This "rough draft" is probably the most impactful piece of writing I've read. I see the start of so many characters, so many stories. I get to see how this was polished, to become the epic story we know and love. Thank you. Thank you brandon sanderson. Every time I think you've made my life better, you do it again.
Getting to listen to this book is amazing. I loved being able to see the seeds that grew into The Stormlight Archives and, if I'm not mistaken, Warbreaker. I feel like I need to reread the The Way of Kings just to make sure nothing changed. Lol
This book is fun but BRUTAL... oh the CASUALTIES! I'm glad this is an alternate reality, but now I know that Sanderson has zero issues inflicting violence against the reader's heart. I think people will need tissues for the coming Stormlight books😢
Unpopular opinion based on these comments. I'm glad he went in a whole new direction with the official version. While I like most of this new Jashna, the rest of the story and characters... The spark is missing for me.
I agree with you, actually. He had many great ideas and grand notions, but they were not polished, or truly fulfilled. But the general foreshadowing of form, feel, character, and detail that appear based on a knowledge of his later works is breathtaking. The build up and coming together of events and people at the end of the book was a little too contrived, but from here he went on the right the first mistborn trilogy. The mystery and momentum attempted here is masterfully executed there. The external struggles faced by Shinry become internal burdens that make her a captive of her own mind. And yet are so much more compelled by for it. I almost wish I had kept a journal while listening to this, and kept track of all the little gems that jumped out at me. This is certainly a Sanderson curiosity, but also a treasure.
I don't even know what's going on with these books. You don't like this one ? Is it a rough draft I don't get some of the comments ... but the pace of this book stinks and I haven't found any flow or joy .
@@kvfkvf6900"Prime" means it's an unpublished rough draft that Brandon Sanderson wrote early on in his life, and wasn't good enough to be published. There's a reason he's (very kindly) put it free on TH-cam. I think the reason most of us like it is we have read and fallen in love with the characters of the actual eventually published Way of Kings and to see them in an alternate story is fascinating.
It’s amazing how I could see all the little differences and evolution to Brandon’s characters and writing. I saw the ending, but he still got me at the end with the epilogue. I’m invested in this story that will never be fulfilled. Maybe we need a multiverse of the Consmere, just need Brandon to double his already extraordinary writing speed. Thank you to the kick starters who made this possible!
Thank you so much for sharing this with us. I really appreciate the story. Really glad you went with the story you published. I can now appreciate the growth you've had as a writer.
Dang I feel like part of my heart was just ripped out lol. Brandon you just crushed my soul 😭. Brandon needs to do like a podcast and give us an alternate ending so I can go on with my life haha.
LOL! Would love that. But that might become confusing. Quite sure unlike this book. The following books will most likely not have issue getting published.
Huge spoiler warning coming up lol: Honestly there are things I liked in this version more than stormlight. I liked that Maren chose to keep the blade (they’re just too cool to pass up haha). But dang that ending it hurts so bad. Talm dies? Jasna is married to Maradas? Renarin is basically dead? Dalinar hates Maren? Everything that could go wrong went wrong. How could it end like that??? I’m dead inside lol
Yeah it leaves you with a lot of questions, and unfortunately after twenty years Brandon probably doesn't even remember the answers to those questions.
@@jonathanliang8682 well renarin made the diagram so he'll be back in some degree. I suppose merin would head off with his navy? He doesn't have much else to do. Seems like the king of theylanah is playing the part of utilitarian who thinks he's good so shinri would probably show that. Idk what jasnahs plot would be, assuming taln would return she might be involved
Spoiler. I read the 4 Stormlight archives twice back to back because I’ve read every other Sanderson book and can’t get into anything else. This was brilliant. I just wish Jasnah knew he was a herold. I wish he turned to smoke on his own. Also not happy with the Dalinar/Merrin ending. Nevertheless. Brilliant. I loved it.
I find it so interesting how different characters or plot points brought up in this story find a home in Brandon's other works. While listening I kept noticing personality traits that I recognize, it was awesome to see how even though they didn't end up fitting into way of kings final, they still were given a home elsewhere. I also really appreciated the detail as to how a truthwatcher uses their powers. Granted it won't be exactly the same as in the stormlight archive I'm sure, but as I read about the other orders of the knights radiant I often find myself confused about what their powers are and how they work (especially the truthwatchers). This helped! Thanks for the awesome read Brandon!
