Elantris

The cover of Brandon Sanderson's debut "Elantris" describes it as a fresh breath of air. In other words, not another cliche-filled fantasy. I'd consider myself reasonably familiar with the genre and always looking for something new and fresh, so I was admittedly skeptical about this claim at first.

However, "Elantris" does pleasantly surprise for the most part in this regard. The story revolves around the city of Elantris, former capital of the nation of Arelon. The people of Elantris were all once ordinary people who became citizens of the majestic city of Elantris by virtue of the "Shaod", a mysterious transformation that came upon them suddenly and granted them god-like abilities, which they used for the greater benefit of humanity.

Fast forward to the time frame that the story takes place in. It's been ten years since the wonders of Elantris abruptly ended, the Shaod became a curse and Elantris itself became a place of darkness and grime, with those touched by the Shaod reduced to little more than powerless shadows of their former selves. The city of Kae, the new capital of Arelon lies in the shadow of Elantris' walls and the land suffers under the arbitrary rule of King Iadon, who grants noble titles based on the amount of wealth one amasses.

The Shaod still comes at random, transforming people into Elantrians, but the people now cursed by this transformation are shunned and locked within the walls of Elantris. As the story begins, Iadon's eldest son, Prince Raoden awakens to find himself touched by the Shaod. No longer honored as the son of a king, Raoden is cast into Elantris and his disappearance covered up under the guise of death due to illness. Inside Elantris, Raoden is befriended by a fellow Elantrian and only then begins to realize the true horror of his plight that goes far beyond simple imprisonment, steeling his determination to restore some kind of order among the ragged inhabitants of Elantris.

At the same time, Princess Sarene, daughter of the ruler of the nation of Teod arrives in Kae to marry Raoden and cement a political alliance between Arelon and Teod. Upon learning of Raoden's "death", she is left in a difficult position. By law, she is legally considered a widow (for reasons of political expediency that prevent the alliance from being voided), which grants her the status of being a member of the Arelon royal family.

Sarene elects to use her new-found status to block the machinations of Hrathen, a priest from the nation of Fjorden, seeking to convert the masses of Arelon to the "true faith". Even as they work to counter one another, their purposes eventually become inextricably linked.

I have to say I really did enjoy Elantris quite a bit. Admittedly, there is a turn of phrase occasionally that feels slightly awkward and there were a few contrivances towards the end. However, for the most part, the writing is well-done and the plot never felt like it dragged on or rushed. In particular, Elantris itself at the present time and the effects of the Shaod "curse" on those affected were very effectively described. The major characters do feel very well-fleshed out over the course of the book and in particular I found Hrathen to be interesting, even if he wasn't particularly likeable.

Overall, this was a really good debut novel and it was nice to read a single-volume fantasy for a change.

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Other Reviews of works by Brandon Sanderson

The Well of Ascension - Jul 31, 2008

Mistborn: The Final Empire - Jul 14, 2008