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Andi is Currently Reading

Andi is currently reading

Elantris (Elantris, #1)

by Brandon Sanderson (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: favorites, currently-reading

Reading for the 2nd time

read in November 2020

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Andi said: " Interesting plot, cool magic, nice twists - everything else is characters, settings, writing, and overall ideas that were eventually recycled into all of Sanderson's forthcoming novels. This is the proto Sanderson novel. 3.5/5

Elantris contained a goo Interesting plot, cool magic, nice twists - everything else is characters, settings, writing, and overall ideas that were eventually recycled into all of Sanderson's forthcoming novels. This is the proto Sanderson novel. 3.5/5

Elantris contained a good amount of the stuff that I've enjoyed the most out of Sanderson's novels so far. Brutal twists, humor that wasn't even half as cringey as the humor I've encountered in the rest of his books, a magic system refreshingly different from the rest of his magic systems, bit of a survival horror aspect, super hopeful vibes amidst terrible environment and odds, family dynamics, Hoid, and more. Elantris feels fresh even within the Cosmere, and certainly among other popular high fantasy novels.

75% of Elantris is also SUPER boring and draggy, though the Sanderson novel with the driest writing so far for me has to go to Warbreaker. Elantris actually included some imagery and writing flourishes. Weird that Sanderson has all but abandoned such things in his other works.

The other thing is that there's a lot of cringey content in this book. And the plot twists, while good plot-wise, are executed extremely poorly in the writing. And the ending was full of (in)conveniences and felt very rushed and clunky. Uncomfortable almost-sex jokes, a Sanderson staple. Proof that Sanderson is a one-trick pony with plot ideas and characters, since most of the locations, plot points, and characters - including the side characters - have carbon copies of themselves in multiple other Sanderson novels. Lots and lots and lots of not-like-other-girls, girl-on-girl hate, female fridging so intense it contradicts the lore, and feeble attempts at feminism that actually wind up becoming more sexism. Lots of super noticeable othering and stereotyping of the few characters of color. Ideas about the poor and working classes that border on poorly thought-out philosophies that essentially boil down to, the poor don't deserve to have anything handed to them because if they don't have anything, it means they're lazy and not trying hard enough. For all Elantris' enormous focus on politics and philosophy, there's zero acknowledgement of the systemic nature of oppression. A lot of "loving the (white) master" stuff with enslaved or "pet" races and nations. And just plain old boring protagonists.

Most of this is because Elantris is a product of its time, but I've seen most of these grievances repeated in even Sanderson's most recent works, just buried deeper or glossed over or ignored by his fandom more.

Hrathen is probably my favorite thing to come out of Elantris, but just like every other interesting secondary Sanderson villain, he dies in the end. At least we got to see evil proto Dalinar, though. I laughed incredibly loudly at the cliche throwaway SHE'LL NEVER KNOW THAT HE LOVED HER line toward the end. Sanderson, please. Just stop. Do not attempt. Don't threaten me with a good time you don't intend to give me, either.

I did guess the lore-based plot twist, which I'm proud of. Speaking of, I did like the runic magic system. It was interesting watching Raoden try and figure it out.

I thought I was going to like Karata as a character a lot, but she was used as a plot device that connected her to having children, and then she was never relevant again, only to be made to SEW instead of be the warrior she was at the beginning, and was the only Elantrian who didn't get to come back in the end, effectively fridging her. Nice.

I did enjoy the uncertainty around death, but the peace the pool brought. And I loved Hoid's chapter at the end where he jumps in and disappears. It was much better than his ending Stormlight appearances where he chats about the higher nature of art.

The romance was eh. Fine. Better than other Sanderson works. Still not great though.

The writing was so dry and wooden, especially in the moments where the writing needed to be at the top of its game. Plot twists and the ending wound up feeling weirdly rushed through and underwritten, even though this book is HUGE. There were also scenes where characters appeared out of thin air, other scenes where I seriously couldn't tell what was happening because of the writing.

I liked the survival horror aspect of living in Elantris. There were some worldbuilding bits that I just had to ignore in order to keep my belief suspended though.

I definitely liked Elantris more than I thought I would, and it's not my least-favorite of Sanderson works, but it's still long and dry and awkward in so many places, and it's frustrating to see just how much Sanderson recycles his ideas and characters into other books, as if he really only knows how to write one book. ...more "

Mar 15, 2021 02:03PM · see review

Andi is currently reading

Thick as Thieves (The Queen's Thief, #5)

by Megan Whalen Turner (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: 2024-gimme-more, favorites, currently-reading

Reading for the 2nd time

read in January 2024

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Andi said: " Book 5/6 in the YA fantasy The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner - yet another absolute banger, interesting since this is another book without Gen or Irene in it (very much), told from a secondary POV, yet I loved it so much more than A Con ...more "

Jan 24, 2024 08:23PM · see review

Andi is currently reading

System Collapse (The Murderbot Diaries, #7)

by Martha Wells (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading, 2024-gimme-more, 24-summer-sojourn

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May 05, 2024 09:49AM

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Andi’s Quotes

“As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it.”
― Albert Einstein

tags: knowledge

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“A true thing, poorly expressed, is a lie.”
― Stephen Fry

tags: destiny

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“The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea.”
― Isak Dinesen, Seven Gothic Tales

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“The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself”
― William Faulkner

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“Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

tags: identity

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