Spoiler alert: The chapter where Merin catches Remarin in his room on the ship right before his fire slips away had me in a serious chokehold. I legit thought that Renarin was dead! For a long time, I was like, "NO! Renarin is answer!? He can't be dead. Not when we don't know what he meant by that realization; the most powerful seer of them all... How?"😢
Here are a few WoB about the "what was next." Mainily Taln was going to be proven as a Herald, so not dead. wob.coppermind.net/adv_search/?query=prime&date_from=2020-01-01&date_to=2021-12-16&speaker=&ordering=rank
Without the Shinri and Heralds epilogue I would have thought this version as a stand-alone. Story is great. The Yasna storyline is so heartbreaking 😭. I would have loved if this was included to cannon. But I suppose you never know since there are still 5 books coming.
I doubt it was the Vedens. They only had the large army after the three houses unified, which happened later. I always assumed the "third force" was something supernatural, but I'm not sure what exactly. Guess we may never find out.
So many unanswered questions but the doubt of the other heralds at the end implies something at least to that effect. I want to know what was in the room in the underground passage behind the beautiful door.
I am so grateful to have the opportunity to read this. I thoroughly enjoy the Stormlight archive (among Sanderson’s other publications) and am intrigued to see where the seeds of such an intricate and dynamic series blossomed from. It is incredibly inspiring as a creative writer to witness the growth in a story. Thank you again for sharing!
I have a feeling Intara is Jezrien with amnesia given his drinking problem and his inability to get fat or have any other long term side-effects from his feasts, though I guess we’ll never know for sure.
Since such a long wait until any more in the actual Cosmere it would be nice to have a second of these or even trilogy even though they are nothing compared to what Brandon writes now. Still better than so many books out there.
Incredible. I started listening to this one night when I was having trouble sleeping and wanted an audiobook to help. But then I got engrossed in the story. Now to read the final draft of the Way of Kings (I know I must be in the minority here) and see how he improved on this already amazing story.
Cool story I would say this version of the way of Kings is b Tier while the published version is S tier Be pretty cool if this was a parallel universe So if Brandon ever decides to go into multiverse he's got a jumping off point
Finally finished this. Surprisingly good, but I definitely see the improvements in the canon version. The only thing that really didn't work for me here was Taln's madness. I just didn't buy him doubting himself. In his own POV it was so obvious he really was a herald. The madness plot worked way better with Dalinar. Pretty much everything else here worked. That said, the canon version leveled everything up. The world building here was maybe a little above average for fantasy, but cannon Way of Kings has probably the best world I've ever read. Merin and Shinri are fine, even good, but Kaladin and Shallan are fantastic. And while the Dalinar-Elhokar plot might be my favorite thing in this book, the change from Elhokar being an awful person to just an incompetent makes the story so much more interesting. And the magic system has had so much Brandonization between this and the final version that it's almost unrecognizable. I'll agree with another comment that WoK prime is B tier fantasy, maybe on the level of Elantris with a little editing, but the canon version is S tier.
Upcoming writers, take this to heart: kill your darlings. Sanderson has shown that even with a decent story, in order to progress sometimes you have to make drastic changes to good ideas in order to inprove your work. I like the storm riding ships. I like having Taln as a POV. I like having the Knights Radiant linked to a specific stone. But each of these had to be cut in order to creat the Stormlight Archives. And besides that, there are of course some just over all improvements. WoK Prime Jashan is just worse in almost every way. Her atheism and lack of sexual interest are handled with so much finess and and with so much respect in the offical WoK that it's sometimes quit jaring to listen to this immature girl with the same name.
There's actually a Brother Lhan in Words of Radiance, but he's actually the waste of space this Lhan _pretends_ to be. His Interlude is "I-12 Lhan", in-between Parts 4 & 5.
Even after the epilogue I still believe Taln was a Herald, maybe he had amnesia before his wife died, he was just too good of a fighter and knew too much for him to have been a mortal. (Edit: lol I was right kinda, enough)
Idk what anyone is talking about in tbe comments. This isnt a main copy ? Not the epic series he wrote ?? Also nothing has happened so far. No deaths not much of anything
@@VoidLantadd probably some order of radiant he was exploring but not fully fleshed it out (just me I thinke it was where he got how lift converts food to stormlight)
@@MikeWazowskisBurner Well I cannot give an opinion if I do not listen to it. I'm not trying to put you down. or turn you off what your doing. It's just an opinion from someone who dos not matter. The only advise id give is turn off comments.
