The Stormlight Archive: vol. 1

The Way of Kings

Volume One

Plot

Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter.

It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them, and won by them.

One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. There, Kaladin, who traded his medical apprenticeship for a spear to protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. In a war that makes no sense, where ten armies fight separately against a single foe, he struggles to save his men and to fathom the leaders who consider them expendable.

Brightlord Dalinar Kholin commands one of those other armies. Like his brother, the late king, he is fascinated by an ancient text called The Way of Kings. Troubled by over-powering visions of ancient times and the Knights Radiant, he has begun to doubt his own sanity.

Across the ocean, an untried young woman named Shallan seeks to train under an eminent scholar and notorious heretic, Dalinar's niece, Jasnah. Though she genuinely loves learning, Shallan's motives are less than pure. As she plans a daring theft, her research for Jasnah hints at secrets of the Knights Radiant and the true cause of the war.

The result of over ten years of planning, writing, and world-building, The Way of Kings is but the opening movement of the Stormlight Archive, a bold masterpiece in the making.

Speak again the ancient oaths:

Life before death.
Strength before weakness.
Journey before Destination.

and return to men the Shards they once bore.

The Knights Radiant must stand again.

Dragonsteel Entertainment is proud to present the 10th Anniversary Leatherbound Edition of The Way of Kings, book one in the The Stormlight Archive®.

We are committed to beautiful books, and we've elevated the quality even more than before with this edition. Unique to our leatherbound titles in The Stormlight Archive®, The Way of Kings comes in a beautiful two volume set, is bound in a genuine leather of an even higher quality than the bonded-leather used on our other books, and includes a cloth covered slipcase with the Stormlight Archive® symbol in blue foil on the front.

The Way of Kings is printed in 2-color offset black and blue inks on quality, acid-free paper, the pages are Smyth-sewn rather than glued like most regular books. These volumes also contain full-color endpapers by Michael Whelan, Howard Lyon, and Isaac Stewart, gilded pages, and two-color gold and blue foiling on the covers, spines, and backs. Each volume includes a bound-in satin-ribbon bookmark, and begins with an 8-page gallery of full-color artwork, including cover illustrations from around the world, commissioned pieces, and top-notch fan art. In addition to 2-color versions of all of the original interior maps and art, there are a few new 2-color pieces by Ben McSweeney and Käri Christensen, and five new end-of-part illustrations by the talented Steve Argyle. Spread across the two volumes are seven new full-color interior pieces by Miranda Meeks, Dan dos Santos, Micah Epstein, Audrey Hotte, Bryan Mark Taylor, and Steve Argyle. Additionally, Jian Guo has created stunning reimagined versions of the chapter arches.

This is an excellent way to celebrate 10 years of The Way of Kings, and will look great as the stand-out show piece on the shelf next to your other beautiful leatherbound books.

Published by arrangement with Tor Publishing Group.