Elantris

Brandon Sanderson, now better known for his Mistborn series and being the author completing Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, made his published debut with Elantris. Elantris has a variety of deep characters, believable and understandable while often difficult to predict political intrigue, a variation of an uncommonly used magic system, and even a little sword fighting, usually with at least one woman holding a blade. Sanderson is one of my favorite authors and while this isn't my favorite of his books, I haven't been disappointed with any of them. I recommend this book for any fan of fantasy.

This book was fantastic! Absolutely packed with plot twists, irony and intrigue. The characters and there internal struggles, the plot twists, magic and great battles kept me reading. Best book I've read in a while! Definately recommend and sure to enjoy!

One thing I think Sanderson excels at is changing perspectives. He creates characters and meshes their perspectives into a thrilling adventure. This book takes the same situation through many different perspectives and gives you insites into what is and will happen, foreshadowing without revealing what's going to really happen next. I kept thinking I knew what would happen but some exciting twist would pop out. He did leave a few things unanswered, but on his blog he said he's planning on writing a follow up book some day where he answers those. Great read.

Yet again I found myself thrilled by Sanderson work and this time about Elantris. Author's first novel delivers such a great story full of mysteries and longings for answer on the questions repeatedly asked. I was totally sucked into book just like in his other novels I read (only Warbreaker left). This one is truly amazing with such a great twists, magic system, internal fights in his characters, hope where there is none and after all epic ending.
This one comes as approval why I see him as my favorite epic fantasy writer ever, far above all others.

First Brandon Sanderson book I ever read and years later I still love it and found myself in need of an additional copy as I keep recommending and lending it out to friends. Wonderful debut novel. There are some darker passages, but overall has clean language and didn't get too violently intense for my tastes.

A brilliant stand alone novel, albeit one set in Sanderson's wider Cosmere universe. It presents a strong hero and heroine as well as a noble\tragic villain whose courses interweave and eventually collide. The magic systems presented are unique as far as I'm aware and provides much of the basis for the challenges of the novel. The novel presents a vividly depicted world and colourful characters. It's easily one of my favourite novels to date, and well worth adding to your collection.

Brandon Sanderson created a unique, self-contained world that is mostly not drawn out, unexplained and left to your imagination to figure out. While the pacing started a little slower than I would have liked, the story pays off quite nicely. As with Mistborn, a certain level is mystery is sewn into the story and you can walk away with most of your questions answered. In the end, characters asks several questions you would ask as the reader and does not answer them, but in a tactful way. Rather than a Q&A monologue, Sanderson leaves the story open for further installments, which I do not mind since is has lots of potential.

The magic system in Elantris is not overly complicated, at least in its undrestanding, and like the system in Mistborn, does not provide its user with unlimited resources to completely dominate one's opponent. There are limitations and they are played in a believable fashion. Elantris ended with a final note concerning AonDor, the source of all magic in the book. Gragdet's, the highest Derethi priests, have magic of their own, but it mainly consists more of physical abilities than supernatural. For instance, one Gradget is repeatedly struck with a sword and is virtually unharmed, while others move with greater quickness, agility and strength than the strongest of regular men. The process that makes them this way, while using AonDor, would be like a dark or blood magic, but ultimately, the source of the power is the same, thus making an Elantrian, who is not immortal, fighting a foe that is essentially equal.

I could not help but note the similarities in this book and Ken Schole's Pslams of Isaak series, specifically the characters Sarene and Jin Li Tam from Lamentation. The audacity they hold themselves to, their unique political positions, and even their character traits are strikingly similar, almost as if they were the same person. And like Sarene, Jim Li Tam is practically too good at getting in the thick of main events. So what I am basically saying is that they were so good it was a fault in their characters. They executed a little too perfectly, leaving very little room for mistakes. Even Vin from Mistborn made mistakes, some huge. I guess you could mark this as my only complaint of the book.

Sanderson has captivated my imagination once more with Elantris. I was not let down and enjoyed the ride. He mentioned that there would be a sequel to Elantris, but with his primary focus being the conclusion to the Wheel of Time series for a 2012 release, Elantris 2 may not be in my greedy hands until 2013 or 2014, possibly even later. In the meantime, I have a handful of other Sanderson books I can digest. I can now say with certainty that Sanderson is my favorite fantasy author. I need more exposure to add more weight to that statement, but I am confident in my position.

