Which Stormlight Archive book is your favorite?

[That1Cellist]

Just wondering what people generally think.

[CosmicSieve]

I am currently listening to Stormpod read The Way of Kings, so I guess it is currently my favorite? Really, all the books have their strengths and weaknesses, and I have a hard time picking out which I love most. TWoK has the best Sanderlanche in my opinion, culminating in Dalinar giving up Oathbringer. But really, the answer might actually be, "Whichever one I am currently rereading."

[Rg2045]

Between oathbringer and tWoK for me. 
tWoK for me is a near perfect book, where as O is an amazing ending to multiple plot lines, while being a door to a new world 

[That1Cellist]

2 hours ago, Rg2045 said:

Between oathbringer and tWoK for me. 
tWoK for me is a near perfect book, where as O is an amazing ending to multiple plot lines, while being a door to a new world 

Same. I completely agree.

[Frustration]

tWoK is a fine enough start but there isn't nearly enough of the magic for me to call it my favorite.

WoR is the best, the 4 vs 1 shardbearers duel and the ending between Kal and Szeth is so good. Shallan being given such a focus is the only thing keeping this book from easy dominance.

OB is probably the best on the first read, but after that it becomes stale. So much rides on Dalinar's character that there is barely any spectical until the end. Making it all in all a thoroughly middling book

RoW is probably number 2 after WoR and it's fine the Kaladins plot line really holds the book back here, if it was given another polish or two it would be the best book.

[SpinningSky]

To me, of course each new book will be more interesting, if only because I'm (probably we are) so passionate about the magic system and the characters that it just gets more and more interesting the further we go.

Having said that this is no MCU, which starts with a pretty cool iron man and ends in Endgame,

Way of Kings is a Masterpiece of a book which does such an incredible job getting you in this world of rockbuds and misterious shattered planes and "Szeth-son-son-vallano, Truthless of Shinovar". Yes I just finished re-reading it  

 

I voted WoK, but yeah I can stand behind each of the options

 

[Just a Silvereye]

Aaagh this is so hard. In the end I voted RoW, mainly for Kal's plotline, but all of them are great.

[SymphonianBookworm]

RoW, because Jasnahoid.

[Stormtide_Leviathan]

Probably Rhythm of War, even though i think it has the weakest writing of the four. I really enjoy the realmatic-theory side of the cosmere, so Navani's story was really interesting (not to mention I loved the lesbian romance arc, intentional or not), and it was the first cosmere release where I was involved in the fandom and following along, which made for a very fun experience.

[Returned]

I love them all, but Way of Kings (in my opinion) does the most and best worldbuilding of a new and interesting setting and introduces the most interesting, novel ideas. I was really excited by the implications of a fighter that could manipulate gravity, of the behavior of Shardblades and Plate, of the medieval-esque combat on terrain like the Shattered Plains, of Alethi social organization, of a world battered by semi-regular one-directional hurricanes, of spren appearing when something draws them, of currency which is a source of domestic light and also has central value because it fuels the Soulcasters on which modern society largely depends. All cool ideas, well thought out, and consequences thoughtfully considered and well presented.

It has many interesting characters and develops them well, giving nice perspectives on all the things above and more while also going through narrative arcs I found interesting. The Heralds, and the truth their existence and rare POV segments suggest, set my imagination afire while I burrowed through the way modern Roshar thinks about and believes in them.

It's always easier to dazzle at the start with a cool setup than it is to make all of the setup pay off while answering all questions in a satisfying way, and establishing such an original setting all but requires that a lot of the "best" example stuff gets used up earliest. All that novelty can't be fresh a second time, and the longer a story goes the more likely you'll run into issues like inconsistencies, ultra-precise detail for the sake of ultra-precision alone, a loss of wonder through familiarity, character developments that I don't enjoy as much (even when they're totally reasonable), and storylines that might be weaker than others.

Things that intrigue me provide a lot of grist for my imagination, which is where the experience of reading a book really exists for me. And so even though later books have more answers, bigger set pieces, and so many other things to recommend them, it's very hard for those to overwhelm the sense of possibility and excitement a well-done early book provides.

[+Child of Hodor]

Way of Kings, but it's close. I like WoR and OB a similar amount. I just really love the ending where Kaladin saves Dalinar and Dalinar frees the slaves. As @Returned said the world building is great. I like WoK interludes a lot, they are the most diverse and disconnected from the main plot which I enjoyed.  

Shallan's arc is slight compared to Dalinar and Kaladin, but her hanging in a giant library with Jasnah and studying the Deep Lore works for me. 

Most of the Death Rattles we get are in WoK and they are awesome foreshadowing. 

Child of Tanavast, where Kaladin dreams he is the Storm has great prose in the descriptions of what Kaladin sees. Convo with the Stormfather is cool "Odium Reigns"

The excerpt from in-world WoK about candles being a metaphor for leadership is one of my favorite things in SA.  

WoK big weak point to me are flashbacks which feel repetitive and are the weakest of the first three books for sure. 

[TheOtherDave]

I voted TWoK, but really it’s a tie between that and WoR.

[Lego Mistborn]

I'm all for rhythm of war. I love all of Navani's experiments and the other cosmere tidbits.

[That1Cellist]

I agree with absolutely everything everyone has said here, even if I didn't necessarily vote the same way as them. I think that just shows how good this series is.

[Letryx13]

Words of Radiance is my favorite, despite my favorite scenes being in other books.  I think I like the idea of conflict being mostly political.  Yes, there are Adolin's duels, Szeth's assignation attempt, and the battle with the Everstorm at the end, but the conflict is mostly political in nature.  I know a lot of people don't like Shallan's backstory chapters, but to be honest, I'm not fond of most of Kaladin's or Venli/Eshonai's either.  I like about half of Dalinar's chapters.

I love the scenes where Kaladin says his second ideal and Dalinar says his third.  In my opinion, those are the moments of their most significant growth. But there are a lot of chapters in both books that I can just skip through. Shallan isn't all that interesting in TWoK (outside of a certain encounter with street thugs) and the journey through Shadesmar seems a little drawn out to me in Oathbringer.

As for RoW, it's good, but it's definitely a set up book, meant to set the stage for book 5.  

[Nogo]

I just googled this question and am shocked at the poll response.   WoK being #1, ok, I get that.  I just finished reading it for the millionth time and it's AMAZING!  However, for me, Oathbringer potentially my favorite.  IT'S LAST IN THE SURVEY (tho better now that I created an account so I could vote).  I can't believe that.  I love all the SA books and pretty much anything I've read from Sanderson... but I just can't believe Oathbringer was so low.  Personally, I'd rank SA & Oathbringer #1 (I can't really decide tbh), then RoW and WoR bringing up the rear.  WoR just keeps pissing me off not so much because of writing or anything, but because Kaladin can't freaking get out of his own head already!!!  I spend like 3/4 of the book stressing the f out because of it!  Anyways, that's my 3 cents.

[The_Milkgod]

i'm presently re-reading but so far its still WoR, but ay it could change 

[Bridge Boy]

Way of Kings & Words of Radiance were excellent books, with WOR probably taking the slight edge in my eyes.

I felt Oathbreaker & Rhythm of War were both awful books for a variety of reasons I have mentioned in other posts. 

Books 1 & 2 were so exceptional though, that I still have hope the series will return to form in book 5.