This "rough draft" is probably the most impactful piece of writing I've read. I see the start of so many characters, so many stories. I get to see how this was polished, to become the epic story we know and love.
Thank you. Thank you brandon sanderson. Every time I think you've made my life better, you do it again.
Getting to listen to this book is amazing. I loved being able to see the seeds that grew into The Stormlight Archives and, if I'm not mistaken, Warbreaker. I feel like I need to reread the The Way of Kings just to make sure nothing changed. Lol
WoK Prime, the whole book: "Jek Son Son Vallano, truthless of Shinovar...."
Me, in my brain, everytime: "wORE WHITE ON THE DAY HE WAS TO KILL A KING."
I know this will never happen, but we need the alternate stormlight archives!
This book is fun but BRUTAL... oh the CASUALTIES! I'm glad this is an alternate reality, but now I know that Sanderson has zero issues inflicting violence against the reader's heart. I think people will need tissues for the coming Stormlight books😢
Unpopular opinion based on these comments. I'm glad he went in a whole new direction with the official version. While I like most of this new Jashna, the rest of the story and characters... The spark is missing for me.
I agree with you, actually. He had many great ideas and grand notions, but they were not polished, or truly fulfilled. But the general foreshadowing of form, feel, character, and detail that appear based on a knowledge of his later works is breathtaking. The build up and coming together of events and people at the end of the book was a little too contrived, but from here he went on the right the first mistborn trilogy. The mystery and momentum attempted here is masterfully executed there. The external struggles faced by Shinry become internal burdens that make her a captive of her own mind. And yet are so much more compelled by for it.
I almost wish I had kept a journal while listening to this, and kept track of all the little gems that jumped out at me. This is certainly a Sanderson curiosity, but also a treasure.
I agree and I personally find it inspirational that he could completely rewrite this story. I'm very grateful he shared this.
You can tell this is Brandon when he was younger still figuring out the structure of life and what it ment to him.
I don't even know what's going on with these books. You don't like this one ? Is it a rough draft I don't get some of the comments ... but the pace of this book stinks and I haven't found any flow or joy .
@@kvfkvf6900"Prime" means it's an unpublished rough draft that Brandon Sanderson wrote early on in his life, and wasn't good enough to be published. There's a reason he's (very kindly) put it free on TH-cam. I think the reason most of us like it is we have read and fallen in love with the characters of the actual eventually published Way of Kings and to see them in an alternate story is fascinating.
This makes me scared for the next stormlight book. Brandon isn’t afraid to hurt us lol
LOL
It’s amazing how I could see all the little differences and evolution to Brandon’s characters and writing. I saw the ending, but he still got me at the end with the epilogue. I’m invested in this story that will never be fulfilled. Maybe we need a multiverse of the Consmere, just need Brandon to double his already extraordinary writing speed. Thank you to the kick starters who made this possible!
Thanks for this Brandon. So different yet so full of foreshadowing of your current works. Loved it.
Thank you so much for sharing this with us. I really appreciate the story. Really glad you went with the story you published. I can now appreciate the growth you've had as a writer.
I've never wanted a sequel to an unpublished book that I know won't be written than for this book.
Now i want so read more storys about this universe... i like the focus on the heralds.
Just gotta wait for the Back Five of Stormlight for more of Taln and the Heralds.
Dang I feel like part of my heart was just ripped out lol. Brandon you just crushed my soul 😭. Brandon needs to do like a podcast and give us an alternate ending so I can go on with my life haha.
So when are we getting Words of Radiance Prime? /s
That’s what I’m saying. Surely there’s a place for alternate universe in the cosmere.
LOL! Would love that. But that might become confusing. Quite sure unlike this book. The following books will most likely not have issue getting published.
What an enjoyable insight on what could have been. Thanks for making this available
Huge spoiler warning coming up lol:
Honestly there are things I liked in this version more than stormlight. I liked that Maren chose to keep the blade (they’re just too cool to pass up haha).
