The Way of Kings

Brilliant.
Most interesting story, deep and believable characters, detailed and balanced world. People felt real, and i strongly wanted to gather more bits of lore.

An epic fantasy with complex yet relatable characters and so much exciting possibility as befitting of a series comprises of 10 planned books. A long-term commitment it is, but one I'm glad I jumped into. Brandon Sanderson is so good at writing magic systems and establishing consistent rules that readers are experts by the end of a book, which makes it even more enjoyable when he bends and subverts the rules (think alchemical systems of Fullmetal Alchemist, for those who are familiar). And, unlike some author, Sanderson always treats his characters with utmost respect; he will not kill them off (or drag them through a gutter) just for 'shock value' or to remind readers that we're reading 'fantasy for grownups'. It's plenty exciting, full of surprises, visceral, and cerebral without any of those gimmicks.