The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
Published 2010 · 1,008 pages · 327,682 words · about 23 hours at an average pace
How hard is The Way of Kings to read?
The Way of Kings scores 58 out of 100 for difficulty on ReadingRate, making it quite demanding. The score is a weighted composite of nine measures: four of how hard the prose is to parse, five of how hard the meaning is to extract.
- Vocabulary: 85 out of 100
- The text is saturated with invented terminology and specialized world-building vocabulary, requiring constant attention to new concepts like 'Shardblades,' 'Stormlight,' 'Lashings,' and a multitude of 'spren.' This density of unique terms, while contextually explained, places a high demand on the reader, surpassing the specialized jargon of 'Moby-Dick' and approaching the encyclopedic nature of 'Gravity's Rainbow.'
- Sentence structure: 60 out of 100
- While not reaching the extreme hypotaxis of authors like Henry James or Proust, the text frequently employs compound-complex sentences and descriptive clauses to convey intricate world details and character thoughts. Sentences are generally well-structured and navigable, but often extend beyond simple declarative forms, demanding sustained attention from the reader.
- Abstraction: 68 out of 100
- While grounded in action and detailed world-building, the narrative frequently delves into abstract themes of honor, justice, despair, and the nature of divinity through character introspection and world-building elements like the Oathpact and spren. Kaladin's internal monologues on hope and vengeance, and Shallan's philosophical musings on art and knowledge, elevate the content beyond purely concrete adventure.
- Information density: 82 out of 100
- The excerpt is exceptionally dense with world-building, introducing a rapid succession of unique terms, magic systems, political factions, and cultural details across multiple character perspectives and timelines. The reader must constantly absorb new concepts like 'Stormlight,' 'Shardblades,' various 'spren,' and the intricate social structures of Roshar, demanding sustained high attention to track the unfolding narrative and its complex backdrop.
- Narrative indirection: 40 out of 100
- The narrative is largely direct, explicitly detailing character thoughts, motivations, and world mechanics. While in-world mysteries exist, such as the Parshendi's motives or the full implications of the Oathpact, the reader is not left to infer basic plot points or character feelings. The cryptic chapter epigraphs add a minor layer of indirection, hinting at lore and future events without explicit explanation.
- Symbolic density: 35 out of 100
- The text is rich in unique world-building elements like Heralds, Shardblades, Stormlight, and various spren, but these primarily function as literal components of the fantasy world. While themes of sacrifice, burden, and power are explored, they are conveyed through direct narrative and character actions rather than dense, abstract symbolism or allegory.
- Ironic distance: 25 out of 100
- The narrative voice maintains a consistently earnest and sincere tone, with no evidence of the author intending a meaning contrary to the literal text. There are no unreliable narrators in the sense of actively misleading the reader, nor is there pervasive satire or parody.
- Resolution withholding: 75 out of 100
- As the beginning of a multi-volume epic, the novel deliberately introduces numerous major mysteries and leaves many character fates and plot points unresolved. The Prelude's ending, the underlying motives for Szeth's mission, Kaladin's ongoing suffering, and Shallan's true objective to steal a Soulcaster are all left open.
- Structural complexity: 78 out of 100
- The novel employs multiple, alternating character perspectives (Kalak, Szeth, Cenn, Kaladin, Shallan) and features significant timeline jumps, including a 4,500-year gap between the Prelude and the main narrative, followed by further jumps within character arcs. Each chapter also begins with a cryptic epigraph from a different time and source, adding a distinct layer of non-linear information.
How The Way of Kings is regarded
The Way of Kings holds a literary regard score of 44 out of 100, weighing its place in the canon, its critical reception, its influence on other writers, and the standing of its author. Regard is measured separately from difficulty: a demanding book is not necessarily an admired one.