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Available
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Publication
Tor Fantasy (2006), Edition: First, 638 pages
Description
Fantasy. Fiction. HTML: In 2005, Brandon Sanderson debuted with Elantris, an epic fantasy unlike any other then on the market. To celebrate its tenth anniversary, Tor is reissuing Elantris in a special edition, a fresh chance to introduce it to the myriad readers who have since become Sanderson fans. This new edition begins with a preface by author Dan Wells, the first person to read the completed novel, and a new afterword by Sanderson explaining how he came to write the book and its place in the Cosmere, the unified universe of all his Tor novels. Also included is the first book appearance of the short story "The Hope of Elantris," revealing interesting action referred to late in the novel, and an expanded version of the "Ars Arcanum" appendix, with more of the technical details of the book's magic that fans can never get enough of. Elantris was truly a milestone both for Sanderson and for the genre of epic fantasy. It deserves this special treatment, something Tor has done only once before, with Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. Sanderson fans old and new will be excited to discover it..… (more)
Media reviews
Library Journal
The author's skill at turning conventional fantasy on its head produces a tale filled with surprising twists and turns and a conclusion both satisfying and original.
Kirkus
A cut above the same-old, but hardly a classic.
Booklist
A surprisingly satisfying, single-volume epic fantasy that invokes a complex, vibrant world.
Publishers Weekly
The intrigue and excitement grow steadily in this smoothly written, perfectly balanced narrative; by the end readers won't want to put it down.
This a book that if you haven't read already, it should be high up on your list of books to read next. While the steep learning curve and the slow pacing can be a little frustrating at times, the compelling characters and the intriguing mysteries make it so hard to put this book down.
User reviews
LibraryThing member MisterJJones
Elantris has good concepts, but is let down by mediocre writing. It's quite obviously a first novel, and will never be considered a classic, but Sanderson shows potential in his worldbuilding.
The novel begins strong, the legendary magic of Elantris failed 10 years ago and the Elantrians turned
"From prince to beggar" makes a nice change from "beggar to prince", but Raoden and his betrothed are both irritatingly perfect characters, while their quest to restore an "enlightened" despotism of the magically gifted that made me root for the theocratic invaders, particularly as the main "enemy" is portrayed in a sympathetic light. As a result, I found it difficult to work up much sympathy for the plight of our heroes.
The strongest element is the worldbuilding, the magic system is well thought out, issues of politics and religion are reasonably balanced and complex - it's a shame the characters seem something of an afterthought. I haven't read any others of Sanderson's works, but my hope is that they prove more balanced, because he has ideas that are worth exploring.
The novel begins strong, the legendary magic of Elantris failed 10 years ago and the Elantrians turned
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overnight from living gods into cursed, tortured, and diseased outcasts, imprisoned in the ruins of their once great city. Prince Raoden finds himself thrust among them, while his bride to be must deal with a potential invasion by the neighboring theocracy."From prince to beggar" makes a nice change from "beggar to prince", but Raoden and his betrothed are both irritatingly perfect characters, while their quest to restore an "enlightened" despotism of the magically gifted that made me root for the theocratic invaders, particularly as the main "enemy" is portrayed in a sympathetic light. As a result, I found it difficult to work up much sympathy for the plight of our heroes.
The strongest element is the worldbuilding, the magic system is well thought out, issues of politics and religion are reasonably balanced and complex - it's a shame the characters seem something of an afterthought. I haven't read any others of Sanderson's works, but my hope is that they prove more balanced, because he has ideas that are worth exploring.
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LibraryThing member reading_fox
A fairly unique first offering, writen in an interesting style, with some unusual plot ideas, this unusal work of fantasy is slow to get going, but builds to breakneck finish.
Set around three characters - Raoden, Sarene and Hrathen, the chapters strictly cycle in point of view. This is at time
The plot is centered around the city of Elantris, formerly undisputed ruler of a kingdom, a terrible catostrophe struck 10 years ago and their magic was cast into oblivian and the residents cursed. Now the residents of the outlying cities manage as best they can. Holding to their religion even as competing factions in neighbouring lands attempt to convert them.
The story is initially very slow to get going, as we follow Raoden with his curse, Hrathen's attempts at conversion and Sarene's politicing. However by about halfway through the events start to pick up and the action speeds up. Sarene's wit finally manages to overcome some of Hrathen's obsticles, and Raoden is capable of some surprises too.
The plot twists in the final section are superb, if possible overdone. There are many! I enjoyed the moral doubts of many of the characters, although Sarene could have doen with a few rougher edges. The ending is gripping, apart from the obvious sequel dropping hints.
Overal, dense and enjoyably readable although convoluted at times.
Set around three characters - Raoden, Sarene and Hrathen, the chapters strictly cycle in point of view. This is at time
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annoying in that one doesn't get to develop a rapport with any character, it is also quite gripping in that the same event is percieved in new lights. The plot is centered around the city of Elantris, formerly undisputed ruler of a kingdom, a terrible catostrophe struck 10 years ago and their magic was cast into oblivian and the residents cursed. Now the residents of the outlying cities manage as best they can. Holding to their religion even as competing factions in neighbouring lands attempt to convert them.
The story is initially very slow to get going, as we follow Raoden with his curse, Hrathen's attempts at conversion and Sarene's politicing. However by about halfway through the events start to pick up and the action speeds up. Sarene's wit finally manages to overcome some of Hrathen's obsticles, and Raoden is capable of some surprises too.
The plot twists in the final section are superb, if possible overdone. There are many! I enjoyed the moral doubts of many of the characters, although Sarene could have doen with a few rougher edges. The ending is gripping, apart from the obvious sequel dropping hints.
Overal, dense and enjoyably readable although convoluted at times.
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LibraryThing member krau0098
I read Warbreaker by Sanderson and absolutely loved it. Then I immediately acquired Elantris as well as Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy because I wanted to read more Sanderson. This was a great book and I am so glad that I read it.
The story is told from the viewpoint of three different characters.
