Words of Radiance

Words of Radiance

First edition book cover
Author	Brandon Sanderson
Cover artist	Michael Whelan
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	The Stormlight Archive
Genre	Epic fantasy
Publisher	Tor Books
Publication date	March 4, 2014[1]
Media type	Print (hardcover)
Pages	1088 (hardcover)[2]
ISBN	978-0-575-09904-3
OCLC	867184929
Preceded by	The Way of Kings

Words of Radiance (abbreviated as WOR by fans) is the second book^[3] of The Stormlight Archive epic fantasy series written by American author Brandon Sanderson. It was published by Tor Books and released on March 4, 2014.^[4] In 2015, it won the David Gemmell Legend Award for best novel. Upon first publication, Words of Radiance consisted of one prologue, 89 chapters, an epilogue and 14 interludes. The unabridged audiobook is read by narrator team Michael Kramer and Kate Reading.^[5] The release of the book was delayed due to Sanderson's commitment to writing the final book of The Wheel of Time.^[6][7]

Pre-publication

Initially Sanderson planned that this volume would be named after the tome Shallan is given at the end of the first volume: The Book of Endless Pages. However, the name was changed after the editor commented "Uh, are you sure you want to name a very long, very thick fantasy book The Book of Endless Pages?”^[3] The book, at 1088 pages, is the maximum printable size of a book for its publisher, Tor Books, making it the biggest book ever printed by the company.^[8][9]

On July 1, 2013 Sanderson announced on his official Twitter-account that he had finished the first draft of Words of Radiance.^[10] On July 3 Tor Books officially released an early excerpt of the novel, containing the beginning of an interlude starring Taravangian, the King of Kharbranth.^[11] On December 10, 2013, Tor Books announced on its official website that Sanderson had turned in the manuscript of the book, commenting that production could now begin.^[12] On the same day a second excerpt of the novel was released, containing an interlude starring the new character Lift.^[13]

On December 30, 2013 Tor Books revealed the endpapers for Words of Radiance, painted by American artist Michael Whelan.^[14] It pictures Shallan while painting at the Shattered Plains. In the same article Whelan states, "When Irene Gallo proposed a second painting for Words of Radiance, I immediately knew it was Shallan we were talking about. Indeed, like many fans, I had felt that the story was becoming as much Shallan’s as Kaladin’s; she merited equal representation in the book’s design, as far as it was possible to do so."

On January 8, 2014 Tor Books released the prologue and first two chapters of the book as previews with point-of-views of Jasnah, Shallan and Kaladin.^[15] A week later, on January 14, Tor Books released the 3rd, 4th and 5th chapters of the book,^[16] followed by the 6th, 8th and 9th chapters on January 21.^[17] The last chapters to be released before the publication of the book, Chapters Ten, Twelve, Fourteen and the first Interlude, were released on January 28, 2014.^[18]

Tor Books revealed the dates and locations for the Words of Radiance book tour on January 29, 2014.^[19] On February 4 Tor announced 'The Glimpses of Radiance', a series of daily previews of the book running from February 11 to March 4, 2014.^[20] Non-spoiler reviews were released by Alice Arneson^[21] and Carl Engle-Laird^[22] on the Tor website and by 17thshard.com, the official fansite of Brandon Sanderson, 17th Shard calling the book, "truly an achievement. It expands on its predecessor, fulfilling the promises it sets up, and manages to surpass it".^[23] Samples of interior art painted by Ben McSweeney and Isaac Stewart were released on February 26.^[24]

Plot

Years ago Szeth, the Assassin in White, was hired by the Parshendi to assassinate the Alethi king, Gavilar, because he was about to do something dangerous. This murder resulted in the Vengeance Pact among the highprinces of Alethkar and the War of Reckoning against the Parshendi. Now Szeth is active again, using powers that were long thought lost, and tries to kill Highprince Dalinar, widely considered the power behind the Alethi throne.

Kaladin, once a slave and bridgeman on the Shattered Plains, is given command of the royal bodyguards, trying to protect the king and Dalinar from perils and the threat of the Assassin. Meanwhile he struggles to master the powers of a Windrunner, that are linked to his honorspren, Syl.

