Elantris by Brandon Sanderson review

I’d been meaning to read Elantris by Brandon Sanderson for ages (having previously loved the first Mistborn trilogy) and finished it the other day.

I had been a little concerned that people often said they loved the book, but it just wasn’t as good as his other work. I kind of see their point – it is a superb and enjoyable read, but it has some minor flaws. To be fair, it is Sanderson’s debut novel, and it is still better than most books.

I read the tenth-anniversary edition.

What is Elantris about?

The book begins with a man called Raoden, the crown prince of Arelon, as he wakes up and finds that he is cursed. There is a disease that essentially kills people and turns them into living corpses and, as Raoden proves, no one is immune.

When a person is cursed, they are banished to Elantris. Elantris used to be a gleaming city full of Elantrians – silver-skinned, white-haired humans who are incredibly powerful and can do magic. Like with the disease, anyone in Arelon (and nearby) has the potential to wake up one day and find they are a magic Elantrian. But ever since a curse struck the city ten years before, instead of being shiny and powerful, people essentially turn into something similar to a blotchy Gollum.

Raoden is banished to Elantris, and everyone in the know pretends that he’s dead.

There are two other points of view characters.

The first is Sarene, a princess of a country called Teod. She is engaged to Raoden but has yet to meet him. When she arrives in Arelon, she is dismayed to find that Raoden is apparently dead. She is further dismayed to find this doesn’t matter and according to their weird laws, if the prince dies before marriage, she is still married to him. So she stays and starts to make herself at home. She is not a fan of the place, and that is made worse by the appearance of a religious warrior-type priest from a nearby aggressive empire.

The warrior-priest is called Hrathen, and he is the third main character. He’s there to convert the people of Arelon to his faith and claim the country for the Fjordell Empire.

And now the review…

Although it’s his first book, Elantris is superbly written and very readable. This is Brandon Sanderson after all, and he is a great writer.

I’ve only read Mistborn and a brilliant novella called Snapshot (worth checking out) before this, but I’m already a fan. If Elantris is one of his weaker works, then I can’t wait to read more. He is superb at creating realistic (but with magic) worlds filled with complex religions, peoples, cultures, and magic systems.

The characters are great, with good story arcs – Hrathen in particular. The more minor characters are also very likeable.

One of the most impressive aspects of the novel is the magic system. The concept of AonDor, the magic of the fallen gods, is fascinating and intricately woven into the story. The characters’ use of AonDor is both creative and imaginative, making the magic feel real and tangible.

The story is great. I was eager to find out what happened next. However, at times it felt like the pacing was slightly off. But only slightly, and I am mostly just struggling to find something vaguely critical to provide balance in my review.

I highly recommend Elantris but will admit it is not as good as Mistborn. Which, apparently, isn’t as good as the Stormlight Archive. But it is still superb. I am in serious danger of becoming a major Sanderson fanboy.

If you are new to Sanderson or looking for a place to start, Elantris is a great entry point. It is also a pretty essential read if you’re wanting to break into the Cosmere in general.

You can check out Elantris by Brandon Sanderson by clicking on this link.