Elantris

Elantris #1

by Brandon Sanderson

Elantris was the capital of Arelon: gigantic, beautiful, literally radiant, filled with benevolent beings who used their powerful magical abilities for the benefit of all. Yet each of these demigods was once an ordinary person until touched by the mysterious transforming power of the Shaod. Ten years ago, without warning, the magic failed. Elantrians became wizened, leper-like, powerless creatures, and Elantris itself dark, filthy, and crumbling.

Arelon's new capital, Kae, crouches in the shadow of Elantris. Princess Sarene of Teod arrives for a marriage of state with Crown Prince Raoden, hoping—based on their correspondence—to also find love. She finds instead that Raoden has died and she is considered his widow. Both Teod and Arelon are under threat as the last remaining holdouts against the imperial ambitions of the ruthless religious fanatics of Fjordell. So Sarene decides to use her new status to counter the machinations of Hrathen, a Fjordell high priest who has come to Kae to convert Arelon and claim it for his emperor and his god.

But neither Sarene nor Hrathen suspect the truth about Prince Raoden. Stricken by the same curse that ruined Elantris, Raoden was secretly exiled by his father to the dark city. His struggle to help the wretches trapped there begins a series of events that will bring hope to Arelon, and perhaps reveal the secret of Elantris itself.

A rare epic fantasy that doesn't recycle the classics and that is a complete and satisfying story in one volume, Elantris is fleet and fun, full of surprises and characters to care about. It's also the wonderful debut of a welcome new star in the constellation of fantasy.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Audiobook, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Adult, Magic

638 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 2005

About the author

I’m Brandon Sanderson, and I write stories of the fantastic: fantasy, science fiction, and thrillers.

The release of Wind and Truth in December 2024—the fifth and final book in the first arc of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive series—marks a significant milestone for me. This series is my love letter to the epic fantasy genre, and it’s the type of story I always dreamed epic fantasy could be. Now is a great time to get into the Stormlight Archive since the first arc, which begins with Way of Kings, is complete.

During our crowdfunding campaign for the leatherbound edition of Words of Radiance, I announced a fifth Secret Project called Isles of the Emberdark, which came out in the summer of 2025. Coming December 2025 is Tailored Realities, my non-Cosmere short story collection featuring the new novella Moment Zero.

Defiant, the fourth and final volume of the series that started with Skyward in 2018, came out in November 2023, capping an already book-filled year that saw the releases of all four Secret Projects: Tress of the Emerald Sea, The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and The Sunlit Man. These four books were all initially offered to backers of the #1 Kickstarter campaign of all time.

November 2022 saw the release of The Lost Metal, the seventh volume in the Mistborn saga, and the final volume of the Mistborn Era Two featuring Wax & Wayne. Now that the first arc of the Stormlight Archive is wrapped up, I’ve started writing the third era of Mistborn in 2025.

Most readers have noticed that my adult fantasy novels are in a connected universe called the Cosmere. This includes The Stormlight Archive, both Mistborn series, Elantris, Warbreaker, four of the five Secret Projects, and various novellas, including The Emperor’s Soul, which won a Hugo Award in 2013. In November 2016 all of the existing Cosmere short fiction was released in one volume called Arcanum Unbounded. If you’ve read all of my adult fantasy novels and want to see some behind-the-scenes information, that collection is a must-read.

I also have three YA series: The Rithmatist (currently at one book), The Reckoners (a trilogy beginning with Steelheart), and Skyward. For young readers I also have my humorous series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, which had its final book, Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians, released in 2022. Many of my adult readers enjoy all of those books as well, and many of my YA readers enjoy my adult books, usually starting with Mistborn.

Additionally, I have a few other novellas that are more on the thriller/sci-fi side. These include the three stories in Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds, as well as Perfect State and Snapshot. These two novellas are also featured in 2025’s Tailored Realities. There’s a lot of material to go around!

Good starting places are Mistborn (a.k.a. The Final Empire), Skyward, Steelheart, The Emperor’s Soul, Tress of the Emerald Sea, and Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. If you’re already a fan of big fat fantasies, you can jump right into The Way of Kings.

I was also honored to be able to complete the final three volumes of The Wheel of Time, beginning with The Gathering Storm, using Robert Jordan’s notes.

Sample chapters from all of my books are available at brandonsanderson.com—and check out the rest of my site for chapter-by-chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and more.

Reviews

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be fair, I was warned going in that this was Sanderson’s first novel. Maybe because of this it is not his best. Also, I should not judge everything by this book and, as a result, not want to read more of his books. So, my review of this book may be a little harsh, but there is no reason to lose hope . . .

Ah, heck, I cannot keep this charade up!!!

WHAT THE ACTUAL F!$%????

If what the fans are saying is true about this “weakest” book and that I shouldn’t judge whether to move on based on this, I MUST BE ABOUT TO EMBARK ON THE MOST AMAZING SERIES OF MIND BLOWING FANTASY BOOKS EVER!

I don’t think I need to say much more than this was GREAT, FANTASTIC, WELL DONE! Sanderson has easily found himself a new fan. And, if it only goes up from here . . . well, I guess I am in for a real treat!

(Yes, Mary ~Ravager of Tomes~, all of those ellipses are for you for not having more faith in your author! ;););))

[Petrik · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 Stars

Exactly 3 months ago, I finished binge reading the two available books in the Stormlight Archive series, Brandon Sanderson’s magnum opus and my favorite series of all time. By that time, I already caught up to all Sanderson’s Cosmere works (excluding novellas) except his debut work, Elantris. Today, I finished it and in my opinion, it’s a great debut novel but at the same time it’s also Sanderson’s weakest Cosmere’s book. Once you read all his other books, it’s really clear that this is his debut work, whether from his writing or the way he weaved the world-building and magic systems.

Although this debut is inferior in comparison to his other Cosmere books, this doesn’t mean that it’s not great. Elantris has got to be one of the most unique and original fantasy books I ever read. The plot starts with the explanation of the city Elantris, the beautiful city of the gods full with magical abilities and dazzling architecture, which loses all its power and beauty 10 years ago. Then one of the three main characters, Raoden, inflicted with the same curse that ravaged Elantris were exiled to the city. The city of Elantris is pretty much a twist to the ‘zombie apocalypse’ genre and it contained really strong and eerie atmosphere.

90% of the plot in the book revolves heavily around politics and religious exploration, it’s really slow paced and there aren’t any ‘Good vs Evil’ theme going on here. It’s really scarce on actions, more or less 5% of the book, it’s only there during the climax and yet, conflicted with these circumstances, Elantris still managed to be remain captivating and engrossing because of how intricate and intriguing the politics and religious aspects are.

The story is told sequentially from 3 main POV, Raoden -> Sarene -> Hrathen, in that order from the beginning until the end and all the main characters possessed different narratives to each other. Raoden, the prince oozing with positive attitude (who in my opinion has the personality mixture of Kelsier from Mistborn and Hadrian from Riyria), Sarene, the strong and witty female MC and Hrathen, the fanatic high priest, all three characters never sounded the same in their narratives and they added a better experience to the plot.

Raoden casting AonDor



Two problems I have with the book are in its world-building and magic systems. The writing is good and immersive enough but clearly if you’ve read all other Sanderson’s Cosmere works, you’ll see just how inferior his writing is compared to them. This means Sanderson always improves with each books he wrote but for this standalone, the scope of the world-building seems constricted, taking place in two big cities of the world of Sel, with the exception of Elantris, there isn’t enough world building done to the settings which made them seemed really small. This holds true especially to the city of Kae, the details were given probably only to two or three mansions and the dock of the city.

Also, the magic systems, which are usually one of the strongest factors of Sanderson’s books is quite underwhelming. The magic of AonDor, ClayShan and Dakhor all made their appearance only in the last 60 pages of the book. AonDor have several intricate explanations on how it works but ClayShan and Dakhor were just there within the climax section of the book with very brief to zero explanation to what they actually are and how they operates. It felt like Sanderson tried to cram too much information into this standalone even though there aren’t enough pages left to do justice towards it.

“Remember, the past need not become our future as well.”

This quote summed up exactly what I think of Elantris's quality in comparison to all other Sanderson’s future works. While still great as a debut, it’s also his weakest book in his Cosmere universe. I really enjoyed reading it, it's different from his other book, lower in quality but it's one of the most original fantasy works I ever read. If you haven’t read any Sanderson’s adult fantasy books, Elantris or Mistborn is a great place to start. You can't go wrong with anyone of them, Elantris is pretty much just an appetizer to what’s in store for all his other phenomenal books. Recommended for any high fantasy fans who's into intricate politics and religious exploration story.

You can also find this and the rest of my Adult Epic/High Fantasy & Sci-Fi reviews at Booknest

[Clace · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.31!

“Remember, the past need not become our future as well.”

