Snippet 23: How To Read 100 Books A Year - Cliff Weitzman

The Way of Kings is an epic fantasy novel that introduces the world of Roshar, where powerful magical forces known as Surgebinding and Shardwielding shape the destiny of its inhabitants. The story primarily follows three characters: Kaladin, a former surgeon turned soldier who is now a slave; Shallan, a young woman seeking to apprentice under the scholar Jasnah Kholin; and Dalinar Kholin, a highprince troubled by visions of ancient times and the Knights Radiant. The novel explores themes of honor, loyalty, and the struggle for power in a world torn apart by war and the looming threat of the Desolation and the Voidbringers. The book is known for its detailed worldbuilding, complex characters, and the slow but intense build-up to a dramatic climax.

This book provides a comprehensive history of how America's presidents and generals have thought about, threatened, and just barely avoided nuclear war since the dawn of the atomic age. Fred Kaplan takes readers into the White House Situation Room, the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s 'Tank' in the Pentagon, and the vast chambers of Strategic Command to reveal untold stories based on his deep research and reporting. The book discusses theories and nightmare scenarios involving mass destruction, highlighting the enduring reality of nuclear war and its dire consequences.