In 2005, Brandon Sanderson debuted with Elantris, an epic fantasy unlike any other then on the market. To celebrate its tenth anniversary, Tor is reissuing Elantris in a special edition, a fresh chance to introduce it to the myriad readers who have since become Sanderson fans.

This new edition begins with a preface by author Dan Wells, the first person to read the completed novel, and a new afterword by Sanderson explaining how he came to write the book and its place in the Cosmere, the unified universe of all his Tor novels.

Also included is an expanded version of the "Ars Arcanum" appendix, with more of the technical details of the book's magic that fans can never get enough of.

Elantris was truly a milestone both for Sanderson and for the genre of epic fantasy. It deserves this special treatment, something Tor has done only once before, with Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. Sanderson fans old and new will be excited to discover it.

Listening Length

28 hours and 42 minutes
Author

Brandon Sanderson
Narrator

Jack Garrett
Audible release date

October 6, 2015
Language

English
Publisher

Recorded Books
ASIN

B01681T8YI
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	28 hours and 42 minutes
Author	Brandon Sanderson
Narrator	Jack Garrett
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	October 06, 2015
Publisher	Recorded Books
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B01681T8YI
Best Sellers Rank	#1,003 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #112 in Epic Fantasy (Audible Books & Originals) #225 in Epic Fantasy (Books)

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Michael Shoemaker

Great start to the series

Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2018

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This is a great start to a new series. I found myself mostly captivated by every character. I am often not a huge fan of novels that switch perspective a lot. For one, it takes a lot longer for me to get invested in an individuals story when it's interspersed with 3 other individual stories. I understand why an author would choose to do this, and I must say Sanderson does it masterfully. I njoyed each story individually. Great job. Another reason I tend to hate this style is I usually end up favoring one character more and have little motivation to read the others. While this occationally happened when the previous chapter left on. Big cliff hanger, I still felt motivated to read the other stories as well.

15 people found this helpful

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One of my all time favorite books

Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2017

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I adore this book and all of Brandon Sanderson's work. This is however, my favorite of his. He had me from the opening words.
"Prince Raoden of Arelon awoke early that morning, completely unaware that he had been damned for all eternity."
I mean really, how can you put the book down when it starts like that?
Full of interesting characters, an intriguing world filled with magic and surprises that abound!
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story.
Writing this review makes me want to go read it again right now.

11 people found this helpful

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Connie J. Jasperson

A complicated read, but well worth the effort

Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2014

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I had a hard time getting into this book, but once I did--wow! Elantris by Brandon Sanderson is a deep commentary on fear, lust for power, and humanity.

The setting of this book is the ruined city that once was the shining example of all things wonderful in the world, and which is now a tomb for the living dead. There are three main characters, which was a little offsetting at first, but as I got into the tale, I saw the reason for it, and the story couldn't be told any other way.

Prince Raoden wakes up to find himself afflicted with the curse of 'the shaod,' the physical manifestation of the once beautiful, but now terrible, change. Despite being heir to the throne, he is declared dead and secretly thrust into the city with little food. He finds many reasons to fight against his lot, and struggles to raise the inhabitants of Elantris from the anarchy they have fallen into in their hunger and despair. Raoden is driven to find an answer, to discover the answer to why the Aons no longer work, and to restore their power, thereby returning Elantiris to health.

Sarene is a princess who is married by proxy to the now officially dead Prince Raoden. She arrives in Arelon, a widow before she has even met her husband, and, despite some roadblocks, immediately takes charge, as she is the only one really suited for the task. She sees the reality that the Arelon nobility ignores, and begins her efforts to both improve the lives of her new people, and head off the impending doom represented by a foreign religion that is poised to take over Arelon. When she realizes what Elantris conceals, and that her husband is there, she takes decisive action, sending food and other encouragement.

Hrathon is the high priest in charge of converting Arelon to his religion and placing a puppet on the throne. His own sense of honor and nobility get in the way of his duty, which sets things up for a spectacular finish. He is complicated, both likable and unlikable.