Brandons debut novel is one of the best fantasies out there. I am just amazed to read a debut novel with this unique of a concept, I agree the prose is a little hard to read because its not at the level of his other book but still I appreciated so much and the graphic audios helped with this reread so much so I was very happy with how it went, before it was my least favorite brando book sitting at 4 stars lol but its definitely higher than that now also I loved how he dedicates so much time into planning and draws this book at an angsty pace with politics and a whole lotta foreshadowing, everyones favorite mystery character jumping out and making a cameo!! and then bang! he drops big ass sanderlanche's and everything is just boom!!

“Do not dash if you only have the strength to walk, and do not waste your time pushing on the walls that will not give. More importantly, don't shove where a pat would be sufficient.”

We follow our three main characters, Raoden, who gets the shaed/shaoed a week before his marriage ( a disease or a curse placed on elantrians which causes them to rot) he is thrown into Elantris a once luxurious city of gods now a cursed, abandoned, rotten place and now has to survive, I would say his arc was very fun to read it also was the highest cosmere connective so that was fun but it also reminded me of Kaladin a lot so I was so satisfied with it! Selenewas the princess bride supposed to marry (contractually married) to Raoden. N when I saw fmc's, she is what I mean because oh my god? she was so mischievous and fun to read about the way she entered politics in such a sly manner and got her way and got all her answers, who is this diva?? Hrathen A man trying to convert people of another city and claim it, is a very complex morally grey character, you wont understand his motives until the very end but you would feel for him, he is such a well take and such an interesting character to read about. He actually makes you question so much lmao!! loved him.

“To live is to have worries and uncertainties. Keep them inside, and they will destroy you for certain--leaving behind a person so callused that emotion can find no root in his heart.”

The worldbuilding, plotting, and magic systems were easily the best moments about this book because how did he craft this world with such a complex magic system and one so eroded but still so beautiful and made it so vivid that it was so hard not to imagine it!! The way it was weaved around politics and created such a spectacular plot, I do agree with it being too drawn out but oh my god the fall of elantris literally gave me chills ooof amd let me just appreciate how well written the politics was like it had me invested actually also the main conflict being based around an outbreak and me reading this during covid hit way too hard lmao

“The problem with being clever, Serene thought with a sigh, is that everyone assumes you're always planning something.”

the romance was minimal, there was some and cute also but not a lot.

overall, not for everyone and slow but really good, would recommend graphic audio.
__
It's been four years since I last read it and I am so excited to read it because 1, I have the graphic audios. 2, my reread for SA is next. 3, I'm br this with Hoda.

Reread #1

[Dorreh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my God this is so contrary to my usual love of shorter novels.

Okay so I knew that I had missed something in my review pot, I just realized now that I had missed this book.

But there is a Persian saying that says "the fish is fresh whenever you catch it from the water", so let's go with that. This book is very different, but then again it is Brandon Sanderson, so anything less would be shocking.

Elantris is simply said a rather ecstatically unique book, that creates a world beyond the usual bounds of imagination that thirsts for expansion into something even grander. There are times when you think "it doesn't get any better than this", that is where you would be absolutely wrong. The book revolves around a young prince cursed to the immortal tragedy that is Elantris, and a young yet slightly misfit feminist princess (who I adored) . A world of Gods and grandeur that now plagued by an unknown curse is depleted of its magic and plunged into suffering. The sufferings include the inability to die and along with it the inability to heal. Where a simple bump to the arm can become an eternal pain that never leaves you, and when the pain is enough it sends you into an delirious limbo.

The ideas were erratic and profound, but in the best way possible. They were daring and incredible, and that is why one must simply fall into the world of Sanderson and accept that leaving it without being marked for life is simply not an option. The book hung somewhere between high fantasy and paranormal, never quite surrendering to either.

I can't really express how much I adored this book, I usually don't like overtly descriptive books, with excessive amounts of narration. I feel like these books cage the imagination, but that is simply my personal opinion. That wasn't the case here, obviously. In this book the word excessive had no place, it simply worked out in the best way possible. I hope I find time to read how the tale of Elantris will continue real soon! But 2020? What?!

[carol. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, Elantris, why must you torture me so? Why must you force me into conflict with the library, my favorite dealer? They claim I owe them, and they aren't going to leave me alone. I'm afraid to go to the corner dropbox at night in case a librarian is lurking. I've stubbornly held onto their copy of Elantris hoping that I would become inspired to re-read and provide a more thorough review. Alas, no. You will have to read my generalized dislike instead of many specific examples. For no clear reason, I was completely unable to sustain interest in Elantris despite leaving the library copy on my physical 'currently reading' shelf for months. While there is an interesting vision of a magical system, magic isn't enough to save the story, especially as the re-discovering of Elantrian magic is so slooow in the making.

Out of the triplicate storyline, the destroyed Elantrian city was the only plot that really sustained my focus. Perhaps part of it was a difficulty connecting with any of the characters who were mostly out of the Campbellian Mythical Archetype lineage. Prince Raoden has been declared dead, but has actually been thrown into slime-coated Elantris. He has undergone the random but incomplete transformation into an Elantrian. However, he brings his royal training, knowledge of various Arelon citizens and unflagging optimism to the destroyed city and starts gathering the hopeless citizens into a band of survivors. He has a vision--plans to forge them into a populace with pride. He is going to scrub the slime from the buildings and recognize that even the street-sweepers have value in society. He's going to study, at least the books that haven't been eaten by the starving populace. He's going to make friends with a Jamaican friend and adviser, Galladon. He's going to fix things.

A second storyline is focused an an annoyingly plucky young heroine, Sarene (subtle much?)--saved from being a Mary Sue because, you know, she can't draw. Or sing. I think. She's been betrothed to the prince of Arelon as part of an alliance between her kingdom and his. She faces somewhat predictable kingdom politics, as well as--gasp--overt sexism from her father-in-law and the generally patriarchal Arelon society. But don't worry--she'll modernize them and teach them that real princess can fight using swords.

The final storyline is focused on Hrathen, a high priest from Fjordell who is in a mission to convert the godless in Arelon before his emperor invades. He's actually one of the most layered characters because he has the zeal of a believer tempered with flawed insight. Though he thinks he knows the politics, he's frequently outmaneuvered by everyone around him, from Sarene, to his recruit, to the emperor. However, the subtlety of his characterization is based on overly-fuzzy political details, so there is a tremendous amount of info-dumping whenever he is in a scene, likely one reason a number of readers label it their least favorite storyline.

I just didn't feel the heart here, ultimately leading it to a two star read for me. It felt a little too self-conscious and 'I'm-avoiding-formula-by-changing-two-things' on Sanderson's part. There are a couple of unsolved questions, at least as far as my half-a-brain effort could tell, but I'm not sure there's anything worth potential conflict with the library.

After all, I have to stay on the good side of my dealer.


Cross posted at http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/0...

[Emily (Books with Emily Fox on Youtube) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll have to think about how to review this but for now... wow!
Sanderson does it again!

[jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

when i asked john for book recommendations, his list included ‘everything by brandon sanderson.’ apparently ‘everything’ is not an actual book title, but meant everything sanderson has ever written. so i decided to start at the beginning with his debut novel and, i have to say, i am pretty dang impressed.

firstly, this is the absolute dream for those who love a good slow burn. let me break it down for you - the first 400 pages or so is really intricate world building, very in-depth characterisation, and a pretty solid and steady build up to the climax of the novel. the first 70% of the story is very character driven, with the world building and plot slowly laid out as the characters come to learn more themselves. its told in three different POVs, and i definitely enjoy some more than others (raoden is bae and sarene is iconic). but it starts getting really interesting when all three view points converge. thats pretty much page 401 and then everything is literally action, Action, ACTION! right until the very end. normally that kind of narration/storytelling would bother me, but i think it actually works really well with this particular story.

despite the pacing, the main thing which keeps this from being a 5 star read for me is that the primary focus is not on the magic elements of the cosmere world. this story is overwhelmingly heavy in court politics and religion, so much so that my interest began to fade after a while. i understand their importance in creating a complex storyline, but their presence in a story shouldnt mean that the fantasy components of a fantasy novel take a back seat. if anything, it should be the other way around - magic as the main focus with the politics and religion as support. i do appreciate that my edition of the book had extra content at the end, which gave me a little more insight into the magic system, since the story itself didnt have as much as i would have liked.

but overall, this is a really strong debut effort and i can understand the appeal sanderson has for so many readers. i am definitely looking forward to his other books, as i have been told his writing and stories get so much better from here on out!

↠ 4 stars

[katie is reading]

full five stars for part two <3

[Tharindu Dissanayake · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I’ve only been a duke for ten years."