Sanderson is an exceptionally story teller; and he really excels at these complex epic fantasies. My biggest complaints about some epic fantasies are there are too many people to remember, the plot is too complex to remember, the magic system is confusing, and relationships between the characters are unbelievably dry. Sanderson never runs into these problems; he introduces the people in a way that makes them easy to remember...never once was I confused about who was who. The magic system is explained very well without getting preachy; we discover it along with the characters. The plot is very complex and full of intrigue but Sanderson maneuvers through it with such grace you never have trouble following what is going on.
Most importantly Sanderson's characters have heart. At times they may be a little too perfect, but that just endears them to you more. I always thought that the Lord of the Rings could have done better with a little more emotion and love between the characters, same with the Wheel of Time series. I love both of these series dearly, don't get me wrong. Sanderson just gives his characters a penchant for nobility and love that makes them so interesting to read about. There is also some humor thrown in now and then which made this book more fun to read than your typical epic fantasy.
I loved that the story was so complete and that it fit into one book, instead of twelve 800 page books. I am impressed with the intelligence behind the plot, the serious moral issues discussed, the humor, the love, the magic...just everything. This book is much like Warbreaker in that is it more about political intrigue than about massive battles.
Overall I loved this book. Now I am ready to read the Mistborn trilogy. I also have his Stormlight series on my list to get when it is released. If you love epic fantasy, intrigue, and magic with a touch of romance you will love this book.
The story is told from the viewpoint of three different characters.
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Riorden is the Crown Prince of Arelon and is struck down by the curse of Elantris and thrown into that city to rot with the other Elantrans. Princess Sarene of Teod finds out about Riorden's death on her way to marry him; because of the contract she is considered married even if the other party should die until Riorden's father is no longer ruling. The third viewpoint is from Hrathen, a leader of the Shu-Dereth faith, who is under a deadline to convert Arelon to the Shu-Dereth religion. These three characters maneuver deftly through complex politics in an effort to save Arelon, the people and themselves. Along the way the secret of Elantris is discovered.Sanderson is an exceptionally story teller; and he really excels at these complex epic fantasies. My biggest complaints about some epic fantasies are there are too many people to remember, the plot is too complex to remember, the magic system is confusing, and relationships between the characters are unbelievably dry. Sanderson never runs into these problems; he introduces the people in a way that makes them easy to remember...never once was I confused about who was who. The magic system is explained very well without getting preachy; we discover it along with the characters. The plot is very complex and full of intrigue but Sanderson maneuvers through it with such grace you never have trouble following what is going on.
Most importantly Sanderson's characters have heart. At times they may be a little too perfect, but that just endears them to you more. I always thought that the Lord of the Rings could have done better with a little more emotion and love between the characters, same with the Wheel of Time series. I love both of these series dearly, don't get me wrong. Sanderson just gives his characters a penchant for nobility and love that makes them so interesting to read about. There is also some humor thrown in now and then which made this book more fun to read than your typical epic fantasy.
I loved that the story was so complete and that it fit into one book, instead of twelve 800 page books. I am impressed with the intelligence behind the plot, the serious moral issues discussed, the humor, the love, the magic...just everything. This book is much like Warbreaker in that is it more about political intrigue than about massive battles.
Overall I loved this book. Now I am ready to read the Mistborn trilogy. I also have his Stormlight series on my list to get when it is released. If you love epic fantasy, intrigue, and magic with a touch of romance you will love this book.
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LibraryThing member harpua
Since Sanderson is the author tasked with the job of finishing the Wheel of Time series after Robert Jordan's death, I wanted to read some of his other works to get a feel for him. I picked up Elantris since it was a standalone novel, something that seems to be a bit of a rarity these days in the
However, the second half of the book was worth the wait. There is a bit more action, still not a ton, but the pacing picks up and wow the twists. Branderson has a way of leading you in seemingly one direction only to throw a twist at you that at least I didn't expect. Everytime I thought I had the story figured out, I was wrong. That style of writing I enjoy. Well done. This is one I would definitly recommend to anyone and I will be picking up the remainder of Sanderson's books and anticipating his finale of Jordan's mammoth series.
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fantasy world. This started out strong as we're introduced to the characters and setting. The book is broken up into a triad of chapters. There are three viewpoint characters and we rotate through them every three chapters. Only one of them held my interest for the first half of the book. This is mostly a political themed book and there is little action in the first 200-300 pages. Plenty of important setup though and considering the story and where we are headed, it was needed to tell the story. While I typically enjoy a bit more action in my fantasy novels, I appreciate that Sanderson didn't sprinkle in some just to satisfy they "we must have massive battles every few pages, just to fill in the gaps between the story" trap that a lot of fantasy novels fall in to. However, the second half of the book was worth the wait. There is a bit more action, still not a ton, but the pacing picks up and wow the twists. Branderson has a way of leading you in seemingly one direction only to throw a twist at you that at least I didn't expect. Everytime I thought I had the story figured out, I was wrong. That style of writing I enjoy. Well done. This is one I would definitly recommend to anyone and I will be picking up the remainder of Sanderson's books and anticipating his finale of Jordan's mammoth series.
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LibraryThing member ninjapenguin
I really liked this book. I had heard a lot of good things about it on various sites, so I decided to pick it up and I'm glad I did. The author has a firm grasp of dialogue and a nice "voice" which makes this a compelling read. There's some good world building here without a lot of tedious
The story is told from three different viewpoints which allows us to see what's going on in the different areas of the city and in the different major camps of the population. There is political intrigue, religious contraversy, and magical mysteries.
I found myself really caring about the characters. The romance between Raoden and Sarene feels natural, not forced, and you root for them to succeed and end up together. Everyone in the story--villains and heroes alike--shows a lively intelligence which is most gratifying for the reader.
The only thing that bothers me about the story is the solution to the mystery of the Aons' failure. I would have thought that when they first began to fail that there would have been an immediate investigation into how and why, and the answer to "why", at least, jumps out at the reader from the first few chapters of the book. If the key to the solution is indeed the kind of common knowledge that it is referred to as in the book, then any decent scholar should have come up with the answer years ago.
That said, I still love the world and the characters, and thought the rest of the plot was nicely constructed. I'd love to read more in this world.