This is a complicated read, but well worth the effort. The characters are deeply compelling, and Sanderson draws you into his world of magic and logic with precision and a flair for intense drama. I highly recommend Elantris as a one-of-a-kind fantasy set in a distinct and unique world.

4 people found this helpful

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Dorothy L

Love this rendition of one of my favorite books

Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2022

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Brandon adds some important info at the end about scenes he deleted from the first copy of the book. He decided that the character doesn’t add anything to the book that needs to be there. His explanations are great, but mostly his observations about the book, it’s characters, and the whole process of writing, then selling this novel. It’s a marvelous read with many layers that you will want to read again and again.

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Albion

Great science fiction. A page turner!

Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2021

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I don't usually read science fiction but this book came recommended to me. Elantris is a rich story that combines magic, religion, politics and human nature. After the world is sufficiently described, developments are non-stop, setting a quick but not rushed pace. The story is told from various points of view, helping you see events as they are understood by different characters. The plot is very sensible, and the writing is dynamic, witty and enthralling specially at the climax.

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Kindle Customer

What a fabulous book

Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2014

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I can't believe this book was written in 2007 and I have just picked up on it now, six years later. I was so entranced by the Mistborn Trilogy and then the Alloy of Law, that I wanted more Brandon Sanderson. So I picked Elantris and could not put it down.
Mr. Sanderson has a rare gift for making his characters engaging almost immediately. It opens up with Prince Raoden waking up one day to find himself called to Elantris, the city of magic and wonder. But Elantris fell 10 years ago and being called to Elantris now is all but a death sentence. You are neither dead nor alive. You can walk and talk and think, but your heart no longer beats and your blood has vanished. The magic of Elantris transforms you, but now that magic is sick and stuck and the transformations cannot be completed.
Throw in the fact that his father, the king, doesn't want anyone to know what happened to his son, and the son's fiancé just got off a ship a week early to surprise said prince before the wedding, you have a very interesting story unwinding almost immediately. The princess won't rest until she finds out what's going on in Arelon and the prince won't rest until he figures out what happened to Elantris. Time is ticking away at an alarming rate for both of them.
Brandon Sanderson, in all the books I've read so far, challenges you to consider friendship and what it means to you. He challenges you to consider faith and what part it plays in your life. He does not preach any religion at all, yet he makes you think about what role, if any, religion plays in your life. What you would do with your faith if you were confronted by it? Very thought provoking.
All in all an excellent book, I highly recommend it to all lovers of fantasy.

4 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Spyro

Author's first book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 3, 2019

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I read this book with a mixture of audio and Kindle. If it hadn't been for the audible narration I would never have known how to pronounce all those names! Classic beginner mistake to create names that are unpronouncable - or at least don't follow the accepted rules of pronunciation. The plot had plenty of twists and turns, some predictable, others feeling a little more unnecessary, as though trying to follow the pattern of a television series. I liked the characters on the whole - Galloden was a delight! - and I enjoyed all the political manouvering, but there was far too many heavy explanationatory passages and I felt as though the book could have lost at least 20% without losing anything of the story. I'd like to say the world building was excellent because some aspects of it I can see quite vividly, but so many other areas are very lightly sketched so that I don't really have a sense of the world outside Elantris itself.
The ending was exciting, when it finally all came together. There's a hint of a sequel - supposedly to be published in 2020 - but I gather following through on series is not the author's strong suit, so I'm not holding my breath. This book does have a satisfactory ending, though, enough to feel complete in itself, so that's okay.

The audible was on the slow side - one of the reasons I grabbed the Kindle version as well so that I could understand how the strange names were actually formed and so that I was able to move through the story faster, especially skimming some of the duller, narrative heavy sections.

It's an accomplished first novel with strong characters and themes, but for me it has just missed the mark.

14 people found this helpful

FallenGrace

Well written and interesting stand alone fantasy novel.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 27, 2018

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I've read Brendon Sanderson's Mistborn series previously and really enjoyed them despite some weaker moments so decided to try some of his other works and Elantris is, as far as I can tell, his first novel. A stand alone fantasy book (there are a couple of short stories set in the world I haven't read yet) and it's excellent. A really interesting world, great characters and a story that eventually comes together perfectly. Definitely worth a read if you like his other work or fantasy novels in general.