If it hadn’t been for the recommendations I had received to commence the Sanderson voyage with Mistborn, Elantris would have been my entry point to Cosmere. I had been confused as to why one should skip over the book that had been released at first, to work one’s way through a trilogy which was released later. But I’m beginning to see the wisdom behind the aforementioned suggestion: the author had grown so much between Elantris and Mistborn, making them appear like they belong in different classes. Mistborn is something that will make anyone fall in love with Sanderson’s writing. That being said, I was not the least bit disappointed with Elantris. Despite a number of minor shortcomings, (relatively speaking) Elantris, at least for me, was a thoroughly entertaining story.

"I never had a Seon."

Set on planet Sel of Sellish system, Elantris’s setting appears to be similar to a medieval one. While we do get a nice map with a few adjoining regions (and a whole other kingdom), almost all of the story is wrapped around the city of Elantris itself. In a way this is good, for, it’ll help readers focus more on the story and not be too troubled by keeping up with a detailed new world. But, like me, if you thrive on a large, and complex new world, it might do well to set your bar a little lower. Still, Elantris offers plenty of mystery and intrigue for any reader to explore in my opinion.

"Having knowledge was entirely different from explaining that knowledge to others."

Character development was also quite good (though not by Mistborn standard, but good enough). It looked as if the author was attempting to go with two protagonists - Serene and Raoden - but I felt like the story revolved more around Serene with Roaden being a key support role. Although, considering how everything turned out at the end, I could be wrong. Some of the characteristics of the duo did feel a bit cliché at times, but it wasn’t that annoying. Personally, I think the secondary characters turned out better than the protagonists. Kaise actually ended up my favorite by the end, and that goes to show that the main characters lacked that ‘livability,’ which usually makes a character great.

"The common people served the arteths and dorven, the arteths and dorven served the gradors, the gradors served the ragnats, the ragnats served the gyorns, the gyorns served Wyrn, and Wyrn served Jaddeth."

But where all those shortcomings in world-building and character-development became insignificant was the plot. Elantris is a unique story with plenty of mystery from start to finish, and will keep the reader immersed through the entirety of the book. Whether it is humor, politics, plotting & scheming, action, magic or romance (okay may be not ‘excellent’ romance) you are looking for, you will not be disappointed! In my opinion, Sanderson's storytelling came to his rescue in this first book of Cosmere. Even at the halfway point of the book, I was not expecting to give a 5-star rating, but the plot managed to eclipse most of the shortcomings by the end.

”All of the books say princesses are petite. I’m not exactly sure what petite means, but I don’t think she’s it.”

Looking at the majority of the reviews for Elantris, it seems that most are giving this one a mediocre rating, mainly attributing to the fact that this is Sanderson’s first book. If that is what is keeping you from reading the book, you’re missing out on a lot. Give this a try with no prejudices and you will be well rewarded!

It’s easy to see the answers once the puzzle is solved.

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy shite balls! I loved this book!

Okay, I took a picture of the back of the book because I liked how they had the part about Raoden, Hrathen, and Sarene printed on there but I did cut off a little bit of Sarene. So it's supposed to say she's a princess from Teod, not Teo. Lol Anyway, I wanted to add it because I thought it looked cool!



I loved the hell out of this book! ❤ AND NO, I'm not comparing it to his other books. All of his books that I read are reviewed as their own book. I loved THIS book for THIS book not (it's not as good as this or that) so don't ask. Thank you! =)

And then I look and see there are going to be more books to this series in a million years. <--Okay, not a million but still. I have to wait and read them like all the other ones I'm waiting on. Oh, and I am getting this one in the UK Edition like all the ones I love and am trying to get. So far I have the regular box set of Mistborn and the UK edition of Mistborn. I will get them all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will shut-up now and talk about the book. =)

I loved Raoden and Galladon. I loved Sarene and her Seon, Ashe. I just loved a lot of people in this book but those are the main ones. I even loved Hrathen and that was before he became good =)

Elantris was a beautiful place with these people/gods that were silver with white hair and all the goodness and wonderfulness. Then one day it hit the fan and Elantris fell. It turned peeps into living corpses so to speak. (I'm not telling you the whole freaking story because you need to read it and plus I don't to put up my spoilers tag)

The people of Arelon left Elantris alone but exiled people in the kingdom to Elantris that would get this disease. I loved these parts. Not what happened to the people but the things that were going on in Elantris, the whole freaking story about it

Raoden is the prince of Arelon and his father who is the king is a big jerk! Anyway, Raoden is to be married to Sarene but when she gets there they tell her that the prince has died. Well, that sucked right?

Sarene stayed in Arelon to try to make things better and stir things up. Oh how I loved her. She was teaching ladies to fence and she she was just a smart, strong woman. And she his this little thing called a seon and this one is named Ashe. They talk to each other and are always together unless she sends Ashe off on an errand.

Hrathen is a high priest who comes to town trying to convert everyone. He's a huge scary looking dude apparently. Or a gyorn as he was called. He was having trouble every step of the way from Sarene and one of his own and even Raoden. But he seemed to always be on the fence about things.

There is so much in this book that I would like to talk about. There is just so much. I must say the parts I did enjoy the most were with Raoden. Where he was at, what he was doing what he became.

And the last paragraph of the book brought a tear to my eye.

MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List

[Katerina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-discovering Brandon Sanderson was one of my best decisions this year.

Elantris is undoubtedly a wonderful debut, paving the path for marvelous fantasy adventures. And even though it's probably Sanderson's weakest work, you can't help but feel awed before his ingenuity and the masterful way he navigates politics and intrigue! In case it is not clear, I plead fangirl!

❝ Dream on, Elantris. Remember what you used to be and try to hide your sins beneath the blanket of darkness. Tomorrow the sun will rise and all will be revealed once more.❞

Elantris used to be the city of Gods, of glorious beings of extraordinary powers. Until the Reod, the Punishment happened, and Elantris fell. What was once beautiful and pure, now is tainted and filthy; Elantris is the land of eternal misery and perdition, and its inhabitants monstrocities that are exiled from the civilized societies. Right after the fall of Elantris, king Iadon took the reigns of the kingdom of Arelon, establishing a government system based on money. People that were once prosperous, now have barely enough to eat. As Arelon's collapsing, reeking of poverty and corruption, the Fjordell Empire gathers its forces and prepares to strike in order to convert the heretic Arelon to the true faith, Shu-Dereth. And this is where the fates of three individuals collide. Raoden, the beloved prince of Arelon, suddenly disappears, presumed dead. Nobody knows that the Shaod took him, and turned him into an Elantrian. Sarene, the Teoish princess that was supposed to marry Raoden, arrives to Arelon only to find out that she is a widow before she had the chance to meet her husband. Now she must manipulate, outsmart her enemies and make alliances if she wants Arelon to survive the instability that has brought it to its knees. Hrathen, a high priest of Shu-Dereth, is sent to Arelon with one mission: convert the infidels in the span of three months, or else they will be drowned in blood. Raoden, Sarene, Hrathen, they will cancel each other's plans, they will make kingdoms tremble, but in the end, everything depends on the cursed city and the secrets hiding in her stained buildings, whose light has been extinguished.

❝ Truth can never be defeated, Sarene. Even if people do forget about it occassionally.❞

There is something about Elantris, something that seizes your attention from the first page and captivates you in its snare. It's the combination of a cursed mystical city, religious zealotry, mind games and court intrigue that sucks you in the slime-covered streets of Elantris, in garish balls and the palace of a paranoid king who has brought his country to the brink of conquest and massacre. As per usual, Brandon Sanderson never fails to deliver intricate religious systems that play an integral part in the plot, and quick-witted (and occasionally sharp-tongued) characters; the dialogues are infused with mirth, friendly banters and battles of wit, and they are always enjoyable. That being said, it is obvious that Elantris is Sanderson's first published work, and not his best. What I always admire is his fascinating and well-structured magic systems, but in this one the AonDor could use some improvement. The concept of the Dor and the power behind Aons were a tad muddy, hence confusing; it felt like the explanations and the principles related to them were lacking, thus I found myself struggling to understand the magic of Elantris, and that's one of the reasons I was more invested in the politics and the back-stabbing court of Kae.

❝ The problem with being clever, Serene thought with a sigh, is that everyone assumes you're always planning something.❞

The characters were pure gold. The plot of Elantris did not revolve around the battle between Good and Evil, and that's why I neved knew who to root for, considering that, in the end, they all shared the same goal: avoid a bloodbath. The means they used, though, and their motivations were different, and the actions of one negated the efforts of the other, in an elaborate dance of schemes and plots. Watching Sarene, the lanky princess of Teod outmaneuvering seasoned nobles and eloquent preachers was definitely one of the book's hightlights for me. While Sarene could be overwhelming at times, her spirit and her innate distrust made her an excellent political opponent, and I loved her dynamics with the group of nobles and merchants who wanted to change the system for a better future. The entire set of side characters that accompanied her, from Ashe the Seon to hilarious Luke, heartbreaker Shuden and stern Roial, they were all perfect in their own way. My favorite character, though, was Raoden. His kindness, his optimism (his dialogues with Galladon were simply precious) and his need to help his people, to uncover the secrets of Elantris and restore Arelon to its former glory made me want to
protect him at all costs. Hrathen, on the other hand, was more complex. At first I regarded him as the enemy, but as he faced obstacles in his journey and began to question his faith, his purpose and everything that made him the person he was, I began to warm towards him, and accept that not everything is either black or white, and for me, this is Sanderson's greatest achievement with Elantris.

