Elantris

No cover

Brandon Sanderson: Elantris (2011, Orion Publishing Group, Limited)

English language

Published Dec. 26, 2011 by Orion Publishing Group, Limited.

ISBN:
978-0-575-09745-2
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4 stars (196 reviews)

In 2005, Brandon Sanderson debuted with Elantris, an epic fantasy unlike any other then on the market. To celebrate its tenth anniversary, Tor is reissuing Elantris in a special edition, a fresh chance to introduce it to the myriad readers who have since become Sanderson fans.

This new edition begins with a preface by author Dan Wells, the first person to read the completed novel, and a new afterword by Sanderson explaining how he came to write the book and its place in the Cosmere, the unified universe of all his Tor novels.

Also included is an expanded version of the "Ars Arcanum" appendix, with more of the technical details of the book's magic that fans can never get enough of.

Elantris was truly a milestone both for Sanderson and for the genre of epic fantasy. It deserves this special treatment, something Tor has done only once before, with Orson …

29 editions

Huge in Scope

4 stars

Elantris has all the hallmarks of a story that is part of a greater whole. Sanderson's signature method of weaving Mormon themes of self-reliance and a touch of Mary Sue-esque qualities in his main characters are present, but not to the point of intrusiveness. Overall, a good introduction to Sanderson's writing style. I would definitely recommend this to fantasy fans.

Alles in einem Buch

5 stars

Mir hat es wirklich gut gefallen. Was sonst über mehrere/viele Bände ausgewalzt wird (nicht, dass ich da grundsätzlich was gegen hätte; an der Wheel of Time Reihe hab ich z.B. 15 Jahre gesessen), passt hier in ein Buch, ohne dass es sich verkürzt oder schlecht ausgearbeitet anfühlen würde.

Besonders nett fand ich in der Jubiläumsausgabe, dass auch ein paar Kapitel im Anhang waren, die in der finalen Fassung nicht mehr enthalten sind inkl. Kommentaren des Autors.

Aber insbesondere bemerkenswert finde ich, dass Sanderson auch hier ein komplettes Magie-System am Start hat, so wie auch z.B. in Mistborn oder Stormlight Archive, aber eben wieder signifikant anders. Und das, obwohl die Magie hier auf der Welt "kaputt" ist. Apropos Welt, es gibt schon Referenzen auf andere Welten seines Cosmere-Universums. Ich bin immer wieder beeindruckt, wie tief und weit man imaginäre Welten ausarbeiten kann.

Absolutt en debutbok

3 stars

Elantris er en fin historie, en tydelig førstebok fra en forfatter med mer på hjertet. Boken er splittet mellom forsøk på brudd med sjangeren og åpenbare klisjeer.

Den Sterke Kvinnerollen, en av bokens tre hovedpersoner, er velment, men oser Mary Sue-energi – hun er høy, hun er sterk, hun er frittalende, hun er ikke bundet av samfunnets normer for hva en kvinne skal være (og stolt av det!), men hun er også dypt usikker i hvilken funksjon hun egentlig har uten en mann. Aldri glem at du også er en kvinne.

Sant nok, boka fyller 20 år neste år, både mitt og tidsåndens syn på hva en god, kvinnelig figur er har endret seg, og Sarene er ikke en dårlig figur, hun er bare veldig åpenbar.

På samme måte som at bokens andre (eller første, han har bokens første kapittel, og alt dreier seg jo egentlig om ham) rett og …

reviewed Elantris by Brandon Sanderson (Elantris (1))

Symbolic magic, heroic nobles and zombie peasants

2 stars

If you like fantasy you would probably like this book, it's got a good plot, but it wasn't my taste so eh. I prefer his later books.

Lots of characters with individual traits but most of them felt shallow or wasn't interacted with enough. Although having a optimistic protagonist, that really tries to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, was nice for once.

Got bored with the nobleman politics and their religions which are important themes here though (that one is on me for not doing a preview).

Good and bad magic was interesting but didn't have much backstory, would like to read more about the seons for example.

