The Way of Kings, a sweeping fantasy book, is divided into two parts. A world of stone and storms is Roshar. Uncanny storms with great force frequently sweep across the rocky terrain, influencing both wildlife and civilization. Animals conceal themselves in shells, trees retract their branches, and grass grows in the ground that lacks dirt. Only places where the topography provides protection are cities established. The ten dedicated orders known as the Knights Radiant were destroyed centuries ago, but their mystical Shardblades and Shardplate?suits of armour that turn regular men into nearly unstoppable warriors?remain. Shardblades are traded by men for kingdoms. Wars were fought and won on their behalf. Kaladin, who exchanged his training as a doctor for a spearto protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. Brightlord Dalinar Kholin commands one of those other armies. Troubled by over-powering visions of ancient times and the Knights Radiant, he has begun to doubt his own sanity. Across the ocean, an untried young woman named Shallan seeks to train under an eminent scholar and notorious heretic, Dalinar's niece, Jasnah. Her research for Jasnah hints at secrets of the Knights Radiant and the true cause of the war.