Elantris is a wonderful book, but if you wish to explore the magnitude of Sanderson's sheer talent, you should probably start with Warbreaker or, better yet, The Final Empire!

Review also posted on BookNest!

[Nermin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I confess myself disappointed with Mr Sanderson. For the first time ever. And I feel bad about it. Well, how can I not when I've enjoyed every book I've read by him and when I've always heard very positive things about Elantris? I'm just so glad that this wasn't the first BS book I read. Because I seriously doubt I'd be picking up his other books anytime soon after finishing Elantris.

My biggest issue with this book is its main characters. I'm willing to turn a blind eye on Deus ex machinas lurking around every corner, plot holes, unresolved questions, incredibly boring dialogues and witless conversations (which probably makes up more than 90% of the book). No, all of these factors combined couldn't be as disappointing as the main characters. Sarene, the heroine, the-most-perfect-and-intelligent-princess-that-ever-walked-the-earth is the chief reason why I felt like puking most of the time while reading this. BS and just about every character in the book would have you believe that she is the most awesomest thing ever: she's intelligent, beautiful, she has a great mind for politics, religion, she is a master swordsman. In short, she's perfect, you see. But nothing that ever comes out of this girls mouth is remotely interesting, intelligent or funny. On the contrary she is very annoying, insecure, haughty and stupid 99% of times. None of the 'clever' solutions she offers in the book ever does anyone any good. She repeatedly makes very foolish decisions. Yet everyone is ever in awe of her. You will read about how intelligent and amazing she is at least once in every page. Though basically all she ever does is be bitter about this or that, act like an old spinster even though she is only 25 year old or whine about how, how men don't want to marry her because of her intellect. SNORT.

One of the other main characters, Prince Raoden is without a doubt the biggest Gary Sue Sanderson has ever created. And he is a very boring one at that. He is so boring that I'm not even going to criticize him because even trying to think and write something about that guy is extremely boring. Just think of a hero that is perfect, wealthy, lucky, smart, good, talanted and never dies in the book. That is Raoden. Raoden is the Solver of the mysteries, savior of the Elantrians, defender of the weak. Raoden is the fair and beloved prince of Arelon. Raoden is all that is good and fair. Raoden is the walking and talking definition of being boring.

Hrathen, on the other hand, is the only truly interesting and fully fleshed out character in Elantris. His storyline had the potential to save this book. But instead Sanderson chose to sacrifice him and go for cheap romance. Pity. I wish Raoden and Sarene were dead instead of Hrathen.

One of the very few interesting things about this book was Elantris. The mystery of it. So despite the painful stupidity of the characters, I gritted my teeth and embraced myself for biggest revelation. What I got instead was a poorly explained (or was it even explained at all?) mystery, a plot that heavily relied on Deus ex machinas and the most underwhelming and anti-climatic ending ever. And don't even get me started on endless dialogs that were obviously meant to be humorous and witty but instead came off as excruciatingly boring and didn't even have an ounce of humor or intelligence.

P.S Sanderson's descriptions of food and clothes in this book can put even GRRM to shame.

[❄️BooksofRadiance❄️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75⭐️

I got my Cosmere fix. *giddy. Giddy. So giddy*
Should be able to last me for a few weeks.

RTC

I need my Cosmere fix...

No matter where I go, all roads lead back to the Cosmere.
Such is the way of the world...🤷‍♀️

Kicked off January with Rothfuss now February with Sanderson.
Yay for 2018!👌😍

[Nikola · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5
Trochę zbyt rozwleczona, ale uwielbiam główną bohaterkę ♥️

[Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens after the Fall?

Sanderson sets up a complex and unique fantasy world, with a magical system built on glyphs of power drawn in the air. The Elantrians were nearly godlike beings with glowing, silver skin and powerful magical abilities. Ordinary humans would sometimes randomly transform into Elantrians. But ten years before, the transformation process was twisted into something horrible: the Elantrians turned into diseased-looking horrors, their glowing, lovely city of Elantris became decayed and covered with slime, and the magic was lost.

But life goes on. And different people and factions are seeking to fill the power vacuum left when Elantris fell.

Elantris alternates between three viewpoints: Prince Raoden, who has just turned into an Elantrian as the story begins, and is thrown into Elantris to live or die; Sarene, the princess of a nearby country who had just arrived to marry Raoden, but is told he is dead; and Hrathen, the priest of a third country who is seeking to claim Raoden's country for his own emperor, by conversion or conquest.

The stories of these three characters are intertwined, but each character has a distinct point of view and their purposes often conflict. Hrathen, the red-robed priest, was perhaps the most complex character, struggling with fears and doubts and pride.



But I actually enjoyed Raoden's and Sarene's parts of the story more. Raoden, especially, grabbed my interest, as well as my admiration, as he tries to deal with his terrible and painful transformation, figure out why the magic of Elantris was lost, and rescue himself and other Elantrians from the desperate existence they've been thrown into. And, not incidentally, get to know his fiancée Sarene (who believes he's dead, remember) when she visits the city of Elantris. They're arguably a bit of a Mary Sue couple, but personally I don't mind reading about really admirable characters when it's well done.

This was Brandon Sanderson's first novel, and that shows somewhat. It's a fairly lengthy novel and periodically got a little long-winded and tedious, except for the ending, which seemed a little rushed. But the sheer amount of creativity in it is impressive and I found the main characters sympathetic. Overall it kept me interested until the end.

Plus, bonus points for a fantasy novel that's actually stand-alone and doesn't require you to read a sequel to get the whole story!

Art credit: http://alain-brion.deviantart.com/art...

[Anna [Bran. San. Stan] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even if this is “baby" Sanderson, as the author himself puts it, this book as his first published novel is still amazing. If you love Sanderson, you should absolutely read it. True, Mistborn is probably its elder sister and Stormlight the mature parent, but it still has most of what I love about Sanderson: awesome setting with a cool magic system and a captivating plot– though, admittedly, I was not quite as emotionally invested in the characters here as I was in Mistborn and even more so in Stormlight. (Especially in Stormlight everything is simply perfection.)

Don’t get me wrong, in Elantris, I did like Raodon and Sarene and found the antagonist Hrathen (who “grew out of [Sanderson’s] time as a Mormon missionary”) fascinating, but I didn’t live and breathe for them as I did for Kaladin, Shallan and Dalinar in Stormlight. I’m not quite sure why that is; it might just be that Sanderson’s writing and narration in recent novels is more engaging.

On that note, in the 10th anniversary edition, Sanderson himself writes in the postscript:

“Over the years, my prose has improved and my narrative voice has matured, but I find it essential to remember that a vibrant, passionate story about engaging characters is more important than a cool magic system or epic action sequences. Characters and emotion are the true magic.”

I absolutely concur – though, to me at least, characters and emotion being “the true magic” applies much more to Stormlight than to Elantris. More importantly though, with Sanderson, you actually don’t need to prioritize; you always get the full package – characters, emotion, magic, and action.

What else did I like about Elantris? I enjoyed that Raoden reminded me somewhat of Elend, and Sarene of Shallan, though a less witty version of her (despite the fact that her name “Ene” means wit/cleverness), as I love them both.

Some other parallels within the Cosmere universe were also fun to explore, like the human bond with a magical force/being – the Selish seons really reminding me of the Rosharan spren! [2022 addendum: Sanderson confirmed in Spoiler Stream #5 that seons in fact are spren.] Shu-Dereth as both a religion and a system of government, with its bureaucracy and supernatural fighting monks, also reminded me of the Steel Ministry and the inhuman Inquisitors in Mistborn and let me just say that both theocracies were equally ingenious and downright terrifying. Oh, and the fact the book was “inspired by the idea of a prison city for zombie lepers”? Nice!

All in all, experiencing this book both via Graphic Audio (highly recommended!) and the print version was brilliant. “Baby” Sanderson already was a literary genius then and it is awe-inducing how much more accomplished a writer he has become. I really hope a sequel is in the making! [Books 2 and 3 have been announced!]

Anna, forever Bran. San. Stan.

[Kogiopsis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warning: the review that follows is terribly unprofessional (you know, in the way that no one ever bitches about for some reason) and full of love and lots and lots and lots of

because REASONS.




I think I've wished for half-stars maybe three times, at the outside, in the years I've been on Goodreads. Generally, though I may waffle between stars for a little while, I can settle on a rating which I feel accurately represents my feelings about the book in a... mostly unemotional manner. (All my ratings are to some extent emotionally based; I am, after all, not a computer.)

