Elantris - First Thoughts

[Kim]

What are your first thoughts on Brandon Sanderson's debut novel?

[Greg]

Hope to read this someday, but I don't think it'll be this month unfortunately.

[Mathew]

I actually just re-read all the Raoden chapters (because they are my favorite) of Elantris a couple of weeks ago. I am a sucker for the "people in a terrible/oppressive situation are lifted up by a great leader" trope, especially if it involves immortal magic people. Great debut, but was a little rough around the edges in some parts.

[Tawallah]

I have read The Final Empire so far and really enjoyed it. I know that Sanderson has a huge fan base and most seem to not like this debut one as much as The Mistborn Series or The Stormlight Archives series. Plan to get through this one this month and finally see how it compares.

[Wolf_Maiden]

I own this book, and have been meaning to read it for sometime. But, I still have to get through the massive stack of books I checked out from the library ;)

[Mary]

I'm afraid I bounced off this one when I first tried it and don't think I'll give it another chance.

[Krzysztof]

I've been reading the original Mistborn and then Stormlight Archive over the last couple months and now just couple days ago finished Alloy of Law. Had some nagging feeling about [spoiler warning] the bigger picture for some time, and then there's that last chapter of the Alloy... Will I get more of the big picture in Elantris?

(actually as much as I've enjoyed Sanderson so far, it seems to me he's going for a lot of didactic moralising targetted at teenagers - not a criticisim, just an observation and maybe my compass is off because I've been interspersing his books with Abercrombie and others)

edit: and btw, my first post here according to rules msg popup, so Hi All.

[Travis]

I read this back in April. Looking at my reading list notes: Fine story with B-movie writing. The violation of "show, don't tell" was abysmal. One star.

[Dizzie]

i really enjoyed all of Raoden's part bcs he is showing what a great leader supposed to do in the situation, but unfortunately after his counterparts with Sarene, he is drown too much to her and lost all of his charm because suddenly he become such a desperate lover who can only think about his girl. Sarene character's too, she is too selfish and arrogant, so that it's a really hard to symphatized for her. But above all, the story is pretty great, yet quite slow in the first half.

[Michel]

Hi all - quick note to intro myself. I've been a non-contributing member of this group for a long time. I've finally decided to join-in on a group read.

Fantasy used to be my favourite genre. But I've had trouble finding decent fantasy novels and so have read lots (relative) of non-fantasy stuff. To give you a clue...I must be the only person around that was not completely enraptured by GRR Martin's Song of...series.

Picked up Elantris today. Definitely NOT the type of fantasy novel I'd normally choose for myself. So, I'm really looking forward to doing a group read on this one.

Cheers!

Ps. Sorry for pissing off GRRM fanatics with my very first post...I promise I'll behave. ;)

[Kai]

I also read the Mistborn trilogy first and was a bit apprehensive of reading Elantris, but a friend of mine told me that it was even better than Mistborn.

After reading it, I don't agree with him, but it still was an entertaining read. I liked the split between the characters in theory, but the stakes in the princess's chapters were so low that I couldn't muster any enthusiasm for them.

If she had interesting things to do, then I would have enjoyed this book even more. Still, it's a Sanderson and so far he hasn't disappointed me.

[Leonie]

I enjoyed Elantris, however I think it's clear that it's an early Sanderson book, and that his writing has grown since it was written.

I really like the concepts, and I think that several of the characters are excellent.

[Sunil]

I'll be starting this week. Just need to finish the last few chapters of the blade itself first (funny but no real plot so far!). I have read Sanderson's mistborn trilogy and his wheel of time books and loved them so have high hopes for this.

[James]

Kai wrote: "I also read the Mistborn trilogy first and was a bit apprehensive of reading Elantris, but a friend of mine told me that it was even better than Mistborn.

After reading it, I don't agree with him,..."


Agree entirely. Really good read and as a huge Sanderson fan I found it interesting to see where he came from in his writing. Personally though, I find The Way of Kings to be his best work so far. Much less action though in this book in comparison to many of Sanderson's other works. Still a great read though! Roaden's will is something I can respect and Sarene's strength of character is amusing/awesome.

[Trike]

Seems to me Sanderson is better at generating ideas than actual execution of the prose. I really like his ideas, but his books... not as much.

[Jim]

Interesting comments!
This will be my first read with the group. Looks like I have a copy on my bookshelf already so I can jump in and see what happens. I have heard Elantris is an excellent read. Hard to believe it is already 10 years old.