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infodumping, like you often get in first books. The story is told from three different viewpoints which allows us to see what's going on in the different areas of the city and in the different major camps of the population. There is political intrigue, religious contraversy, and magical mysteries.
I found myself really caring about the characters. The romance between Raoden and Sarene feels natural, not forced, and you root for them to succeed and end up together. Everyone in the story--villains and heroes alike--shows a lively intelligence which is most gratifying for the reader.
The only thing that bothers me about the story is the solution to the mystery of the Aons' failure. I would have thought that when they first began to fail that there would have been an immediate investigation into how and why, and the answer to "why", at least, jumps out at the reader from the first few chapters of the book. If the key to the solution is indeed the kind of common knowledge that it is referred to as in the book, then any decent scholar should have come up with the answer years ago.
That said, I still love the world and the characters, and thought the rest of the plot was nicely constructed. I'd love to read more in this world.
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LibraryThing member meriamon
I really had great hopes when I started this book, because everyone seemed to love it. But I think it's overrated.
I didn't like any of the characters. Raoden's story was at least interesting, but he was much too nice and good ,and somehow the whole Elantris thing seemed unrealistic. I believe in
Sarene was just annnoying. Of course, after a minimal time, all of the other characters liked her and listened to her and followed everything she said.
But there were also good parts. It was a nice quick read, and towards the end the Elantris mystery engaged me. Only the solution seemed a little bit contrieved.
I didn't like any of the characters. Raoden's story was at least interesting, but he was much too nice and good ,and somehow the whole Elantris thing seemed unrealistic. I believe in
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optimism but I don't believe in "give people a purpose and something to do, and they will be happy and simply forget that they are living in constant horrible pain".Sarene was just annnoying. Of course, after a minimal time, all of the other characters liked her and listened to her and followed everything she said.
But there were also good parts. It was a nice quick read, and towards the end the Elantris mystery engaged me. Only the solution seemed a little bit contrieved.
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LibraryThing member katylit
Interesting fantasy book about a militaristic religious sect seeking to conquer the country of Arelon. Up until 10 years ago Arelon had been governed by the god-like inhabitants of the magical city of Elantris. But inexplicably the Elatrians became diseased and the city devolved into a rotting
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haven for outcasts. The story follows the hero, Prince Raoden, an Elantrian struggling with existence in Elantris, a high priest, Hrathen, of the militaristic religion that is hoping to convert and annex Arelon for his leader and the heroine, Princess Sarene, determined to prevent Hrathen's overthrow. Show Less
LibraryThing member Faith_Murri
This was so very disappointing. DNF on page 108
I think the biggest issue with this was the hype surrounding it. I went in expecting to astounded, to be completely and utterly blown away by the world and the characters. Instead, it was a whole lot of meh and some bad writing. I honestly do not see
The dialogue was the biggest sin for me. Sanderson used my personal favorite method of conveying exposition, via dialogue, and somehow managed to fail completely at it. I could do better than he did. The only way for spoken exposition to work is entirely dependent on subtext. What the character says versus what they don't say. How they say it. Why they say it. What it says about them that they are the one saying it. What it says about them that they leave things out. What questions are answered in any given conversation and what new questions are unresolved. Dialogue isn't just to get info across about the world. It's to build characters and dynamics. It's the driving force of the narrative. None of it was done well.
It honestly felt like Sanderson was an overly enthusiastic DM who really wanted to tell about the cool lore he made, so he made a wiki about it and printed out the web pages. That's what the dialogue felt like. It said nothing about the characters conveying the information, except that they lacked personality. The unanswered questions lacked mystery and intrigue. I felt like I was playing the tutorial of an RPG and couldn't skip. It was mindnumbing.
The syntax of the dialogue was also bothersome. It felt anachronistic to me. Maybe I'm just pretentious, but I expect a certain level of...pretentiousness in my epic fantasy speech. These characters all spoke like normal, modern day people, with the occasional ~fancy~ word thrown in, just in case you forgot the setting.
The characters were forgettable. I only sort of liked one of them, Hrathen, and only because he had a hint of nuance. Most of them behaved like parodies of themselves, especially the king. Sarene was ridiculous and acted like a 90's feminist character. Raoden was too nice. Sometimes characters would just speak all their thoughts and motivations, usually to a Seon and usually Sarene, which just made them all seem like complete imbeciles. It would have been funny if it wasn't so annoying and unnatural. Again, a lack of subtext.
The world itself was alright. There were aspects of it that intrigued me, but not enough to continue reading on their merits alone. If I wanted a world without a story, I'd read his wiki. Overall, the world lacked presence. It didn't feel populated, didn't feel fully realized. It felt like the only people who existed were the people currently on the page, the only cities the ones currently being written about. This whole book took place in a proverbial white room and I hated it.
It just wasn't written well at all. It baffles me that this is so well-regarded because I feel like I was reading a different book than everyone else. Perhaps it's just because this was Sanderson's debut, but it was really bad. I'm not giving up on him, though, and hopefully his writing improves in later works. I am giving up on this book though. After the prologue, it was all downhill.
I think the biggest issue with this was the hype surrounding it. I went in expecting to astounded, to be completely and utterly blown away by the world and the characters. Instead, it was a whole lot of meh and some bad writing. I honestly do not see
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what 96% of people see. What on earth was good about this?The dialogue was the biggest sin for me. Sanderson used my personal favorite method of conveying exposition, via dialogue, and somehow managed to fail completely at it. I could do better than he did. The only way for spoken exposition to work is entirely dependent on subtext. What the character says versus what they don't say. How they say it. Why they say it. What it says about them that they are the one saying it. What it says about them that they leave things out. What questions are answered in any given conversation and what new questions are unresolved. Dialogue isn't just to get info across about the world. It's to build characters and dynamics. It's the driving force of the narrative. None of it was done well.
It honestly felt like Sanderson was an overly enthusiastic DM who really wanted to tell about the cool lore he made, so he made a wiki about it and printed out the web pages. That's what the dialogue felt like. It said nothing about the characters conveying the information, except that they lacked personality. The unanswered questions lacked mystery and intrigue. I felt like I was playing the tutorial of an RPG and couldn't skip. It was mindnumbing.
