One of my big goals for this year was to finish all The Stormlight Archives books that are currently published. And last Sunday, I completed that goal. Today, I just wanted to think back on these books. They’re big books and it’s easy to lose track of some of the details. So, I just wanted to read my reviews and rank The Stormlight Archives books in the order of the ones I enjoyed most to least. Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed all of them. This is just a way for me to compile my thoughts into one place for easy access when book five comes out.
1. Words of Radiance
Words of Radiance was easily the best book in this series, in my opinion. And I know a lot of other people feel the same way. In Words of Radiance, the world building from book one began to come together. The action picked up and the plot line became clearer. New characters were added, and the main characters plot lines intertwined which helped the story feel more cohesive. Sanderson nailed book two.
2. The Way of Kings
The Way of Kings is mildly overwhelming. There was a lot of worldbuilding that slowed things down a bit. There was also a learning curve to the magic system. The characters were still discovering it, so they didn’t have all of the answers. Which meant the reader didn’t have all of the answers. And some of those answers don’t develop until later books. I found myself liking Shallan and Kaladin’s points of view better than Dalinar and Adolin’s. But a lot of the world building happened in Dalinar’s perspectives, so it felt slow. Shallan and Kaladin helped move the plot along which in turn helped Dalinar and Adolin’s perspectives become more interesting. The Way of Kings was a great start and left me wanting more.
3. Rhythm of War
Rhythm of War had some slow spots. There were new characters being added which slowed things down a bit. But they were essential to closing out this story sequence. Sanderson ended a lot of major plot points in this story. But the plot took a totally different direction, which expands the world even further.
4. Oathbringer
Lastly, we had Oathbringer. Oathbringer felt like a bridge to the next books. It was packed full of world building and more charcter development. It took the plot of the first two books and structured them in a way that helped Sanderson expand the plot in Rhythm of War. With that growth there were some growing pains. This book felt slow at times, but it was all necessary for the directional shift that happened in the last book.
So, this is how I rank The Stormlight Archives. How would you rank them? Let me know in the comments.
I’m planning to do this for the other series I’ve completed in the Cosmere so be sure to subscribe below.
I think I’m 100% with you! Words of Radiance and Way of Kings easily take my number one and two spots, and while I’m more indecisive about Oathbringer and Rhythm of War, I’d probably end up putting them in the exact same order 🤔
I had to think about Oathbringer and Rhythm of War quite a while before I finally decided lol.