Elantris Review
Well, for starters, I thought the book was awesome. I would highly recommend it to anyone who has access to it. The magic system was especially intriguing. It most definately caught my attention, and I think I was able to pick up a few good ideas for my own story.
Firstly: Warning, may contain spoilers-- although I'm really going to try and keep them to a minimum. (Fi, I recommend you have Ki give the post a look over before you go ahead and read it, assuming you're planning on reading the book, just to make sure there's nothing that's a big give-away.)
Hmmm, where to start... I'll start with "gripes" (I say that because they aren't really large enough complaints to be called gripes, but that's as close a term as I can think of to use). Firstly, I don't much agree with a system in which the magic users are a "special" chosen group. I prefer systems in which anyone who applies themselves can use it. I don't think I would want to use one like that in any of my writing. However, that's the extent of that complaint. That said, I think his chosen system works extremely well in the world he's chosen, and it even looks like he's provided a way in the future for other non "special" people to not be excluded. So, that just about nullifies that complaint. Just thought I'd mention it anyway. Second complaint, he seemed to spend quite a bit of time on the politics in the nation of setting. Which, given the story line, I can understand, but I would have preferred a little less focus on the politics. I will, however, give him that it really built up his characters a lot and fleshed out the story. So, in that respect I suppose I can ignore the minor "gripe" there.
Ok, gripes done, now let's get to the good stuff. Favorite character... not sure. *thinks* I liked quite a few of them. I think I identified well with Galladon's sense of humor. I thought he was pretty hillarious. I think that my overall favorite character would have to be Raoden. I much preferred seeing his point of view than that of the other two, but Sarene was definately in second.
Hrathen, now he was an interesting guy. Don't let me infer that I didn't like him. As a matter of fact, I really liked the way that he was portrayed. He showed up as the faith-filled guy that was willing to bend the nation to his will or let it be crushed. He came off as really evil. But, as you got to know him a little more, you got to see how he was haunted by some of the things he had been responsible, like the loss of life. What really impressed me was Sanderson's ability to make him seem evil because of the purpose he was putting forward, but still help you to see that he wasn't an evil person. Just driven. He was able to show how Hrathen would much prefer seeing people converted than killed, and since he believed that everyone needed to be converted to his religion to be saved, that was what he was there to do. So, I think he did a masterful job of showing how a good person can be caught up in a bad cause, espousing it as his own.
Magic system! How cool was that? I'm really intrigued by the idea of runes and other magical devices forming equations and being made into complex constructs. I thought it seemed quite a bit like the magic used by the Patryns and Sartan in the Death Gate books (Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman). I wanted to ask Brandon Sanderson (ok, I'll be honest, I don't know quite how to refer to him. I know it's normal to call an author by the last name, but it seems a little awkward in this case because I actually talked to him and he teaches here at BYU) while I was talking to him if he'd ever read the series, but I didn't have the chance-- I wanted to know if that had influenced his system at all.
I did find the names a little hard to keep straight when I first began to read the book. It seemed like they were all so similar that I had a hard time matching characters with their names. But, I got used to that. It even makes sense based on the language the people in the book used that the names be related to the Aons (Aons are the form of 'runes' that he uses).
All in all, I think the book was very well written, and I enjoyed reading it. I'm looking forward to a sequel (I don't doubt there will be one.)
So, yeah. There's my review-dealer. I can't think of anything else to say about it right now, though. Got a lot of junk to do still tonight, and I'm so tired I should probably go to bed early. I didn't get to bed until right around 1 last night because I was finishing it. Once I got to within 100 pages I couldn't put it down. I pretty much sat in the same place for about 6 hours while I read the last half yesterday. One of my roommates even asked if I'd moved.
Sadly, it appears I read a lot slower than I used to... Maybe I just wasn't a very fast reader in the first place, though. I'm not sure. But, I've noticed that I tend to remember details very well. Not sure how that holds up next to other people. Found myself wishing I could read faster yesterday, though. Oh well. Spend a little over 3 years not reading hardly anything for fun and your speed will go down. I guess it'll come back slowly. I bought two other books at that sale that I have never read, so I'm going to have to start on them over the Thanksgiving break. Which I'm really looking forward to, by the way. Invited some people up for dinner, but not sure if they're going to want to come. I guess we'll see. *writes to those concerned (you know who you are...)* If you're interested though, feel free, I'd really love you have you come up, but then, if you don't want to, I don't want to force you.
So, that's about it for now. I should probably get to work on my math homework, since I haven't even started it and it's due Wednesday at noon. *grimaces* That's going to be a pain in the butt-- along with that EE test I have...
