Plot: 6/10
Character sketch: 7/10
World creation: 10/10
Presentation: 9/10
Compelling: 9/10
Overall: 8.2/10
Opinion: Fresh air of fantasy in a compelling package. Must read for every fantasy fan.
Firstly, let me get this out of the way. I’m was a huge fan of Brandon Sanderson even before I read any of his books. Apparently, his fame precedes his work! Hence, a fair warning, this might be a positively biased review. Secondly, it has been quite a while since I read the book. So, I’ll be using the emotions the book had left me with and not proper details, to pen this review.
Elantris was first published in 2005 as a standalone fantasy novel. For everyone who is wondering how a standalone fantasy novel would/should look like, Elantris is the blueprint. It sets a perfect example of how to handle a large scale fantasy story in a single book. Brandon Sanderson takes a simple story with a simple magic system to flesh out a beautiful & complex world simultaneously managing to make the reading immersive and enjoyable.
The book starts slow but picks up pace even before we realize it. The plot is nothing fancy but political, involving three neighboring nations. Nevertheless, it has been used optimally to keep it enjoyable. Brandon uses minimal characters and makes each one memorable, making them linger in one’s mind even after the books is long over. The ending of the story leaves us wanting for more and still provides a sense of completion. The one gig I felt could have been improved upon is the reader’s exposure to the magic system (for a fantasy novel, the magic system is sparsely used). With an ingenious magic system, I was expecting – even eagerly waiting - to see it used more!
Storyline (Spoilers): The magical system, called Aondor, in Elantris is broken since a catastrophic earthquake. The story starts with the revered crown prince Raoden contracting the condition, which once made gods out of people, now looked down upon as a curse. This lead to the prince being cast into Elantris(city) for the rest of his life. Concurrently the nation sees the arrival of the missionary of a powerful zealot, to convert it to another religion and take control. Henceforth saving the people falls on Sarene, the princess of a friendly nation, betrothed to Raoden in a political alliance. Finally, everything comes down to whether the magic system is restored and is the nation saved?
Hope the review was useful and decided to read the book
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