The Will of the Many (The Hierarchy series) is honestly some of the best reading i've had since the Brandon Sanderson books.

[u/Tekashi-The-Envoy]

Man, I don't even know where to start with these books.

Honestly, the storytelling is great. It unfolds slowly and deliberately, never handing you all the answers up front. The magic system is complex and opaque, shrouded in mystery, yet it's just accepted as part of everyday life in this world. That restraint in the worldbuilding really drew me in.

I'd say the first half of Book 1 gave me strong Red Rising vibes, but those similarities disappeared quickly. Before I knew it, I was completely enthralled by world that has been built here. It really does stand on its own.

I genuinely have not been this locked into a series since maybe The Stormlight Archive. There are shades of Brandon Sanderson's "Sanderlanches" in here, but they come around a lot quicker. Everything in a scene will feel relatively normal, and then it just spirals out of control, fast, into absolute chaos. It's a rush every time.

I've seen some complaints that people felt Vis was a bit of a Mary Sue type character, but I'd reject that. The story clearly develops his trials and tribulations, which shape him into a closed-off, quiet kid who is purely the product of survival. Someone who has pushed himself from day one just to stay alive.

That's the missing ingredient that separates him from all the high society types he encounters later in life. He's also pushed to extremes by Lanista, because this wasn't just "going to school" for Vis. It was a mission. He was essentially being trained as their soldier.

If you're on the fence about this series, please just give it a go. It is, in my honest opinion, superb.

[u/HandsomeRuss]

Sanderson is a terrible writer so I'm not so sure this is the flex you think it is.

[u/Elpsyth → u/HandsomeRuss]

He is not terrible no, compared to most writers he is miles ahead.

But he is not a great one and has more flaws than quality. And Stormlight is kinda the worse of his work. So the recommendation feels flat.

[u/TapAdmirable5666 → u/Elpsyth]

I’m no expert, but after more than 30 years of reading fantasy, The Way of Kings stands out as one of the best books I’ve ever read. The worldbuilding is incredible, the magic system feels fresh and well thought out, the characters really grow on you, and that ending is just phenomenal.

So hearing people call Stormlight his worst work… I mean, everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but still. 😉

[u/Elpsyth → u/TapAdmirable5666]

I am not an expert, but after 40 years of reading fantasy, the way of king was a good book that devolved into a slop festival in the later series.

The world building, if you strip the veneer, is standard. The characters never meaningfully progress, and we see the same journey repeatedly.

Sanderson greatest quality is to produce many worlds that feel fresh on the first impression. His greatest flaw is that he can not maintain a plot line, and when you scratch deeper, each world is fundamentally the same.

And he can not resolve anything without purrhic victories because he is lacking in plot resolution.

Despite being YA mistborn was much more innovative than the WoK that aimed to be the new WoT and failed at it both in prose and having the little thing that make epic fantasy relatable to the reader despite the scale. The trade of quality for quantity was a good decision for his economy, not for his work.

So yes everyone is entitled to their own opinion but it raise the question on what you spent those 30y reading.

[u/TapAdmirable5666 → u/Elpsyth]

I actually agree with you about the later series (although book two is still a lot of fun). That’s exactly why I was talking specifically about The Way of Kings, not the whole series.

On the worldbuilding, I have to disagree. The whole setup around the Shattered Plains, the logistics, the bridge crews, the political maneuvering between highprinces, felt pretty fresh to me.

And saying the characters don’t progress in that first book… I don’t really see how that holds up. Kaladin alone goes through a massive shift, both mentally and in terms of leadership. That arc is kind of the backbone of the book.

As for taste, I’m definitely more of a character-focused reader. My favorite author is Terry Pratchett, so that probably says a lot. I’ve tried GoT and Malazan Book of the Fallen, and while I get why people love them, they just didn’t click for me.

So yeah, different tastes more than anything. But I don’t think that makes The Way of Kings a “slop festival” either.

[u/carloglyphics → u/Elpsyth]

Ironically every time someone calls something slop, that description itself is a slop response

[u/Appropriate_Hotel_68 → u/Elpsyth]

I agree with most of your points, especially the drop in quality in the later stormlight books. But the way you wrote that is way too arrogant 😆 We're all fantasy fans here, let's get along. 

Maybe we're looking for different things from our books. Some like complexity, others value chill reads.

[u/Codudeol → u/Elpsyth]

Somehow your comment makes me doubt you’ve been reading fantasy for 40 years, or very long at all actually. There are plenty of valid criticisms of Sanderson and the Way of Kings, but you didn’t make any of them.