Elantris

Ten years ago-ish, Elantris came out. Three years ago, I read it. With a decade of publication, Tor decided to release a new, canonical edition with introductions, outroductions, an Ars Arcanum, deleted scenes, maps and an after credits scene. How does it hold up to a re-read? How different are the changes? Is it worth repurchasing? What's the deal with Vax?

Over-all, I enjoyed my re-read. It was an enjoyable novel that still retained its charm and its issues from my previous read, so a lot of my thoughts from three years ago are still valid today. You can read my previous review if you want. I won't summarize it, because I'm not your butler. You don't pay me anything to do menial tasks, so pffffft!

The main difference between reads is I was less critical with the characters this time around. This is due mostly because I have realized and accepted that none of the characters really have any development arch, with maybe the exception of Hrathen. These are two dimensional characters who all ready know who they are, what they stand for and what they want. As a result, this is the type of story about the characters overcoming obstacles, not about the development or change of the characters themselves. This is not a bad thing in of itself, but if you are in the mood for a story with three-dimenstional characters, you would be better off with almost any other Sanderson book.

So, what are the changes between editions? In the story: not much. I suspect that some things have been polished slightly so that things fit a little better in the overall story, directions I hear were changed so they agreed with each other (there were some conflicts since this book was published before Brandon had Peter Ahlstorm as a copy-editor, who catches incongruities like a cat catches mice). There is nothing so drastic as the changes made in the end of the mass market paperback of Words of Radiance. So as far as the actual novel, you pretty much have the same deal, so what you would actually be buying are the extras.

The maps are much, much better in this edition...much better. They also do affect how key events in the story are viewed, so the are very important. The introductions are fine, whatever. Miguel Cervantes seems to have it right when he implied that introductions to books are just frivolous and silly, but they aren't bad. The outroduction is merely the reflections of Brandon on his career and offer some insight into his mind as a writer. Once again, not too much though.

I skipped the deleted scenes because none of it is canon. They were cut out and I don't care. Kinda wished in their place was printed The Hope of Elantris, but one can not always get what you want.

The Ars Arcanum gives one a little more information on AonDor (the magic system in the book) than we previously had. It also makes a reveal that everyone knew that has read The Way of Kings. Overall, some nice stuff for fans of Sanderson's Cosmere. (If you don't know what that is, you are not a fan of it. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtains)

The after-credit scene is pretty much geared towards Cosmere fans as well. It's a short scene with Hoid who does a couple actions, confirms something fans of the Cosmere have suspected for years, and features a cameo from an unnamed skaze.

Ultimately, if you are looking for whatever scraps of Cosmere information Brandon will throw at you, you ought to get this edition. Just don't expect too much in the way of clarification. In some cases, more questions actually arise instead.

If you all ready own this book but are not so Invested (ha) in the Cosmere, wait a bit. The mass market paper backs of Elantris will soon all be this edition, so you can replace your copy at a more economical price.

If you haven't read Elantris, you might as well get this edition. It is, after all, the canonical version! The Cosmere bits, if you even bother with them, can be...cleared...up by looking online. Or you can just ignore it and have the regular Elantris experience with much better maps than what I had!

So enjoy if you wish, and take heart! We may have the Elantris sequel in about four years, fifteen years after the original publication. Sure, this is "standalone", but whatevs.

So this was Brandon Sanderson's first published fantasy novel. A novel about fallen gods/zombies, politics, and jihad.

Elantris consists of three character arcs. There's Raoden, the crown-prince of Arelon who has found himself taken by the Shaod. The Shaod, a decade earlier, had once turned lucky inhabitants into godlike beings who then went to live in the magical city of Elantris. However, a massive catastrophe has somehow perverted the magic of Arelon. Now, the Shaod turns its victims into an undead monstrosity that are thrown into the now decaying Elantris. Raoden now seeks to reestablish Elantris and find out what went wrong before the ever increasing pain drives him to madness.

Sarene was betrothed to Raoden, but finds that there is no groom for her arranged marriage. She is told that the prince had died, but her marriage contract binds her to him and she is unable to marry anybody else. Stuck in Arelon for political advantage, she gets involved with a revolutionary group intent on changing the oppressive, cruel mercantile system of rule set up by Raoden's father. But she has to face off with more than the court's intrigue as the third character arch is....

Hrathen, a high priest of the Derethi religion of the East. Derethi is a sort of cross between militant Catholicism and militant Islam and is intent on bringing the entire world under its theocratic rule. Hrathen has been sent to convert the nation of Arelon to Derethi in the space of three months, after which an invading force will either establish Derethi rule or annihilate the unbelieving population.

For the most part, the book is a fairly light-hearted journey as Raoden works to uplift the fallen Elantarians and Sarene works to bring a better system of government to Arelon while acting as a foil to Hrathen's plans of converting the masses. This not only is a refreshing style in a genre that is continually trying to out grim the violence porn industry, it leads to the biggest complaint I have about the book: the tone. It's a little jarring to go from what approaches a campy interaction between characters to the near genocidal final act. Of course, as a flaw, this is a very small dent compared to a lot of what was done right.

First, I was impressed with the fallen state of the Elantrians. Their appearance and ostracization is reminiscent of leprosy while their bodies' inability to heal, be free from pain, and constant hunger take the best from zombie lore while throwing out the silliness of that tired, over-used genre. This, coupled with the mystery of how Elantrians fell from their godlike state make Raoden's sections the most intriguing of the novel. The resolution of the Elantrian mystery, coupled with the resolutions of the other character arches make this a satisfying "stand-alone" novel.

Though this book was written to be self-sufficient, it still has the feel of a first book in a series. The resolution of the character archs still leave a lot of source of danger to Arelon and Elantris. Luck for us, Brandon Sanderson does plan to write at least two more novels centered around Elantris...eventually.