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Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive #2)
by
Brandon Sanderson (Goodreads Author)
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, Words of Radiance, Book Two of the Stormlight Archive, continues the immersive fantasy epic that The Way of Kings began.
Expected by his enemies to die the miserable death of a military slave, Kaladin survived to be given command of the royal bodyguards, a controversial first for a low-status "darkeyes." Now he mu ...more
Expected by his enemies to die the miserable death of a military slave, Kaladin survived to be given command of the royal bodyguards, a controversial first for a low-status "darkeyes." Now he mu ...more
Hardcover, 1087 pages
Published
March 4th 2014
by Tor Books
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Popular Answered Questions
Kevin
Read book 1 first! Why would you want to skip the first book? ... the first book is amazing!
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Jan
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Community Reviews
(showing 1-30)
Dec 18, 2016
Petrik
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
epic/high fantasy fans
Shelves:
favorites
Okay, this is finally happening. I’m ranking The Stormlight Archive as my number 1 favorite book series of all time, overtaking the throne previously held by Mistborn trilogy and I don’t think this will ever change. The Gods of Cosmere know how much I love the original Mistborn trilogy but Brandon Sanderson really raised the bar for epic fantasy genre sky high with this series.
Words of Radiance, being only the 2nd book in the Stormlight Archive series and serves as the sequel to Way of Kings, ma ...more
Words of Radiance, being only the 2nd book in the Stormlight Archive series and serves as the sequel to Way of Kings, ma ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
March 5th: Done with first readthrough. It was, in fact, more perfect than expected. I only cried a little bit; mostly afterwards I just have this feeling of intense satisfaction.
I will probably still wait to review until I've read through twice; I have a lot that I think I want to say but I haven't fully processed it.
August 10: It's obvious to everyone that I'm not gonna get around to a reread for a while, right? Cool. I'll do it eventually, because I have a lot to say about this book, but it'l ...more
I will probably still wait to review until I've read through twice; I have a lot that I think I want to say but I haven't fully processed it.
August 10: It's obvious to everyone that I'm not gonna get around to a reread for a while, right? Cool. I'll do it eventually, because I have a lot to say about this book, but it'l ...more
May 25, 2015
Robin (Bridge Four)
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Fans of Lumatere Chronicles, Game of Thrones or In the Name of the Wind
Don't judge me I made it a full year before rereading this monster book and it is even better the second time through.
Kalidan and Syl I still ship you.
Buddy Read May 1st with many friends over at Sanctum of Fantasy

Original review April 2014:
“Honor is dead. But I'll see what I can do.”
I stand in awe of fantasy writers that can make an e ...more
Kalidan and Syl I still ship you.
Buddy Read May 1st with many friends over at Sanctum of Fantasy

My apologies in advance for the ridiculous amount of updates I'm going to post for this book. It cannot be helped as my fangirling refuses to be contained.
Original review April 2014:
“Honor is dead. But I'll see what I can do.”
I stand in awe of fantasy writers that can make an e ...more
Reviewed by: Rabid Reads
WORDS OF RADIANCE is the second installment of Brandon Sanderson's STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE series, and, unfortunately . . . it fell a little flat for me.
Don't get me wrong, I liked it. This was one of those occasions when my rating steadily declined the more I stewed about the ends and outs . . . but immediately upon completion, I was all, "Yeah! Sanderson rocks again. WOOT!
But then came the stewing . . .
I had several significant issues with this book:
1. Cosmere crossover m ...more
WORDS OF RADIANCE is the second installment of Brandon Sanderson's STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE series, and, unfortunately . . . it fell a little flat for me.
Don't get me wrong, I liked it. This was one of those occasions when my rating steadily declined the more I stewed about the ends and outs . . . but immediately upon completion, I was all, "Yeah! Sanderson rocks again. WOOT!
But then came the stewing . . .
