Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

Mass Market Paperback, 615 pages
Published May 30th 2006 by Tor Fantasy (first published May 1st 2005)
ISBN 0765350378 (ISBN13: 9780765350374)
Primary Language: English
Source: Purchased

The Blurb (www.goodreads.com):

Elantris was the capital of Arelon: gigantic, beautiful, literally radiant, filled with benevolent beings who used their powerful magical abilities for the benefit of all. Yet each of these demigods was once an ordinary person until touched by the mysterious transforming power of the Shaod. Ten years ago, without warning, the magic failed. Elantrians became wizened, leper-like, powerless creatures, and Elantris itself dark, filthy, and crumbling.

Arelon's new capital, Kae, crouches in the shadow of Elantris. Princess Sarene of Teod arrives for a marriage of state with Crown Prince Raoden, hoping -- based on their correspondence -- to also find love. She finds instead that Raoden has died and she is considered his widow. Both Teod and Arelon are under threat as the last remaining holdouts against the imperial ambitions of the ruthless religious fanatics of Fjordell. So Sarene decides to use her new status to counter the machinations of Hrathen, a Fjordell high priest who has come to Kae to convert Arelon and claim it for his emperor and his god.

But neither Sarene nor Hrathen suspect the truth about Prince Raoden. Stricken by the same curse that ruined Elantris, Raoden was secretly exiled by his father to the dark city. His struggle to help the wretches trapped there begins a series of events that will bring hope to Arelon, and perhaps reveal the secret of Elantris itself.

I originally read this after it was announced that Brandon Sanderson was going to be completing the Wheel of Time series after the untimely death of Robert Jordan. Recently, however, a couple of friends of mine decided to pick it up for the first time, and their commentary while reading it made me want to read it again. So, here's some thoughts on my second read-through:

I know this was Sanderson's first novel, so it has some rough patches in regards to the writing and some of the continuity, but it was never enough to jar me out of the story, which is good. On my second read, I found myself enjoying the political aspect a lot more than I had the first time around. Serene's manipulation of just about everyone around her amused me greatly, even though I know it shouldn't.

The foreshadowing in this book is subtle, and I missed most of it my first time through, but this time I found myself wanting to yell at Raoden to stop being so thick-headed and figure it out already!

One of Sanderson's strengths is building a magic system that is complex, elegant, and most of all, original. One of things I enjoyed most about Elantris was it's magic system. Aondor was almost scientific in it's rules, and those rules play a fundamental role in the plot of the story, rather than magic just being something to fill space, like you see in some fantasy novels.

I have to say it: Brandon Sanderson is my hero.