Elantris was once the most beautiful city in the world where beings with near godlike powers that could create food out of thin air and heal incurable wounds with ease lived. That was ten years ago however, Elantris is now a crumbling ruin where the cursed are locked up to die and be forgotten about by the world. That is until Prince Raoden is cursed with the Reod, an event that once transformed humans into godlike Elantrians but now leaves them as undead looking creatures. He is not like the others locked up in there and will still fight for life, his own and everyone else that has given up. His fiance Princess Sarene of Teod, arrives to be told her husband to be was dead and has a fight of her own to help keep the prince's kingdom together from both his father and an outside threat of a religious empire enchroaching on them.

I really enjoyed this fantasy story. It's a fairly hefty book at over 600 pages and though the plot jumps back and forth between Sarene and Raoden, it manages to keep both narratives interesting and memorable. It has a nice mixture, of magic and fantasy with politics and character development and brings everything together really nicely by the end. They are both likeable and interesting characters and it's a well written book that doesn't feel overwhelming to read but has some really unique ideas. It is a little slow in places, especially about two thirds through where I feel like something big was going to happen but never did however the payoff gets there in the end and is worth it.

Recommended.

+ Sarene and Raoden are both interesting characters with different problems.
+ The magic and world building are fantastic.
+ Well written, easy to read.

- A little slow towards the middle of the book.

9 people found this helpful

S. P. Muir

Amazing Fantasy!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2020

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Elantris blew me away. I couldn't wait to slip between the sheets and pick up the story from where I'd left off. A fantasy book about magic in which there is no longer any magic? Brilliant! Then as the tale unfolded, the plot - nay, plots - drew me further and further in. The political intrigue, the religious fanatics, the bigotry displayed by so many, all was so poignant in today's world while at the same time, so distant from it that I was transported far beyond the sweet spot of satisfaction. Such was my excitement that part three - the incredible finale - was devoured in one long night's session. This is Sanderson at his very best and is now officially my favourite book ever! Of course I realise that this is entirely subjective, but I truly believe that it’s even better than his excellent ‘Mistborn’ series. I will no doubt be reading it again very soon and I just know that one day the poor paperback will start to fall apart from overuse.

4 people found this helpful

Farhad Shawkat

Loved it!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 20, 2020

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Brandon Sanderson's debut novel consists of plenty of politics and religion. And Elantris. Which is where the fantasy element comes in. Very little on the magical system and action sequences, until the last 10-15% of the book. And yet I never felt bored, and found the book very difficult to put down. It captivated me throughout, and I was comfortable with the pace of the story.

Sanderson's world building was brilliantly interwoven into the story, and sneaks by. No need here for pages and pages of description, and it got the job done very efficiently.

For most of the book, I sensed a strong Isaac Asimov influence. This story reminded me of the best of Asimov.

A very enjoyable read overall. A sequel seems so natural once you finish the book it's amazing he hasn't written it yet. Wonder what's kept him so busy.

3 people found this helpful

Brhayan Jurado Hernandez

First book I read from Brandon. Not disappointed.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 30, 2019

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I started with this books since many people were recommending this author's books everywhere on YouTube. The beginning of the book it is really hard since there are so many names of places and people that I had never heard of, however, it was a magnificent book that took me from a totally alienated reader to a really engaged one.

This book offers you the opportunity to start something new. You are given a lot of information at the beginning; cities, religion, politics, history. You may not get many things at the beginning, but as you progress throughout the story you realise of things that did not make sense at the beginning. It has everything, plot twists, love, drama, action, and a lot of fantasy (which I was never fan of, but now I a total fan of Brandon).

I would recommend this book to anybody who wants to start something new. This book is thick, but it is worth every page. If you do not like fantasy give this book a try. It has something special, something mature about it.

3 people found this helpful

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Elantris: Tenth Anniversary Special Edition Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

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