A new level of epic epic-ness.....

I'm not going to even try to summarize the plots of Sanderson's first installment of The Stormlight Archive. I say plots because there is a whole mess a things going on in this book. For the sake of brevity (and my sanity) I am going break this review into bullet points:
- What I liked
- What I didn't
- My rating and recommendation
What I liked: I am one of millions of overweight Americans. I like to eat big and I like my stories the same way that I like my food - rich, robust, and slowly killing me... That's what I got with The Way of Kings (well except the ‘killing me’ part). The scope of this story is epic and it's characters are some of the most well developed in any book that I've read. The action scenes are worthy of the great battles fought in Mistborn, and the drama and mystery are compelling. And of course, in true Sanderson fashion, there are unexpected plot twists that I should have seen coming but didn't - especially at the end.
What I didn't like: The book opens with a killer, fast-paced action scene and then....nothing…. for a very long time. If you're looking for another Mistborn then you will be a bit disappointed. The Way of Kings seems to have a very different motive than to wow action-fantasy nerds. That's not to say it's not good, it's just a different kind of story with very different pacing - more like Elantris. Another thing that bothered me was that there were a few scenes that felt like they ought to have been cut. One in particular where a man with magical tattoos is introduced, and then never heard from again. I understand Sanderson is world-building for ten books, but some of the Way of Kings felt like information overload.
My Rating and Recommendation: The Way of Kings is a book you definitely do not want to miss. It's level of character development and drama is excellent. However, be warned, not a lot of action with an ending that deliberately doesn't satisfy. A- for the Way of Kings.