"Elantris" review

Elantris was beautiful, once.

So Brandon Sanderson's first novel (his first!) begins, acknowledging its epic tone despite the fact that it's an entire story in one book. And it's satisfying.

Ten years ago, the Reod struck, causing the beauty of Elantris, as well as its ultra-powerful beings, to fade. Now anyone who is transformed in the Shaod is sent into the cursed city to rot. What once was paradise now has become a slime-covered domain of the damned. Prince Raoden of Arelon awakens one morning to find-- to his horror-- that he is an Elantrian, and his family sends him secretly to Elantris to cover up their shameful secret. Soon after, his betrothed, Sarene, princess of Teod, arrives in Arelon to discover she is a widow before she is even married. Raoden is officially proclaimed dead upon his banishment into the wretched city. But all is not lost, for Raoden finds a friend in Galladon, and together, they attempt to unify and rebuild Elantris.

Meanwhile, Hrathen, high priest and gyorn of Fjordell, is sent to Arelon, in the shadow of Elantris, to convert its people or bring about their destruction. How can he choose, and who can stand against him?

Arelon and the surrounding countries are in a time of unrest, and if something is not done soon, the world will crumble. The spirit of Elantris must be found...or else Arelon is doomed.

The story here is truly epic in scope, but it's totally original. Once again, major kudos to Brandon Sanderson for creating some of his best scenes. And not a word is wasted, for there simply isn't room for extra fat in a one-volume story. It's absolutely moving, full of heart, beauty and hope. That's not to say that the action is anything but spectacular, of course. In short, Elantris is a masterpiece, proving Sanderson is worthy for just about anything. I can't wait for this summer's release of Warbreaker, his next one-volume epic. I'm sure it will be fantastic.

My rating: 10/10

Writing a Fantasy Series, Part One

Now, there's a lot of fantasy out there, and it's seldom found alone. There are tons and tons of series. Here's the question: what makes them great? Part One of this series analyzes how to begin a fantasy series in a way that doesn't leave readers, to put it mildly, annoyed.

The Starting Line

Most fantasies have a prologue in the beginning of the first book, either to explain what's going on or to plunge right in. These two very different approaches can both work very well, but not necessarily. Some examples of the "slow dipping-in of your toes" method are The Wheel of Time, which shows you a moment in history for one shining moment before giving the reader a hundred pages of introduction; and A Song of Ice and Fire, which gives a brief chapter of action before letting you know the characters (many of whom you will grow to know and love before they die in horrible ways). The "oh what the heck, let's just get with the story already" method can be seen in The Door Within, which starts, "The first sword missed Aidan's head by an inch"; and Mistborn, which starts, "Sometimes, I worry I'm not the hero everyone thinks I am". Notice really dynamic opening sentences in these examples, another good device to use.

Now We're Cooking With Gas

The hero(-ine) now is faced with some huge problems, whether it's fulfilling a prophecy (Gregor the Overlander), saving the known--and unwkown--universe from the hands of a tyrant (PENDRAGON), or perhaps just surviving in a magical boarding school (need I even say his name?). It's coming up with these missions that gives your story momentum, and if it's too boring, you'll lose the reader before they even start. And, since there's probably some good stuff in there, that's never a good thing.

The Star-Studded Cast

A good fantasy needs good characters, be they djinn (Children of the Lamp), dragon riders (Eragon or Pern), half-bloods (Percy Jackson and the Olympians), kings (The Cry of the Icemark), living legends (The Name of the Wind), or talking animals (Narnia). If the characters are lacking depth, then the story will fail, no matter how good the plot. So make them breathe.

Tune in soon for Part Two!