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.