However, when it comes to Brandon Sanderson books I'm simply so biased that this system doesn't work for me. I'm not sure half stars would help, actually. What I really need is a system that breaks the book down into qualities like 'writing style' and 'plot coherency' which I can then rate out of ten because, considering them separately, I could probably manage more objectivity. This system would then spit out a rating based on the average of the subcategories, which would likely be lower by at least a star than my shiny emotional-first-reaction five stars up there.

Since this system has yet to be created, let alone implemented, the five stars will stay. Take them with a grain of salt; the book is not perfect, but I honestly do not care.





And now, after two preambles, we bring you the main event: an actual review of the book, and not just Anila's abstract feelings about it and the rating system. We'll start with the bad, because it's the smallest section.

Like most first novels, Elantris suffers from some predictable problems. Sanderson's prose is rockier here than I'm used to - I've noticed over time that, logically enough, it becomes more polished with each new work, so of course this would be the roughest of them all. The two main characters, Raoden and Sarene, feel like prototypes of the characters he's put in his later work: they're larger-than-life and slightly messy combinations of the virtues and flaws that he's since separated out to make more realistic, tidier characters. Here we see the seeds of Kelsier's leadership and idealism, Vin's cynicism, Elend's bookishness, Jasnah's keen intelligence and sharp attitude. As is to be expected, all those qualities are powerful when used in moderation in other characters; here, they feel a little bit exaggerated and unlikely, particularly in Raoden. Speaking of Raoden - I love him, really (more on this later) but some aspects of his character felt a weeeeee bit deus ex machina. His unexplained 'affinity' for the Aons being the big one, of course. With characters like this, it comes as no surprise that scenes of conflict are underwhelming: not only are our heroes almost absurdly full of virtues, they're also extraordinarily talented and powerful in many areas. Everyone else is sort of dim next to them, and so any confrontation doesn't last long and no one really puts up a fight. It's hard to be invested in the tension of a scene or feel emotions at success when the ending was a foregone conclusion.


...I think that's all the bad stuff. Excellent. Let's move on to the meat of this review: things I love without shame or moderation.

1. The concept. And not just the whole 'Eternity ended ten years ago' thing even though wow, what a killer tagline, am I right? No, what appealed to me most was the way Elantrians - now cursed - changed their natures to suit the situation. What they are has forced them to adopt or lose their minds to neverending pain, and it's really fascinating.

"On the outside, people tend to be convinced of their own immortality. We are more realistic. One rarely wins a battle without at least a few wounds, and here even a couple of slight cuts can be more devastating, and more agonizing, than a swift decapitation."

This is most interesting, I think, for its contrast to conventional fantasy. Usually in a fantasy novel there will be someone who can heal with a touch or a spell or a potion; failing that there are herbalists, doctors, sometimes even surgeons. The Elantrians, however, have none of the above nor the resources they would require to be effective - and on top of that, even if they did, their wounds would still never heal. The way this changes their interactions varies depending on the situation, but in general creates a world where only the half-mad actually fight other people. One injury too many means a fate worse than death; it could turn a previously sane man or woman into a listless broken wreck who can do nothing more than chant a mantra of their greatest regrets over and over and over again.
This is really astounding, in a worldbuilding sense, and forces what might otherwise have been a violence-centric story to become one of diplomacy and negotiation. It's also all the more painful when people are injured, as does happen from time to time, because the reader knows what they are suffering and that they have lost the last shred of their humanity, but will be forced to live on without it.

2. Raoden.

I have... feelings about Raoden.
The truth is, I sorta adore all the male characters Brandon Sanderson creates. Raoden, however, is the only one I want to pluck out of the book and mash faces with. (If Kelsier were real, he and I would be at loggerheads over the whole 'wiping out a group of people because of circumstances beyond their control' thing, and as for Elend, well, would you dare to steal Vin's man? No, thought not. Kaladin is too good for me, and also belongs right in that book where he already is, thank you very much, so I can have more wonderful exploits and badassery to read about.) which is not really a spoiler but actually a tangent.
Raoden started worming his way into my heart on page 51. How?

"Books!" Raoden said with excitement.

Open note to all authors: any character who reacts exuberantly to the presence of books will start out in my good graces. If it's your love interest, well... bonus points are an understatement. Enthusiasm for books and enthusiasm for whales are two hugely appealing things to me.
Anyhow, that's really just the beginning. Raoden is the kind of character who, like Kaladin, would be the center of a lot of montage scenes if this book were made into a movie. He's one of those leader types who goes in and gathers people who all love him and help him work towards a goal and they're successful and it's beautiful and deep down inside you know it can't last because the montage is just leading up to the big emotional moment when everything goes south, but you really really really want them to just do everything right and live long happy lives in the paradise they've created for themselves. I love montage scenes, and I love the people who orchestrate them, and really this is kind of pathetic but one of the easiest ways for a character to become sympathetic and engaging is for them to participate in one. Trufax.
There's also the fact that not only is Raoden enthusiastic about books, he recognizes their value as a resource and uses them to solve problems. Words cannot express how many characters in how many books could have fixed their shit right up if they would just go the fuck to the library, or the nearest comparable resource. (I include older, more knowledgeable characters in 'resources', by the way. Seriously, guys, sometimes adults really do know something important. Talk to them. It bears noting that this is only a little bit of a tangent and not actually off-topic, because Raoden makes a point of learning from other characters. WUT.) Raoden manages to figure out a great deal about Elantris and what caused its problems by careful research and logical deduction. I do agree with the assertion that he comes by this deduction rather too easily, the same way that he gets a nebulous 'affinity' for Aons rather too easily. Buuuut... whatever. And anyhow, the primary tidbit of information that enables him to solve the riddle - that the basic Aon represents the major geographic features of the land - comes from someone else, so that gives him a little more leeway in my eyes.
Umm. There will be more (spoilery) fangirling over Raoden later. Yes, in a whole other subsection. This is what I mean by feelings.

3. Sarene.

...a lanky, brusque woman who was almost past her prime.

Sarene is not my favorite of Sanderson's female characters. That would be Jasnah Kholin, always and forever. She is also not the most well-rounded or well-developed character in this book, and she has a lot of habits and characteristics that annoyed me.
A lot of them annoyed me, though, because I see them in myself.
Personal digression in spoilers; has nothing to do with plot: I'm eighteen and I've never once been asked out, let alone kissed. To my knowledge, no one has ever had a crush on me. I don't know why, and I'm not sure I would want to, because in general I really like who I am, but sometimes (especially when I'm talking with friends my age who have steady boyfriends or, even worse, change boys frequently) I'm struck by a feeling of missingness. Something is absent. I form perfectly wonderful emotional connections with other people, and I have friends that I love like siblings or better, but the physical aspect is just - not there. It's not something I worry about all the time, not by a long shot. I'm not a particularly physical person; I don't wish I had a significant other so I could jump their bones. But it would be nice to have someone I felt that comfortable with in that way - someone who I could walk with holding hands, or whose shoulder I could rest my head on, or whose cheek I could kiss in just a casual, natural, affirmative way. I miss that, as much as anyone can miss something they've never had, and so I understand how Sarene feels so very, very well. The longing that she feels for that kind of emotional connection may be annoying to some readers, but to me it feels intensely real.
Ummm.
It's a little hard to re-ground myself after that. Sorry.
Anyhow, Sarene. Yes. Sarene is a pistol. I admired her spunk (for lack of a better word) from the get-go: she finds herself in a country not her own, legally married and obligated to mourn for a dead man she never met, frustrated by a king who thinks women are for decoration and court ladies who act as if he's right. And of course, as soon as she decides that the kingdom of Arelon is in trouble, she does everything in her power to help it, even though she owes it no obligation. Interestingly enough, she doesn't really do it out of pure selflessness.

She had spent nearly three decades loving a country without ever feeling it loved her back. Teod had respected her, but she was tired of respect. She wanted something different from Arelon.

Sarene is, I think, the second most flawed character in this book. She wants to do good, yes, but that's because she wants the affirmation she thinks she'll get from others. And the real kicker is: she doesn't know how to do the right thing. It's a sharp (and sometimes unfortunate) contrast with Raoden, who seems to come upon the exact right decision by constant good fortune to the point that it gets kinda annoying. Sarene, on the other hand, doesn't always have a complete picture of the situation and so she does what she perceives to be best at the time - which isn't always what's best in the bigger picture. This, of course, leads to some not-so-positive results, which is how it should be: flawed characters make mistakes and suffer for it and then they get better. I like that Sarene does this. I don't like that her mistakes are more frequent and more directly commented upon than Raoden's. His biggest one, in shoving her out of the city through the front gates after Hrathen's potion wears off, really really bothers me because he never even stopped to think about it, especially since it came right after she explained Hrathen's campaign to get Arelon to convert. Actually, I kind of blame Raoden for the whole Eventeo-converts-to-Shu-Dorath thing, because if he'd taken a moment to consider everything that had happened, he probably would have kept Sarene hidden and devised a better strategy. This would be better if it were addressed as a mistake, but... it wasn't. So it niggles at me.
The final word on Sarene, though, is still 'awesome'. She's smart, well-meaning, emotionally believable, and willing to kick ass when it's necessary.

