kamreadsandrecs | Shades of Greatness

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I come across writers at various stage of their career. Sometimes I get lucky, and come in at the ground floor, as it were, picking up an author’s debut novel and then following them as their career (hopefully) grows and flourishes. Sometimes I come to it at the end, when the author has either not written anything in a very long time or (as is more often the case) already passed away. And then there are those times when I start reading an author’s works in the middle of their careers, when they already have a few (or several, if they are prolific) books under their belt and are still capable of producing many more.

That was the case with Brandon Sanderson. The first book of his that I ever read was The Final Empire, which is the first novel in the Mistborn series. To say that I was blown away is something of an understatement; after reading that novel I practically inhaled the two other books in the first trilogy, and while I haven’t gotten around to reading the sequel trilogy, it’s because I got sucked into the even more epic (and even more delightful) Stormlight Archive.

It is because of this stellar track record that I didn’t hesitate when the book club I’m a part of decided to pick up Elantris for our May read. Elantris was Sanderson’s debut novel, after all, as well as the starting point for the entire Cosmere universe, so I definitely had to read it.

Elantris takes place in a land called Arelon, where once the shining city of Elantris and its near-godlike people wielded powerful magic to feed the masses, heal the sick, and teleport themselves across vast distances. But ten years ago the magic of the Elantrians failed, and nothing has been the same since. Now Kae, the new capital of Arelon, is ruled by a king who rose to power on the back of a bloody revolt - and whose son and heir, Raoden, has recently been thrown into Elantris after awakening one morning to the fact that he has been cursed by whatever darkness claimed the once-shining city a decade ago.

In the meantime, two strangers arrive in Arelon, each with their own goals. One is Princess Sarene of Teod, whose marriage to Raoden was meant to seal a treaty between her country and Arelon, that both might stand united against the growing might of the Fjordell Empire. The other is Hrathen, a high priest of Fjordell determined to convert to his god and add it to the Empire he serves. When Sarene discovers the mysterious circumstances of Raoden’s death, which seems to coincide with Hrathen’s arrival, she grows suspicious, and decides to figure out what is going on - and hopefully, prevent Fjordell from consuming both Arelon and Teod.

In the meantime, the still-living Raoden is discovering the secrets of Elantris, and trying to solve a puzzle of his own: what caused Elantris to fall? And if he solved that, could he, perhaps, make it rise again?

As I have mentioned earlier, I’d already read other books by Brandon Sanderson, mostly notably the first Mistborn trilogy and what is currently available of the Stormlight Archive series. Therefore, I have quite a solid familiarity the tropes and concepts Sanderson appears to use most frequently in his series. For instance: his women are clever, quite brave, and considered “unconventional” by the standards of their culture. His men are also brave and generally good-hearted, but they also tend to be burdened by tragic pasts, or to be caught in circumstances they want to change for the better. There are also gruff, military-type older men, and formidable, elegantly beautiful older women. Sanderson’s most important characters generally fit into those tropes, though there are enough differences across the novels that they do stand out, each in their own way.

In Elantris, the keen reader will notice that many of those character tropes are very prominent. Take Sarene, for example. The following excerpt comes from the second chapter:

… [Sarene] wasn’t sure what she had expected to feel, standing before the dead man she would have married. She was oddly…angry.

She pushed that emotion away for the moment, instead turning to look around the tent. It almost seemed too formal. Though the visiting people were obviously grieved, the tent, the offerings, and the decorations seemed sterile.

A man of Raoden’s age and supposed vigor, she thought. Dead of the coughing shivers. It could happen—but it certainly doesn’t seem likely.

“My…lady?” Ashe asked quietly. “is something wrong?”

… “I don’t know,” she said quietly. “Something just doesn’t feel right here, Ashe.”

“You have a suspicious nature, my lady,” Ashe pointed out.

“Why isn’t Iadon having a vigil for his son? Ketol said he was holding court, as if his own son’s death didn’t even bother him.” Sarene shook her head. “I spoke with Raoden just before I left Teod, and he seemed fine. Something is wrong, Ashe, and I want to know what it is.”

“Oh dear…” Ashe said. “You know, my lady, your father did ask me to try and keep you out of trouble.”

Sarene smiled. “Now, there’s an impossible task. …”

…

… A large part of her curiosity was an attempt to take her mind off her feelings of inferiority and awkwardness—anything to keep from acknowledging what she was: a lanky, brusque woman who was almost past her prime. She was twenty-five years old; she should have been married years ago. Raoden had been her last chance.

