Peps' Reading List: Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

image from Wikipedia
It was a several weeks ago when our wonderful internet connection turned crappy, which disrupted both work and all my internet related entertainment options.

So, I decided it was high time to finally get around to my much neglected reading list.  Since author Brandon Sanderson has been keeping Wheel of Time fans up to date about the 2013 release of A Memory of Light that will cap of the series, I picked Elantris as my book of choice.

My interest in Brandon Sanderson was piqued when he took over the WoT series after the death of original author Robert Jordan.  While he already had established his own fantasy series in the form of Mistborn and Alcatraz, I knew I wanted to read his first book before anything else.  It just took me over a year before I got around to reading the copy I got from the 2011 Manila International Book Fair.

One day, Prince Raoden of Arelon is taken by the Shaod, transforming his skin to mottled gray and declaring him one of the the doomed Elantrians.  He is taken to live in the ruined city of Elantris and his disappearance explained as a sudden death.  Princess Sarene of Teod arrives at Arelon only to find out that her fiancee Raoden is dead and, because of a clause in their contract, she is declared married to a dead husband.  The gyorn Hrathen also arrives in Arelon to spread the word and convert the citizens to Shu-Dereth within three months, or the armies of his religion will be called to action to conquer the turbulent kingdom.

The novel is told in the perspective of Raoden, Sarene and Hrathen, with each one contending with his or her own struggles from either side of the walls of Elantris.

Raoden struggles with his new role as an Elantrian, watching in horror as others like him are resulted into moaning heaps from various accrued injuries that never heal and a hunger that never abates.  With the help of Galladon, a fellow Elantrian originally from Duladen, Raoden comes to understand the savage politics played by the Elantrians as they fight for food, and he tries to understand what befell the previously silver skinned and haired god-like inhabitants of Elantris.

Sarene contends with her new father-in-law, King Iadon, who is determined to ignore her existence as he tries to control his kingdom despite the unrest among both nobility and commoners.  Sarene uses her intelligence and deft hand in politics in order to help her new countrymen, eventually encountering a broken faction that once banked their hopes on Roaden's future rule.

Hrathen, on the other hand, is focused on placing a converted King on the throne of Arelon, hoping to circumvent the catastrophic massacre that befell the Duladen empire, an event that haunts him still.  Hrathen uses both religion and politics to gain favor among the nobles, and uses the citizenry's fear of Elatris to turn their ears to his words of the glory of Shu-Dereth.  Yet, he finds opposition from the king and another member of his church, while recognizing the political threat that Sarene poses on his plans.

Unbeknownst to Raoden, Sarene and Hrathen, their individual struggles would eventually lead to a single struggle for the fate of Arelon, as well as Teod.  A malevolent opposition works behind the scenes to circumvent all of their plans, whether it's Raoden's rehabilitation of Elantris, Sarene's hopes of creating a better ruling system for Arelon or Hrathen's plans to save the people of Arelon under the Shu-Dereth rule.

Elantris was created as a stand-alone novel and much thinner than the usual fantasy books that I normally read.  I had expected an easy read, but I ended up reading it in about four days, which is longer than I normally would have considering the number of pages.  I read the first half in about three days, with my pace slow-going for a couple of reasons.  First, it's been a while since I read a book, and second, the beginnings of Elantris could be slow going.  Brandon Sanderson takes his time in describing places and people, and the characters are usually engaged in lengthy conversations that are intended to educate the readers about the world they live in or to explain the important facts that will later affect the various plot points moving in the book.  I wasn't particularly bored, but I wasn't on the edge of my seat either, but going through the more placid first half would eventually pay off in the latter parts of Elantris.

I read the second half of Elantris with a lot more speed, matching what would become an equally fast pacing of the story.  By this time, the readers will get a higher sense of urgency in the decisions and actions made by Raoden, Sarene and Hrathen.  There's a sense of excitement every time the three leads encounter one another, giving the readers a sense that things are about to come to a big, explosive and dramatic end.

Which it does, by the way.  It was big (resolutions! revelations! actions!), explosive (both literal and figurative) and dramatic (I was misty eyed when reading that final scene).  Elantris deludes us into thinking that it's smaller number in pages and slow start is indicative of an average work of fantasy fiction, catching readers off guard on how exciting it can be.  The slow start was essential, because by the time the last few chapters take place, you can already see everything in your head as you read about the battles and the revelations.  I was so much into the last few chapters that Marvin was alarmed at the rate I was reading.

Brandon Sanderson was able to create a world that is filled with mysteries that require solving, and societies that delve into politics that require a battle of wills and cunning.  The lead characters are engaging, are easy to empathize with, and the resolution to their individual struggles is more than enjoyable to read.

Elantris reminds even those with long histories of fantasy fiction reading that great works don't always translate to thousands of pages or anthologies that are released in parts over the years.  And that even the slowest of starts can yield to an exciting and satisfying finish.

Happy reading!!

Labels: , , , , ,