I had several significant issues with this book:
1. Cosmere crossover m ...more
Words of Radiance is the spectacular 2nd book in Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive. If you’re looking for an epic fantasy series, the Stormlight Archive is it! The world of Roshar keeps getting bigger and bigger (and, at the same time, more interesting). Words of Radiance picks up right where Way of Kings ended, and like the first book it is a fun and satisfying journey. The book will answer many of the questions you had after finishing Way of Kings while, of course, raising completely new
...more
I mean, Sanderson always puts the word "Epic" in "Epic Fantasy" and at over 750 pages...this is EPIC.
I LOVED the last book, I loved this one as well. If you like Sanderson you'll love it, if you don't...well, this is definitely Sanderson! The same amazing characters continue from the last book, some Game of Thrones-type twists that are shocking as well, and as always, the lore and magic system RULE. Shallan continues to be an amazing character, and the growth of her abilities go into HELLA cool ...more
I LOVED the last book, I loved this one as well. If you like Sanderson you'll love it, if you don't...well, this is definitely Sanderson! The same amazing characters continue from the last book, some Game of Thrones-type twists that are shocking as well, and as always, the lore and magic system RULE. Shallan continues to be an amazing character, and the growth of her abilities go into HELLA cool ...more
5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.blogspot.com/201...
I don't know what was more intimidating, the size of Words of Radiance when I first beheld it, or the thought of having to write the review when I finished. I took me about seven days to read this giant tome, and then five more just to let everything sink in. So many emotions. So amazing. Even now, I don't know if I can completely separate my subjective feelings for this novel, simply because of the MAJOR soft spot I harbo ...more
I don't know what was more intimidating, the size of Words of Radiance when I first beheld it, or the thought of having to write the review when I finished. I took me about seven days to read this giant tome, and then five more just to let everything sink in. So many emotions. So amazing. Even now, I don't know if I can completely separate my subjective feelings for this novel, simply because of the MAJOR soft spot I harbo ...more
So I read this book so long ago and never wrote a review. Words won't suffice the way I feel about this book, I have been reading for a long time and this book is THE BEST BOOK I'VE EVER READ IN MY LIFE. Seriously.. Nothing will ever compare to this series & I will wait everyday in suspense for book 3. Hurry the fuck up please KING SANDERSON I need more.






May 20, 2015
Eon ♒Windrunner♒
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Everyone
Shelves:
favourites
I find myself having put off writing this review for a few weeks now. I am still at a loss for words. How do I deliver an appraisal of a book so mind-bogglingly fantastic that anything I write will fall short of conveying the joy of reading it? Words of Radiance might as well be my description of this book and not the title.
WOR, being the second book in a ten book series called The Stormlight Archives, picks up right where The Way of Kings left off but does so at a faster pace. Where TWOK was a ...more
WOR, being the second book in a ten book series called The Stormlight Archives, picks up right where The Way of Kings left off but does so at a faster pace. Where TWOK was a ...more
Words of Radiance
Book 2 of the Stormlight Archive
By Brandon Sanderson
A Review by Eric Allen
The Stormlight Archive is a series, I have found, that is a love hate sort of thing. Either you love it, or you hate it. I’ve never talked to anyone that was anywhere in the middle. The first book, The Way of Kings, was hugely popular, making the top ten on the New York Times bestseller list, and has spawned its own little island in the vast ocean of fandom. But there have also been a lot of criticisms of ...more
Book 2 of the Stormlight Archive
By Brandon Sanderson
A Review by Eric Allen
The Stormlight Archive is a series, I have found, that is a love hate sort of thing. Either you love it, or you hate it. I’ve never talked to anyone that was anywhere in the middle. The first book, The Way of Kings, was hugely popular, making the top ten on the New York Times bestseller list, and has spawned its own little island in the vast ocean of fandom. But there have also been a lot of criticisms of ...more
“For Oliver Sanderson, Who was born during the middle of the writing of this book, and was walking by the time it was done.”
