Elantris
Elantris was the first of Brandon Sanderson’s novels ever published, and when you compare it to his other Cosmere books, it shows.
No, this does not mean that it is bad. Most other fantasy authors would love to have their best novel be as good as Elantris. It is still a very solid story, and its main characters are excellent. But Sanderson’s later books have better worldbuilding and development for their side characters.
This novel takes place ten years after Elantris, a city inhabited by magical beings worshiped as gods, was struck by some kind of blight that caused the Elantrians and all who would have become Elantrians to lose their magical powers, instead becoming living corpses without heartbeats, a need to eat, or the ability to heal from injury.
Now, Arelon, the land that had been ruled by the Elantrians before their fall, is under threat from the theocratic Fjorden Empire, and so makes a marriage alliance with the only other nation free of Fjorden influence; Teod.
Unfortunately, Prince Raoden becomes one of those living corpses while his new bride, Princess Sarene, is still in transit, on her way to Arelon. He is thrown into the city of Elantris, which now serves as a de facto prison for the living corpses that would be Elantrians. And she arrives in Arelon to find herself already widowed.
Elantris follows Reoden as he learns to navigate life in Elantris, Sarene as she builds influence in the royal court of Arelon, and Hrathen, a Fjordish priest who is trying to conquer Arelon through conversion in order to avoid the need to use force.
It is the Cosmere novel that focuses the least on magic and the most on political intrigue. If you generally prefer your fantasy novels to be low magic, then this might not be a bad place to dip your toe into the Cosmere. Otherwise, go ahead and start with either Mistborn Era 1 or Warbreaker.
My biggest complaint about this novel is the side characters. Raoden, Sarene, and Hrathan are all great, but the side characters are more hit and miss. Some are well-done, but others, especially those that are the ‘bad guys,’ tend to be a bit one-note, at least compared to Sanderson’s later works.
Still, despite this issue, I really enjoyed this book. It is already clear in this novel that one of Sanderson’s strengths is set-up/pay-off.
Overall, Elantris is a solid debut novel and an interesting piece of The Cosmere.
Short Stories and Novellas
The Hope of Elantris
This short story is framed as a non-perspective character from Elantris talking about their experiences during a pivotal part of the novel. It is an interesting look at something that happened “off-screen,” if you will, but it is hardly essential. It feels like a deleted scene.
And that makes sense; this was a short story Sanderson wrote specifically for a young girl who was a big fan of Elantris. It is a fun little story, but does not really add anything to the Elantris or to our understanding of The Cosmere. You can read it or skip it as you choose.
The Hope of Elantris is available to read for free on Brandon Sanderson’s website. It is also included in the compilation of Cosmere-related short stories and novellas called Arcanum Unbounded.
It contains spoilers for Elantris.
The Emperor’s Soul
This Hugo-winning novella is also set on Sel, but it takes place on a different continent and features a different magic system from those we find in Elantris.
In it, we find a magic called Forgery. With Forgery, something can be changed into another thing, a thing that it could have been or could become. It requires an intimate knowledge of the thing being changed, as well as the skill to craft a stamp that accounts for the existing nature of the thing being changed, as well as what it is being changed into.
This magic is generally frowned upon and tightly controlled by the Empire. But it is only illegal when used to Forge a person.
Shai is a master at both Forgery and forgery, the non-magical replication of artwork, documents, etc. She has been caught swapping a painting with a forgery in the Imperial Palace. She is scheduled to be executed.
But the arbiters who advise the Emperor and rule alongside him offer Shai a deal. The Emperor has fallen into a coma, and they do not know if he will recover. They want her to forge his soul anew, so that he may live again and their faction will not lose power. If she succeeds, they promise to free her and give her back her soulstones, the stamps she uses to temporarily rewrite her own soul.
They will never really let her go. Still, this job buys her time to figure out how to escape. So she takes it, knowing its impossible. But what if…
The Emperor’s Soul is my personal favorite of all of the Cosmere novellas and short stories. Shai is a fascinating character, and Forgery is a wonderfully intricate magic system. The story itself makes wonderful use of a limited time mechanic, as well as pitting internal and external conflict against one another. It leaves me wanting to know more. I am actually more interested in exploring the magic system and continent we are given in this novella than I am those presented in Elantris.
Both because it presents cultures and a magic system not yet found anywhere else in The Cosmere and because it is just so well-executed, I consider The Emperor’s Soul to be required reading for anyone with an interest in The Cosmere, and recommended reading for anyone else.
The Emperor’s Soul can be found as a standalone novella or as part of Arcanum Unbounded.
On Sel, we find the home of the first published Cosmere novel, a short story, and an award-winning novella. Next, we move to Nalthis, home of The Cosmere’s other standalone novel, Warbreaker.
Or you can click here to go back to the general Cosmere post.