4. Hrathen. He just fascinated me. Actually, as I think about it, I feel that a lot of the reasons that I liked Hrathen were the reasons Inspector Javert is my favorite character in Les Miserables, because they are both noble people doing bad things for all the right reasons, and with little malice in their hearts. I also loved, loved, loved Hrathen's religious conflict, and the way he struggled to balance what he felt his duty as a gyorn was with what he felt was right. He's got a lot of baggage from doing something purely from duty, and I felt that it affected his actions in Arelon to a real and nuanced degree.

It didn't matter that he had acted in the name of the Church, or that he had saved thousands upon thousands of souls. The destruction Hrathen had caused in Duladel ground against his soul like a millstone. People who had trusted him were dead, and an entire society had been cast into chaos.

Though at his introduction I'd expected Hrathen to become the villain of the novel, I was quickly sure that this was not the case. Far be it from the eminently skilled Mr. Sanderson careful Anila your fangirl is showing to create a wholly unsympathetic villain, but even so the degree of attention he paid to Hrathen's conflicts elevated him fairly clearly to, if not protagonist level, at least secondary character on the 'good' side. I don't feel that's too much of a spoiler, since it becomes evident relatively early.
My one reservation is what happens with Hrathen at the very end. I liked his actions, and that he turned away from the strict doctrines of Shu-Doreth to do what he felt was right, but I felt that decision was somewhat marred - nay, tainted - by the brief narrative comment explaining that he had been in love with Sarene. Umm... what? First of all, there was very little basis for real love between them. Mutual respect, yes; romantic love, no. (In Homestuck parlance, I'd say that they could have been morails or even kismeses at certain points but never matesprits.) It also felt a little unrealistic given Sarene's previous romantic experience - if she'd gone her whole life finding no man who believed himself in love with her, the idea that two would show up in such short succession is a bit preposterous.

5. Religion. It's always a theme in Sanderson's books, and one that he includes on purpose, which I think is really quite fascinating. Because I've been aware of it as a theme since before I read Warbreaker, so I pay special attention to it. As always, it shines. There's not much to say about the way he handles it, actually, that I haven't raved about in other reviews - particularly for The Well of Ascension - but I do want to mention that even though the religions here feel somewhat more derivative than I'm accustomed to from Sanderson - the schism between Shu-Dorath and Shu-Korath is painfully close to Islam and Christianity - I still found it to be handled tastefully. Now, I'm not religious myself so someone who is might be annoyed at things that I didn't notice, but I feel it bears noting that I, as an atheist, found the religions to be a believably central part of the world without feeling that I was being preached at, which is often a delicate balance and one that few authors even attempt to address as directly, if they do so at all.
There are a few quotes regarding religion that I really, really loved:

"Keseg taught of unity. But what did he mean? Unity of mind, as my people assume? Unity of love, as your priests claim? Or is it the unity of obedience, as the Derethi believe? In the end, I am left to ponder how mankind managed to complicate such a simple concept."

This one stood out to me because it's something I can really sympathize with. Even as an atheist, there's a lot of things about religions that I like - usually those that have to do with it as a social/moralizing force. It feels like Shuden is speaking for me when he comments sadly on the overcomplication of simple, positive ideas.

"Everything happens according to Domi's will, child," Omin answered. "However, I do not think that 'curse' is the right word. At times, Domi sees fit to send disasters upon the world; other times he gives the most innocent of children a deadly disease. These are no more curses than what happened to Elantris - they are simply the workings of the world. All things must progress, and progression is not always a steady incline. Sometimes we must fall, sometimes we will rise - some must be hurt while others have fortune, for that is the only way we can learn to rely on one another. As one is blessed, it is his privilege to help those whose lives are not as easy. Unity comes from strife, child."

Have you ever noticed how no one, ever, wants to answer one key question? I refer, of course, to the common query of the atheist: if a benevolent god exists, why is there so much evil in the world? To which most people will respond with vagaries about 'free will' and 'mysterious ways' and actually not answer the question in a satisfactory manner. Now, I have my issues with this explanation, but not only is it perfectly in-character, at least Sanderson made the effort. That really counts for something. I may not be rushing out to convert after such blinding and faultless logic, but I'm glad to know there are people out there who have put enough thought into their faith to be able to answer such an essential question.


continued in comments because character limits.

[Iloveplacebo · Rating 5 out of 5]

4'5 / 5

Creo que contiene spoilers, así que si no habéis leído la novela, mejor no leáis esto.


Cuando lees en los prólogos de Miquel Barceló que Brandon Sanderson cambió la fantasía y que este, cansado del mismo tipo de fantasía en los libros, se decidió a hacer algo nuevo, piensas que puede estar exagerando. Pues no, Barceló no exagera, y sí, Sanderson hizo algo diferente. Y está claro que algo hizo bien, ya que es un referente del género.


Elantris es la primera novela que publicaron al autor, y la novela que nos adentra en el universo creado por su autor, el Cosmere.
Es una novela original, y pese a que es larga, se te hace corta.
Tiene un inicio precioso. El prólogo, que no es más que una página, hace que te enganches a esta historia.

"Elantris fue hermosa, en otro tiempo. La llamaban la ciudad de los dioses...
...A Elantris, donde podía vivir bendita, gobernar con sabiduría y ser adorada por toda la eternidad.
La eternidad terminó hace diez años."

Después llegan el capítulo 1 y 2, y he de decir que me parecieron un inicio perturbador, oscuro, algo que no esperaba, pero que me gustó mucho.


¿Qué esperar de Elantris?
-Una ciudad enferma, con personas que solo necesitaban un empujoncito para volver a relucir. Es casi como si fueran zombies, pero inteligentes.
-Matrimonios políticos que aún así encuentran su propio camino hacia el amor.
-Fanáticos religiosos que dan grimilla. En principio solo es Dilaf, pero luego ves que sus seguidores no tienen desperdicio.
-Bolas de luz inteligentes, que son una mezcla de mayordomos, teléfono inteligente y un buscador de internet.
-Política, religión, problemas sociales.
-El misterio de Elantris.
-Shaod.
-Aones.
-AonDor.
-Y por supuesto, personajes para recordar.


Si habéis leído, al igual que yo, la primera trilogía de 'Nacidos de la Bruma' antes que Elantris, os daréis cuenta de que tienen pequeñas similitudes (no se si pasará también con otros de sus libros). Por ejemplo en sus personajes, en la magia (no es que sean parecidas, sino que el autor las construye igual de bien, con su lógica y sus reglas), e incluso en la trama.


Había leído que este libro era más pausado, más tranquilo y sin tanta acción, que otros del autor, como Nacidos de la bruma por ejemplo; y puede que sea verdad, pero no le quita lo bueno que es siendo así, más pausado.

La religión y la fe son temas importantes en este libro. Igual que la política.
Hay mucho que contar, pero no estoy preparada, así que lo mejor es leerlo.


Me gusta que Sanderson plasme en sus historias que el tener poder requiere sacrificio, y que además ese sacrificio generalmente salpique a otros y no solo a uno mismo. En esta novela los monjes Dakhor se transforman en lo que son sacrificando otras personas. Eso también lo vimos en 'Nacidos de la Bruma', cuando nos narra la transformación de Marsh, por ejemplo.



La trama, dividida en capítulos narrados por nuestros 3 protagonistas -Raoden, Sarene y Hrathen-, nos cuenta como dos de ellos intentan salvar, ayudar y mejorar Elantris y el reino de Arelon; pero también está la otra cara de la moneda, porque Hrathen quiere lo contrario.
Y no es que lo quiera porque sí, sino que este sirve al Wyrn, y este quiere conquistar todos los reinos en nombre de Jaddeth, el dios de su religión, la ShuDereth.
¿Trama sencilla? No. Es compleja, pero ligera, divertida, dramática, interesante, inteligente, llena de detalles. Nunca se hace pesada o aburrida.

Me gusta que al terminar un capítulo y al empezar el siguiente, la historia del capítulo anterior queda en pausa, ya que se va alternando las historias de cada protagonista. Eso hace que quieras leer y leer y leer porque necesitas saber que pasa con cada uno de ellos.
No está narrado en primera persona, por si hay alguien a quien no le guste.


Me encanta que incluso en una historia con drama y tragedia, haya espacio para el humor, el amor y la amistad.