Aww, I have never started a review with the book's dedication before, dedications are usually “read it and forget it” affairs, nice for the dedicatee, nothing to do with me. However, this one is charming and noteworthy in that I seldom consider how long it must take authors to write lengthy books. This dedication makes me appreciate the time and effort Brandon Sanderson put ...more
Aww, I have never started a review with the book's dedication before, dedications are usually “read it and forget it” affairs, nice for the dedicatee, nothing to do with me. However, this one is charming and noteworthy in that I seldom consider how long it must take authors to write lengthy books. This dedication makes me appreciate the time and effort Brandon Sanderson put ...more
Way too damn short. 3rd book, y u no out yet?! T_T
Jun 07, 2015
Patricia
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorites,
crush-worthy-characters
GRAND. MAJESTIC. EPIC.
Finally writing my say about this storming book after rereading it. I sometimes get speechless about the things I'm completely and utterly in love with and have to have more than enough time to gather my thoughts and compose something coherent.
First and foremost, what a great sequel to my favorite book! The Stormlight Archive series is by far Brandon Sanderson's best work. The character development is proportionate with the story development and its rare that an author is ...more
Finally writing my say about this storming book after rereading it. I sometimes get speechless about the things I'm completely and utterly in love with and have to have more than enough time to gather my thoughts and compose something coherent.
First and foremost, what a great sequel to my favorite book! The Stormlight Archive series is by far Brandon Sanderson's best work. The character development is proportionate with the story development and its rare that an author is ...more
Video Review and Discussion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywyzW...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywyzW...
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
HOLY. CRAP. ON. A. CRACKER!

I freaking loved this book! I am going to give a crazy arse review that will probably only make sense to me and throw in some excerpts and pictures and who cares?! Almost everyone has read this right, right?
I love you Brandon Sanderson! But now that I sit and think about it, I will most likely be dead before you finish the books. I still love you though!

I still love all of the men of --->BRIDGE FOUR<---- Here's a random EXC ...more
HOLY. CRAP. ON. A. CRACKER!

I freaking loved this book! I am going to give a crazy arse review that will probably only make sense to me and throw in some excerpts and pictures and who cares?! Almost everyone has read this right, right?
I love you Brandon Sanderson! But now that I sit and think about it, I will most likely be dead before you finish the books. I still love you though!

I still love all of the men of --->BRIDGE FOUR<---- Here's a random EXC ...more
Group read with Fantasy Buddy Reads!
Because of a combination of stress, work, other books I'm aching to read and the fact that this one is not giving me anything right now, I've decided to put it temporarily on hold. But no need to worry; I will return to it when I can actually (hopefully) enjoy it!
--------------------------------------------
I'll leave the pre-read review around for the irony:
After the short break between the books, I find myself in an almost perfect mood to read this. I stated ...more
Because of a combination of stress, work, other books I'm aching to read and the fact that this one is not giving me anything right now, I've decided to put it temporarily on hold. But no need to worry; I will return to it when I can actually (hopefully) enjoy it!
--------------------------------------------
I'll leave the pre-read review around for the irony:
After the short break between the books, I find myself in an almost perfect mood to read this. I stated ...more
*SPOILERS*
It’s always difficult to know where to start reviewing a book heavy enough to be used to squash small-to-medium-sized mammals (not that one would use the book for such a purpose, mind you, though I could have used it to get rid of the scarily large camel crickets in my basement…I hate cleaning guts off books, though). So, let’s try this:
Number of times I inadvertently uttered “Stormfather!” as an epithet whilst reading this book: 14
Number of times inadvertently uttering “Stormfather” a ...more
It’s always difficult to know where to start reviewing a book heavy enough to be used to squash small-to-medium-sized mammals (not that one would use the book for such a purpose, mind you, though I could have used it to get rid of the scarily large camel crickets in my basement…I hate cleaning guts off books, though). So, let’s try this:
Number of times I inadvertently uttered “Stormfather!” as an epithet whilst reading this book: 14
Number of times inadvertently uttering “Stormfather” a ...more
July 10, 2015: This update generally reflects my reread experience which was mainly done via audiobook. And it was utterly fantastic (as expected, DUH)! With the luxury of reading and listening really slowly, I was able to pick up on a lot more world-building tidbits and easter eggs which I've missed during my initial rocket-fuelled pace. And while I used to groan and moan whenever I get to the Interludes, the reread of these sections was filled with (more) discovery and some "Aha!" moments!
