Brandon SandersonFantasy · Fiction·b. 1975
Elantris
Synopsis
Elantris was once the city of gods — a shining beacon where its inhabitants were transformed by a mysterious force called the Shaod into divine beings of immense power. Then, a decade ago, the magic failed. Those taken by the Shaod now become rotting, pain-wracked husks, trapped in the decaying city and unable to die.
Prince Raoden of Arelon is the latest victim, cast into Elantris by his own father before his planned wedding to the Teoish princess Sarene, who arrives to find him officially dead.
As Sarene navigates treacherous court politics, and the Fjordell high priest Hrathen moves to convert the kingdom before his armies arrive, Raoden discovers the secret of what killed Elantris — and whether it can be restored.
Published in April 2005 as Sanderson's debut novel (his sixth completed manuscript), it won the Romantic Times award for Best Epic Fantasy of that year.
Published in parts
2 books
Collected in
How it reads
Prose complexity 7/10
- <div>A lot weaker than Mistborn, the only other Sanderson stories I’ve read. Even so, it’s still more solid than most fantasy I’ve ever read.<br><br>You can tell it was his first published book, mostly because of its world-building. One of the things I liked most about Mistborn is how, by the end of the third book, you fully understand its world, mythology, and magic system as if you had been living in it forever, and every twist completely shatters any expectations you might have had.<br><br>That’s probably the thing I liked least about Elantris. Maybe I’ve just gotten used to Sanderson being that good, but it feels like there’s a lot left open for a promised sequel that hasn’t been written in twenty years. I couldn’t really explain how the magic system works, nor could I say much about its different religions, factions, or even the world itself.<br><br>And while the twists are there, they’re not as surprising as I expected them to be.<br><br>I liked it, but I wouldn’t recommend it before Mistborn—or probably before any other Sanderson story (although I haven’t read them yet).</div>
- <div><spoiler> This was a wonderful read. I loved the whole set up ( cosmere) , the world-building (Aon-Dor , Shaod , seons , the religions - just superb) , the character development (Raoden - Sarene slow burn romance ) . Sarene written in such a powerful voice and Raoden - what a guy ! He gets outcast and yet , builds a world to be proud of. And Hrathen ! So much angst , turmoil and uncertainty. I couldn’t decide who my favorite character was - I want to say Raoden , but I know in my heart of hearts , it was Hrathen. (I would totally read a book just on Hrathen)<br><br>And what a plot - such immense character and plot development. This quickly became my favorite read this year (although I did read it in Jan only :) ) This book has everything I love - good drama , romance , complex world and characters , politics , romance and suspense. Absolute chef’s kiss <3 <spoiler></div>
- Having read quite a few of the books Sanderson wrote after Elantris, I must admit that here we can find most of his recurring themes, but in a more raw and less raffinated way. It's still a great storythough, slow as always at first, focusing on one of the three main characters in every chapter, but getting more and more interesting and suspenseful. Sanderson is definitely much more than a genre writer, thanks to his impeccable writing style, his insights on social, interpersonal and theological matters, and the way he builds his story, where even the smallest details may become relevant later, without seeming artificial.
- I did really enjoy the world building, but most of the characters had zero growth and were boring. The dialogue was a bit cringe and by the time things got exciting, I didn’t care.
- I greatly enjoyed this, despite it being Brandon Sanderson???s earliest published work.
- Somehow, even better on a re-read.