anne
Written on Dec 1, 2021
Elantris was built on magic and it thrived. But then the magic began to fade and Elantris began to rot. And now its shattered citizens face domination by a powerful Imperium motivated by dogged religious views. Can a young Princess unite the people of Elantris, rediscover the lost magic and lead a rebellion against the imperial zealots? Brandon Sanderson's debut fantasy showed his skill as a storyteller and an imaginer of baroque magical systems to be fully developed from the start.
- ISBN10 0575097442
- ISBN13 9780575097445
- Publish Date 11 August 2011 (first published 1 May 2005)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 1 December 2016
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Gollancz
- Format Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
- Pages 656
- Language English
Reviews
ladygrey
Written on May 26, 2021
It did not take me two weeks to read Elantris. Though I started it and wasn't interested in anything happening by the end of the first chapter so I put it down for a while. I mean, there was a prince so I figured it would get interesting. And there's a girl on the cover so I assumed she'd show up at some point. But the first chapter is all grimy and violent and depressing. Which, is kind of the point, I get. But not fun to read.
Eventually, though, I came back to it and read the second chapter which was much more interesting than the first. And by then the particular Brandon Sanderson way of making you want to see what happens next kicked in and I read Elantris, truly, in like two days.
Brandon Sanderson is good so I enjoyed it. I liked Roadan and Sarene a lot. I liked the secondary characters a good deal as well. I couldn't stand Dilaf, like from the first glimpse despised him and every time he showed up on the page. But, again, I kinda think that was the point. I liked Hrathen more when he was opposing Dilaf and liked him less when it seemed Dilaf was getting the better of him.
The end wasn't really much of a surprise. How it played out was unexpected but I don't think you write a story telling us so much of who the Elantrians used to be without eventually making the half formed versions into the whole. The good part is that I enjoyed the rest of the book enough that by the time I got to the end that wasn't what I was reading for anymore.
I found it interesting how similar certain things were to The Final Empire. Dilaf's use of Dor and the partially metal parts to him were a lot like the Steel Inquisitors. And the theme of the gods and the rewritten history was a little similar. And the seons were a lot like the gloopy creatures that can change shape and live to serve people. Which makes sense because he was writing them sort of in parallel and because they're in the same universe. But I had to keep reminding myself that they're in the same universe when I stumbled on a similarity because it felt a little too the same, but also a little not. It was very subtle.
The thing is, as well written as Elantris is, I didn't love it. There were no parts I wanted to quote or characters I adored or moments that got me especially excited. I might have almost cried at one moment at the end a little, but I'm not being facetious--I honestly can't remember and it was last night. Sanderson's books are always good and always well written but I haven't read one yet that I love or that I need to read again.
HekArtemis
Written on Jun 5, 2020
It's meant to get a sequel in the distant, distant future too isn't it? I look forward to that.
mitabird
Written on Apr 3, 2019
sokodomo
Written on Jan 28, 2019
Mistborn, here I come!
bettyehollands
Written on Aug 19, 2016
Mercy
Written on Sep 25, 2015
adamfortuna
Written on Nov 3, 2014
KitsuneBae
Written on Aug 23, 2014
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Review to follow soon.
For a debut novel, Elantris was a damn good book. But still, I can't help comparing it to the author's other works.
Amber
Written on Jul 11, 2014
In this world, Elantris was once a place of magic and awesomeness, but something happened that caused the city to lose its magic, as did the citizens who resided there. There is this whole mystery of what exactly happened to Elantris that is a prominent plot point throughout the book. How could anything destroy a city in such a way? And why don’t the people who live there die? Prince Raoden is sent to Elantris after he goes through a thing, and through his eyes we discover what’s really going on there.
Outside of Elantris’ walls, we have Sarene, who was on her way to marry Raoden for a political marriage. She gets caught up in all of the mystery business, with the priests and the preachers and the royal family. It’s all very complicated but Sarene is bloody awesome. I loved the inside-outside dynamic that she and Raoden provided, although I wasn’t a fan of the romance that eventually blossomed between them.
Sanderson is so good at world-building, you guys. While he does seem to recycle tropes and basic plot points and themes, he goes on to build upon them and develop them and eventually you are left with an amazing world that feels pretty damn unique. The fantasy elements are, of course, the most compelling part of the story, and I loved reading about the world as it started to take shape. I love this Cosmere universe so much, and I am actually pretty excited about doing a reread at some point in the future so I can note down absolutely everything.
Elantris is a really good book, that is currently a standalone although I think Sanderson might be planning a potential sequel. Either way, Elantris is awesome, and I highly recommend reading it if you’re already a fan of Sanderson’s other series. I’m not sure I would recommend starting with this book as your first venture into the Cosmere, but it’s certainly a very good read.