As ...more
As ...more

This book feeds your soul. I am convinced that there is Stormlight stored in it pages that upon opening you can't help but absorb its greatness. So much epic-ness in one book should not be allowed, it is just not safe for the reader unless one is covered in Shardplate from head to toe to protect one's heart and brain. Dalinar, Kaladin, Syl, Shallan & Adolin with honorary mention to Wit & Szeth; you guys rocked my world. Sanderson has proven yet again that he is a master of words. Please ...more
Disclaimers:
1. I haven't slept since the release, for obvious reasons (probably overzealous obsession), so I can not guarantee that this review will be as tidy as I usually like them, until I come back later to fix it. I will probably expand this at that time as well.
2. I'm an unabashed Sanderson fangirl (obviously I'm not a girl, but fanboy just sounds wrong-I don't wave palm fronds for Stormfather's sake). Take what I say with a grain of salt since I know for a fact that I have a hard time bei ...more
1. I haven't slept since the release, for obvious reasons (probably overzealous obsession), so I can not guarantee that this review will be as tidy as I usually like them, until I come back later to fix it. I will probably expand this at that time as well.
2. I'm an unabashed Sanderson fangirl (obviously I'm not a girl, but fanboy just sounds wrong-I don't wave palm fronds for Stormfather's sake). Take what I say with a grain of salt since I know for a fact that I have a hard time bei ...more
May 16, 2015
David "proud Gleeman in Branwen's adventuring party"
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Another wonderful and amazing buddy-read with the even more wonderful and amazing Branwen!
Dave's "Book, you have the right to a speedy trial" review
THE DEFENSE
- Sanderson expands on his unique world from The Way of Kings with brilliant new concepts.
- Book manages to strike a chord with every single emotion (even a few I didn't know I had)!
- Delving into Shallan's past gives more depth to an already intriguing character.
- Every character (and there are oodles of them) adds to the story ...more
Dave's "Book, you have the right to a speedy trial" review
THE DEFENSE
- Sanderson expands on his unique world from The Way of Kings with brilliant new concepts.
- Book manages to strike a chord with every single emotion (even a few I didn't know I had)!
- Delving into Shallan's past gives more depth to an already intriguing character.
- Every character (and there are oodles of them) adds to the story ...more
It is known as the sophomore slump, where the second book is not as good and simply doesn’t live up to the hype and success of the previous, first book. Generally this applies to a debut author book and its successor, and obviously Words of Radiance is not Brandon Sanderson’s second book (technically it’s his 11th adult novel), it is nevertheless the second book in his Stormlight Archive planned 10-book epic series. This is the series Sanderson has wanted to write since he was a teenager, and si
...more
If lightning struck in The Way of Kings, then Words of Radiance brought the thunder.
**NO SPOILERS. I PROMISE.**
And yet another Sanderson novel makes it unto my favourites shelf. With the very shiny 4.76 stars rating, I came into this expecting A LOT. I got all of it and more. Words of Radiance delivered.
Sanderson capitalizes on the ground work and picks up all the plots provided by The Way of Kings (TWoK from now on), and introduces even more. He has structured the heck out of this series and ...more
**NO SPOILERS. I PROMISE.**
And yet another Sanderson novel makes it unto my favourites shelf. With the very shiny 4.76 stars rating, I came into this expecting A LOT. I got all of it and more. Words of Radiance delivered.
Sanderson capitalizes on the ground work and picks up all the plots provided by The Way of Kings (TWoK from now on), and introduces even more. He has structured the heck out of this series and ...more
Guys. GUYS. I think I have a new favourite series OF ALL TIME. Oh Storms!
