Stormlight Archive 2: Words of Radiance - Retro Review
To
celebrate the upcoming release of Brandon Sanderson's Oathbringer, book three of The Stormlight
Archive, Chris reviews both of the previous books. No scores at the
end, but suffice it to say that they're worth reading.
---
Unite
them.
These
are the words that drive Dalinar Kholin, given to him in visions from the
Almighty, the closest thing Roshar has - or, rather, had - to God. They
urge that the storm is coming, the Voidbringers are returning, and the end
draws nearer. The only way to survive is to bring the scattered peoples of
Roshar - long separated by warfare, politics and greed - together into a
unified whole.
Easier
said than done, right?
Where
The Way of Kings gradually started the process of establishing our host
of characters, Words of Radiance goes deeper in what they need to do to
survive. Sometimes, they may not like the answers they find.
Freed
from slavery and now a leading guardsman in the Alethi army, Kaladin struggles
with how to survive his new Stormlight-based powers whilst reconciling both his
new station as Dalinar's bodyguard, and his rejection of the lighteyed
hierocracy it's tied to. Escaping from a deadly assassination attempt, Shallan
tries - literally and figuratively - to survive the natural and political wilds
of a world she's still discovering. Armed with horrifying new information
regarding the state of the world, Dalinar is tasked with keeping more than just
his own army alive on the Shattered Plains. And nearby in the realm of the
Parshendi, who reel from crushing defeats handed to them by the Alethi, a
Shardbearer named Eshonai attempts a drastic plan which will either ensure her
people's survival or earn them a swift descent into extinction.
Given
where all our characters start, I'd almost be tempted to suggest that
someone could start their experience with Words. What backstory we
vitally need - save for the long unpacking of some of Kaladin's details that Kings
dealt with - is handed to readers, and the status quo is almost completely
changed from the one we got used to in the first book. No longer do we have to
go through many chapters of Shallan struggling to convince Jasnah to take her
on as a ward, or Kaladin once again suffering humiliation and subjugation at
the hands of his captors.
But
having Kings behind us makes many of Words' peak moments that
much more powerful. The book doesn't just encapsulate the "epic"
fantasy feel that the genre shoots for, but goes for deep as well. Each
of our protagonists, and no small number of the supporting cast, go through
remarkable journeys even while the world collapses around their ears. It’s not
just that they achieve great victories or suffer horrific defeats; it’s that
they do so while being well-rounded, captivating characters with a wealth of
backstory and realistic shading. Even bit-part characters who appear for only a
chapter or two – as well as those in the superlative Interludes between
sections, where the world of Roshar is further expanded – get moments on par
with the leads, thanks to Sanderson’s talent for sketching these folks so well.
The
plot itself is still top notch, and on a re-read I’ve now noticed just how propulsive it is. In relation to the
gradual unfurling of Kings, the main
narrative thrust of Words hits the
ground running and rarely lets up all the way to the end. Even when the book
lowers its pace – with the nadir being an extended sequence of two characters
trapped in a chasm together – the tension’s still ratcheted high through
rampant foreshadowing and the assumption that a huge plot twist is probably
nearby (an assumption which is usually correct). This is the rare kind of
doorstopper where the meditative bits – which, in almost any other book, might
be considered boring – have a habit of making you ask, “Ok, so now that we’re
calming down, what’s the next apocalyptic twist we’ll be due for in a few pages’
time?”
That
same narrative energy can also be a bit tiring. As much as Words wants to grab you by the lapels and not let go until it’s
finished, some may want breaks here and there to digest. (I certainly did.) The
book serves its characters and plot well with connective tissue and
developmental scenes, but given the sheer number of revelations and upsets of
the status quo, it can sometimes be a bit intense. That’s really not a kind of
wholly negative criticism, mind – “This book is so good it’ll make you want to
take breaks because of how good it is” – but something to be aware of. By the
time of Words’ climax, which manages
to outdo the triumphal crescendo of Kings,
you may need a lie down.
For
long-time readers of this site, it should be obvious that I love Brandon Sanderson’s
work. I’ve heaped praise on his other work before, and I’ve never read a story
of his that I haven’t liked; even his slightly less successful works are still
head and shoulders above most of the competition. So consider the gravity of my
claim when I say that Words of Radiance
is, without question, my favourite Sanderson book. There might be a way Oathbringer could knock it off that top
spot – at time of writing, I’m about 2/3 of the way through and have some very
positive thoughts about it – but for right now, I can safely say this is the
peak of Sanderson’s work thus far. The characters are deep and engaging, within
a meticulously-cultivated and mercilessly-thrilling plot, taking place in one
of the finest fictional worlds ever made for the genre.
It
is, without a doubt, a breathtaking housebrick of a book.
-
Chris
Words of Radiance is available in bookstores now in two paperbacks - Parts One and Two.
Oathbringer is
due for Australian release on November 14th.
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