The Way of Kings vs Words of Radiance: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Imaginary wars and battles, Magic, Fiction
The Way of Kings
Widely acclaimed for his work completing Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time saga, Brandon Sanderson now begins a grand cycle of his own, one every bit as ambitious and immersive. Roshar is a world of stone and storms.…
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Words of Radiance
The eagerly awaited sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Way of Kings. Six years ago, the Assassin in White, a hireling of the inscrutable Parshendi, assassinated the Alethi king on the very night a treaty…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Words of Radiance is the quickest read — about 20 hours vs 22 for The Way of Kings.
- Words of Radiance has the widest readership — 527911 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| The Way of Kings | Words of Radiance | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.6 (32666) | 4.8 (527911) |
| Hardcover | 4.6 (14) | 4.7 (3) |
| Google Books | 4.0 (3) | 5.0 (4) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (10614) | 5.0 (8455) |
Reception
| The Way of Kings | Words of Radiance | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 32666 | 527911 |
| Editions | 30 | 23 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 24265 | 171247 |
| Pages | 1204 | 1088 |