8.4 /10 1 Votes
8.4/10 Country United States Originally published 1 May 2005 ISBN 0765311771 | 4.2/5 Language English Genre Fantasy literature | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Illustrator Jeffrey Creer (1st edition)Stephen de las Heras (1st edition)Isaac Stewart Publication date April 21, 2005 (first edition, hardback)May 30, 2006 (first edition, paperback)October 6, 2015 (10th anniversary definitive edition) Media type Print (hardback)Print mass market paperbackPrint (hardback) Characters Raoden, Hrathen, Sarene, Jaddeth, King Iadon, King Eventeo Similar Brandon Sanderson books, Fantasy books |
Elantris is a stand-alone fantasy novel written by American author Brandon Sanderson. It was first published in April 2005 by Tor Books and is significant as Sanderson's first widely released book.
Contents
- Brandon sanderson s elantris review
- Plot summary
- Aons
- Releases
- Audiobooks
- Critical reception
- Sequels and related works
- References
Elantris used to be a place of magic, and the Elantrians were gods in the eyes of people, able to heal people with a mere wave of the hand. But after a cataclysmic event, known as the "Reod", the inhabitants of the city became "cursed" and the city was sealed off from society. Anyone affected by the "Shaod", the random turning of a person into an Elantrian, is thrown into the city, to stay there for all eternity.
It is licensed for localized release in Russia, France, Germany, Thailand, Poland, Netherlands, Brazil and at least five other markets. The book gained generally positive reviews.
Brandon sanderson s elantris review
Plot summary
The book focuses on three principal characters whose stories intertwine. Much of the book occurs in groupings of three chapters, one for each of the three main characters.
Aons
These are central to the book's plot. They are the means by which the Elantrians perform magic. Many characters' names are variations on the Aons, as is customary in this fantasy world. The images of the many Aons can be found in the back of the book. Raoden rediscovers many of the Aons while in Elantris, preserved in scrolls that have not been consumed by the decay of the city. He learns to invoke the Aons, but finds they have lost their power, which is the ultimate cause of Elantris' collapse. Near the end of the book, Raoden discovers that the shapes of the Aons coincide with physical landmarks and natural features located around the country. A massive fissure in the earth that now cuts through the country 'altered' these landmarks, which in turn caused the Aons to lose their power. By 'reconstructing' the Aons to now incorporate the fissure in their design, Raoden restores the Aons' power. After realizing that Elantris and its surrounding cities are just one big Aon, he draws a giant line to represent the fissure, which restores Elantris and the Elantrians to their former glory.
Releases
Elantris was published by Tor Books in hardcover on April 21, 2005. Coinciding with the general release, the Science Fiction Book Club released a hardcover edition in May 2005. The Tor mass market paperback was released on May 30, 2006, and the ebook followed in April 2007. In October 2015, a "tenth anniversary author's definitive edition" was released in trade paperback and hardcover, containing "10,000 words of additional content".
Audiobooks
GraphicAudio has released Elantris as a dramatized audio production. It was adapted and produced with a full cast, narrator, sound effects and music.
Recorded Books has also published an authorized audio book of Elantris.
Critical reception
Elantris was very well received by both critics and readers. Orson Scott Card said, "Elantris is the finest novel of fantasy to be written in many years. Brandon Sanderson has created a truly original world of magic and intrigue, and with the rigor of the best science fiction writers he has made it real at every level." Kirkus Reviews praised the book for the fact that the book was not the first book in a series, "An epic fantasy novel that is (startlingly) not Volume One of a Neverending Sequence . . . [with] an unusually well-conceived system of magic . . . the story has some grip and it's a tremendous relief to have fruition in a single volume. . . . A cut above the same-old."
Publishers Weekly praised Sanderson's fantasy debut as being outstanding and free of the usual genre clichés, noting that it offers something for everyone, including mystery, magic, romance, politics, religious conflict and robust characters.
Sequels and related works
Sanderson currently plans a sequel to Elantris, though he is not sure when it will be written. He has stated that it would take place ten years after the current book's events, and centre around some of its very minor characters.
He later announced plans for two books following Elantris, with Kiin's children being the main characters in Elantris Two.
An e-book short story was released in 2007 entitled The Hope of Elantris. It was initially for sale on Amazon, but Sanderson released it on his own site when the contract with Amazon ran out.
In 2013, Sanderson wrote a novella titled The Emperor's Soul that takes place in the world of Elantris, but in a very different region. Sanderson notes that ″you definitely don’t have to have read Elantris to appreciate it.″