Books Like The Way of Kings
by Brandon Sanderson
The Way of Kings asks a lot and pays it back at the end. Sanderson splits the story between Kaladin, a surgeon's son turned soldier turned slave on the bridge crews of the Shattered Plains; Dalinar, a warlord haunted by visions and doubts about his own war; and Shallan, a young scholar with a secret plan. Around them is Roshar, a world shaped by highstorms, where the plants pull back into stone and small spirits respond to emotion. Much of the book is about getting up again, and its long build turns into a final stretch that fans call an avalanche.
People come out of it wanting different things. You may want another huge world with its own ecology and history. You may want a hero fighting depression and duty as hard as any enemy, or political plotting among rival lords, or magic that reveals its logic slowly. Some readers just want a door-stopper to disappear into. The nine books below cover those reasons, and the notes point out where a pick is darker, slower or narrower than Sanderson.
Recommended for fans of The Way of Kings
The Eye of the World
Robert Jordan
A vast finished epic with deep lore, slow build and a large cast of growing heroes.
Pick this if you want a world to stay in for years and don't mind a very traditional opening that takes its time.
Mistborn
Brandon Sanderson
The same rule-based magic and huge payoffs, in a shorter and faster package.
Pick this if you loved how Sanderson's magic and reveals fit together, and you'd like a finished trilogy that moves more quickly.
The Name of the Wind
Patrick Rothfuss
An intimate, lyrical epic about a gifted young man damaged early in life.
Pick this if Kaladin's backstory was your favourite thread and you'd enjoy a single voice, but know that the series is unfinished.
A Game of Thrones
George R.R. Martin
Rival houses, many viewpoints and a war built on politics and grudges.
Pick this if Dalinar and the highprince politics drew you in, and you can handle a far crueller world with less hope and little magic.
Gardens of the Moon
Steven Erikson
Enormous scope and history, with armies, gods and very little hand-holding.
Pick this if you want even more history and scale, and you enjoy being dropped in with no explanation until the pieces start to connect.
The Black Prism
Brent Weeks
An original colour-based magic system, shifting viewpoints and big reversals.
Pick this if the discovery of how magic really works was the highlight, and you want a quicker, more plot-driven read.
The Dragonbone Chair
Tad Williams
A patient, richly built epic with a kitchen boy drawn into a kingdom's collapse.
Pick this if the long, slow climb to a payoff is what you enjoy, and you're comfortable with an opening that takes hundreds of pages to catch.
The Priory of the Orange Tree
Samantha Shannon
A huge standalone with dragons, rival faiths and a large political canvas.
Pick this if you want the width of an epic world, but in one finished book with queens and dragons at its centre.
The Blade Itself
Joe Abercrombie
War-worn characters carry on in a sharp, darkly funny and unsentimental story.
Pick this if you liked the toll of war on people, but this is a looser fit: Abercrombie has none of Sanderson's hope and undercuts heroism on purpose.
At a glance
These picks were chosen for epic scale, deeply built worlds, a wounded hero's endurance, and long plots that reward patience.
| Book | First published | Pages | Closest match on | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The Eye of the World Robert Jordan | 1990 | 782 | Vast, finished epic series | 90% |
Mistborn Brandon Sanderson | 2006 | 669 | Sanderson, but faster | 88% |
The Name of the Wind Patrick Rothfuss | 2007 | 736 | Intimate story of damage | 85% |
A Game of Thrones George R.R. Martin | 1996 | 801 | Warring lords and politics | 84% |
Gardens of the Moon Steven Erikson | 1999 | 635 | Maximum scope and depth | 82% |
The Black Prism Brent Weeks | 2010 | 659 | Inventive magic, big reversals | 81% |
The Dragonbone Chair Tad Williams | 1988 | 783 | Patient build, big payoff | 80% |
The Priory of the Orange Tree Samantha Shannon | 2019 | 848 | Epic in one volume | 78% |
The Blade Itself Joe Abercrombie | 2006 | 531 | War-damaged characters | 74% |
About The Way of Kings
The Way of Kings was published by Tor Books in 2010 as the first volume of The Stormlight Archive, which Brandon Sanderson has planned as a ten-book series. Set on the world of Roshar, it belongs to his shared Cosmere universe. Words of Radiance continued the story in 2014.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to read Mistborn before The Way of Kings?+
No. The Way of Kings stands on its own and you can start there. Mistborn is shorter and is often recommended as an easier first taste of Sanderson, and some small connections between his books only become visible once you have read both.
What should I read while waiting for more Stormlight?+
The Eye of the World gives you a very long finished series to live in, and Gardens of the Moon offers even greater scope. Mistborn is the easiest way to stay with Sanderson himself.
Which fantasy books are as long and immersive as The Way of Kings?+
The Eye of the World, A Game of Thrones, The Dragonbone Chair and The Priory of the Orange Tree are all substantial reads with a great deal of history behind them. The Dragonbone Chair has the slowest start of the group, and it is built to reward patience.
Is there another fantasy hero like Kaladin?+
The closest kind of struggle shows up in The Blade Itself, where men worn down by war and injury keep going, although Abercrombie is far more cynical. The Name of the Wind also follows a gifted young man damaged early, in a more lyrical register.
More books by Brandon Sanderson
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