Garrison Kelly’s Reviews > Elantris > Status Update

Guess what, everyone? I'm back from the dead tonight! Two months of resting, building Lego sets, and drawing cartoons has all led to this: a return to reading after a long layoff. I hope this newfound energy will stay with me for a while.

Guys...it's all crashing down. Sarene found out that Raoden (better known as "Spirit") was hoarding food from rival gangs. This revelation came in the middle of a battle between Ioden's soldiers and Elantran gangsters, where the soldiers got the better of the exchange. Raoden unknowingly created a monarchy in an attempt to bring peace to Elantris. Now he's a tyrant and Sarene hates his guts. My heart is broken...

Hrathen and Raoden both have something in common: they're questioning their own influence after the events of the last few days. Hrathen's faithful flock is gravitating towards the nutty Dilaf and Raoden's "gang" would rather take gifts from Sarene than continue working on New Elantris. Part of me thinks that Sarene genuinely doesn't know she's unintentionally messing things up. There's a message in there somewhere.

Even open-minded princesses like Sarene aren't immune to propaganda. Nobody is. She pre-judged the Elantrans based on stories about their barbarism and random acts of violence. But when she actually talked to these people, she began to soften her stance on them. They weren't savages. They were hungry people desperate for an end to their suffering. The more you get to know someone, the less likely you are to judge.

I'm trying to wrap my head around Raoden objecting to Sarene giving free food to the people of Elantris. I know Elantrans don't eat because they're already dead, so at best it would be a temporary distraction from the constant pain. But why do distractions have to be a bad thing? Is Raoden worried that it'll bring false hope that'll eventually lead to disappointment when the food stops coming? I don't know, man...

More politicking and more chess moves from Hrathen as he gets a little closer to indoctrinating a new flock every day. Keeping Dilaf and his nutty zeal at arm's length, giving a two bags of gold to ignorant beggars, and getting into a verbal fracas with a priest who thinks Hrathen is too logical and not faithful enough in his sermons. It's a slow process, but Hrathen is sticking to his plan and not budging.

You know how I always say that Raoden would make an awesome president? The same could be said for Sarene. In fact, she could steamroll Donald Trump in any election. She makes deals that actually mean something, she shows respect to minorities, and she still won't take shit from hoity-toity men who don't deserve her surrender. Guys...I think I'm in love...

Some madmen tried to assassinate Raoden, but the soldiers under his command fought them off without losing one of their own. Raoden still insists that he can get through to the more aggressive citizens of Elantris and that violence shouldn't be the one size fits all solution going forward. Is he too optimistic or is there credence to what he's saying? You be the judge.

I have to be honest with you guys. I never thought a lifelong Mormon like Brandon Sanderson would say the quiet part out loud when it comes to how religious figures cultivate a sense of hate and prejudice among their flock. Sanderson has probably seen this happen many times growing up and used that as inspiration for Hrathen, the ultimate propagandist.

Exactly a week after our presidential election in the US, I read a chapter of Elantris told through Sarene's point of view. She too has to contemplate a future where surrender or death are the only options. The important thing for her to remember is to keep her revolutionary passion alive, even though it looks like cracks are forming in her spirit. Intelligence and wit are not vices. They're virtues.