What a story! After much indecision, on my part (about five minutes of it) I decided to jump into Words of Radiance or WOR mere moments after finishing The Way of Kings, which took me 6 weeks and 2 attempts. But, I was hooked. I couldn't wait to see what became of the strong and noble Dalinar (my boy!), brave and honourable Kaladin, Syl the philosopher, Shellan the misguided theif and loveable manwhore, Adolin.
(view spoile ...more
What a story! After much indecision, on my part (about five minutes of it) I decided to jump into Words of Radiance or WOR mere moments after finishing The Way of Kings, which took me 6 weeks and 2 attempts. But, I was hooked. I couldn't wait to see what became of the strong and noble Dalinar (my boy!), brave and honourable Kaladin, Syl the philosopher, Shellan the misguided theif and loveable manwhore, Adolin.
(view spoile ...more
Apr 22, 2014
Armina
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
my-audios,
buddy-reads,
great-expectations,
audio,
fantasy,
favorites,
audio-michael-kramer
5 blazing, infused with Stormlight stars
I finished the book yesterday night in the wee hours. Didn't manage to summon the power to log in here and mark my final updates because I was lying in bed, listening to the last 3 hours on audio. Fell asleep and dreamed of blazing fireball of light and motion crashing into the ground, sending out a ring of Stormlight like white smoke! It was glorious and epic just like this entire book! I finally had to quit copying/highlighting every sentence that gave ...more
Still a series that has potential written all over it. The book is very enjoyable and I hope the events in it lead to Brandon Sanderson opening up his world more for his characters to play in in future installments.
The endings of the 5 parts in this book are all very exciting, but sometimes the build-up to achive that ending was a bit long-winded for me.
The flashback scenes in this one were handled better than in Way of Kings and I also connected more with some of the Interlude chapters, some o ...more
The endings of the 5 parts in this book are all very exciting, but sometimes the build-up to achive that ending was a bit long-winded for me.
The flashback scenes in this one were handled better than in Way of Kings and I also connected more with some of the Interlude chapters, some o ...more
Probably actually a 5 but I have to take into consideration that it didn't start off too well for me. I WILL say though that kaladin and his story might be top 3 of my favourite story lines. Obviously this book is incredible. The ending and synergy of the characters and plot is just awe inspiring especially at the end of this second instalment. I will admit and accept the potential flak I will receive for saying this, but I don't like Shallan. She got better (obviously) as the story went on but
...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaladin Or Adion????? | 20 | 253 | 18 hours, 36 min ago | |
| Fantasy Buddy Reads: The Words of Radiance | 100 | 54 | 21 hours, 49 min ago | |
| Around the Year i...: Words of Radiance, by Brandon Sanderson | 7 | 14 | Jan 16, 2017 12:42AM | |
| So many Shallan chapters | 64 | 679 | Dec 30, 2016 08:23AM | |
| Who leads Knights Radiants? | 7 | 205 | Jul 29, 2016 04:11AM |
Brandon’s major books for the second half of 2016 are The Dark Talent, the final volume in Alcatraz Smedry’s autobiographical account of his battle against the Evil Librarians who secretly rule our world, and Arcanum Unbounded, the collection of short fiction in the Cosmere universe that includes the Mistborn series and the Stormlight
Archive, among others. This collection features The Emperor’s S ...more
More about Brandon Sanderson...
Archive, among others. This collection features The Emperor’s S ...more
Other Books in the Series
The Stormlight Archive
(1 - 10 of 11 books)
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5 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“Why hasn't anyone killed him yet?”
“Dumb luck,” Wit said. “In that I’m lucky you’re all so dumb.”
—
233 likes
“Dumb luck,” Wit said. “In that I’m lucky you’re all so dumb.”
“Honor is dead. But I'll see what I can do.”
—
175 likes
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Jun 30, 2016 09:35AM
Please don't crap on a stick.
Jul 12, 2016 11:37AM