Sanderson, Brandon: Elantris
Elantris (2005)
Written by: Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Pages: 492 (Hardcover)
Why I Read It: Last year, I attempted to read Sanderson's Mistborn. I say attempted because I got bored and didn't finish. It's a book that looks great on paper for all kinds of reasons, and I don't begrudge those who love it either. I just wasn't engaged. However, I wanted to give Sanderson another chance, and since Elantris was already on my shelf, I knew that'd be it. It wasn't selected for the Alphabet Soup Book Club, and lately, I've had a hankering to try it out, hoping--really hoping--it would work out better for me. So read it I did.
The premise: ganked from publisher's website: Elantris was the capital of Arelon: gigantic, beautiful, literally radiant, filled with benevolent beings who used their powerful magical abilities for the benefit of all. Yet each of these demigods was once an ordinary person until touched by the mysterious transforming power of the Shaod. Ten years ago, without warning, the magic failed. Elantrians became wizened, leper-like, powerless creatures, and Elantris itself dark, filthy, and crumbling.
Arelon's new capital, Kae, crouches in the shadow of Elantris. Princess Sarene of Teod arrives for a marriage of state with Crown Prince Raoden, hoping -- based on their correspondence -- to also find love. She finds instead that Raoden has died and she is considered his widow. Both Teod and Arelon are under threat as the last remaining holdouts against the imperial ambitions of the ruthless religious fanatics of Fjordell. So Sarene decides to use her new status to counter the machinations of Hrathen, a Fjordell high priest who has come to Kae to convert Arelon and claim it for his emperor and his god.
But neither Sarene nor Hrathen suspect the truth about Prince Raoden. Stricken by the same curse that ruined Elantris, Raoden was secretly exiled by his father to the dark city. His struggle to help the wretches trapped there begins a series of events that will bring hope to Arelon, and perhaps reveal the secret of Elantris itself.
A rare epic fantasy that doesn't recycle the classics and that is a complete and satisfying story in one volume, Elantris is fleet and fun, full of surprises and characters to care about. It's also the wonderful debut of a welcome new star in the constellation of fantasy.
Spoilers, yay or nay?: Yes, because I need to talk about how the ending actually works (yay, I finished the book!), so if you're trying to remain spoiler-free, please jump down to "My Rating" and you'll be fine. Everyone else, onward!
I'd heard from some people who are serious Sanderson fans say that Elantris is the favorite thing he's done, despite really enjoying his other work. So that helped when I sat down with this beast. However, there's something quite appealing about reading an epic fantasy that's a stand-alone. That's so rare that it's practically a mythical creature, but Sanderson pulls it off wonderfully.
One thing that works so well is that for the most part, Sanderson uses three points of view to tell his story, and they rotate predictably. First, we get Raoden, who's been cursed by the Shaod and is now having to survive in Elantris. Then we get Sarene, the woman he was meant to marry, but whom he's never met. Because the outside world is told that he's dead, Sarene is considered his widow (something about how the marriage contract was written… it makes sense in the book) and wants to make her new homeland everything it's meant to be, which includes helping the starving Elantrians. Lastly, we get Hrathen, the priest who's come to convert the city of Arelon and damn the Elantrians in the process. It's not until the very end, as Sanderson reaches the climax of the book, that other snippets of POV slip in, but they're so small and slight that they're forgivable, especially as Sanderson ends the book in a POV already firmly established.
Nothing is as it seems in this book, and the twists and turns the story takes are quite satisfying. Hrathen certainly doesn't come off as a hateful religious zealot (that job is left for Dilaf, one of the priests he thinks serves beneath him), and watching him struggle with his faith, what's right for the city, and what the orders are from his superiors is a great thing. His ability to convert the city was actually quite genius as well, especially since it didn't involve wholesale slaughter. The trick with the poison, to make it mimic the effects of Shaod was genius, and I liked how that little plot device played such a large role in the overall story.