The syntax of the dialogue was also bothersome. It felt anachronistic to me. Maybe I'm just pretentious, but I expect a certain level of...pretentiousness in my epic fantasy speech. These characters all spoke like normal, modern day people, with the occasional ~fancy~ word thrown in, just in case you forgot the setting.
The characters were forgettable. I only sort of liked one of them, Hrathen, and only because he had a hint of nuance. Most of them behaved like parodies of themselves, especially the king. Sarene was ridiculous and acted like a 90's feminist character. Raoden was too nice. Sometimes characters would just speak all their thoughts and motivations, usually to a Seon and usually Sarene, which just made them all seem like complete imbeciles. It would have been funny if it wasn't so annoying and unnatural. Again, a lack of subtext.
The world itself was alright. There were aspects of it that intrigued me, but not enough to continue reading on their merits alone. If I wanted a world without a story, I'd read his wiki. Overall, the world lacked presence. It didn't feel populated, didn't feel fully realized. It felt like the only people who existed were the people currently on the page, the only cities the ones currently being written about. This whole book took place in a proverbial white room and I hated it.
It just wasn't written well at all. It baffles me that this is so well-regarded because I feel like I was reading a different book than everyone else. Perhaps it's just because this was Sanderson's debut, but it was really bad. I'm not giving up on him, though, and hopefully his writing improves in later works. I am giving up on this book though. After the prologue, it was all downhill.
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LibraryThing member xicanti
This book blew me out of the water, and that’s a rather difficult thing to do. I enjoyed it so much that I’m not even sure where I ought to start here; there were just so many things I liked about it!
For one, there was a great mix of personal conflict and political machination. The political
I also found the setup very effective; the POV rotates amongst the three main characters, and I’d often find myself reading just one more chapter so I could see what was going on with Sarene… then just one more after that to see how Hrathen was making out… and then of course I had to see what Raoden was doing… and so on and so forth. This really added to the book’s readability, and created a satisfying amount of tension.
There’s so much more to this book, but I have a feeling this review will end up being far too long – and decidedly spoilerish – if I mention much more. Suffice to say that I recommend this very, very highly. It’s a long book, but it flies by.
For one, there was a great mix of personal conflict and political machination. The political
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struggles made a nice backdrop for the character development, which I found very effective. I cared about the book because I genuinely liked both Raoden and Sarene. (Hrathen was okay, but I found him interesting in more of an intellectual sense). I was desperate to see them succeed; both their triumphs and their failures really resonated with me.I also found the setup very effective; the POV rotates amongst the three main characters, and I’d often find myself reading just one more chapter so I could see what was going on with Sarene… then just one more after that to see how Hrathen was making out… and then of course I had to see what Raoden was doing… and so on and so forth. This really added to the book’s readability, and created a satisfying amount of tension.
There’s so much more to this book, but I have a feeling this review will end up being far too long – and decidedly spoilerish – if I mention much more. Suffice to say that I recommend this very, very highly. It’s a long book, but it flies by.
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LibraryThing member StefanY
What an amazing debut fantasy novel!
I've got to admit, I'm impressed. From the first page to the last, I greatly enjoyed this novel. It is populated by rich, vibrant characters; has a quick-paced plot; twists and turns throughout and is totally unique in it's scope. I would be hard pressed to find
I think that the plot has been sufficiently covered in the synopsis for this book already. Suffice it to say that I was enchanted with the fresh slant that Mr. Sanderson has taken with the genre. He has created heroes (and heroines) that we can truly root for and villains to despise and hate. A world of magic and chaos and good and evil can be found within these pages. Be warned though, once you pick it up, you won't be able to set it down for long!!
I've got to admit, I'm impressed. From the first page to the last, I greatly enjoyed this novel. It is populated by rich, vibrant characters; has a quick-paced plot; twists and turns throughout and is totally unique in it's scope. I would be hard pressed to find
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more than a couple of fantasy novels in recent years to come up to this level.I think that the plot has been sufficiently covered in the synopsis for this book already. Suffice it to say that I was enchanted with the fresh slant that Mr. Sanderson has taken with the genre. He has created heroes (and heroines) that we can truly root for and villains to despise and hate. A world of magic and chaos and good and evil can be found within these pages. Be warned though, once you pick it up, you won't be able to set it down for long!!
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LibraryThing member Laiane
While I enjoyed this book tremendously, and cried at about three different times during the final chapters, I can only rate this a 3 1/2 star book because I found the dialogue or "tone" of the book to be a bit off. I'm very sensitive to the use of language and, at many times, the things that were
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coming out of the characters' mouths sounded too modern, or too smooth, or too "media-like," and I would lose my immersion in the text. Still, well worth reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member m_k_m
God this was poor.
There are some great fantasy ideas and the ground plan for an intricate plot of conspiracies and politics, but nothing like the ability to carry them off.
What there is a lot of is abysmal dialogue (veering between the sententious and smug depending on who's talking), padding,A key moment near the end relies on one character suddenly remembering something from childhood; the book then ties itself in knots trying to explain why none of the better informed characters were aware of this key bit of information.
In one of the appendices to my edition, Sanderson describes himself as a one-draft writer. It shows.
A lot of people clearly get a lot out of Brandon Sanderson and his books, and I'm very glad for them. I really wish I could see it. But, for me, Elantris is overlong, underwritten and flat out bad.
There are some great fantasy ideas and the ground plan for an intricate plot of conspiracies and politics, but nothing like the ability to carry them off.
What there is a lot of is abysmal dialogue (veering between the sententious and smug depending on who's talking), padding,
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exposition, unnecessary explanation (no one has a thought that is not expressed), and unearned attempts at emotion and revelation. In one of the appendices to my edition, Sanderson describes himself as a one-draft writer. It shows.
A lot of people clearly get a lot out of Brandon Sanderson and his books, and I'm very glad for them. I really wish I could see it. But, for me, Elantris is overlong, underwritten and flat out bad.
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LibraryThing member greytfriend
Very solid fantasy. Complex and captivating characters worth following and a mystery that is engaging. Not a repeat of every other fantasy story. A very good first novel.
