Wow. I don't know where to even start with this one. Admittedly, though Brandon Sanderson is my favorite author, I wasn't the biggest fan of The Way of Kings, the first book of the Stormlight Archives. I mean, the story was good and the world was interesting, but for some reason it did not hook me the way his other books had. Now, with Words of Radiance, I may have a new favorite fantasy novel(and optimistically, new fantasy series). Words of Radiance mainly continues the storylines of the major characters from Way of Kings - Kaladin, Shallan, Jasnah, Dalinar, Adolin, and Szeth, the assassin in white. The way that these characters eventually come together is nothing short of genius, culminating in an ending that the word "epic" doesn't seem to begin to cover. Basically, what Way of Kings made me think this series was ultimately building towards served only as the climax of book two. Out of a planned ten. Yeah. The world in the Stormlight Archives is rich, unique, and awe inspiring. Sanderson has crafted a world which has been shaped by violent storms called highstorms. All facets of life and the evolution of plants, animals, and humans are tied to the deadly power of these forces of nature. It may be cliche to speak of the world within a fantasy book being a character in itself, but that truly applies here. I cannot imagine the amount of work Sanderson put into crafting the adaptation of life to live in this storm-torn existence. The magic in this world, powered by stormlight(basically an energy that originates in the highstorms) is complex and creative, a Sanderson staple. There are enough interweaving plots to potentially tie your brain into knots, yet Sanderson pulls them off deftly, throwing twists and surprising revelations at the reader left and right. Even predictable plot points are given an injection of Sanderson ingenuity. And never do these twists feel as if they exist to further the story or to simply throw off the reader. Each is crucial to the story, and completely believable in the context of the story. I know I'm a little biased in this regard(as I've mentioned, Sanderson is my favorite author), but he has really outdone himself with the story this time. The characters all possess an amazing amount of depth(Sanderson seems to have evolved past the criticism of having two-dimensional characters in his prior works . . . maybe an effect from finishing Roobert Jordan's Wheel of Time series). Every main character is wholly believable(in a swords and sorcery fantasy sense), each with their own personal demons and motivations. Not one of the dozens of main and side characters blend in with another. Each is unique and interesting. The action in this book, as with any Sanderson book, is exciting, fast-paced, and brilliant in its creativity. Now, I know I haven't said much about the plot, and I don't feel I can without giving more than I'd like away. Instead, I'd like to express that this is an AMAZING epic fantasy novel. The hardback version is over a thousand pages(I read that it's the biggest book published by TOR page wise . . . not 100% sure if that's true)and 300K+ words, yet it reads like a book a quarter of its size, keeping you glued to the pages from the first to the last with little to no filler. Some of the biggest names in epic fantasy(Tolkien, Jordan, Martin) are/were unable to pull off such a feat. When I finished the last page, I wasn't ready to put down the book. I wanted more, so much so that I found myself actually hating the thought of the series coming to an end 8 books from now. Yeah, I enjoyed it that much. I can't remember the last time I was this satisfied with a book in a series. The end is still stuck in my head as I write this, and probably will be until book 3 is released a year or more from now. Again, I know I have a bit of a Sanderson bias, but I still feel that this is a book that needs to be read by any fan of epic fantasy. Heck, just fantasy. I do not recommend going into it without reading Way of Kings, but know that if you even sort of enjoy Way of Kings, I guarantee you'll LOVE Words of Radiance.

Book 2 Pros: - Amazingly eve better than the first book due to more plot and multiple story line's tie-ups that make for several tight endings. - Doesn't seem like an installment. It could stand on it's own. - Overall Plot is tight, well ordered, timing is metronomic. - Writing is super clear. Reading is a total breeze. - Creativity is in spades. Branderson is a certain master at imagining something new to you that he can describe easily as a picture, understandable the first time you read it. - This book is revealing the magic organization in deeper detail, but hints at more. - This book took the plot of god-metaphysics and created what had seemed contained into a subset. The universe just got larger. - There are multiple parallel plots going on, each switch making you crave and long for a return to the character you just read about. Most writers do this by chapter as he did in the first book, but this book increases the pace by having some chapters of 3 distinct narratives playing round-robin to keep interest and pace. This keeps your interest, but also helps you not lose your place with characters. A comparison is with Martin in that his last book entirely omitted characters, so that someone you read about in Book 4 you won't get to until Book 6 making re-reading necessary for anyone who don'ts have a perfect memory. Maybe that helps him sell more books to be re-read or that cool Apple App, but it's actually quite annoying to the reader. Cons: - Some characters are too cutesy. The personality of the main Spren is too Tinker Bell for my taste. I think it takes what could be a serious and heavy pall over the entire work, giving this fiction a feeling of reality, that is dispelled by such frivolity. - I find some of the characters still 2 dimensional. Some character dialogue are too similar to each other, and example being that I noticed 2 distinct characters having the same exact syntax and verbiage to their sense of humor. This is the only flaw I can find in his writing that can still develop to perfection. Namely, verbal identity to character dialogue that effortlessly makes them seem distinct and real. It's still in some places too stiff and formulaic. It's still his Achille's Heel. - He promises a timely delivery on books, but gets side-tracked by other projects and pushes the dates back. So we are going to be waiting for a loooong, time. Hopefully not Robert Jordan time cause I don't think there is anyone capable of finishing Branderson's books as well or better. Branderson's style is also classical in the sense that it's clean. There isn't modern cable channel gore or sexuality or shock plot for shock's sake to glue the interest of readers. He is a master of plot and doesn't let anything get in the way of keeping the plot moving exactly as he orders it. It's as if he believes good writing and great plot will keep the readers without the cheap literary gimmicks. The timing of his unfolding plot is metronomic and the plot is of such quality, it appears that we not only have a breathtaking masterpiece in the works, but a rare generations output even by his own standards of work. I like some of his other books very much, but this undertaking's internal history is deep and somewhere below Tolkien and above R.R. Martin. Read my first book's review for a comparison between him and Martin and why they are only similar in that they are contemporaries. The first book piqued my curiosity. This book has my interest, ha ha. So he is now my current favorite living fiction author. Bottom line: Superb next step in the series & leaves you pining for Book 3.