Review of 'Elantris' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I can see why this book is unfavourably compared to some of the other early cosmere books, but that has more to do with how brilliant they are than anything else. By itself, this is an excellent fantasy novel with an interesting structure and lots to say about the intersection of faith, religion, politics and power.
It is a little frustrating just how few of the larger mysteries of this setting are resolved by the end, and there is some plotting that I'd expect Sanderson to handle with more subtlety these days. While there are plenty of women with potentially interesting characters, all are outshone by the female protagonist in a way that didn't quite seem to occur for the men, which is reminiscent of Vin in The Final Empire but he seems to have improved with age in this regard. There's also a lack of class perspective, and given …

Review of 'Elantris' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

"Elantris" me ha dejado una impresión duradera. Me cautivó el rico escenario creado por Sanderson, donde los detalles sobre los distintos reinos, facciones y grupos religiosos se presentan de manera puntual pero continua. Agradezco que el autor no dedique largas descripciones a estos aspectos, sino que los introduzca naturalmente a través de los diálogos entre los personajes. Dejo mi reseña en : www.enredandotemas.com/2023/06/descubriendo-la-magia-de-de-brandon.html

Review of 'Elantris' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I liked it but... I only loved a few ideas that weren't focused on all that much. Like I really liked the concept of elantris as this hell like state and the way Raoden gives people purpose to avoid their pain. I enjoyed his struggle with the decisions he is forced to make. I FREAKING LOVED HRATHEN AND THE RELIGIOUS IDEAS. I loved it. Seeing his struggle with religion, faith, and logic, and his desire to do the right thing but his fucked epistemic framework and situation leading him to make horrific decisions, seeing his conflict in his actions. And then on top of that the religious ideas it is critiquing are explicitly the pitfalls of hierarchy and organized religion. THEN there's the whole concept of how the original religion that all the other religions based off of was based on "unity" which has been interpreted differently by the different …

Review of 'Elantris' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This is a very nice, fun read. Compared to his later works, it's clear that Sanderson has grown a lot. The characters here are good, the plot decent, and the setting great, but over the years Sanderson has matured his style a lot and perfected his art. This is still nevertheless, a great read for those looking for a short dive into a fantastical world and are willing to forgive a few rough parts here and there.

For a full review, check out my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2022/03/book-review-elantris-by-brandon.html

Review of 'Elantris' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This is a very nice, fun read. Compared to his later works, it's clear that Sanderson has grown a lot. The characters here are good, the plot decent, and the setting great, but over the years Sanderson has matured his style a lot and perfected his art. This is still nevertheless, a great read for those looking for a short dive into a fantastical world and are willing to forgive a few rough parts here and there.



For a full review, check out my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2022/03/book-review-elantris-by-brandon.html

Review of 'Elantris' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

2020 Reread
Nobility is in one's bearing as much as it it is one's breeding. If we act like living here is a blessing, then maybe we'll start to forget how pathetic we think we are.

My thoughts from five years ago stand: a decent book that flirts with an average rating but escalates in a big way near the end and becomes fantastic! It has been long enough that I forgot some character arcs and they were a nice surprise and twist when they occurred.

After all, Jaddeth had created all men - even the heretics.

There was a brief mention of Hoid in here, not enough to suspect he was anymore than a random character in the series but it's still fun to see the breadcrumbs of his life through the Cosmere.

I have a few more short stories in the Elantris world before I set sail for …

Review of 'Elantris' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This is a book that centers around one city and three main characters. To quote book blurbs:

- Elantris was beautiful, once. It was called the city of the gods: a place of power, radiance, and magic.
- Raoden, prince of Arelon, was loved by all, including the princess he'd never met.
- Hrathen, high priest of Fjordell, will convert the people of Arelon or kill them.
- Sarene, the princess of Teod, was a widow before she was ever married.

Back in the "good times", citizens of Arelon would wake to find themselves "converted" to Elantrians, near-immortal beings able to wield indescribably powerful magic. They would abandon their old lives and move to the city of Elantris to lead their new god-like lives there. But when the book starts, Elantris has fallen. Nobody knows how or why, but something went wrong and the once-beautiful city is now dull and …

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  • Fiction, fantasy, general

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