If you loved
The Way of Kings
Brandon Sanderson · Book · 2014
What hooked you in The Way of Kings was the way massive, world-altering political and ecological shifts test individual honor.
Films on the same thread
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Peter Jackson · Film · 2003
Shares a thread with The Way of Kings: Epic Fantasy.
Like the noble struggles in The Way of Kings, this epic finale mirrors the scale of ancient orders fighting for the survival of their world against encroaching darkness.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Peter Jackson · Film · 2002
Shares a thread with The Way of Kings: Epic Fantasy.
The journey toward an impossible goal in this film captures the same sense of desperate hope and fellowship found in the most grueling chapters of The Way of Kings.
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Dean DeBlois · Film · 2014
Explores: Man and Animal Friendship, Protecting Nature, War and Peace.
The ecological focus on how creatures adapt to a harsh environment mirrors the world-building brilliance of Roshar that readers of The Way of Kings will immediately recognize.
How to Train Your Dragon
Dean DeBlois · Film · 2025
Explores: Bridging the Divide, Acceptance of the Other, Challenging Tradition.
The act of challenging tradition to forge a new path for a society echoes the moral growth and individual agency defining the protagonists in The Way of Kings.
Series on the same thread
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
George R. R. Martin · Series · 2026
Shares 2 threads with The Way of Kings: Political Intrigue, High Fantasy.
The mentor and squire dynamic provides the same intimate character development amidst a vast, complex political landscape that makes The Way of Kings so deeply compelling.
Game of Thrones
David Benioff · Series · 2011
Shares a thread with The Way of Kings: High Fantasy.
The focus on noble houses maneuvering for power while an ancient threat looms in the shadows is the perfect structural companion to the geopolitical intrigue of The Way of Kings.
House of the Dragon
George R. R. Martin · Series · 2022
Shares a thread with The Way of Kings: High Fantasy.
The detailed exploration of how a powerful dynasty begins to fracture mirrors the slow, tragic decline of the orders described in the history of The Way of Kings.
The Last Kingdom
Stephen Butchard · Series · 2015
Shares a thread with The Way of Kings: political intrigue.
The blending of historical warfare with a search for identity creates the same grounded, gritty stakes for its characters that define the soldiers of The Way of Kings.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Realignment
The Realignment · Podcast · 2026
Explores: institutional change, populism, technological disruption.
If the systemic analysis of shifting institutions in The Way of Kings fascinated you, this exploration of modern political realignment provides a compelling real-world parallel.
Revolutions
Mike Duncan · Podcast · 2025
Explores: societal collapse, power dynamics, cyclical history.
The analytical breakdown of how societies collapse and power shifts offers the same intellectual satisfaction found in the historical world-building of The Way of Kings.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Way of Kings set on a planet with a unique climate?
Yes, The Way of Kings takes place on Roshar, a world defined by powerful, frequent storms. These tempests are so intense that they have dictated the evolution of the local ecology and the placement of human civilization, forcing plants and animals to adapt to the rocky terrain.
How do the storms in The Way of Kings impact city building?
In The Way of Kings, the environment is dominated by uncanny tempests that sweep across the landscape. Because of this, cities are constructed exclusively in areas where the topography provides natural shelter from the storms, as the rocky terrain is otherwise too exposed for traditional settlement.
What is the historical context of the orders mentioned in The Way of Kings?
The Way of Kings references the fall of ten consecrated orders that existed centuries prior to the current events of the book. These groups, which once held significant importance on Roshar, have been absent for a long period, leaving their legacy as a central mystery within the world.
How does the ecology of Roshar function in The Way of Kings?
The ecology of Roshar in The Way of Kings is shaped by the frequent, powerful storms. To survive, animals have developed shells, trees retract their branches, and grass pulls itself into the soilless ground to avoid being destroyed by the tempests that regularly sweep across the rocky world.