LibraryThing member Katya0133
I like fantasy, but I don't always like Epic Fantasy that takes itself Very Seriously. So I groaned a little inside when I ran across words like Shaod and Arelon in the very first pages. However, my concern was unwarranted, because Brandon Sanderson's story is full of humor, romance, and intrigue
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and isn't overshadowed by the world or words he's created. Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member allthesedarnbooks
Elantris is a well-written, absorbing, one-volume epic fantasy. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as Sanderson's Warbreaker, which I read last year, but Elantris was his first novel, and it's really quite good as such. The characters are distinct and multi-faceted, the cultures not too cliched, and
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while the magic system is a bit tedious to understand, the overall story arc is well-planned and somewhat surprising. Perhaps some editing could have been done, but the majority of the text is necessary, and the length isn't overwhelming. Recommended for fantasy fans. Three and a half stars. Show Less
LibraryThing member zhyatt
I've got fond memories of this book - everything from the cover blurb to the cover art to the smell of the pages, it started a love affair (totally platonic, I swear!) between me and Brandon Sanderson.
The plot is pretty original; on any given day, a normal member of the population may begin a
What causes this metamorphosis? An ancient curse from a scorned god? An incurable disease? Whatever it may be, the walls of Elantris function as a quarantine, prison, and civil rights blindfold, all-in-one.
Here's a hint as to the cause - it's less "mummy's curse" and more "spiritual constipation."
Funnily enough, the characters are sometimes frustrating: the main character, a prince, and his love interest, a princess (surprise!), might have been named Mary Sue and Johnny Stu. That's unfair - they just subscribe to a lot of childish protagonist stereotypes and then magically grow up by the end of the novel.
Still, I enjoyed it all the way through, and I like Sanderson now. I consider that a win.
The plot is pretty original; on any given day, a normal member of the population may begin a
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transformation. This is widely feared, because this means exile to the city of Elantris, but also an existence of constant pain, hunger, and hellish immortality. What causes this metamorphosis? An ancient curse from a scorned god? An incurable disease? Whatever it may be, the walls of Elantris function as a quarantine, prison, and civil rights blindfold, all-in-one.
Here's a hint as to the cause - it's less "mummy's curse" and more "spiritual constipation."
Funnily enough, the characters are sometimes frustrating: the main character, a prince, and his love interest, a princess (surprise!), might have been named Mary Sue and Johnny Stu. That's unfair - they just subscribe to a lot of childish protagonist stereotypes and then magically grow up by the end of the novel.
Still, I enjoyed it all the way through, and I like Sanderson now. I consider that a win.
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LibraryThing member whiteknight50
I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Brandon Sanderson. This was my first Sanderson book, and I think I have found a new author to follow.
I have loved fantasy novels most of my life, but had gotten "tired" of the medieval boy or girl slogging through a thousand similar challenges, usually perpetrated
This is the same. BUT!!! It put a new twist on everything. I really loved the intricacy of the characters, and the idea of the shining city come upon hard times. The city of Elantris and its troubles were a unique idea, and the whole novel was quite well executed. Especially for a first.
I think this one was worth diving into the "typical fantasy" pool again. There was enough "new" in it, and Brandon Sanderson did a wonderful job of building a world with real interest.
Overall, it was a very good read!
I have loved fantasy novels most of my life, but had gotten "tired" of the medieval boy or girl slogging through a thousand similar challenges, usually perpetrated
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by an evil magician, who eventually overcoming his or her evil opponent by huge personal sacrifice and incredible wit. This is the same. BUT!!! It put a new twist on everything. I really loved the intricacy of the characters, and the idea of the shining city come upon hard times. The city of Elantris and its troubles were a unique idea, and the whole novel was quite well executed. Especially for a first.
I think this one was worth diving into the "typical fantasy" pool again. There was enough "new" in it, and Brandon Sanderson did a wonderful job of building a world with real interest.
Overall, it was a very good read!
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LibraryThing member squeakjones
Elantris was the city of the Gods. A magisterial city of unparalleled magic and a populace of silver-skinned, radiant beings capable of channeling mystical energies to do whatever they commanded: heal the sick, grow food out of garbage, appear anywhere seemingly instantaneously.
Then, ten years ago,
The debut novel by Brandon Sanderson, picked as the one to complete the late Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, is a solid stand-alone fantasy novel, a rarity in these days of never-ending sagas and almost requisite trilogies. Its stand-alone, one-volume uniqueness allows the complete, engrossing story to unfold without having to worry about waiting 2 years to find out what happens, but it also has the pitfall of rushing a few things, so the ending comes up on you in a big "whoosh" and then just stops.
Focusing on three main characters and using the chapters to divide their narratives, Sanderson creates a vivid world ruled by merchants and religion in equal measure. And although one could argue that the main story lies in Raoden's challenge of surviving in Elantris and figuring out what caused the cursed Reod and how to reverse its effects, Elantris places equal emphasis on its supporting stories: Sarene, the Toed princess bound by marriage to Raoden even though he "died" before she ever got a chance to meet him, is faced with stopping the crushing "conversion" of the Arelon people to the Derenthi religion, where a war-like devotion to God means that those who do not convert are decimated. And in Hrathen, the Derenthi gyorn, or high priest, whose mission it is to convert Arelon before the Derenthi soldiers wipe the country off the face of the planet, Sanderson presents us with an engaging, fleshed out antagonist, and the one character who really undergoes a change throughout the course of the novel. Hrathen's passion for his faith, coupled with his desire to have everyone convert is at odds with the faith's doctrine of killing all those who will not submit, and his choices made in the novel bring a weight and morality that is much more realized than with Elantris's other characters.
This is a really solid debut, given bonus points for telling a complete story in one volume. Sanderson just completed his Mistborn trilogy (sigh), and is currently working on the Wheel of Time series. Definitely a writer to watch as he matures and comes into his own.
