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Book Review of Elantris (Elantris, Bk 1)

Elantris (Elantris, Bk 1)
Elantris (Elantris, Bk 1)
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
lisareinke avatar reviewed on + 123 more book reviews


I read this book after reading the remarkable Mistborn series. Although the book's conception is strong, I found Elantris to be a first novel with areas where you can see Brandon Sanderson's genius coming through, but everything falling a bit short of its potential. Here, you get to see Brandon Sanderson start to develop his strengths.

Mr. Sanderson's setup for the three characters is to make each of them remarkable: a gifted priest, a fair prince, and a politically savvy princess, yet each of them falls short of the sales pitch. The priest is mediocre, the prince's royal family is merchant born, and the princess, although enthusiastic about politics is mostly just meddlesome. In later books he seems to relax a bit and just let his characters be what they will be.

You can also glimpse Brandon Sanderson's gift for writing group interactions. He is one of the best authors for bringing alive the camaraderie of a band of adventurers.

All in all, this is an enjoyable fantasy novel that defies the norms of the genre.