I have to agree with another reviewer who said his biggest disappointment is that there no additional novels in this world to be read. That being said, I do love the fact that it was a single novel with most issues being resolved at the end. The reason I have rated this a 4 rather than a 5 star is related to the resolution. The first 85-90% of this book (I'm a kindle reader) went along at a good pace, however my issue is I think the ending was rushed. Given it was a first novel, it is understandable that everything is not perfect, but I think I enjoyed these characters and the new world so much, I was just a little sad to see it all end so quickly....

An exciting and well thought out story with truly engaging characters. Poignant, funny, and insightful throughout with a satisfying ending that could allow for more amazing tales from this unique world.

Brandon Sanderson is one of my all time favorite authors. This book followed suit. Although I prefer his book "The Way of Kings", Elantris is imaginative, new, fresh, and complex enough to intertwine plots, but not so much that you are lost. With great vocabulary, excellent imagery, wonderful stylized writing, and stories that don't feel like regurgitated sci-fi or fantasy, he is hard to beat. Worth a read for sure!

I was told that this was Brandon Sanderson's first book and that he had trouble getting it published. If that's true, it's easily the best-written first novel I can remember reading. The characters are realistically complex and three dimensional. The author exhibits an uncanny insight into the human condition. The story is well crafted and efficient. Shame on any publisher who was too simple to discern the genius of this novel. I very rarely write reviews, but this book warrants the time to pay it my respects.

This book is very obviously one of Brandon Sanderson's earliest books, as I feel it wasn't quite as polished as his later books. The pace was somewhat awkward, and it seemed nothing truly substantial happened until the end of the book. However, the characters were true and likable, and the magic setting was unique.

I would definitely suggest this book, but do not think it will compare to his later books.

Brandon Sanderson, in everything he does, (barring maybe the Wheel of Time books) has his own feel. I mean, when you read these books, you know they're Brandon Sanderson books. I don't really know how to explain it better than that, but there's always a certain quality to them that you don't see in other novels. I, personally, love Brandon Sanderson, and consider him among my favorite authors. I recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy; the characters are fun, the story is interesting, and you wont ever be too bored with one chapter. It's obviously one of his earlier works, and they do get more polished along the way, but it's still great.

One of my all time favorites, Brandon Sanderson's Elantris is a unique story with a strong female lead character and one of my all time favorite bad guys. The characters are interesting, the magic system is complex and fun, and very central to the story, which moves very quickly through most of the book. I highly recommend.

I first read Brandon Sanderson's work in the final instalments of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, and I was instantly a fan. Anyone who had enough talent to complete Jordan's work, staying true to that masterful form of writing deserved my respect as a reader. I read a couple of Sanderson's short stories, and then his latest work The Way of Kings, book one in his Storm Light Archive series; a brilliant work, pun intended. I could not wait for the next book in that series before my next Sanderson fix, so I decided to read Elantris.

As I progressed through the novel, I was constantly redefining what I felt I was reading. I was so intrigued by the uniqueness of the story that I started speculating on where the inspiration had originated that gave the story life. Was this inspired by Gene Wolfe or Stephen King? At one point I applauded Sanderson's creative new spin on the classic zombie story, but I quickly realized that was probably the most shallow interpretation of all. No, this was no genius telling of a zombie tale, an astonishing achievement of an depict tale worthy of its own place in the hallowed halls of great fantasy literature.

Despite being the first book published by Brandon Sanderson, Elantris is actually a strong story. The characters are well developed, the world is internally consistent, and the problems, while fantastical, are revealed in a way that makes them easy to understand from the readers perspective. If you enjoyed reading his later series of MistBorn books, you'll enjoy this read, since there are a lot of overlapping themes.

There are so many reviews im gonna make this really short. The one thing i want people to know about this book is that it may be considered boring, especially in the start. There is no real action to speak of until you get to the last third or so of the book. Yes there are good characters, story, even some little mysteries for you to try to understand before all the info is known. Just know, if you are someone who enjoys battles more than intrigue you may find this book lacking.

I have become a fan of Brandon Sanderson after reading his completion of the wheel of time series. This novel is very good with novel ideas that keep you interested. I would like to see additional stories in this world as I think there is a lot more to explore.

As always Sanderson brings a new and intricate flavor to the genre. Don't expect wizards and elves and dwarves, instead expect world building to to rival the best Sci-fi authors and magic to rival the best fantasy authors with a story line that draws the reader to turn pages until they run out.

