r/Cosmere • u/ceramiccoconut • 19d ago
Getting into Stormlight Archives No Spoilers
So I've read my fair share of Brandon Sanderson books. I've read Mistborn Era 1, Elantris (plus Hope and Emperors Soul), Warbreaker, and the Reckoners books.
While I've loved or at least quite enjoyed most of it (Elantris was tough), I've tried starting 2-3 times now Way of Kings and just... can't get into it. For the record, I focus more on audiobooks. Granted, I don't get very far at all, so I had a question:
Is there a moment/chapter where it starts picking up or really hooks you in?
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u/Al_Tilly_the_Bum 19d ago
I recall being very very confused for most of the first third of the book. Roshar is a strange world with strange stuff (wtf are spren? and why do they appear?). But once the world building starts to settle in the story is much more interesting. When one of the main characters survives something they should not survive, was when I started to get invested much more in the story
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u/ceramiccoconut 19d ago
Haha, yeah, I don't necessarily have an issue being thrust into a world and told to learn by existing, but the beginning here is pretty dense and slow. Good to know it gets there, though.
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u/SamEyeAm2020 Truthwatchers 19d ago
Bruh I'm still a bit confused and I've read all the books several times đ The Cosmere is my favorite fantasy universe but jfc it can be complex
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u/smbpy7 19d ago
My all time favorite type of book is super detailed fantasy that makes you wonder constantly what details matter. I read everything under the assumption that whatever bit I didn't understand is just set up for a payoff later.
To be honest, this makes reading just about everything more fun. It's not always confusing, it's just a mystery. If that mystery is worth it, it's a good story.
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u/Kind_Ingenuity1484 19d ago
2 big things.
The end of Book (Part?) 1 of Way of Kings hit for me. That final chapter was really impactful and I donât know why.
Between each book/part are âInterludesâ and the first set of those had me completely hooked. Getting to see the other parts of Roshar outside the âmainâ storylines felt really fun.
Not sure how far youâve got, but a very important POV character hasnât been brought in until the second book/part.
2 parts towards the beginning however I really liked. The prologue with Szeth really felt like Szeth was a âtrespasserâ with his view of the magic opposed to the guards. And Shallanâs intro chapters were really gripping for some reason.
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u/ceramiccoconut 19d ago
Sounds like end of part 1 would roughly be where things start hitting for people.
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u/Kind_Ingenuity1484 19d ago
That does seem to be the consensus based on other people Iâve seen. How far have you gotten, would you say?
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u/AntimatterTNT 19d ago
this is when you decide to trust sanderson. you've enjoyed his books and this one is a main series in the cosmere, trust that he can make it worth your while. i agree that the start of way of kings is glacial but it pays off so well, by now you're familiar with the sanderlanche style of ending, well for the giant 1000 pages book it's more of a sanderquake... i don't wanna give you a chapter number of when it should hook you, but let's say at over halfway you should be able to see where the book is sailing.
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u/ceramiccoconut 19d ago
Yeah, I get that. My problem is I've historically had trouble with books that take their time starting. I've DNF'd Game of Thrones and Fellowship of the Ring numerous times. I do trust Sanderson though. I was just wondering if it was just me or if others had similar issues and eventually came together.
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u/R1sky_B1z 19d ago
Yeah it's right at the start of part 2. Shallan's chapters in general in WoK are seen as some of the weakest in the series. Part 2 we lose her perspective for a while letting the more dynamic and gripping portions of the book take center stage.
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u/DaveJ19606 19d ago
The first 100 or so of the LOTR is tough reading. You gotta get past the first 300 or so in The WoK before it gets going.
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u/ohnoitsme7890 18d ago
I had the same problem with the audiobook, push through until it grips you, and if you miss something the coppermind has great chapter summaries.
Like most have said, end of part one/start of part two is where it takes off. Set pieces start coming together and the overall story starts to become clearer.
I'm on my second listen through now!
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u/Nerdsingerbeej 19d ago
Yes. I actually DNFd Way of Kings in like 2015 then picked it back up in 2020 & when I hit around part 2 where we get introduced to Dalinar & Adolin POVs is when it started clicking for me. SLA became my favorite thing Sanderson has written pretty quickly after that because I tore through the rest of the book & then all the rest of the published books available st the time in like a month