Shallan, together with her mentor Jasnah, tries to prevent the return of the legendary Voidbringers and their civilization-ending Desolation. The secret to this task can be found at the Shattered Plains, but arriving there is more difficult than she could ever imagine. Shallan meets her spren Pattern while sailing to the Plains and becomes betrothed to Adolin Kholin.

Dalinar wants to recreate the Knights Radiant, so tells Adolin to duel the other shardbearers with the shardplate and shardblade going to the victor. This plan is also being executed in order to disarm the other highprinces.

During Shallan's sailing, the new sailors kill the regular sailors and Jasnah, so Shallan soulcasts the bottom of the ship to sink it and use the confusion to try to help the sailors and she washes ashore. On the beach Jasnah's notes and books are found in a waterproof trunk. Shallan finds a group of slavers to escort her and the trunk to the Shattered Plains.

One of the Parshendi, Venli, discovers a stormform that allows Parshendi to summon highstorms and turn the tide of the war. Some Parshendi believe using stormform will summon the Voidbringers, but the ruling council allows the form. Eshonai wants to parlay with Dalinar to bring an end to the war before stormform is used.

Szeth attempts to murder Dalinar but is stopped when Dalinar catches Szeth's shardblade with his hands. Kaladin ends the attempt by knocking himself and Szeth into open air. During the melee after landing, Szeth see Kaladin use stormlight and flees from the duel, realizing that the Radiants are back and he is not Truthless.

Eshonai and surviving Parshendi transform to stormform and summon a highstorm during a battle. Instead of a normal highstorm, an Everstorm is summoned that is a storm that never ends and brings the Desolation that can end the world.

Shallan and Adolin, using their shardblades teleport to Urithiru, the legendary city of the Radiants. Kaladin, Dalinar, Shallan and Renarin becomes Knights of the Radiant.

Viewpoint characters

The primary chapters within the book are told from the viewpoint of several major characters, while the book's interludes are told from the viewpoint of other characters (not all of which repeat).

• Szeth-son-son-Vallano, an assassin from the land of Shinovar. He refers to himself as a "Truthless" who must serve those who bear his Oathstone. Bearer of an Honorblade which gives him the power to use Stormlight and the abilities of a Windrunner. He hates being forced to murder and weeps as he does.
• Kaladin: A darkeye, or peasant, from the nation of Alethkar during the main timeline of the book who is forced to serve on a bridge crew in the army of Highprince Sadeas. Formerly an apprentice learning surgery from his father, and a member of the army of the brightlord Amaram, he hates light-eyes because of Amaram, who betrays him by first allowing his brother to die, and then taking by force the Shardblade Kaladin earns and gives to his men. Kaladin is able to use Stormlight to heal himself and make himself stronger and faster than any normal human being. He is accompanied by an honorspren named Syl. She came to him because of his innate honor and kindness in the face of the evil and betrayal that seem to surround him. Kaladin's connection with Syl is what gives him his power with Stormlight; it also gives Syl the level of sentience she possesses.
• Shallan Davar: A minor lighteyes, or noble, from the nation of Jah Keved. Her family has fallen on hard times after the death of her father. She seeks to be accepted as the ward and student of the scholar Jasnah Kholin, sister to King Elhokar of Alethkar. A skilled artist who can with a single glance remember and recreate a scene with charcoal and paper, she learns that she is able to Soulcast without a Soulcaster, just like Jasnah. Though the beginning of the book has her plotting to steal Jasnah's Soulcaster to save her family, she has become Jasnah's true apprentice by the end of the book.
• Dalinar Kholin: A highprince of Alethkar, brother to the slain King Gavilar, uncle to the current king. Nicknamed the Blackthorn. A general who helped unite the kingdom with his brother. A man who experiences visions during the highstorms, and bearer of a Shardblade and Shardplate, he is criticized as weak after he begins to follow the Codes and talk about stopping the pointless war Alethkar is engaged in.
• Adolin Kholin: A lighteyes of Alethkar and heir to his father Dalinar's highprince seat. A skilled duelist and a bearer of a Shardblade and Shardplate, he loves and respects his father despite fearing that he has gone mad.
• Navani Kholin: Widow of King Gavilar, mother of King Elhokar and Jasnah. A skilled artifabrian (one who creates devices known as fabrials). She has always loved Dalinar, even when she was married to his brother, Gavilar, and continues to rekindle her relationship with Dalinar.