The real star of Elantris is the world Sanderson creates. His runic magic system is fascinating. Even more interesting is the mystery of what happened to the world. Sanderson drops us in media res, and allows us to slowly come to grips with what is going on. I loved the world building and the conflict of the story (an invasion threat with a ticking clock to keep the action moving).

My one real qualm with the book was that of the main character, Raoden. He’s too perfect. He’s the epitome of selflessness. I don’t mind a optimistic, selfless character, but this was done to an extreme that made him unrelatable to me. I thought the other main characters of Sarene and Hrathen were much more interesting. Unfortunately, there were so many side characters that many of them felt sketched in rather than fleshed out. When the action kicks off at the end of the book, I wasn’t always sure who everyone was, because they made such a fleeting impression on me.

If you do read the book, I highly encourage you to check out Brandon Sanderson’s website, where he provides commentary on every chapter of this book (written about 5 years after he originally wrote the story for his college work). Sanderson shows he understands the problems of the book and provides reasons for why he wrote things a certain way. I was particularly interested in the deleted sections he provided, which dealt with an major character that he ultimately deleted from the book entirely). These annotations of his work really provided insight into his process and helped me appreciate the work that much more.

I love fantasy books. If you haven't read Brandon Sanderson, you really should. Although not my favorite, this is a fine place to start at if you haven't read any of his others. This novel can act as a stand alone and requires no prior knowledge of his works. Great book.

Definitely well written, great development of story and characters. There is room for more from these same characters, which I hope is the plan. I like a long story line with worthy subjects and this merits more in the series.
I think this is a good fantasy for adults and young adults but certainly isn't dumbed down for anyone. Thanks for that!

I first started with the mistborn trilogy and moved into the storm light series, which is still only in its second book. Of the 3, this is my least favorite, not to say that it was not good. Sanderson is a very complex writer and to me this book's core can be found in his others but in a more refined way. His systems of magic are well thought out and weaved into his plots which skillful balance political, religious and everyday man plot lines. Definitely worth reading.

If you like Robert Jordan than you'll love Sanderson. Start with Mistborn. Stormlight is the best but it's not finished yet.

I love fantasy books. If you haven't read Brandon Sanderson, you really should. Although not my favorite, this is a fine place to start at if you haven't read any of his others. This novel can act as a stand alone and requires no prior knowledge of his works. Great book.

Definitely well written, great development of story and characters. There is room for more from these same characters, which I hope is the plan. I like a long story line with worthy subjects and this merits more in the series.
I think this is a good fantasy for adults and young adults but certainly isn't dumbed down for anyone. Thanks for that!

I first started with the mistborn trilogy and moved into the storm light series, which is still only in its second book. Of the 3, this is my least favorite, not to say that it was not good. Sanderson is a very complex writer and to me this book's core can be found in his others but in a more refined way. His systems of magic are well thought out and weaved into his plots which skillful balance political, religious and everyday man plot lines. Definitely worth reading.

If you like Robert Jordan than you'll love Sanderson. Start with Mistborn. Stormlight is the best but it's not finished yet.

I love Brandon Sanderson. His work is entertaining even when it isn't incredible. It's usually incredible. He's a wonderful writer. I'm not crazy about the audiobook for this one, though. The dialogue narration is pretty good but the rest of it sounds like the "In a world..." trailer guy--no exaggeration. It's very distracting unfortunately.

I started reading this book after reading the Mistborn trilogy and understanding that this was Brandon Sanderson's first novel. The characters in the book were interesting, and I'm refreshed by the strong female characters that Sanderson likes to include in his book. The book began a bit slowly, however, and the quality of the writing at the beginning of the book was not what I had come to expect from the author (although it was still certainly good). As the book continued, the quality of the writing greatly improved. Overall, This is probably my least favorite of Sanderson's books, but is still among my favorite fantasy books.

Greatly enjoyed this book and loved that the story was contained into 1 book. This book seemed to a good job of developing a fantasy world that was unique. There were good plot twists that kept you on your toes. The book also did a good job keeping you wondering what happened to Elantris. The ending to the story was very satisfying. If there were a 4 1/2 star rating I'd give it to this book.

Though this wasn't particularly a favorite, I really liked it. There's no doubt that Brandon Sanderson knows how to whip up fascinating worlds and characters, while captivating his readers with a compelling plot. Or maybe I'm not as enamored due to reading The Way of Kings first, which is undeniably a masterpiece. Though I still kept on flipping the pages.