But dang that ending it hurts so bad. Talm dies? Jasna is married to Maradas? Renarin is basically dead? Dalinar hates Maren? Everything that could go wrong went wrong. How could it end like that??? I’m dead inside lol
Yea I wasn't a big fan of that last scene with dalenar. Maybe if we got to see the inevitable reunion haha
@@joshs3775 amen to that
Merrin didn’t keep the blade. He kept the cloak and the stone from his blade that he sliced off when giving the blade back.
@@emmaroberts4150 What?
Dang, this makes me wish to see what could've unfurled in this version of the stormlight archives
Yeah it leaves you with a lot of questions, and unfortunately after twenty years Brandon probably doesn't even remember the answers to those questions.
@@VoidLantadd he still has the outlines for the series at that point I'm sure.
Unfortunately that is the downside of reading unpublished version of a book series. We most likely will not see the conclusion of this story.
@@Kcoldraz yup, and it pains me as someone who cant stand cliffhangers. I guess I'll just imagine what the ending is
@@jonathanliang8682 well renarin made the diagram so he'll be back in some degree. I suppose merin would head off with his navy? He doesn't have much else to do. Seems like the king of theylanah is playing the part of utilitarian who thinks he's good so shinri would probably show that. Idk what jasnahs plot would be, assuming taln would return she might be involved
Awesome listen. What a depressing ending
I'm pretty sure in this version Taln would come back somehow before the desolation/return.. maybe
Spoiler.
I read the 4 Stormlight archives twice back to back because I’ve read every other Sanderson book and can’t get into anything else. This was brilliant. I just wish Jasnah knew he was a herold. I wish he turned to smoke on his own. Also not happy with the Dalinar/Merrin ending.
Nevertheless. Brilliant. I loved it.
I find it so interesting how different characters or plot points brought up in this story find a home in Brandon's other works. While listening I kept noticing personality traits that I recognize, it was awesome to see how even though they didn't end up fitting into way of kings final, they still were given a home elsewhere. I also really appreciated the detail as to how a truthwatcher uses their powers. Granted it won't be exactly the same as in the stormlight archive I'm sure, but as I read about the other orders of the knights radiant I often find myself confused about what their powers are and how they work (especially the truthwatchers). This helped! Thanks for the awesome read Brandon!
Spoiler alert:
The chapter where Merin catches Remarin in his room on the ship right before his fire slips away had me in a serious chokehold. I legit thought that Renarin was dead! For a long time, I was like, "NO! Renarin is answer!? He can't be dead. Not when we don't know what he meant by that realization; the most powerful seer of them all... How?"😢
Not knowing what happens next is going to haunt me forever. Now I wish I had never listened. Lol.
Here are a few WoB about the "what was next." Mainily Taln was going to be proven as a Herald, so not dead. wob.coppermind.net/adv_search/?query=prime&date_from=2020-01-01&date_to=2021-12-16&speaker=&ordering=rank
Without the Shinri and Heralds epilogue I would have thought this version as a stand-alone. Story is great. The Yasna storyline is so heartbreaking 😭. I would have loved if this was included to cannon. But I suppose you never know since there are still 5 books coming.
Loved it! Gutted that I won't get more taln pov for so long
Perhaps i just snoozed through the bit where it was gone through who the "third force" was who slaughtered 25K folk at the beginning?
Wondering the same thing, gonna assume it was the not so idiot king?
I doubt it was the Vedens. They only had the large army after the three houses unified, which happened later. I always assumed the "third force" was something supernatural, but I'm not sure what exactly. Guess we may never find out.
So many unanswered questions but the doubt of the other heralds at the end implies something at least to that effect.
I want to know what was in the room in the underground passage behind the beautiful door.
I am so grateful to have the opportunity to read this. I thoroughly enjoy the Stormlight archive (among Sanderson’s other publications) and am intrigued to see where the seeds of such an intricate and dynamic series blossomed from. It is incredibly inspiring as a creative writer to witness the growth in a story. Thank you again for sharing!
I have a feeling Intara is Jezrien with amnesia given his drinking problem and his inability to get fat or have any other long term side-effects from his feasts, though I guess we’ll never know for sure.
Since such a long wait until any more in the actual Cosmere it would be nice to have a second of these or even trilogy even though they are nothing compared to what Brandon writes now. Still better than so many books out there.