Sarene was a character to root for as well. Not perfect, but certainly a heroine to admire. She's not taken with romance, despite secretly wishing that the marriage she can never have would've been one that blossomed from duty to love. I also liked how well Sanderson kept her apart from Raoden. No one, not even her, knew that he'd really been cursed, that he was still alive, so the times they ended up interacting were rather quite thrilling, because by time this happens, both characters have proven themselves to be quite likable, and you want to see them happy together. You also want to see them kick ass together, which is fun. And for the most part, it works that she has no idea who Raoden really is when she meets him. In a lesser writer's hand, this would stink of writer manipulation, and admittedly, sometimes Sanderson strayed a little too close to that line, but for the most part, especially when Raoden reveals who he really is, it worked beautifully.
If anything really tripped me up in this book, it was figuring out why the curse changed Elantris so. The short answer is simple: the Aons were based on the physicality of the land, and when the great earthquake hit, it changed the lay of the land, which meant the Aons could no longer work. That made a lot of sense. What made less sense, and this may be my own fault because by time I reached this point in the narrative, I was in speed-reading mode because I was at the end, was how Raoden's drawing on the land itself restored the other Aons to their full power and potential. For those of you who've read the book, particularly with more care than me, I'd love to hear your explanations. :)
The world-building was excellent as well as unique. Everything from the various religions to the magic of Elantris to even Elantris' own mythology was quite compelling. And the story itself is so full to be almost bursting. Certainly, pretty much everything is resolved, but by time I reached the end, I found myself with other questions, and I've no doubt that Sanderson has material for another book should he really want to pursue that avenue. If he doesn't, though, that's okay. That's why it works so well as a stand-alone.
I will say, though, that I reached a point while reading that I considered putting it aside. Not because it was bad or because I was bored, but because it was taking me a while to read it. I enjoyed it while reading, but I wasn't salivating to turn the pages (until the end). And when I received some books for my birthday, I had titles I really, really, REALLY wanted to read and I wanted to put Elantris aside just to read them. I didn't, because I promised myself I'd give Sanderson a second chance, and putting the book down just because something shinier got my attention didn't seem fair.
But it occurs to me: while I still stand by the reasons why I put Mistborn aside, I wonder if this sense of wanting something shinier didn't get in the way? I think if I'd read Elantris when I originally received it (a friend received it and sent it my way), I'd be a complete and total Sanderson fangirl, and Mistborn would've never been an issue. In fact, I seriously think that one day, when the TBR is a laughable size, I might give the book another chance. After seeing what Sanderson is capable of, I'm more willing to roll with the story I gave up on.
Maybe. But first, I'll probably try some of his other titles, as he certainly has plenty to keep me entertained.
My Rating: Good Read
I'm really, really glad I gave Sanderson another shot. Elantris was quite the enjoyable read with excellent world-building and engaging, sympathetic characters. It's also a great example of a stand-alone epic fantasy, and trust me, Sanderson crams a lot into these pages without making the reader feel overwhelmed. I have a feeling that if I'd read Elantris when it first debuted (which is when I received the book), I may have been a Sanderson fangirl. That said, in terms of writing style, I prefer Rothfuss to Sanderson (and Lynch, for that matter, who debuted about the same time), but Sanderson has a great way of taking the expected fantasy story and twisting it in a surprising, pleasing way. And there's just so much I loved about the very nature of the city and magic of Elantris that I couldn't help but be engaged. I definitely won't be adverse to trying more Sanderson in the future, and who knows? Maybe one day, I'll give Mistborn another chance.
Cover Commentary: Oh, I do love this cover. I'm a big fan of Stephen Martiniere, despite the fact most of his covers so similar that you can recognize them off the bat. Gorgeous and epic, and my only quibble here is that I can't tell that Sarene's hair is blonde as described in the book. I always thought she had dark hair, so the description in the book jarred my mental image of her. Regardless, this is a gorgeous cover.
Next up: Graveminder by Melissa Marr