Los personajes me han encantado, una de las mejores cosas del libro sin duda.
Primero tenemos a nuestros protagonistas:

*Raoden: príncipe de Arelon. La Shaod le llega y lo abandonan en Elantris. Allí intenta cambiar lo que lleva 10 años sin cambiar: las personas y su comportamiento. Intenta deshacer las bandas que han surgido, las peleas, el dolor. Allí también empezará a aprender los Aones.
--Marido de Sarene, aunque no se casan porque él está en Elantris y ella lo cree muerto.--

*Sarene: princesa de Teod. Ella es política, pero en Arelon verá que las mujeres no tienen un papel activo. Ella cambiará eso. Se hace líder del grupo de amigos de su marido, y estos, en un principio reticentes, la acaban aceptando y siguiendo.
--Mujer de Raoden. Como he dicho arriba, no se casan porque cree que su marido está muerto. Se queda en Arelon por el contrato de matrimonio que hicieron antes de la boda. Ellos nunca se han conocido en persona, lo máximo que han hecho es hablar a través de cartas.--

*Hrathen: gyorn del ShuDereth (sacerdote supremo de esa religión), llega a Arelon para convertir al país a su religión. El Wyrn le da 3 meses para completar la misión. Después de ese tiempo, si no logra cumplir con ella, llegará con sus tropas y se hará con el país a la fuerza.

No quiero hablar mucho de ellos porque creo que lo mejor es ir conociéndolos mientras lees.
Si quiero hacer mención especial a algunos secundarios:

*Dilaf es odio, fanatismo, rabia, mentira, miedo. Un personaje que da mucho juego. Creo que no se puede evitar odiarlo.
*Galladon es sarcasmo, humor, lealtad, cabeza. Se convierte en mano derecha y amigo de Raoden en Elantris.
*Karata es maternidad, amor, fuerza, lealtad. Es otra gran amiga de Raoden en Elantris. Ella es su segunda al mando por así decirlo.
*Iadon es fracaso, machismo, e inútil. Es rey de Arelon y el padre de Raoden.
*Kiin es bondad, comida, inteligencia, y misterios. Es el tio de Sarene.

Y me dejo muuuuchos personajes más. Pero es mejor descubrirlos.



Para terminar,
si soy sincera el final no me termina de gustar del todo, aunque no me ha parecido malo; es que esperaba algo más épico, supongo.
Además hay varias cosas, que ahora recuerde, que no me han gustado.
Una es que no se sepa casi nada del Wyrn, que no haya un final con él (quizás en los próximos libros de Elantris se hable más de esta figura).
Otra es que las motivaciones de Dilaf no me han convencido. Me ha gustado el personaje, aunque lo he odiado, hasta que ha contado porqué odia tanto a Elantris.
¿Y qué ocurre con Jaddeth? Si no recuerdo mal, hay un pequeño capítulo donde dice que volverá, pero no se sabe nada más al respecto.
También me ha faltado resolución a la historia de Kiin.

Todo esto son pequeñeces, así que ni caso. Esta novela es increíble, y creo que si os gusta el género de fantasía, es "casi" una obligación leerla.



Si el autor hace más libros en este mundo (que parece ser que sí) seré muy feliz. Será genial volver.


Chascarrillo:
Durante un rato pensé que Dilaf podría ser Ruina, por una escena en la que toca ceniza, porque Hrathen menciona que en un momento su cara no parecía humana, porque quiera la destrucción de Elantris, y el fracaso de Hrathen es su victoria.
Llamadme loca, pero lo he pensado.


(Si hay algún fallo en los nombres no me lo tengáis en cuenta, los he escrito casi de memoria -algunos los tenía escritos- y no los recordaba bien.)

[Bibi · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I were rating Elantris purely on the world building and magic system, then it'd be 5+ stars.

However..however, the sum of the parts does not form a whole. With character interactions and dialogue being the weakest links, something I find puzzling since Sanderson clearly wrote such excellent dialogue for the imaginary characters in Stephen Leeds' ( Legion) head.

All in all, it was an average story in an exceptional world.

[Jorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Call me an Elantrian cuz I'll never recover.

[Gabriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una buena introducción al universo creado por Sanderson.

Es un libro muy pero que muy lento, de esos que toda la historia se entreteje poco a poco tomándose su debido tiempo. La trama es muy política con religión incluida y el mundo está bien definido y con un sistema de poder extremadamente interesante.

La historia tiene tres partes, de la cual la primera es muy introductoria y se nos va dando dosis de información gota a gota para ponernos en contexto; en la segunda parte las cosas se siguen cocinando a fuego lento pero es cuando todo va tomando un rumbo definitivo; y la tercera parte me parece sublime, espectacular y casi dolorosa. Es un cierre que me parece magnífico.

La historia está narrada por tres personajes. Por un lado, está el príncipe Raoden quien contrae la enfermedad de la shaod y con el que conoceremos más sobre esta extraña ciudad (Elantris) que antes estaba plagada por dioses. También tenemos a Sarene (novia política de Raoden) que me parece un personaje femenino bien definido y en lo personal mi favorito. En la historia será ella quien mayormente lleve la cabecera en los asuntos políticos y quien descubrirá uno que otro secreto. Y por último pero no menos importante al antagonista, que es un ser que quiero-odio en partes iguales: Hrathen, un sacerdote de alto rango encargado de convertir al país Arelon a su religión con el fin de "salvarlos".

Los personajes principales son buenos e interesantes, para mí más Sarene y Hrathen, quienes estarán mutuamente retándose y tratando de ganar una lucha tensionante con sus propios obstáculos donde la política y la religión están muy unidas. Y está Raoden, que es muy buena persona (demasiado para mí) pero admito que dentro de lo suyo, cumple bien con todos los objetivos que se propone.

Al ser lento, es un libro que no a todos les puede gustar, lo cual es comprensible. A mí me dijeron muchas cosas sobre el primer libro publicado de Brandon Sanderson (más malas que buenas) pero para ser mi primer acercamiento me parece mucho más que decente y bastante disfrutable. No le doy todas las estrellas porque no es una lectura que me haya marcado demasiado pero sí que es bueno, muchísimo. Y eso no se lo voy a quitar.

Lo mejor: Hrathen y Sarene.
Lo peor: el ritmo paulatino en que se desenvuelve la trama.

[Mel · Rating 2 out of 5]

between 2 and 3 stars... i need to think it through!

to be quite honest, if it hadn't been Sanderson and if i wasn't invested in the cosmere, i would've totally dnf'd 40% through. (will say, probably my fault for reading the cosmere out of order).

[Somormujo · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5
Sin ninguna duda, por lo que he disfrutado con el libro. He dilatado su conclusión porque se le abandona con dolor, ya que se desea más magia y, por eso, acabo de empezar "La esperanza de Elantris", para prorrogarla un poco. En unos días, tendréis mi reseña pero os avanzo que, tal y como me habían avisado, la magia de Elantris es muy poderosa.
Totalmente recomendable para los amantes de la literatura fantástica.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I DID IT! Took me only about 4 months but i did it! Now i can read Warbreaker in peace.

[Ana Lelis · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first Brandon Sanderson novel and I can say I love it!
I heard nothing but good things about this author and I was afraid to be disappointed after creating so much expectation. But he didn't let me down.
I love his writing, it's so compelling and addicting. A page-turner for sure. I was so involved in the story, I couldn't put it down. I was so shocked and excited throughout the whole book. I smiled at some lines. I am dumbfounded by how amazing this author is. I want to read everything he writes from now on.

[Hoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was SO GOOD 🤍
Rtc <33

[Jonathan Terrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review number 2

Having just finished re-reading the first ever stand alone Brandon Sanderson novel I ever read it struck me how my view of the book has changed. Of course I always knew it was likely to happen. The flaws and pacing of the text were far more noticeable. That does not mean I did not enjoy the book all over again, I simply analysed it to a far greater extent.

The flaws of Elantris are to put it simply a slow and uneven pacing, the occasion lapse of characterisation, the fact that some characters are thinly sketched out and the use of unexplained deus ex machinas right at the end. That said I fully recommend this book as your first venture into Brandon Sanderson's work if you are at all interested in fantasy or just want an entertaining read without the 'literary baggage'.

The strengths of this book are in the plot (discussed more deeply in my first review) and the depth of the novel. Brandon Sanderson manages to combat a lot of criticisms of modern fantasy in this work by concluding an entire story in one volume and while a lot of his later books have been called shallow fun with readable, yet not brilliant writing, this book is probably his deepest, philosophically. I would love to read a feminist review of the book (and one that did not simply question things like 'are the characters Mary Sues - because frankly I hate the term and fine most characters in some ways have unique qualities that make them interesting regardless) or a review looking at the religious system built into the novel. What I myself find most interesting however is how it looks at pain and despair.

