Elantris (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "PRINCE Raoden of Arelon awoke early that morning, completely unaware that he had been damned for all eternity..." (more)
Key Phrases: tapped her cheek, elderly duke, brow furled, New Elantris, Duke Telrii, Duke Roial (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Sanderson's outstanding fantasy debut, refreshingly complete unto itself and free of the usual genre clichés, offers something for everyone: mystery, magic, romance, political wrangling, religious conflict, fights for equality, sharp writing and wonderful, robust characters. The godlike inhabitants of Elantris, once the capital of the land of Arelon, have degenerated into powerless, tortured souls, unable to die, after the city's magic inexplicably broke 10 years earlier. When the same curse strikes Prince Raoden of Arelon and he's imprisoned in Elantris, he refuses to surrender to his grim fate and instead strives to create a society out of the fallen and to unlock the secret that will restore the city's glory. Meanwhile, Princess Sarene of Kae (Arelon's new capital), who was betrothed to Raoden sight unseen, believes her intended has died. Officially declared his widow, she must use her political savvy and wit to protect Kae from malevolent forces without and within the city, chiefly Hrathen, a leader of the creepy Shu-Dereth faith, who aims to either convert Kae or destroy it within three months. The intrigue and excitement grow steadily in this smoothly written, perfectly balanced narrative; by the end readers won't want to put it down. As the blurb from Orson Scott Card suggests, Sanderson is a writer to watch.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Until 10 years ago, Elantris was the capital of Arelon, inhabited by ordinary humans transformed into magic-using demigods by the Shaod. But the magic failed, Elantris started to rot, and its inhabitants turned into powerless wrecks. Princess Sarene of Teod arrives in Kae, the new capital, close enough to Elantris to constantly remind of faded glory, prepared for a marriage to ally Teod and Arelon against the religious imperialists of Fjordell. But, she is told, her fiance, Prince Raoden, is dead. She and a recently arrived high priest of Fjordell, Hrathen, clash. Sarene tries to retain the freedom of Teod and Arelon, Hrathen tries to incite the populace to convert so that Fjordell can take over. Neither suspects the truth about Raoden. Taken by the Shaod, he struggles to unite the crippled Elantrians and discover why the magic failed. The unrest comes to a head as governments topple, the Elantrians' secrets are revealed, and Fjordell's forces arrive. A surprisingly satisfying, single-volume epic fantasy that invokes a complex, vibrant world. Regina Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 656 pages
• Publisher: Tor Fantasy (May 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765350378
• ISBN-13: 978-0765350374
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (148 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,699 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

103 of 116 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a 5, but a good first novel, June 23, 2006

By	Dreamking47 (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

I think I may rate books differently than other readers. For me, a book starts out as a 3. That means solid writing, no major plot holes or characterization issues, and an overall satisfying experience: the basics we should expect from a published fiction. A lack of any of those facets means the book is a 2 or a 1; additions like social relevance, emotional resonance, memorable writing, or intellectual stimulation can drive the rating up to a 4 or (for those few books that have all or most of these) a 5. There are very few books I'd rate as a 5, which I think is as it should be.

Elantris on my scale is a 3. The writing is clear but rarely poetic. The main characters are well-defined but two of the three are a little too perfect to relate to and don't experience any inner growth, while the secondary characters almost universally seem to exist in order to provide some sort of surprise loop-back later in the book. The system of magic was interesting but the answer to the central question -- why it had stopped working -- turned out to be something I had a hard time believing wasn't commonly known and understood. The city of Elantris was a well-described setting, a character in itself, but other countries and races seemed rather stereotypical portrayals of Earthly analogues. Overall, while reading the book I never stopped in boredom but also I never paused in wonder, and when finished I was satisfied but it's not a book that I feel any great desire to re-read.

That being said, the author is someone that I plan to keep an eye on and hope to read more from in the future. It's my understanding that Elantris was written some 7 years ago, and much of the above is understandable as "young author/first publication" issues. Despite what I wrote above, the author clearly has a lot going for him: the novel was smartly structured; the inter-relationships between names, glyphs and magic, as well as the setting and basic plot, were all well imagined; genders and religions were dealt with even-handedly; and it was simply refreshing to read a fantasy that was not a multi-volume rehashing of the "orphan boy undertakes journey from one side of the map to the other with party of companions to save the princess/retrieve the object/kill the bad guy" story. I look forward to seeing what the author's intelligence and imagination can do when combined with the further refinement of his craft that only experience can bring. And by all means, pick up a copy of Elantris if the story sounds interesting to you, just don't expect it to be more than it is.