Then, ten years ago,
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something happened. The Reod. Elantris began to crumble and rot away. The blessed denizens of the city similarly crumbled and rotted within their souls. No longer living and not dead, they are cursed, as are those who undergo the transformation of the Sheod, which is where the novel Elantris begins, as Prince Raoden of Arelon wakes up one morning to find he has been afflicted with the Sheod, and must by law be banished behind the gates of Elantris, where no one has stepped foot for the last ten years.The debut novel by Brandon Sanderson, picked as the one to complete the late Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, is a solid stand-alone fantasy novel, a rarity in these days of never-ending sagas and almost requisite trilogies. Its stand-alone, one-volume uniqueness allows the complete, engrossing story to unfold without having to worry about waiting 2 years to find out what happens, but it also has the pitfall of rushing a few things, so the ending comes up on you in a big "whoosh" and then just stops.
Focusing on three main characters and using the chapters to divide their narratives, Sanderson creates a vivid world ruled by merchants and religion in equal measure. And although one could argue that the main story lies in Raoden's challenge of surviving in Elantris and figuring out what caused the cursed Reod and how to reverse its effects, Elantris places equal emphasis on its supporting stories: Sarene, the Toed princess bound by marriage to Raoden even though he "died" before she ever got a chance to meet him, is faced with stopping the crushing "conversion" of the Arelon people to the Derenthi religion, where a war-like devotion to God means that those who do not convert are decimated. And in Hrathen, the Derenthi gyorn, or high priest, whose mission it is to convert Arelon before the Derenthi soldiers wipe the country off the face of the planet, Sanderson presents us with an engaging, fleshed out antagonist, and the one character who really undergoes a change throughout the course of the novel. Hrathen's passion for his faith, coupled with his desire to have everyone convert is at odds with the faith's doctrine of killing all those who will not submit, and his choices made in the novel bring a weight and morality that is much more realized than with Elantris's other characters.
This is a really solid debut, given bonus points for telling a complete story in one volume. Sanderson just completed his Mistborn trilogy (sigh), and is currently working on the Wheel of Time series. Definitely a writer to watch as he matures and comes into his own.
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LibraryThing member jenreidreads
Second time reading this novel.
Brandon Sanderson is my favorite. So he can pretty much do no wrong. That said, this was his first published novel, so re-reading it after having read his others makes it clear that his writing has improved since this novel. But it's still a great story, and so nice
Brandon Sanderson is my favorite. So he can pretty much do no wrong. That said, this was his first published novel, so re-reading it after having read his others makes it clear that his writing has improved since this novel. But it's still a great story, and so nice
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to have a fantasy tale begin and end in one volume! Yes, Raoden and Sarene are almost too perfect. But his skill at worldbuilding cannot be denied. And Hrathen is a fascinating character. I chose to re-read this novel as a comforting book when nothing else sounded appealing - and it fit the bill perfectly. I'm sure I will turn to it again many times over the years. Show Less
LibraryThing member awoods187
Brandon Sanderson is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors. He is a great writer. I enjoy his world's, his characters and their choices. I thought the book was a bit slow in the middle sections, but nonetheless readable and entertaining. It isn't my favorite Sanderson work, but it is
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definitely better than the majority of writers out there. Show Less
LibraryThing member ragwaine
So this may sound confusing but I have to say I was both impressed and dissappointed with this book. I really like the fact that it's a one shot. I hate having to worry about the commitment of reading a bunch of books just because one looks good. I was also very impressed with the plot not being a
My biggest problem is that I wanted it to be darker and more mature. The dark part happened a bit in the last 100 pages and it was very cool. But for the other 500 pages I got the feeling that I was 12 again, reading Xanth or Terry Brooks books where sex can only be hinted at vaguely and real adult conflicts don't exist. It was just too "lite" for me. I found myself wanting to read some Tanith Lee afterwords just to balance things out.
In the end I guess I would definitely recommend this book to teens looking for something that's not typical "high fantasy".
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"quest plot" instead it was very original and left out many of the trappings of "high fantasy" (elves, dwarves, orcs, magical items etc...) The writing was competent/good - no gaffs but nothing that really stuck out as especially memorable. Characters were likeable, if a little shallow for 600 pages. I'm very over the "tough princess" stereotype but I think it's really hard to make female heroes NOT fall into that category. My biggest problem is that I wanted it to be darker and more mature. The dark part happened a bit in the last 100 pages and it was very cool. But for the other 500 pages I got the feeling that I was 12 again, reading Xanth or Terry Brooks books where sex can only be hinted at vaguely and real adult conflicts don't exist. It was just too "lite" for me. I found myself wanting to read some Tanith Lee afterwords just to balance things out.
In the end I guess I would definitely recommend this book to teens looking for something that's not typical "high fantasy".
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LibraryThing member guy-montag
Reading the Mistborn series, I looked up Sanderson's other novels, and this one turned out to be quite good. A bit formulaic overall, but the characters are interesting, as is the world and its mechanics. Good enough to finish it in several sittings.
LibraryThing member bragan
The city of Elantris was once inhabited by godlike beings. Godlike beings who were once ordinary people, thanks to a transformation that could strike anyone in the surrounding kingdom, randomly and unexpectedly giving them physical superiority and magical abilities. But ten years ago, something
Objectively, I think this book has some flaws. It's a bit slow, with rather a lot of talky exposition, especially towards the beginning. There are lots of names whose pronunciation can only be guessed at. Raoden himself is perhaps a little too wonderful and competent and perfect. (Within a couple of weeks of diving into the hellhole that is Elantris, he's already accomplishing a zillion things that apparently nobody else there thought to do any time in the last ten years, I guess because none of them are nearly as awesome as he is.) And, arguably, there are a few two many plot twists piled on at the end.
But, oddly enough, none of that really bugged me much, and overall I found this story very enjoyable. The premise is interesting; the world-building, while not perfect, has clearly had a lot of thought put into it; the protagonists are likeable enough, even if they can be a little too perfect at times; the main antagonist is gratifyingly nuanced and three-dimensional; and there's lots of entertaining political machinations and scheming and battles of wits. So, ultimately, the positives pleasantly outweighed the negatives.
This particular type of chunky, court-intrigue-and-magic fantasy novel isn't something I read very often these days. I'm really pleased by the fact that, when I do dip back into the genre, I seem to be picking the right books to do it with.
