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Words of Radiance

Words of Radiance

Book Two of the Stormlight Archive
AdventureEpic Fantasy
Pages
1087
Published
2014
Language
English

Synopsis

Six months after the Battle of the Shattered Plains, Kaladin Stormblessed has been elevated from slave to captain of the royal guard — but his oaths to the ancient Knights Radiant deepen and the powers they grant grow harder to hide. Shallan Davar arrives on the Shattered Plains carrying dangerous secrets about her own abilities and evidence that the ancient city of Urithiru can be found. Meanwhile, the Assassin in White has been given a new Oathstone and a new target, and the Everstorm — a storm that will transform the world — is gathering on the horizon. Words of Radiance expands the Stormlight Archive's cast and raises the stakes on a global scale, delivering some of the series' most acclaimed action sequences and character moments. It won the David Gemmell Legend Award for Best Fantasy Novel in 2015.

Prose complexity
10/10

Vibe

AdventurousTenseHopefulAtmosphericEmotional
Multiple POVsFound FamilyCourt Intrigue

Genres

Adventure Epic Fantasy Fantasy High Fantasy

About the author

B
Brandon Sanderson

Born in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1975, Brandon Sanderson spent his early twenties working graveyard shifts at a hotel — writing novels at the front desk between guest check-ins. By the time his debut, Elantris, was published by Tor Books in 2005, he had completed thirteen novels in the drawer. His subsequent Mistborn trilogy and the ongoing Stormlight Archive series established him as the primary architect of the Cosmere, an interconnected fictional universe in which most of his fantasy series share...

Characters

Kaladin StormblessedProtagonist

Now captain of the royal guard, his growing Radiant powers and the oaths he swears to his spren drive the central tension.

Shallan DavarProtagonist

A troubled young Lightweaver hiding a traumatic past as she uncovers the secrets of the Knights Radiant; her flashback chapters carry this volume.

Dalinar KholinProtagonist

The highprince working to unite the warring Alethi against a returning ancient threat.

Jasnah KholinProtagonist

Dalinar's scholar niece, Shallan's Soulcasting mentor, whose research into the Voidbringers frames the book's central mystery.

Szeth-son-son-VallanoAntagonist

The Assassin in White, bearing a new Oathstone and wielding the sentient black sword Nightblood.

All characters in Words of Radiance

Frequently asked questions

  • What award did Words of Radiance win?

    It won the David Gemmell Legend Award for Best Fantasy Novel in 2015, one of the most prestigious awards in epic fantasy.

  • How long is Words of Radiance?

    The US hardcover runs approximately 1,087 pages, making it one of the longest single volumes in the series.

  • Do I need to read The Way of Kings first?

    Yes — Words of Radiance continues directly from the events of The Way of Kings and assumes full familiarity with its world, characters, and magic.

  • Whose perspective leads this book?

    Shallan Davar takes the primary spotlight, with her flashback chapters revealing her past. Kaladin, Dalinar, and Adolin all receive substantial page time as well.

  • What is Pattern and what does it do?

    Pattern is a Cryptic — a species of sentient spren — who bonds with Shallan. It communicates in mathematical metaphors and teaches her to use Lightweaving, the magic of illusion.

  • Why does Szeth keep appearing as an assassin?

    Szeth is a Truthless from the Shin people, forced by cultural law to obey whoever holds his Oathstone. His chapters reveal his tragic backstory and how he reconciles murderous orders with his own moral code.

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