The above excerpt paints a picture for the reader of Sarene as a sharply intelligent young woman who is quick to suss out anything suspicious - and above all, is brave enough to go looking for answers. A moment later, it indicates that this intelligence might be her own way of compensating for (what she thinks) is a distinct disadvantage in looks and marriageability. But those traits are familiar from other characters Sanderson has created: the intelligence remind me of Shallan and Jasnah (from the Stormlight Archive); while the youthful concerns about personal appearance, as well as the hint of mischief, echo mostly Shallan but also a little bit of Vin (from the first Mistborn trilogy).

Another good example is Raoden, who in the excerpt below is described by his best friend Lukel:

Lukel thought for a moment, then spoke with a reminiscent voice. “Raoden made people happy. Your day could have been as sour as winter, and the prince and his optimism would arrive, and with a few gentle words he would make you realize just who silly you were being. He was brilliant as well; he knew every Aon and could draw them with perfection, and he was always coming up with some weird new philosophy that no one but Father could understand. even with my training at the university in Svorden, I still couldn’t follow half of his theories.”

“He sounds like he was flawless.”

… “In everything but cards. … He would have made a horrible merchant—he didn’t really care about money. … I never saw him sad or angry—except when he was at one of the outer plantations, visiting the people. he did that often; then he would come back to the court and speak his thoughts on the matter quite directly.”

“I’ll bet the king didn’t think much of that…” …

“He hated it,” … “Iadon tried everything short of banishing Raoden to keep him quiet, but nothing worked. The prince would find a way to work his opinion into any and every royal ruling. He was the crown prince, and so court laws—written by Iadon himself—gave Raoden a chance to speak his mind in every matter brought before the king. And let me tell you…you don’t know what a scolding is until you’ve had one from Raoden. The man could be so stern at times that even the stone walls would shrivel up beneath his tongue.”

…

… “This country needed Raoden. He was beginning to make some real differences; …”

If Sarene is the seed for characters like Vin, Shallan, and Jasnah, Raoden is the seed for characters like Elend, Kelsier (both from the first Mistborn trilogy), Adolin, and Kaladin (from the Stormlight Archive). They all share similar traits: they are quite charismatic; they have a deep desire to change the world; and they have a certain optimism (excepting perhaps Kaladin).

Though Sarene and Raoden are the most prominent examples for this kind of recognition, other readers will likely recognise many other characters in this novel that they may have encountered in other of Sanderson’s works. There are a few characters who echo Dalinar from the Stormlight Archive, for instance, while one character in particular is such a strong echo of Renarin from the same series that it almost felt like I said character was only minimally altered before being transferred from Elantris to the Stormlight Archive under a new name, physical description, and personal history.

Unfortunately, all of this familiarity brings with it some complications, in that it’s also clear to the reader that these characters are not as refined as their later iterations. It is as if Elantris is a testing ground for the kinds of characters that will become most common in Sanderson’s later works. They have none of the polish and very little of the layers of nuance that make Sanderson’s other characters so enjoyable to read about. It is quite clear - especially to readers who have already read Sanderson’s later works - that these characters are mere shadows of what they will later become.

The same can be said for the plot. It tries to do what others of Sanderson’s books do: convey an epic plot by building upon and tying together somewhat-smaller plots to create drama and tension. Unfortunately, this is not quite as well-handled in Elantris as it is in later books. The bones of the attempt are there, yes, but there are a few too many happy coincidences and “right place, right time” kinds of moments for my taste. While there is nothing wrong with using such elements in a story, it does concern me when they are used too liberally, and that does feel like the case in this novel.

As for the themes, again, there is an attempt to build upon a few in this novel that are also common in other Sanderson novels: themes of revolution, emancipation, and reform being the three key themes in Elantris. Again, as with the characters and the plot, the attempt to develop those themes in this novel is not quite to the same standard as a reader of Sanderson’s previous novels might expect. There is an attempt made, to be sure, and it is a rather good attempt at that, but there are times when the development comes across as a bit too on the nose for my liking, instead of being subtly incorporated and allowed to grow via the characters’ and the plot’s development.

Overall, Elantris might be important reading for those who want to get a good grasp of Sanderson’s Cosmere universe, but it is not quite to the same level as the Mistborn series or the Stormlight Archive. It is rough around the edges in most of its aspects, which means that readers who are accustomed to the quality and polish of Sanderson’s later books might not be very appreciative of what is clearly an early attempt at everything that will come later. Still, it makes for a fun read, as long as the reader is willing to keep his or her expectations a little low, and remember that this is Sanderson’s debut novel, and therefore may not be quite as good as what he has since produced.