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disastrous happened and now, far from being godlike, people taken by the transformation exist in a sort of undead state: unable to die, but also unable to heal even the smallest wounds, never needing to eat, but always wracked with hunger pains, powerless and pitiful. When Raoden, the king's son, is taken by the transformation, he's locked into the decaying city like all the others, but the truth is covered up with a story about his sudden death. Meanwhile, a foreign priest has arrived with the mission to convert the kingdom, or at least its nobles, in the few months remaining before his country's theocratic ruler sends his armies to destroy it instead. And Raoden's fiancée has just arrived to discover that she's now technically married to a dead man, which she finds a little disconcerting, but which isn't going to discourage her from playing an active role in local politics.Objectively, I think this book has some flaws. It's a bit slow, with rather a lot of talky exposition, especially towards the beginning. There are lots of names whose pronunciation can only be guessed at. Raoden himself is perhaps a little too wonderful and competent and perfect. (Within a couple of weeks of diving into the hellhole that is Elantris, he's already accomplishing a zillion things that apparently nobody else there thought to do any time in the last ten years, I guess because none of them are nearly as awesome as he is.) And, arguably, there are a few two many plot twists piled on at the end.
But, oddly enough, none of that really bugged me much, and overall I found this story very enjoyable. The premise is interesting; the world-building, while not perfect, has clearly had a lot of thought put into it; the protagonists are likeable enough, even if they can be a little too perfect at times; the main antagonist is gratifyingly nuanced and three-dimensional; and there's lots of entertaining political machinations and scheming and battles of wits. So, ultimately, the positives pleasantly outweighed the negatives.
This particular type of chunky, court-intrigue-and-magic fantasy novel isn't something I read very often these days. I'm really pleased by the fact that, when I do dip back into the genre, I seem to be picking the right books to do it with.
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LibraryThing member RebeccaAnn
Elantris used to be the city of the gods. Those who woke up as Elantrians were worshipped. Then, one day, Elantris fell. What once was beautiful began to decay.
When the crown prince of Arelon, Raoden, becomes Elantrian, he decides to rebuild the city from within. Meanwhile, his betrothed Sarene
I really liked this story. It was a unique fantasy and even better, it was only one volume (though the ending did hint that there could possibly be a sequel). There was plenty of angst, but it was balanced nicely with plenty of humor. Sanderson did a marvelous job of tying up all the loose ends by the end of the book so there were no details that made you go "But wait! What about that one thing!"
The only thing I really didn't like about this book was a lack of character depth. Sarene was a very good character but she had very few faults. The biggest thing was she was too smart in a time where feminism was looked down upon. Raoden had zero faults. He was loved by all. He's funny, witty, and charming. Everything he does contributes only good. It's actually quite annoying. The only characters who were really interesting were Hrathen and Dilaf, both bad guys. Hrathen was the standard bad guy who didn't really want to hurt anyone and Dilaf had been driven crazy by the death of wife. Both interesting backgrounds, but when one's a stereotype and one is just an excuse to be completely evil, it doesn't produce the best story.
In short, throughout the entire book, I kept thinking to myself: "This is really, really good but something is just...off." I still think it's worth reading because for some reason, it's fairly easy to overlook the lack of character depth. It is only Sanderson's debut novel and I plan on reading his Mistborn trilogy soon. Hopefully, he will have improved upon this point.
When the crown prince of Arelon, Raoden, becomes Elantrian, he decides to rebuild the city from within. Meanwhile, his betrothed Sarene
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battles outside the once great city to keep it safe from Jaddeth fanatics, in particular one bothersome priest: Hrathen.I really liked this story. It was a unique fantasy and even better, it was only one volume (though the ending did hint that there could possibly be a sequel). There was plenty of angst, but it was balanced nicely with plenty of humor. Sanderson did a marvelous job of tying up all the loose ends by the end of the book so there were no details that made you go "But wait! What about that one thing!"
The only thing I really didn't like about this book was a lack of character depth. Sarene was a very good character but she had very few faults. The biggest thing was she was too smart in a time where feminism was looked down upon. Raoden had zero faults. He was loved by all. He's funny, witty, and charming. Everything he does contributes only good. It's actually quite annoying. The only characters who were really interesting were Hrathen and Dilaf, both bad guys. Hrathen was the standard bad guy who didn't really want to hurt anyone and Dilaf had been driven crazy by the death of wife. Both interesting backgrounds, but when one's a stereotype and one is just an excuse to be completely evil, it doesn't produce the best story.
In short, throughout the entire book, I kept thinking to myself: "This is really, really good but something is just...off." I still think it's worth reading because for some reason, it's fairly easy to overlook the lack of character depth. It is only Sanderson's debut novel and I plan on reading his Mistborn trilogy soon. Hopefully, he will have improved upon this point.
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LibraryThing member EJAYS17
Brandon Sanderson was already regarded as one of fantasy’s rising stars even before Harriet Jordan selected him to complete her late husband’s epic Wheel of Time series and Elantris was the book that started it all for him. I did actually pick the book up when it first came out in 2005, but put
The city of Elantris was once the pride and joy of the country of Arelon. Elantris was where the lucky people chosen by a mysterious power known as the Dor went. The Dor could choose anyone from the Prince of Arelon to the poorest farmer and elevate them to virtual godhood, the only stipulation was that they had to be living in or near Arelon’s borders at the time of the random choosing. Elantrians were, without exception, beautiful shining people who could create wonders out of thin air. Arelon’s capital city; Kae, profited greatly by being located next to Elantris and having access to its godlike population. Ten years ago it all changed, the Sheod (as the choosing was now referred to) turned from a blessing into a curse. Anyone chosen had all their hair fall out and large, unsightly black blotches appeared over their bodies and faces. The afflicted were cast out and sent to Elantris. Once Elantris was a paradise, now it is a living hell, peopled by barely human savages, who are not even allowed to really die. One thing that remained consistent with how things were is the random method of choosing, anyone within Arelon’s borders can become an Elantrian.
