Elantris by Brandon Sanderson - Book Review

Elantris is not your typical Brandon Sanderson novel. It's a short stand-alone work, around the length of Neil Gaiman's Stardust. In fact, it was purposely envisioned it as a stand-alone story, though a sequel may be released in the near future. Sanderson talks more about this on his website page FAQ: Will There Be a Sequel to Elantris.

Elantris proves that Sanderson can write short fiction filled with both action and depth. My previous attempt at writing a synopsis for this review ended up as four long, tedious paragraphs that barely touched the surface of this complex story. 

Elantris was the capital city of Arleon. It was populated by demigods with magical powers. It was considered an honor for ordinary citizens of Arleon to transform into these demigods, until the magic failed, and the people of Elantris devolved into leper-like beings. Now, the citizens of Arleon fear being afflicted with the taint.

The novel focuses on the story of three characters. Prince Raoden is heir to Kae, Arleon's new capital. He is betrothed to Princess Sarene of Teod. The two nobles have never met, but only communicated through the exchange of letters. They are about to get married, with Princess Sarene sailing towards Kae, when Prince Raoden is afflicted with the taint. The king secretly sends his son to Elantris, while announcing to the public that he is dead.

By law, Sarene becomes Raoden's wife even in his death. She gets involved in Kae politics despite her dismay at never even meeting her almost-husband. Meanwhile, Kae and Teod are about to face an immensely great threat: the fanatics of the Fjordell religion, represented by High Priest Hrathen. The two kingdoms have a choice: convert to Fjordell or face a Holy War that they cannot hope to win.

There are more than a dozen other characters who play significant roles in the novel, and it's admirable that Sanderson was able to introduce everyone in such few words. His three protagonists are among the most memorable fictional characters I've read about in a while. Their individual story lines were so detailed and fleshed out that they hardly intersected until the last few chapters.

If there is one gripe I have about the novel, it's how the story takes too long to build up. The ending comes in like a wrecking ball, like a wrong swipe made in a Temple Run game. It feels as if the last few chapters could have been a whole other book in themselves, but Sanderson was forced to summarize, to minimize his word count.

Given that the ending felt rushed, it still read well. Sanderson managed to reign his story in in the nick of time. He managed to transform what may have been a train wreck into a story line overflowing with intensity and excitement. Perhaps a sequel--or even a prequel--may give Sanderson the opportunity to explain some abrupt revelations made near the end of Elantris, but the novel is already great, although imperfect, on its own.

My Rating: