Book Review: Elantris - Brandon Sanderson

I just finished reading Brandon Sanderson's first novel: Elantris. As the dust jacket says, Sanderson is teaches for BYU, but the online directory simply says "Evening Class", so I'm unsure what subject. Knowing this connection one can find small hints of Mormon doctrine throughout the book. For example, the plainly stated idea that the destruction of one man is better than the loss of an entire nation as a religious principle. That's the most obvious one, though other, more subtle, allusions are made as well.

The story line was original and enthralling, successfully drawing the reader into the world that he created. I found myself accepting the many plot twists and turns, but remain bothered by one act at the end allowing for the happy conclusion. While it seemed that all of the intricate details had been linked together appropriately there was one that didn't seem like it fit correctly to me.

Being a first printing of a first edition there were the usual high number of typos. Sadly, a few of them are so terribly located that they break your entrancement with the reading and knock you flat out into reality again.

The story line progresses at a consistent pace for almost all of the 487 pages, but the last 40 pages fly by pushing a million events into less than a tenth of the book. I think this could have been lengthened some to allow for more detail and control of the happenings. Being the climax of the novel, one reads through these 40 pages extremely quickly, and pulling it out to say 80 at least would have been almost unnoticeable, but would have allowed for a more in depth depiction of the events. The final result of Hrathen's internal struggle is hardly explained to the reader satisfactorily. The intense battle sequences occurring could easily have contained more dramatic detail and lengthening. The end just felt very rushed. It had more of the feeling of you're reading faster and faster not because your in suspense and wanting to find out what the story is building up to, but because the story just keeps going faster and faster with less and less detail.

So, in spite of those criticisms, I did enjoy the read. It's not a long read by any means, I started it Monday, and finished Thursday afternoon, while also working, going camping, running a Karaoke night, going to the tumbling gym, etc...


Elantris by Brandon Sanderson receives CPM's seal of recommendation to Fantasy readers.