Elantris

by Brandon Sanderson

I remember reading about Elantris a while ago and not being too impressed with what I read. Then it came in my Amazon recommendations, and I took a closer look, and decided to give it a try. I had coupon, so even in hardback, the price wasn’t bad. And I’m glad I did.
It’s a good fantasy novel, and inspirational to boot (it’s the author’s debut novel, so there is hope for me). The world is well built and easily imagined. The characters are fleshed-out enough that you understand their motivations, except, of course, when the twist comes about…
The title of this entry comes from the name of one of the symbols that the characters use to work magic, for lack of a better term. An Aon is the symbol, and Rao means ‘spirit.’ I’ll try a summary: Elantris used to be a city of light and power, its people silver-skinned and glowing and capable of great magic. The Shaod was a mysterious process that transformed ordinary and extraordinary alike into Elantrians, but one day it stopped, and the city has fallen into ruins. Now, instead of becoming godlike, those taken by the the Shaod turn into zombies (okay, not the term they use, but if your heart doesn’t beat yet you are still walking around and alive, what else would you call it?), and are shut off from the rest of the country behind the still-standing, tall walls of Elantris.
Raoden is a prince of the land, and he is taken by the Shaod. He struggles to make a ‘life’ for himself in the ruins of Elantris. Sarene is his betrothed, widowed before she was even married because of Raoden’s disappearance. There’s an evil monk, an even eviler monk, political intrigue, magic, angst, humor…just about everything I like. The middle part is a bit slow, but has its shining moments. The end is especially good, with all sorts of plot lines coming together and questions asked about what will happen in that world…or even our own.
I’m terrible at writing summaries, so I suggest you pick up a copy and see what I mean for yourself. If nothing else, the image of a glowing Aon hanging in the air will stay with me for a long time. That and the cover of the actual hardcover book itself is green, so you know that makes me happy 😉
I’m looking forward to Mistborn, the author’s next book, which is set in a different world than Elantris. It comes out in July. Yay summer reading.
Hopefully I can have a new layout up for you soon. We’ll see…