Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #181 in Books
• Published on: 2008-10-14
• Released on: 2008-10-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 576 pages

Review
"Elantris is the finest novel of fantasy to be written in many years. Brandon Sanderson has created a truly original world of magic and intrigue, and with the rigor of the best science fiction writers he has made it real at every level.”—Orson Scott Card

“Elantris . . . is marked by vivid and strongly drawn characters (including a memorable female character) and ingenious plot twists that will keep the reader turning pages. Don’t miss it!”—Katherine Kurtz, New York Times bestselling author of the Deryni series

“Sanderson’s outstanding fantasy debut . . offers something for everyone: mystery, magic, romance, political wrangling, religious conflict, fights for equality, sharp writing and wonderful, robust characters. . . . The intrigue and excitement grow steadily in this smoothly written, perfectly balanced narrative; by the end readers won’t want to put it down. . . . Sanderson is a writer to watch.” –Publishers Weekly, (starred review)

“In this stunning debut novel [is] a completely unique world that enfolds the reader in mystery and wonder right through till the last page.”–Romantic Times Bookclub

About the Author
Brandon Sanderson grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. He teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University and lives in Provo, Utah, with his wife, Emily, and son, Joel. He has been chosen to complete Robert Jordan’s A Memory of Light, the concluding volume of the bestselling Wheel of Time series.

Customer Reviews

Enthralling
Brandon has established himself as a new heavy hitter in the fantasy genre. Elantris was spectacular (albeit with a few problems) and his Mistborn series is a step above that.

With the Mistborn series Brandon firmly calls out other authors of the genre - not only in terms of quality, but in terms of quantity. Writing as much and as well as he does should be a crime - one that gets him a life sentence of...more writing.

In this third Mistborn book questions are answered...and more questions are raised. Action is fast paced and for those of us male readers who need a new masculine hero (after Kelsier died), to identify with - we are given it. Combined with the female protagonist (Vin), the new hero balances the books in a way they have not been since the death of Kelsier.

The only drawback of the way Sanderson writes is his tendency to leave questions unanswered, or to raise new questions near the end of his novels. To the reader, these might seem to be promises he is expected to answer eventually. Unfortunately Brandon has yet to commit to answering them.

On a side note - as an author Brandon is incredible accessible and personable to his fans. Unlike other authors, he seems to genuinely appreciate each and every fan he has.

And that, my friends, is just one more reason for us to buy his books; we must keep him writing!

Superb series, superb ending
Wow. Just ... wow. That was an awesome ending, and I was marveling the whole time at how everything fit together with the first two books.

I loved the little reveals throughout the book... as mysteries brought up in 1 and 2 were solved in 3. You can tell that Sanderson wrote all three at once.

Essentially, if you've read Mistborn 1 and 2, you need to pick this up. If you haven't read Mistborn 1 and 2, it will be worth your while to start at the beginning.

Sanderson is a fantastic writer, inventive and creative. I can't wait to see what he does next.

Good, not great
Sanderson's greatest accomplishments may be his ability to create rich worlds that avoids the cliches of the fantasy genre. From his standalone novel, Elantris, to the entire Mistborn trilogy, Sanderson continually surprises with innovations that capture the imagination.

The biggest complaint I saw about the earlier novels was the lack of secondary character development and it was well founded. It's obvious that he listened and the work in the final book surpasses that of the previous two. Sanderson has become a much more mature writer, working the characters and plot with equal care.

Despite this progress, Sanderson still has a long way to go. A lot of the characters still feel like afterthoughts, thrown into the story without their true potential being realized. Some of the pacing needs that little extra touch to take some of the awkward flow away. And for such a promising, original series, the ending might be underwhelming to many.

I look forward to Sanderson's work down the road. I had some trepidation after reading his first books, that he would be finishing the final novel in the Wheel of Time, but he has left me a lot more secure after reading The Hero of Ages. Pick it up for a wonderful quick read. It's good stuff, but his books down the road look like they could be great!