[Matt]

Kai wrote: "I also read the Mistborn trilogy first and was a bit apprehensive of reading Elantris, but a friend of mine told me that it was even better than Mistborn.

After reading it, I don't agree with him,..."
You didn't like reading about her fencing lessons?

[Matt]

I have begun reading this book and I am hoping to like it. I hear non-stop about how great Sanderson is, but this will be my 3rd book by him and was not super impressed with the first two.

So far it seems like the plot is interesting but the writing is not super engaging or literary. I'll pop back in later on when I get further.

[Hank]

First novel, not his best IMO. Parts grab me and parts put me to sleep. I am only about a 1/3 in and will stick with it but I am glad I read some of his other books first.

[Jeff]

I have read this one recently.I liked it quite a bit.I like everything he does.

[Jessica]

I happened to read this about a month ago. I really enjoy all of Brandon Sanderson's books, and Elantris is no exception. As others have said, Raoden is my favorite character. Sarene was a good character too, but she spends most of her time talking politics, which I find so boring.

[David]

I’m about halfway in and enjoying the book. I thought the rotation of three threads might get annoying, but it hasn’t so far. Additional thoughts: Oxidation and decay are natural phenomenon, so why has Elantris become so funky over a ten-year period? Also, while it feels like a leper colony, the people outside don’t seem worried about catching anything. Maybe it would have worked better if the people of Arelon had a tradition of sending their dead (not just their changed) to Elantris before the Reod.

[Jessica]

David - I think most of your questions will be answered by the time you finish the book.

[David]

I assumed so. The writing struck me as very coherent.

[Valerie]

I am not very far into the book. My first impression was that it definitely lacks some of the polish and maturity of The Way of Kings or even The Final Empire.

However, right after I began, my library hold for The Stand came in, so I am going to try to finish that before it expires.

[Jim]

First chapter was great! I am totally into it.

[Salemslot]

The beginning was a bit off-putting, the constant change in POV and the introduction to this unique universe was challenging (I was constantly going back to reread what Aons, Shaod and who was who were). But the moment you get an understanding of the characters and the mechanics of the world, you can't help it and fall in love with this book. It is obvious that Sanderson is following the 'monomyth cycle' to a tee to forward Raoden's journey therefore you are not that shocked when the twists in the plot appear. The politics in the book are quite tedious but I can't complain as they flesh out Sarene more. If this is Sanderson's debut book, I can't imagine how good "Mistborn" will be!

[Sunil]

Valerie wrote: "I am not very far into the book. My first impression was that it definitely lacks some of the polish and maturity of The Way of Kings or even The Final Empire.

However,..."

2 chapters in and I agree with this. There isn't the punch in the writing you expect with Sanderson.

[James]

This is the first Sanderson book I have read. I am about 2/3 through it and I like it. The writing isn't the best but it's not clumsy to the point where it makes the reading difficult. It looks like there is a sequel and at this point I would consider reading it.

[Kathryn]

James wrote: "This is the first Sanderson book I have read. I am about 2/3 through it and I like it. The writing isn't the best but it's not clumsy to the point where it makes the reading difficult. It looks lik..."

I read Mistborn first and fell in love with his work when it was announced that he would be taking over Wheel of Time for Jordan. I have yet to read *anything* of his I don't like.

[Jessica]

Salemslot wrote: "If this is Sanderson's debut book, I can't imagine how good "Mistborn" will be! "

Mistborn is the best! Everyone who has not read it yet should put down this book and go read Mistborn.

[Johanna]

Just finished Mistborn, after listening to my husband bag at me to read it for 2 years. Turns out he was right- it's amazing! It was my first Sanderson, so I'm excited to read more of his work.
My hope is to participate in this group read but our copy is on loan to a friend at the moment. Hopefully he will finish it up quickly and I'll have time to fit it in this month! Until then, I'm starting The Well of Ascension! :)

[Jethro]

Although its a very slow beginning the ending is completely worth it!

"Beautiful ... Once so beautiful..."

[Sunil]

I'm a quarter in so far and am finding this very slow going. There isn't the action I suspect with a Sanderson novel. There just seems to be a lot of boring political conversation. Really hope this picks up the pace.

[Angelof]

i read this book 2 years ago and I enjoyed it so much that I rated it 5 stars here on Goodreads. To think I heard Mistborn is even better!

The politics, mystery, and the unique magic system make this an amazing book.

