Five Reasons Why The Stormlight Archive Deserves to Win a Best Series Hugo

The Best Series Award may only be in its second year, but it’s quickly become one of the more interesting categories at The Hugo Awards. And this makes sense, given how much beloved speculative fiction is part of a series. The 2018 nominees house several selections that I have personally enjoyed including Marie Brennan’s Memoirs of Lady Trent, and Seanan McGuire’s Incryptid series. Still, the nominee that I believe deserves to bring home the rocket is Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive. Because after three books (and one novella) of what’s planned to be a ten book series, The Stormlight Archive has already become one of my favorites. Let me break down why.

It puts the EPIC in Epic Fantasy

When I think about epic fantasy books, the first thing that comes to my mind is a ginormous tome, hundreds (or more) pages long that you could literally use to prop open a stubborn door. This is something that The Stormlight Archive handily achieves. Each book is in excess of 1,000 pages, and book three, Oathbringer, stands at almost half a million words long. So if you’re looking for a book that you can just get lost in for hours and hours, then Stormlight would be a perfect pick.

Beyond the superficial, the series possess all the qualities we’ve come to demand from the epic fantasy genre. A cast of hundreds, including larger than life heroes. A grand fight between the good and the ultimate evil. And a massive plot whose repercussions can be felt across the globe. Through strong world building, wonderfully crafted characters and magic systems, The Stormlight Archive manages to accomplish these things in a way that feels familiar, but not derivate of previous works.

All the Small Things

It’s impossible not to get drawn in by the grandness of Stormlight, but what really seals the deal for me is not the big stuff, but the small. As previously mentioned, The Stormlight Archive possesses a sprawling cast of characters, and they are wonderfully crafted. These individuals manage to strike the perfect balance: flawed enough to be relatable, but victorious enough to look up to. I love how their personal struggles can feel as important as the large, earth shattering events that take place around them. This was particularly true in Oathbringer, where one of the main characters, Dalinar, had to face his past demons head on in order to save the day.

It takes a lot for me to stick around for a thousand pages, but engaging characters are one thing that’s sure to get me to turn the pages.

Really Cool Stuff

Dude, the characters in these books wear MAGICAL ARMOR which allow them to carry HUGE SWORDS and perform AMAZING SUPER HUMAN FEATS OF DESTRUCTION.

While I’m all about great characters, I’m also not above being charmed by really cool magical elements in my fiction. Brandon Sanderson is the master of magic systems, and nowhere is that more obvious than in the acrobatic combat system known as surgebinding, introduced in the first book The Way of Kings. The world is also inhabited by spren, fae-like creatures that anthropomorphize nature, strong emotions, and even ethical concepts (my favorite character is even a spren!). This only scratches the surface of all the fascinating worldbuilding that can be found in the Stormlight Archive.

Connecting to the Cosmere

Another thing I appreciate about the series is the fact that it’s connected to Brandon Sanderson’s larger fantasy universe, The Cosmere. Although knowledge of the multiverse is not required to understand The Stormlight Archive, of any of Sanderson’s books, it adds an extra lay of enjoyment. For example, the character Hoid has appeared in every Sanderson series, pushing the other characters in one direction or another. Looking for these bridging elements is a fun exercise, as is wondering about greater ways that these series may one day connect in the future.

The Fan Impact

The Hugo Awards are first and foremost, about readers. The nominees and winners are selected by popular vote, after all. And The Stormlight Achieve is a series that has managed to impact the fantasy reading world in many ways. A quick search around the internet will find you gorgeous fanart, a detailed wiki, and complex YouTube videos theory crafting on the deeper meaning of the Cosmere. Beyond that, The Stormlight Archive has inspired a symphony of music (which is certainly worth checking out), which was successfully Kickstarted, along with an accompanying artbook, by passionate fans. The Stormlight Archive may be a series that I enjoy a lot personally but based on the amount of material and discussions it’s already inspired, it’s clear that it has the power to move people in big ways.

Let’s hope it also moves then to vote for The Stormlight Archive to win the Hugo for Best Series this year.

Featured image via Tor.com  © Michael Whelan