A fantasy you don't want to miss: Elantris.

I was never attracted to fantasy books until Neil Gaiman made me curious about his Stardust. (I absolutely loved Stardust but we will talk about it some other day). The next author I read in the fantasy genre was Brandon Sanderson and like so many countless other fans of his, I was captivated by his world- the Cosmere- and amazed with his storytelling and I was in love with his characters.

Elantris is Sanderson’s debut novel but before you dismiss it, please read the entire review because, even being a debut, this book has elements and characters and story lines that will stay with you forever. You will love the magic and you will feel like you are a part of The Cosmere, if not a native to it.

Sanderson does a fantastic job with showing us the magic in his book and surely, the magic system he uses does not feel new at all. It is intricate and powerful and compelling. He introduces us to a beautiful yet somewhat broken world and takes us on a thrilling and magical ride to the finale of the book.

For many around the globe, and now for me, Sanderson is one of the finest fantasy writers and we absolutely hail him for his work!

Coming to the book at hand, Elantris is an enigmatic and marvelous read. Elantris is a city in the nation of Arelon. The city has magic and the people who reside in it- Elantrians- are considered to be Gods. They use a complex yet easy to understand system of magic, The AonDor, to do even the tiniest tasks. Elantrians are made of magic! People said that Elantrians will be “ruling” for eternity but by the end of the prologue we find that “Eternity ended 10 years ago.”

The story has three threads and these three threads are woven together finely by the captivating plot of the book. I will be talking about these three threads individually below.

[ SPOILER ALERT: It is impossible to talk about this book without giving at least some spoilers. So, brace yourselves! I won’t be revealing too much though. ]

The first thread: ROADEN OF ARELON

Roaden is the very first character that we are introduced to. He is the young, enthusiastic and handsome Prince of Arelon. Roaden is a loving and compelling character and soon we find that his kindness and his good politics have won the hearts of the people of Arelon. Sanderson makes Roaden such a driven-to-do-good character with his persistence and struggle that we can’t help but love Roaden from the moment he is introduced to us. We encounter Roaden as he wakes up and discovers that he has been taken by The Shaod (the ancient magic/transformation that transforms people into Elantrians). Normally, this would be the best thing to happen to anyone, except that since the fall of Elantris, the Shaod transforms people into the living dead with black splotches over their skins. The book has just begun and our hero is doomed! He is thrown into the city of Elantris with others who are “cursed” by the Shaod just like him and the King, his father, declares that Roaden died in some mysterious accident. How he survives in Elantris is beautifully choreographed by Sanderson. Roaden is a character that displays kindness, generosity and strong will. Like the meaning of his name “Spirit”, his spirit burns high and it won’t be too much to say that we are highly motivated by this strong character.

The second thread: SARENE OF TEOD

Sarene is the princess of Teod- a nation across the sea from Arelon- and is the widow of Prince Roaden. Sarene and Roaden were set to get married when Roaden was struck by the Shaod. Unfortunately, for her, the marriage contract says that if something were to happen to either parties, the other one would be bound by the contract. And so, Sarene becomes his widow as soon as she steps in Arelon and hears about Roaden’s “death”. Sarene is a complex and beautifully written character. She is progressive compared to the women of Arelon, she is a diplomat and extremely good at politics. She quickly gets herself in the group of Roaden’s friends, comprising of a few noblemen of Arelon, and joins in on their attempts to overthrow the King. Sarene is cunning and most times she is always upto something but we connect to this character on a personal level. She may be witty and playing games with the King to bring about a change in the government of Arelon but her personal struggles are something that make her come alive to us. I, personally can definitely imagine Sarene as one of my friends. From Sarene we learn to accept who we are, the way we are and to make use of our best skills rather than moaning and complaining about what we don’t have. Sarene is brave, patient, and skillful and an out-of-the-line character and we are amazed by her. She is sure to take your breath away (literally too, if needed!)

The third thread: GYRON HRATHEN OF FJORDEN

Hrathen is not a character that we instantly love. He is a Fjordell Gyron who is devoted to the Derethi religion and is on a "mission" to convert the people of Arelon from Korathi to Derethi. He is sent to Arelon by Wyrn, the Ruler of Fjorden, to convert the Arlenes to Derethi so that Wryn could take over Arelon. From Hrathen- we learn passion and what it is to have faith and to have believes. Hrathen is another strong character, glowing bright just like his red armour. This is a character that makes you curious and leaves you on the edge wondering what he is going to pull next. Although you may believe that he is the antagonist, there is a lot in him that is good and that we love. Anyone who has read Elantris before will know that Hrathen is one of the most important characters to the story and we love him to the end!

These are the three threads that are woven together with beautiful, flowing and rolling writing that will make you turn pages after pages, a writing that will take you to a world you're sure to love.

Other elements of the book:

1. The AonDor:

The AonDor is an intricately and beautifully designed magic system in Elantris. The Dor (as it is called in the book) is a magical power that is broken at the beginning of the book. The system doesn't work and the city of Elantris is rotting away. Sanderson builds his magic systems in depth and such fine details that will make you marvel at it.

2. The world building:

The amount of efforts Sanderson has taken to build this world are reflected in each chapter. The only downside of this book in regards to the world building that I can think of is the descriptions. Since Elantris is a stand alone book, not everything is described in intricate details and lengthy paragraphs. Apart from that, I'd say that the world is described well enough for us to imagine and understand and love it. I love Cosmere as it is in Elantris and I loved every nation and city described her and the way Sanderson has attributed unique characteristics and qualities to his world. I love this book so much that I'd go live in Arelon if I could!

3. The Seons:

This is an impossible book to review for me. So I've done great research on how other reviewers have written their reviews and while I find those reviews interesting and helpful, I found that nobody talked about the Seons. The Seons are one of the most enigmatic creatures in the book and nobody knows how they are created or where they come from. Balls of light that float in the air and have magical abilities, Seons are passed from generation to generation in the families and form one of the most intriguing part of the book.

Read more about Seons here.

This book is epic and my personal opinion is that people who love fantasies absolutely need to read this spectacular book!

The Reader's Den Ratings:

After reading it multiple times, I find this book just as captivating and thrilling like the first time I picked it up and most definitely Brandon Sanderson is one of my most favourite authors of all time.

⭐ 10/10

📖 Highly Recommended.

We at The Reader's Den hope that you're safe wherever you are and until our next review/post is up, keep reading!