[Michel]

This is only my second ever group read. First was last week. I'm trying ... trying...but oh my. This one is not so easy for me to get into. I'm 60 odd pages in, so I'll persevere. One early issue, is how the krijafe decided to morkeden the sumula. I mean don't get me wrong, I can deal with some new flubbitch, but by Wyrne, this is a bit much. Don't know if you can kolo?

[Edwin]

I just finished Chapter 7. I understand the complaints about how this starts slowly, but I am not finding it so. Sanderson builds his world gradually and is clearly setting the stage for things to come. It is all rather compelling. Or maybe this is all we're going to get.......?

[Emelie]

Hhmmmm.... I'm around 2 chapters in and just feeling that it's okayish. The Writing style thus far seems kind of simple and show don't tell. Not grabbing me in and keepinig me want to read read read.

But that's the difficult part, I guess, the beginning, when one in a fantasy setting has to introduce the World to the reader. Though, he goes about it slower, which is nice, than some others. Like that talking thing the girl has with her, that wasn't explained what it was until some chapters in.

But I'm gonna keep holding on for a while longer to see if it starts to get interesting.

[David]

Michel wrote: "Don't know if you can kolo?"

I grock.

[Traci]

I originally found Brandon Sanderson through Elantris, and then immediately read Mistborn right after. At the time, either the sequels weren't out yet, or I wasn't aware of them, and I was stunned by what happened in Mistborn. I loved both books, though Mistborn is clearly superior.

After reading this post, I'm glad I read his books as they came out, because it sounds like Elantris is disappointing if you've read his other stuff first.

I don't need literary or flashy writing, I just need a good story. The first time I read Elantris, I had a little trouble understanding what was happening at the end. Even upon rereading Elantris, the ending seems a little schizophrenic to me.

So if this is your first Brandon Sanderson novel and you're not big into it, give Mistborn a try. It does not disappoint, and Brandon Sanderson is one of my favorite authors.

[David]

My youngest has been trying to get me to read Mistborn and this one was good enough that I'll probably pick it up.

[Michel]

*Spoiler...if you haven't passed the 10th chapter or so*

Okay, so ostensibly, you are pretty much a zombie that can't really be killed. You are so hungry, that you resort to eating book covers. Why wouldn't you gather up your trusty gang of co-undead, grab some weapons, and then leave the bloody city and kick ass outside the walls, to then be able to take as much real food as you want. It would be hard to stop you, since you are hard to kill since you are already dead. And I'm guessing that even if weak, enough of you undead types could overwhelm/kill the mortal guards, what few there seem to be, outside the gates......

OR am I missing something.....

[Avaminn]

I'm a huge fan of Sanderson and I think Elantris is actually my favorite of his novels. Mistborn series is pretty close though.

[David]

Michel wrote: "Why wouldn't you gather up your trusty gang of co-undead, grab some weapons, and then leave the bloody city and kick ass outside the walls..."

Because there are so many opportunities to stub you toe outside, which REALLY HURTS!!!

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

Checked it out from the library a week ago, starting it today. My copy is the Tenth Anniversary version ("10,000 words of bonus content!").

: )

Beautifully illustrated book.

[Dani]

*** Possible Spoiler response to Michael B.***


Michael B. Because any injury they receive stays with the same amount of pain threshold. If you stub your toe you know it hurts like SOB, but can you imagine that pain never going away, any cut, any scrape, any bumping into something. Pain stays the same as when you first got the injury. There is no real leadership in Elantris either and there are guards outside the doors to prevent them from coming out. They are also scared and have no idea why they are the way the are, but if you keep reading it will start to make sense a little bit more. Enjoy! :)

[Dani]

I read this book last month and I really liked it. It did get slow at times with all the politics and a little hard to follow at the end. But the concept was great. I love Brandon Sanderson and have pretty much read most of what he has put out. He is one of my favorite authors! Currently reading his new release Shadows of Self (mistborn 5) and it is good too!

[Valerie]

David wrote: "Michel wrote: "Don't know if you can kolo?"

I grock."

LOL. Awesome.

[Valerie]

I finished The Stand, thank goodness that is over. Now, back to Elantris.

I am now about 30% in and while I still think his writing lacks the finesses of his more recent work, I am hooked.

[Traci]

Ooooh yeah, Daniela, I can't wait to read the latest. My husband is reading it now and telling me how awesome it is, so I keep telling him to hurry up and finish reading it so I can!