53 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a one volume fantasy? Yep, and it's great!, June 17, 2005

By	Joe Sherry (Minnesota) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Elantris (Hardcover)

"Elantris" is the debut novel from Brandon Sanderson. Blurbs on the cover from Orson Scott Card and David Farland say this book is "the finest novel of fantasy to be written in many years" and "one of the finest debuts I've seen in years." When I read a novel I generally do not pay attention to when it was written and I know that I haven't read all of the debut fantasy novels which have come out in the past several years. I do know when I've read a very good book, however, and "Elantris" is certainly that.

The prologue to the novel was all of five paragraphs but it gave all of the information needed to understand the background of what the story would be. It tells of a beautiful city named Elantris which glowed like magic and where amazing magics were possible and commonplace. Elantris was populated by godlike beings who could wield these powers as I might use a pen. But these beings were once regular humans, soldiers and serfs, princes and beggers and merchants. When something called the Shaod came upon them they were transformed into Elantrians and into a newer, greater existence. But ten years ago something happened.

That something is that the blessing turned into a curse and Elantris and its population started to rot away. The city now abandoned except for the poor souls still called by the Shaod is covered in slime and muck and the Elantrians are the cursed, neither dead nor truly alive.

This was a beautiful set up and pulled me right in from the start. Sanderson introduces Raoden, a prince and heir to the throne of Arelon. The city of Kae lies in the shadow of Elantris and the glory of Arelon has fallen with Elantris. Raoden is a man who gives his people hope, but when he is called by the Shaod he is doomed. His father, the king, does not reveal what happened to Raoden, but rather holds a funeral for his not beloved son. Meanwhile, Sarene, a princess from another country has arrived to marry Raoden not knowing what has happened. Her marriage contract considers her married upon the betrothal and even continues after Raoden's death, so she remains in Kae. But Raoden must find a way to survive, such as it is, in Elantris. Sarene is the only one who sees the coming doom from the religion of Darethi and an invasion from Fjordell.

Brandon Sanderson has done something remarkable here. He has created an incredibly original work and unlike so many other works of fantasy this novel is complete in itself. It is not, as I understand it, the first volume of a trilogy or larger series. It is an epic work of fantasy in one self contained novel. It's one of the better fantasies that I have read. Sanderson does a good job in making all of the primary characters understandable, and sympathetic...even the "bad guys". The motivations are explained well and the characters are well developed and revealed. Simply put, with one novel Sanderson has made a fan of me. I was surprised by just how good this book was. If Sanderson writes another, I will definitely read it.

-Joe Sherry

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Had some serious problems with this book, but will try the author again, December 26, 2008

By	Joe W "jw" (Winston-Salem, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elantris (Hardcover)

I found Elantris to be disappointing, but I did struggle between rating it a two star or three star disappointments. Sanderson had a lot of good ideas that both impressed and delighted me. The nature of magic, the nature of the political entanglements (both between countries and within Arelon ), the basic conception of the trouble and its eventual resolution were all good.

What did not impress or delight me was the execution of the story.

1) It reminded me too much of an outline. Each scene was an island of some depth and complexity, but there was the scantest of connective flow between each scene. Enough to maintain the direction of the story, but none of the richness one finds with the Bujolds, Gaimans or Brusts of this world. I felt as though everyone in the story was moving in lockstep choreography to the needs of the writer, as opposed to the personal motivations of each respective character.

2) The characters were touted as being politically adroit, but I found them to be juvenile and hamfisted. Sarene was supposed to be an experienced diplomat with a command of the subtle, but she was invariably direct and pushy or melodramatically manipulative and pushy.

3) Sanderson mistakes chaos for drama. From the point where Hrathen goes into Elantris, which I admit was a brilliant move, Sanderson presents scenes where one pointlessly chaotic thing happens after another. It is supposed to give us a sense of tension and anxiety and make us wonder what will happen next. I just felt ineffectively manipulated.

I think that if Sanderson can smooth out his approach, stop rushing around, and flesh out his thoughts then he will become a fine writer. Clearly, as I finished the book, I was interested enough in what was happening to withstand the presentation. But I cannot say that I actually enjoyed the ride.