So, read Elantris!
Firstly: Warning, may contain spoilers-- although I'm really going to try and keep them to a minimum. (Fi, I recommend you have Ki give the post a look over before you go ahead and read it, assuming you're planning on reading the book, just to make sure there's nothing that's a big give-away.)
Hmmm, where to start... I'll start with "gripes" (I say that because they aren't really large enough complaints to be called gripes, but that's as close a term as I can think of to use). Firstly, I don't much agree with a system in which the magic users are a "special" chosen group. I prefer systems in which anyone who applies themselves can use it. I don't think I would want to use one like that in any of my writing. However, that's the extent of that complaint. That said, I think his chosen system works extremely well in the world he's chosen, and it even looks like he's provided a way in the future for other non "special" people to not be excluded. So, that just about nullifies that complaint. Just thought I'd mention it anyway. Second complaint, he seemed to spend quite a bit of time on the politics in the nation of setting. Which, given the story line, I can understand, but I would have preferred a little less focus on the politics. I will, however, give him that it really built up his characters a lot and fleshed out the story. So, in that respect I suppose I can ignore the minor "gripe" there.
Ok, gripes done, now let's get to the good stuff. Favorite character... not sure. *thinks* I liked quite a few of them. I think I identified well with Galladon's sense of humor. I thought he was pretty hillarious. I think that my overall favorite character would have to be Raoden. I much preferred seeing his point of view than that of the other two, but Sarene was definately in second.
Hrathen, now he was an interesting guy. Don't let me infer that I didn't like him. As a matter of fact, I really liked the way that he was portrayed. He showed up as the faith-filled guy that was willing to bend the nation to his will or let it be crushed. He came off as really evil. But, as you got to know him a little more, you got to see how he was haunted by some of the things he had been responsible, like the loss of life. What really impressed me was Sanderson's ability to make him seem evil because of the purpose he was putting forward, but still help you to see that he wasn't an evil person. Just driven. He was able to show how Hrathen would much prefer seeing people converted than killed, and since he believed that everyone needed to be converted to his religion to be saved, that was what he was there to do. So, I think he did a masterful job of showing how a good person can be caught up in a bad cause, espousing it as his own.
Magic system! How cool was that? I'm really intrigued by the idea of runes and other magical devices forming equations and being made into complex constructs. I thought it seemed quite a bit like the magic used by the Patryns and Sartan in the Death Gate books (Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman). I wanted to ask Brandon Sanderson (ok, I'll be honest, I don't know quite how to refer to him. I know it's normal to call an author by the last name, but it seems a little awkward in this case because I actually talked to him and he teaches here at BYU) while I was talking to him if he'd ever read the series, but I didn't have the chance-- I wanted to know if that had influenced his system at all.
I did find the names a little hard to keep straight when I first began to read the book. It seemed like they were all so similar that I had a hard time matching characters with their names. But, I got used to that. It even makes sense based on the language the people in the book used that the names be related to the Aons (Aons are the form of 'runes' that he uses).
All in all, I think the book was very well written, and I enjoyed reading it. I'm looking forward to a sequel (I don't doubt there will be one.)
So, yeah. There's my review-dealer. I can't think of anything else to say about it right now, though. Got a lot of junk to do still tonight, and I'm so tired I should probably go to bed early. I didn't get to bed until right around 1 last night because I was finishing it. Once I got to within 100 pages I couldn't put it down. I pretty much sat in the same place for about 6 hours while I read the last half yesterday. One of my roommates even asked if I'd moved.
Sadly, it appears I read a lot slower than I used to... Maybe I just wasn't a very fast reader in the first place, though. I'm not sure. But, I've noticed that I tend to remember details very well. Not sure how that holds up next to other people. Found myself wishing I could read faster yesterday, though. Oh well. Spend a little over 3 years not reading hardly anything for fun and your speed will go down. I guess it'll come back slowly. I bought two other books at that sale that I have never read, so I'm going to have to start on them over the Thanksgiving break. Which I'm really looking forward to, by the way. Invited some people up for dinner, but not sure if they're going to want to come. I guess we'll see. *writes to those concerned (you know who you are...)* If you're interested though, feel free, I'd really love you have you come up, but then, if you don't want to, I don't want to force you.
So, that's about it for now. I should probably get to work on my math homework, since I haven't even started it and it's due Wednesday at noon. *grimaces* That's going to be a pain in the butt-- along with that EE test I have...
So, read Elantris!