read about.  I would not recommend this book to anyone planning to skip the first as you are cheating yourself out of what is to this point half the story. Also filled with gorgeous drawings scattered throughout the book that are very significant to the book and it's plot.  Sanderson does not pause to catch you up and dives right into the first chapter as if you had just put the first book down.  The characters are deep and despite their unusual physical features, truly human to the core, with all the emotional scarring laid bare.

This is the perfect book for those of you who like your heros dark and your political intrigue bloody.

Kaladin the spearmen turned slave turned worse than a slave rises out of the muck to become something far greater than he could ever have hoped, indeed far more than he wants to be.  Battling his own demons as much as the very real ones around him to get there.

Shallan wrestles with her own turmoil as she constantly spins a web of lies to protect herself all the while running from the one deep truth that she refuses to remember.

Dalinar is a warrior, struggling to become something that his class has all but forgotten, a truly good man. 

While all the while a shadowy assassin is haunted by the things he's done and continues to do.

Through these characters stories we gain a broader view of a world torn by war, forsaken by gods and steeped in  political injustice.  Yet despite all this the hope for a better world is never lost.  A truly masterful piece of writing, I only put it down to sleep.

Now I could sit here and farther rehash the plot, but it's not something I could talk about lightly without giving too much away. I could almost just talk about it all day or give you the pleasure of finding out the unbelievably amazing world built by Sanderson yourself. I am eagerly looking forward to the next book in the series and farther growth and expansion of characters to see where Brandon Sanderson will take them from here on.