Elantris

By: Brandon Sanderson

Narrated by: Jack Garrett

Length: 27 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Legendary science fiction author Orson Scott Card calls Brandon Sanderson a writer to watch.

Once the godlike rulers of the capital of Arelon, the inhabitans of Elantris have been imprisoned within themselves, unable to die after the city's magic failed years ago. But when a new prince falls victim to the curse, he refuses to accept his fate.

©2005, 2015 Dragonsteel Entertainment, LLC. (P)2008 Recorded Books,LLC

Critic reviews

"...readers won't want to put it down." ( Publishers Weekly)

"Outstanding." ( Publisher's Weekly)

PLEASE GET ON WITH IT!!!

Great story, pathetic narrator. The narrator starts this story like he's climbing a hill. This is really a great little fantasy tale but I got so distracted waiting on the narrator to read the next line. Then there is no distinction between any character's lines. Females, soldiers, floating orbs of light, all sound the same. The ending was a bit of a let down. I felt like the author could've made a statement there about allowing decay to creep in and how it takes work to straighten things out, but he chose end it with a "quick-fix-and-everything-is-all-better" ending. Dropped the ball on that I think. Still story has such good characters and plot twist that it deserves more stars than the narrator allows.

Great writing but I never felt totally engaged

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No. The story was far too long for its limited rewards. The characters were made to be heroic but even as they may overcome overwhelming odds, my emotional reaction was never raised to the levels of many of Sandersons other books, such as the mist born series or wheel of time.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Far too many situations that required you to suspend any sense of reasonable doubt. Plot lines jumped around, sometimes dead ending or not seamlessly joining each other. The religious story line was ham handed and the story far more complex than it needed to be.

Any additional comments?

I wouldnt recommend the book, although I remain a big Sanderson fan.

Hope there's more

Need more books in this story line. I haven't been disappointed by Sanderson yet. It's a good listen if a bit slow to begin.

Good story, where's the sequel?

If this had been sci-fi I would have called it a space opera, it has that kind of feel. The characters are a little prototypical and the plot is not overly complex, but it is a good story and a fun read. The good guys (and gals) are really good, and the bad guys are REALLY bad.
Overall it was a lot of fun, easy to listen to and quite long; exactly what I look for in an audio book. The ending sets up for a sequel that I would definitely like to read.

A breath of fresh air

A little slow to start, and the reader was a bit melodramatic. Other than that, this first work by Sanderson is a great new take on fantasy.

Damn

oh hot damn this is my jam I was up listening untill the am.

5 star.

Heady stuff.

At first I wasn't sure I would like this book. But the story grew and it was very good. Twists and turns and not predictable. I was hoping for more.

Best Sanderson book!

I thought I could never love a series more than the Mistborn ... but then I read this. Brandon truly astonishes me with his powerful writing and unique ideas.

Excellent novel, fun read!

I started following Sanderson when he wrote the mistborn saga, after that I read all the rest of his current work and eagerly await his new additions.
This novel is not quite the quality and depth of his later ones and felt to me more light hearted and fun romp then the emotionally torrid later works. His writing is still top notch and the feel of a well thought out hand crafting it rests in every twist and turn.

Took a chance, loved it!

The narrator started the book extremely dramatic. I almost thought about not continuing. He reminded me of the voice for epic movie trailers, but he eventually got into a good rhythm that was enjoyable and he mellowed out. I bought this on a whim, searching for something fantasy like and I'm glad I did! It was a unique storyline and the author did a great job developing a history for the cities and characters. I also liked that he used a strong female main character who went against society's definition of how a "noblewoman" should act. It was nice to be able to relate to a character who wasn't always standing around waiting for someone to save her!