This is the first book in Brandon Sanderson’s epic fantasy series The Stormlight Archive. Sanderson is probably my favorite storyteller out there and this is the series he has had in his head for the last twenty years. It’s the story he has always wanted to tell. To say I was excited about it would be an understatement, but even with my expectation so high, the book delivered in every possible way.

It’s difficult to set up the premise for The Way of Kings because of how complex and massive the book is. Not only that, but this book is the first of ten, so it’s really setting up the entire series. The universe that Sanderson created is complex, unique, and fascinating and Sanderson introduces it to you like a pro. It’s all seamlessly given to us as events occur through our main characters. I’m going to leave it at that, not wanting to spoil anything for you.

Look, I’ll give it to you straight, this book is fantastic. At the time of this update to the recommendation, three books have been released in the series. Even with less than 1/3 of the series out, I can already say that this is my second favorite series of all time (Harry Potter is #1, at least for right now). These books are the ones I will be most excited about over the coming years and I’ve already read them multiple times. It’s a big undertaking, though. Each of these books is over a thousand pages, and the third book is over 1200. For me, the longer the better. I can’t get enough and I hope you won’t be able to either.

#2

The Passage takes place in a world where a government experiment gone wrong starts the apocalypse. The world disaster is told through a six-year-old girl, Amy, who was a subject of the experiment, but survives through the compassion and conscious of officer Brad Wolgast. As society collapses around them, they discover just exactly what the experiment has changed Amy and how it might be the key to saving everyone.

I should say that this is no ordinary apocalypse in terms of how it occurs, but I’ll leave that for those who choose to read it. The Passageis a frightening and powerful read and is the first book in a the trilogy. Justin Cronin’s writing is top-notch, A-grade stuff and he only gets better as the series goes on. He has an extraordinary grasp on human nature that really make the characters shine, too. That gift, combined with the world he’s created and beautiful prose, really makes this book and the series something special. 

The third book in the series, The City of Mirrors, is one of the best books I’ve read in years and got the top spot in one of the top years (2016).

#3

Towers of Midnight is the thirteenth and second to last book in the epic fantasy series, The Wheel of Time. Emphasis on ‘epic.’ The series weighs in at over 4 million words and has a chapter in this book that is 81,000 words long (the first Harry Potter book comes in at just under 77,000). Clearly, this series is a serious commitment. It is ONLY for people who like fantasy and have read some fantasy already. 

That being said, this final books of this series are some of the most exciting books I’ve ever read. I mean, if you had been reading this series when it began in 1991 and were now finishing it in 2013, 22 years later, I think you’d be pretty hyped about how it all wrapped up.

There are points in this series that were really hard to get through. Hundreds of pages of stuff that were either really frustrating or unnecessarily long. If you decide to take the plunge into the series and get to that point, my advice is to stick with it (or skim through the parts you don’t like). The final few books are well worth it.

#4

The Pillars of the Earth is about the construction of a cathedral in 12^thcentury England. Not exactly the type of thriller that made Ken Follett popular, but it is his most popular book ever, selling over 25 million copies worldwide. While the building of the cathedral is a major thread in the story, it is more the center of gravity that the characters revolve around. It is much more about the people and setting than it is about the cathedral itself (thank god) (no pun intended).

            I have to say that I really loved this book. The writing is excellent, much higher quality than your average author. It gives a real sense of 12^thcentury England and I became very attached to several of the characters (there are a lot of them). The disagreements between likable characters made everything seem more genuine. There are also people in the book who are some of the most miserable, despicable people I’ve ever had the chance of reading and their imaginary existence could be frustrating at times. But what can I say, villains got to villain, amiright?

            Admittedly, I do have an educational background in history and enjoy this sort of stuff more than the average person. I’d be remiss to not mention that it’s also a bit of a doozy, coming in at 973 pages long.

            I don’t have plans on picking up the next one any time soon (it is a trilogy), but I definitely enjoyed reading it. It was an easy four star for me. Not so epic and moving that it could be in the five star range, but of such high quality that I wouldn’t even consider moving it to below four stars.

#5

Unbroken is the unbelievable true story of Louis Zamperini: Olympian, plane crash survivor, prisoner of war. Laura Hillenbrand first broke on to the scene with her book Seabiscuit and continued her success with this book. She has an amazing gift to mix her nonfiction stories with insightful commentary and lovely description. She really brings them to life for the reader.

I do not have many nonfiction books within my recommendations, but this is mainly because I’ve rated the top five of each year and fiction is more in my wheelhouse. This book was something special, though. If you’re in the mood for reading an incredible story about “survival, resilience, and redemption,” then this is the book for you. It’s very inspiring. Also check out the rating statistics below. I’m not the only one to feel this way.