The following characters are viewpoint characters in the interludes of the book:

• Jasnah Kholin: the sister to the king of Alethkar and the greatest scholar in the world. She is capable of Soulcasting without a Soulcaster, and is bonded to a spren named Ivory, who gained her the abilities of Stormlight used by the Knights Radiant. She is a member of the Order of Elsecallers, who have the Surges of Transformation and Transportation.
• Eshonai: one of the Listeners, known by the Alethi as Parshendi, and the only Shardbearer among her people. She seeks peace with the armies of the humans.
• Ym: a shoemaker in Iri, bound to an unnamed spren. Once a beggar, he now makes shoes he gives to urchins on the street.
• Rysn: a young woman from Thaylenah, an apprentice merchant. She travels with her babsk to the Reshi Islands.
• Zahel: a swordmaster and ardent, training both Adolin and Renarin.
• Taln: known as Talenelat or Stonesinew, he is a Herald of the Almighty, sent to prepare humankind for the Desolation.
• Lift: a Reshi thief who works in Azimir in Azir. She has Surgebinding abilities that corresponded with the Order of Edgedancers.
• Lhan: an ardent in Kholinar. He is lazy and often drunk. He explains 'the easiest job in the world' to a woman called Pai, who - a day later - starts riots in the city.
• Taravangian: the king of Kharbranth. He employed Szeth to kill a great number of leaders around the world, following the Diagram, a masterplan to prepare the world for the Last Desolation, made by himself.
• Wit: also known as Hoid, is the court jester of king Elhokar Kholin at the Shattered Plains.

Reception and sales

In its first week of release, Words of Radiance debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times Hardcover Fiction Bestseller list.^[25] It also reached No. 1 on the combined print/ebook bestseller list and the Kobo Bestseller list.^[25] It was at No. 3 on the National Indie Besteller list, and at No. 6 on the Southern California Independent Bookseller Association bestselling hardcover fiction list.^[25] The UK publisher of the book, Gollancz, debuted with Words of Radiance at No. 2 on the Sunday Times of Londen Besteller list.

A review written by Rob Bricken of io9 called the book an old-school, "90s fantasy-style behemoth",^[26] also commenting, "While Sanderson continues to build his characters and reveal who they are (especially in the case of Shallan's past) it still clings to one overarching plot that drives relentlessly to an ending that can only be described as 'epic'."^[26]

The Lincoln Journal Star called the book "an extremely satisfying read that shows what the beginning of an epic fantasy series should look like."^[27]

Audiobook

An audiobook version of the book was released on the same day as the hardcover version, and was read by narrator team Kate Reading and Michael Kramer, who also read The Way of Kings and several other books written by Sanderson, including the The Wheel of Time series.^[28]

Sequel

According to a 2014 newsletter written by Sanderson, work on the third Stormlight book would start somewhere later that year, as not to let fans wait as long as between the first two books. However, he ended up postponing his start-date for the book until June 2015, deciding to refresh himself by writing several less heavy-duty books. Before starting the third book, tentatively titled Oathbringer, Sanderson finished Shadows of Self and The Bands of Mourning, two sequels to The Alloy of Law, and Calamity, the final installment in his Reckoners trilogy. Though he originally planned on including Szeth's flashbacks in the third book, he decided upon prewriting that Dalinar's flashback sequence was a better fit;^[29] he also abandoned the title Stones Unhallowed, which he had been considering for Szeth's book, due in part to its similarity to the projected title of the third book of Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller Chronicle series, The Doors of Stone.

On July 4, 2014 Sanderson read an excerpt from the third Stormlight book at FantasyCon in Salt Lake City, from the point of view of Kaladin Stormblessed.^[30] In July 2015, Sanderson started writing the first draft of the book.

References

External links

• Words of Radiance title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• Words of Radiance at the Internet Book List