This was my first Brandon Sanderson novel, and so I had to have the anniversary edition when it came out. I love the extras and I'm glad the cover art didn't change. If you haven't read anything by Sanderson, please, start with this one....you won't be disappointed.

I started out reading the sample and quickly was hooked. The 3 person pov make the book quite long, but it allows the reader to get to know the main characters intimately and only get more immersed in the deeply detailed plot. If you like Middle Ages-fantastic meets vaguely religious based monarch politics, then this book is perfect! It is an easy read, but with enough complexity and twists in the plot to keep any reader interested!

Sanderson's debut fantasy is fantastic... it may seem slow to start, but I assure you it is anything but slow. There's so much ground to cover as an author of this tale. He builds a fantastic world that enchants you and drives you to seek its secrets along with the characters.

An intricate and frequently amusing tale of a thrilling, passionate pursuit of truth. Startling intrigues unfold at every turn, as characters manifest dark, hidden agendas and a ruthless enemy makes the ultimate sacrifice for love. Sanderson has produced a masterpiece in Elantris. The story is unpredictable, fast paced and filled with powerfully drawn characters. Perhaps most remarkable is how skillfully Sanderson manages to conclude the story to satisfy an eager reader completely yet still leave tantalizing, unanswered questions...

The fact that Elantris is Brandon Sanderson's debut fantasy novel is mind blowing. There is no way I would have guessed this unique and marvelous book was the author's debut. He created such an original world of magic and fantasy. The system of magic found in the book was so well thought through that it almost seemed logical that it was real. Everything from the plot of the story to the descriptions of the places and people showed how unique and powerful Sanderson's vision is. I sometimes found myself thinking I really was in Elantris. Not only were the descriptions of the characters amazing, but also they always kept me guessing. The characters were never who or what they seemed to be.

From the prologue Sanderson had me excited to read and had me wanting to know more. The excitement did not stop there, the stories twists and turns kept me hooked throughout the entire book. Whenever I felt I had figured out what would come next I was wrong, however, this made the book better with every surprise. Even with these twists and turns Sanderson was able to keep the writing smooth, the book flowing from page to page.

I would definitely recommend Elantris to anybody. It doesn't matter if people are fans of fantasy or not, there will be something in this book for them. Mystery, magic, romance, political struggles, religious tension and fights for equality are just a few of the details of the great plot that is Elantris.

This is an interesting story that bears many characteristics of a mystery within the context of a fantasy world. The magic here is suspended mostly with a few artifacts lingering over from a time prior to a catastrophic event. Sanderson definitely understands what a heroic character is and there are some very well written scenes to be found in this story. While it is fantasy, it is deeply human.

Sanderson's first book has a fascinating premise but, as other reviewers have noticed, it is troubled by some common "debut novel" problems. I read the Mistborn series before Elantris and was excited to read another Sanderson book. For those of you who were disappointed by this book, please give Mistborn a try; the difference is night and day.

Elantris has three major threads: Raoden/Elantris, Sarene/Kae, and the Priest/"Outside Threat" thread. The Raoden/Elantris plot was well-done and kept me engaged in the book. The "Outside Threat" thread dragged and felt like it was added in obligatorily rather than as an organic part of the story. I ended up skimming some of those parts. I suspect he started with the Elantris premis and the character of Raoden and added on other parts to make it a full story. These problems, as well as characters who are less developed than his later characters, make Elantris a book you should read after you are already a Sanderson fan.

To completely capture my attention for 4 days with this great story. I'm curious how the next book will turn out and what plot twists he has in store. There were some very surprising events in this story.

This book starts slow and dense, it took me nearly a week to get through the first half. It really picks up in part 2, I finished the book from half way in only a few days. Im looking forward to reading Emperors Soul.

Brandon Sanderson is amazing. A writer with breathtaking imagination. In one single book he ties up the entire story arc so well that the reader is left satisfied and not clamoring for a sequel. I cannot think of any other author who has done that as convincingly.

During the first several pages I had my doubts about this book, but based on the reviews I'd seen I read on and am certainly glad that I did. Elantris is an inspiring story of triumph sprinkled with a little bit of mystery, adventure, humor, and romance. I enjoyed this book so much I read the Mistborn trilogy (My favorite trilogy of all-time). I can't wait for Sanderson to finish The Wheel of Time series. He has a knack for wrapping things up nicely: the one thing Robert Jordan always struggled with.