Incredible. I started listening to this one night when I was having trouble sleeping and wanted an audiobook to help. But then I got engrossed in the story. Now to read the final draft of the Way of Kings (I know I must be in the minority here) and see how he improved on this already amazing story.
I came to this right after Elantris! Now I am sure if I should read the official version! Should I?
@@nishsaw7557definitely the final version of the way of kings is amazing, also different enough it's definitely worth it
What a cliffhanger! For a version of the series we’ll never see continued 😭
Agree with you all! Would be very interested in more! Great experience though! So cool that they put this together for us to enjoy!!🤯🤯
Cool story
I would say this version of the way of Kings is b Tier while the published version is S tier
Be pretty cool if this was a parallel universe
So if Brandon ever decides to go into multiverse he's got a jumping off point
Finally finished this. Surprisingly good, but I definitely see the improvements in the canon version. The only thing that really didn't work for me here was Taln's madness. I just didn't buy him doubting himself. In his own POV it was so obvious he really was a herald. The madness plot worked way better with Dalinar. Pretty much everything else here worked. That said, the canon version leveled everything up. The world building here was maybe a little above average for fantasy, but cannon Way of Kings has probably the best world I've ever read. Merin and Shinri are fine, even good, but Kaladin and Shallan are fantastic. And while the Dalinar-Elhokar plot might be my favorite thing in this book, the change from Elhokar being an awful person to just an incompetent makes the story so much more interesting. And the magic system has had so much Brandonization between this and the final version that it's almost unrecognizable. I'll agree with another comment that WoK prime is B tier fantasy, maybe on the level of Elantris with a little editing, but the canon version is S tier.
Alternate title: "Nothing happens to the Kholins!"
Except for all the younger ones dying
Additional reason on why Sanderson is my favorite author. ❤️😃❤️
Upcoming writers, take this to heart: kill your darlings.
Sanderson has shown that even with a decent story, in order to progress sometimes you have to make drastic changes to good ideas in order to inprove your work.
I like the storm riding ships. I like having Taln as a POV. I like having the Knights Radiant linked to a specific stone.
But each of these had to be cut in order to creat the Stormlight Archives.
And besides that, there are of course some just over all improvements. WoK Prime Jashan is just worse in almost every way. Her atheism and lack of sexual interest are handled with so much finess and and with so much respect in the offical WoK that it's sometimes quit jaring to listen to this immature girl with the same name.
Spoiler
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2:56:07 Him not being a herald was depressing. After everything I wanted him to be really a herald. Just like Jashna
WAIT HE ACTUALLY WAS A HERALD. NO WAY HOLY SHIT WHAT
Man affter all this I just wish Lan was part of the Maine story
Yeah I kind of dislike how he just kind of disappears in the story halfway
There's actually a Brother Lhan in Words of Radiance, but he's actually the waste of space this Lhan _pretends_ to be.
His Interlude is "I-12 Lhan", in-between Parts 4 & 5.
@@VoidLantadd was he the one in kholinar?
Even after the epilogue I still believe Taln was a Herald, maybe he had amnesia before his wife died, he was just too good of a fighter and knew too much for him to have been a mortal. (Edit: lol I was right kinda, enough)
I must admit i ebjoyed thiw more than Elantris and warbreaker. Now really kooking forward to SA5
Brandon really likes the word "perfunctory" doesn't he? 😏
And sanctimonious 😆 but he’s still my favorite author
Idk what anyone is talking about in tbe comments. This isnt a main copy ? Not the epic series he wrote ?? Also nothing has happened so far. No deaths not much of anything
I love your the way of kings
So this intara is sabarial right
I was wondering if he's a Herald with amnesia (or just in disguise). The way he never puts on weight or gets a hangover is... odd.
@@VoidLantadd probably some order of radiant he was exploring but not fully fleshed it out (just me I thinke it was where he got how lift converts food to stormlight)
42
Too.Many.Deaths.
The books are much better. This was a wast of time listening too.
You listened to the whole thing even though you didn't like it? 🤣
@@MikeWazowskisBurner Well I cannot give an opinion if I do not listen to it. I'm not trying to put you down. or turn you off what your doing. It's just an opinion from someone who dos not matter. The only advise id give is turn off comments.