Into this world step 3 people, Raoden, the universally loved Prince of Arelon, his recently chosen bride Sarene, formerly Princess of the island nation of Teod and Hrathen, a gyorn from Fjordell, a warlike theocracy determined to enforce their religion on the rest of the world’s populace. The story is told in chapter form from the points of view of the three protagonists. Raoden and Sarene are determined to keep Arelon and Teod free and find the mystery behind Elantris’ fall from grace. Hrathen is equally determined to overthrow Arelon’s leadership and allow his fearsome godlike ruler; the Wyrn, to take control. Gradually the protagonists converge and in the climactic chapters their paths merge as they strive for the same goal in their own ways.
The world that the story takes place on is not particularly complex, think more of David Eddings worldbuilding, rather than say George RR Martin. This isn’t a real issue as most of the action takes place in the Arelish cities of Elantris and Kae, although of the three protagonists only one (Raoden) is actually a native of Arelon. The system of magic that Brandon Sanderson developed was interesting, a lot of it was related to the Dor (his version of the Force or the One Power) and how runes called Aon, could be drawn in the air and use the Dor for a specified purpose by the wielder. Sanderson’s characterisation left a little to be desired. Not one of the three major characters were particularly well developed, with Sarene almost too good to be true: beautiful, intelligent, idealistic, altruistic, witty, the list went on and on. Raoden had a little more depth to him, although he too at times seemed remarkably naïve at odds with his wisdom at other times. Hrathen was the most interesting of the three, but the least likeable. A particularly appealing idea to me were the Seons; animated glowing balls of light that were this world’s equivalent of the iPhone, I felt they were rather under utilised and under explained. I’m not a fan of needlessly padding out narratives or unnecessary volumes, but in the case of Elantris an extra 100 or 200 pages may have allowed the author to explore things like the Seon and craft a better ending, as it stood it seemed a little rushed and contrived.
I put the few flaws down to the fact that this was Brandon Sanderson’s first book, it was an ambitious undertaking with some clever and original ideas and overall he carried it off well, in some quarters I’ve seen his prose criticised as being uninspired, if that means it wasn’t overly alliterative and exhaustingly descriptive then more power to the man’s pen, it was solid and smooth. Although the story is self-contained, he has given himself a couple of jumping off points if he wishes to write a sequel in the future. It’s a strong debut and has encouraged me to seek out more of his work and I can see why he was chosen by Harriet Jordan to finish Robert Jordan’s much loved Wheel of Time.
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it back on the shelf when something shinier attracted my attention. At 600 plus standard paperback sized pages it’s a fairly sizeable debut, in its favour is that it is not part one of a trilogy or series, it’s completely self-contained.The city of Elantris was once the pride and joy of the country of Arelon. Elantris was where the lucky people chosen by a mysterious power known as the Dor went. The Dor could choose anyone from the Prince of Arelon to the poorest farmer and elevate them to virtual godhood, the only stipulation was that they had to be living in or near Arelon’s borders at the time of the random choosing. Elantrians were, without exception, beautiful shining people who could create wonders out of thin air. Arelon’s capital city; Kae, profited greatly by being located next to Elantris and having access to its godlike population. Ten years ago it all changed, the Sheod (as the choosing was now referred to) turned from a blessing into a curse. Anyone chosen had all their hair fall out and large, unsightly black blotches appeared over their bodies and faces. The afflicted were cast out and sent to Elantris. Once Elantris was a paradise, now it is a living hell, peopled by barely human savages, who are not even allowed to really die. One thing that remained consistent with how things were is the random method of choosing, anyone within Arelon’s borders can become an Elantrian.
Into this world step 3 people, Raoden, the universally loved Prince of Arelon, his recently chosen bride Sarene, formerly Princess of the island nation of Teod and Hrathen, a gyorn from Fjordell, a warlike theocracy determined to enforce their religion on the rest of the world’s populace. The story is told in chapter form from the points of view of the three protagonists. Raoden and Sarene are determined to keep Arelon and Teod free and find the mystery behind Elantris’ fall from grace. Hrathen is equally determined to overthrow Arelon’s leadership and allow his fearsome godlike ruler; the Wyrn, to take control. Gradually the protagonists converge and in the climactic chapters their paths merge as they strive for the same goal in their own ways.
The world that the story takes place on is not particularly complex, think more of David Eddings worldbuilding, rather than say George RR Martin. This isn’t a real issue as most of the action takes place in the Arelish cities of Elantris and Kae, although of the three protagonists only one (Raoden) is actually a native of Arelon. The system of magic that Brandon Sanderson developed was interesting, a lot of it was related to the Dor (his version of the Force or the One Power) and how runes called Aon, could be drawn in the air and use the Dor for a specified purpose by the wielder. Sanderson’s characterisation left a little to be desired. Not one of the three major characters were particularly well developed, with Sarene almost too good to be true: beautiful, intelligent, idealistic, altruistic, witty, the list went on and on. Raoden had a little more depth to him, although he too at times seemed remarkably naïve at odds with his wisdom at other times. Hrathen was the most interesting of the three, but the least likeable. A particularly appealing idea to me were the Seons; animated glowing balls of light that were this world’s equivalent of the iPhone, I felt they were rather under utilised and under explained. I’m not a fan of needlessly padding out narratives or unnecessary volumes, but in the case of Elantris an extra 100 or 200 pages may have allowed the author to explore things like the Seon and craft a better ending, as it stood it seemed a little rushed and contrived.
I put the few flaws down to the fact that this was Brandon Sanderson’s first book, it was an ambitious undertaking with some clever and original ideas and overall he carried it off well, in some quarters I’ve seen his prose criticised as being uninspired, if that means it wasn’t overly alliterative and exhaustingly descriptive then more power to the man’s pen, it was solid and smooth. Although the story is self-contained, he has given himself a couple of jumping off points if he wishes to write a sequel in the future. It’s a strong debut and has encouraged me to seek out more of his work and I can see why he was chosen by Harriet Jordan to finish Robert Jordan’s much loved Wheel of Time.
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Subjects
Awards
Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award (Winner — Epic Fantasy — 2005)
Association for Mormon Letters Award (Winner — Novel — 2005)
Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire (Winner — 2010)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2005-04-21
Physical description
7.5 inches
ISBN
0765350378 / 9780765350374