Elantris - BookWyrm

656 pages

Spanish language

Published 2006 by Ediciones B, EDB FICCION.

Elantris: gigantic, beautiful, radiant-----filled with powerful individuals who use their magical abilities to benefit all the people of Arelon. Yet each of these godlike beings was once an ordinary person until touched by the mysterious transforming power of Shaod. Then, ten years ago, without warning, the magic failed. Elantrians became wizened, feeble, leper-like creatures, and Elantris itself dark, filthy, and crumbling. The Shaod became a curse.

Arelon's new capital city, Kae, crouches in the shadow of Elantris, which its people do their best to ignore. Princess Sarene of Teod has come to Kae for a marriage of state with Crown Prince Raoden, hoping also to find love. Sarene learns instead that Raoden has died, and she is considered his widow.

Both Teod and Arelon are under threat from the imperial ambitions of Fjordell, a city filled with ruthless religious fanatics, and whose high priest, Hrathen, intends to convert …

Elantris: gigantic, beautiful, radiant-----filled with powerful individuals who use their magical abilities to benefit all the people of Arelon. Yet each of these godlike beings was once an ordinary person until touched by the mysterious transforming power of Shaod. Then, ten years ago, without warning, the magic failed. Elantrians became wizened, feeble, leper-like creatures, and Elantris itself dark, filthy, and crumbling. The Shaod became a curse.

Arelon's new capital city, Kae, crouches in the shadow of Elantris, which its people do their best to ignore. Princess Sarene of Teod has come to Kae for a marriage of state with Crown Prince Raoden, hoping also to find love. Sarene learns instead that Raoden has died, and she is considered his widow.

Both Teod and Arelon are under threat from the imperial ambitions of Fjordell, a city filled with ruthless religious fanatics, and whose high priest, Hrathen, intends to convert Arelon and claim it for his emperor and his god. Now Sarene alone stands in his way.

But neither Sarene nor Hrathen suspects the truth about Prince Raoden's disappearance. Taken by the same strange malady that felled the gods of Elantris, Raoden was secretly imprisoned within the dark city. His struggle to create a society for the wretches trapped there begins a series of events that will bring hope to Arelon, and reveal the secret of Elantris itself.

-- From the hardback inside cover

33 editions

Peripatos reviewed Elantris by Brandon Sanderson (Elantris, #1)

A good book with a few huge flaws

3 stars

You get why this is Sanderson's debut. It's more of a raw gem than a fully fleshed out epic story.

The characters are a little flat, the solutions to problems a little too deus ex machina. Especially the politics are rather dull and the characters who should be the Machiavellian schemers are more politic lightweights. A few scenes are way too long and obnoxious and if you're listening to the book rather than reading, oh boy and girl, you gonna have a bad time. There are dozens upon dozens of fantasy names, pretty unrecognizable, too, because they sound alike.

Sounds rather bad, but in the end I match it against the first three Mistborns which are way better in presenting the characters, pacing, action and worldbuilding.

Religion on the other hand is represented alright and it's still Sanderson's forte. The magic system is nice and I miss …

You get why this is Sanderson's debut. It's more of a raw gem than a fully fleshed out epic story.

The characters are a little flat, the solutions to problems a little too deus ex machina. Especially the politics are rather dull and the characters who should be the Machiavellian schemers are more politic lightweights. A few scenes are way too long and obnoxious and if you're listening to the book rather than reading, oh boy and girl, you gonna have a bad time. There are dozens upon dozens of fantasy names, pretty unrecognizable, too, because they sound alike.

Sounds rather bad, but in the end I match it against the first three Mistborns which are way better in presenting the characters, pacing, action and worldbuilding.

Religion on the other hand is represented alright and it's still Sanderson's forte. The magic system is nice and I miss that we don't had more time with it. And the world has still a huge potential. My time spent with the books wasn't wasted but just slightly above average.