Elantris is a modern version of Atlantis in many ways with Sanderson referencing that myth nicely. Although his version is nowhere near as good as that by J.R.R Tolkien. In his version however, rather than showing a race of people drowned, he uses the idea of a sickness. Another idea it appears to reference is the fall of man as seen theologically in Genesis. This sickness is a curse that brings with it pain, despair and alienation. It is how this 'sickness' is treated that I find fascinating in this book. It reminds me of how the X-Men are treated by humans in the comics and how humans have treated each other in slavery. And yet, the main idea running through this book is that we do not have to be defined by our conditions, that we are only defeated if we let our conditions get to us mentally. This is the idea of contrasting sickness and health, freedom and slavery and alienation and acceptance as only defeating you if you accept them with your mind.

A fine, entertaining book and one with some interesting and relevant themes. There are better books like Les Misérables however not everyone will read those books. I hope instead that people can find the themes in those great books in good books like this one.

Review number 1

The premise: a blessing that turned men into gods became a curse that turns men into the undead without a heartbeat and with skin that shrivels in place of the silver skin and hair they possessed before. What follows is one man's quest to discover how and why the curse happened and hence why he has been thrown into Elantris. Where before the curse he would have been immortal and free of all pain he remains immortal but with a body which no longer heals itself. The pain builds up and up until eventually those cursed snap.

In the midst of this plot a religious conflict exists as one man tries to convert an entire city to his religion and prevent war. A princes also strives to work out what happened to her promised husband while trying to fix politics within the city bordering Elantris.

Sound confusing? Well Brandon Sanderson manages to pull together all these conflicting elements, spinning a web of intrigue and magic so dense it's hard not to be drawn into the world formed by his words. Its very easy reading this to see why he was chosen to complete Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time Series because he is a superbly brilliant writer of fantasy.

The story explores incredible themes like rejection, political intrigue, religious extremity, bigotry, xenophobia and a load more. And the story is easy to pick up and read from beginning to end. Trust me this is a book that must be read in order to appreciate the wonders of the fantasy genre.

Not all will enjoy this as much as I did. As a debut novel it does exhibit several typical aspects of other debuts. For instance a tendency to over-word is prevalent. Still it is a finely told story despite any flaws and that is why I loved it as much as I did. If you want to read a city based fantasy that focuses on political intrigue, religion and the idea of what pain will do to people then read this book.


Appendices:

1.I was going to read this but I had to return it for the second time before I got the chance. I guess one day I'll get the chance to re-read and I'll see if my thoughts are still the same.
2.Anyone interested in this book and the theory of fantasy should read this article: http://www.brandonsanderson.com/book/...

[Ashleigh (a frolic through fiction) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rated 4.5/5 stars!

What do I say besides I really really loved it?

This book had everything I adore about high fantasy books. Multiple plot lines of various motives, whether they be political, religious, emotional or more. Character perspectives I loved reading from - and absolutely none of them proved to be "the boring one", as is usually the case with multi-perspective books. A pace that seemed even and yet escalated the further in you read...it really did have it all.

I loved learning bout this world and its ways. Its various cultures seemed so realistic in relation to its political climate and religious tensions. The city of Elantris itself managed to maintain the mystery it claims to be throughout, while also reveal tidbits of information to keep you intrigued enough to turn the pages. The magic system was really interesting to read about, even more so as new rules and mysteries were revealed. Even the character perspectives contributed to the world building, their varying backgrounds contributing to the social dynamics and understanding of the current state of affairs. It was a complicated story, and didn't hold your hand - but it was a story to easily sink into. After feeling pretty "meh" about most of my recent reads, this was one I definitely needed.

This was my second read by Brandon Sanderson, and it's only reminded me how I want to read everything he's written.

[Library of a Viking · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the so-called “worst” cosmere book by Brandon Sanderson, and I have some thoughts.

I’ve had Elantris on my tbr for a long time, but I have kept putting it off for two reasons. Firstly, out of all the full-length novels in the Cosmere, Elantris has the worst average rating on Goodreads, although it is not bad. Secondly, since it was his first published book, I have heard that Elantris is arguably Sanderson’s weakest Cosmere novel. And let me start by saying if you compare this book to either Mistborn Era 1 or The Way of Kings, then yes, you could say that Elantris is not that good, but if this novel were written by anyone else, then I don’t think we would speak about this book in this way. Let me start by saying, I still haven’t read all the Cosmere books. I still need to continue Stormlight Archive, I haven’t read Arcanum Unbounded or Bands of Mourning, but this is not the worst Cosmere book, in my opinion.

So why did I enjoy this book so much? Well, I can break it down into three main areas. World-building, characters and themes.

This probably doesn’t come to anyone’s surprise, but the world-building in this novel is brilliant. I loved how rich this world felt when it came to lore and history. This world already has established kingdoms, clans, religions and an intricate magic system which makes this world feel very real. But my favourite part of this story is the city of Elantris. I am a sucker for the dying world trope, and this is precisely it. The world has moved on, and we see the disastrous consequences of a world that used to have extraordinary magical abilities that have now disappeared. Also, we get to see how clans formed inside the city and how anarchy has shaped life within the city, and I enjoyed seeing that.

Now, let’s move on to the character work. Again, I was pretty surprised by how much I enjoyed the characters in this book. Elantris is a multiple POV story. My favourite character is Prince Raoden, who is stricken by the curse of Elantris. Raoden is such a great and noble character. I suppose you could say that he is almost too noble or perfect, but it was really nice to see that contrast between the city of Elantris and Prince Raoden’s attitude to life. Overall, I found the character work of, especially the main characters, to be quite good and enjoyable.

Let’s talk about themes because this is where the book shines. I loved seeing the commentary on religion in this book. In this world, we have different religions, and we constantly see power struggles between the beliefs, and what I enjoyed is how Sanderson portrays the different relationship people have with religion. There are also some interesting themes about having second-class citizens and the morality of quarantining people because of their illness which is especially interesting in light of recent times.

But, I do have some minor criticisms. Firstly, some of the dialogue felt quite weak. There were some instances where I was thinking: would anyone actually say that? Also, some of the side characters definitely didn’t have that much depth, but I suppose when you are writing a standalone novel, you have to choose which characters you want to focus on. And lastly, you could argue that aspects of the plot were maybe a bit predictable.

But that being said, I still think this was a great read and recommend it if you haven’t picked it up yet.

4 / 5 stars

Thanks to my Patreon’s Dent, Erin, Peturious, Mark, Mel, Melissa and Áron Sofus.

[Iryna *Book and Sword* · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I finished this two months ago and am still thinking about it <3 Constantly. I love it so much.

5/5 OR more accurately all the stars in the world!

“To live is to have worries and uncertainties. Keep them inside, and they will destroy you for certain--leaving behind a person so callused that emotion can find no root in his heart.”

​I will be honest. I expected to like this. I knew I would. I just didn't expect to love it so, so much. Elantris might just have jumped to be my #1 favorite Sanderson book. Sure, I adore the first Mistborn trilogy (I'm not comparing them, but I think Mistborn is the first thing people think of when they hear Sanderson's name). It's breathtaking. I love Kell, and Vin, and Sazed and all of the gang with all of my heart. They are my favorite, they are irreplaceable. But I spent three books with them. Three very hefty books at that. Raoden and Sarene stole my heart completely and unabashedly in just one book.

“Is human nature to believe that other places and other times are better than the here and now.”

Elantris is a story of a city, yes, but first it's a story of three amazingly different characters. Raoden, who is the most pure and beautiful soul in probably all of the universe. And not just Cosmere. Sarene who is so headstrong and stubborn, she would probably move a wall with just her will if she had to. And Hrathen, who seems intimidating and scary, but in reality is lost and scared. Their stories are so different, but they intertwine in the best of ways.

Elantris also has a very cool magic system, but it isn't explored much until about the last third of the book - which plot wise makes the perfect sense, but also leaves the reader hungry to know more. Which now we can, because Elantris 2 is a thing that will happen. One day. I loved that it was inspired by Chinese lettering, something that has always fascinated me.

​Did I mention that a lot of dialog is positively hilarious?

“So, using his pride like a shield against despair, dejection, and-most important—self-pity, Raoden raised his head to stare damnation in the eyes.”

​I can see how Elantris can be a bit hard to get into in the beginning, because of the extensive terminology that is thrown at the reader. All of it is of either religious or political nature - two forces that drive the book. But it isn't confusing, it's just a lot to take in, but once you do - you will feel as if you are yourself are a part of all of the schemes.

Elantris made me cry, and it made me laugh. A lot. It's a story about how our parentage doesn't define us. It's a story about being lost without a purpose, and finding it in the most unexpected places. It's abut coming together and building a better community. It's about embracing who you are and believing that people who truly love you, will love you no matter what. And as weird as it feels for me to say - the romance in here will make your heart turn to goo, because it's so beautiful.

“One cannot separate truth from actions...Physically inevitable or not, truth stands above all things. It is independant of who has the best army, who can deliver the longest sermons, or even who has the most priests. It can be pushed down, but it will always surface. Truth is the one thing you can never intimidate.”

Also, Hoid !!!
____________________

I am dead. This book has killed me.

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