Welcome to this crazy project I’ve decided to embark on. I have decided to read, and then review, as much of The Cosmere in (roughly) chronological order that I can. The Cosmere is a collection of fantasy books by Brandon Sanderson which as of today contains nearly 4 million words total. 

These books and series are all connected MCU style with a lot of individual books/series that later on converge in a central plot. Despite the first book in The Cosmere coming out almost 20 years ago we are still only in the very early stages of the universe. 

I am going to avoid spoilers in these reviews however I will reveal the most basic aspects of the story. I recommend that for most of these books that you go in completely blind as that makes the reading experience a lot better.

The first book in this collection that I have decided to review is Brandon Sanderson’s debut novel Elantris which was released in 2005. 

Elantris was the radiant capital of Arelon, a city full of divine inhabitants. Randomly a force called the Shaod would turn people into these beings of light and beauty, and when they transformed they would move into Elantris. However something changed 10 years ago.

The Shaod still takes people, but instead of turning into demigods, they are considered to be damned. The Elantrians had all become husks of their former glory, with rotting flesh and a diseased complexion, they became people forced to go through eternal pain and hunger. Elantris, the city that had once been their glorious palace, became their prison.  

This is the main fantastical premise of the book, however it’s not the only aspect. As with many of Brandon Sanderson’s works the book is also very much a political drama. 

There are many internal and external conflicts within the court of Arelon. The king is a bit of a buffoon and there’s a looming threat of the Fjorden Empire which has taken over almost the entirety of the world.

This is where my first gripe with the book lies. For a fantasy book there sure is very little fantasy. The world is cool, the Elantrians are interesting, but much of their struggles and conflicts are not at all fantastical. 

Brandon Sanderson is known for his amazing hard* magic systems. However this one is definitely one of his softest. This doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a soft magic system. The reader definitely learns a lot about the magic system, it just isn’t used a whole lot in the book, which is a big disappointment. 

*Hard and soft refer to how defined and integral something is to a story, and is most often used when talking about Magic and Worldbuilding. Lord of the Rings for example has a soft Magic system (as we are never told how Gandalf’s magic works) and very hard worldbuilding (since we learn a lot about the history of the world/rings).

Main Characters

There are 3 main characters in this book and they rotate being the perspective character per chapter up until the end of the book where their storylines intertwine. 

The first one is Prince Raoden, the only member of the Arelon court that the masses seemed to like. When he is taken by the Shaod, he is brought to Elantris and his friends and family are told that he had died. Within Elantris he finds a broken people regarded as savages. Raoden optimistically uses his leadership skills and wit to reform the city and bring hope back to the Elantrians. 

The Second character is Princess Sarene, who was about to be wed to Raoden. She was the Princess of Teo which is the only other country that had yet to be taken by the brutal Fjorden Empire. When she is told of her fiance’s death she becomes determined to continue Raoden’s legacy in protecting and representing the people of Arelon. While doing so she discovers Raoden’s secrets, and comes in exact opposition with the final main character.

The last perspective character is Gyorn Hrathen of the Fjorden Empire. He is a Gyorn (or high priest) of the Derethi religion, which is the only religion allowed within Fjordel. He has been sent to Arelon with the task of converting everyone within the country to his religion (and therefore allowing them to be “peacefully” absorbed by Fjordel) in 3 months time, and if he were to fail, the full force of the Fjorden Empire will attack and slaughter every single person within Arelon. 

Raoden and Sarene are amazingly compelling characters. Every time I read one of their chapters I am completely sucked in and engaged. However, with Gyorn Hrathen I found myself bored and waiting for his chapters to be over for well over half the book. He has a very interesting storyline and inner conflict but comparatively it’s not as intriguing as whatever the other characters are dealing with for the majority of the book.

The Elements of Brandon Sanderson’s Writing

A lot of the things Brandon Sanderson would become famous for is seen within this debut book. He’s known for his amazing characters, and his hard worldbuilding and magic systems. 

The dialogue and character interactions are superb. The majority of the characters feel like real human beings and when they interact (especially with perspective characters) it feels similar to when you’re introducing your two close friends to each other. And the dialogue is really clever and witty, there are several moments in this book where I find myself laughing out loud with one of their comments or jokes. 

The Worldbuilding is also really solid. It may not be as good as some of his later works but it’s definitely not the worst of his that I’ve read. It can be a bit clunky at times but by the end I knew everything that I needed to know for the story. I clearly understood the relations between countries and just enough history that you don’t feel like you know more than needed, while also there being enough to hint at more below the surface. 

The magic system is good enough. The Elantrians were able to draw these symbols called Aons, and each Aon would have some sort of effect. It’s defined enough for you to clearly understand the story and how the magic fits in, but in the end I found it very underutilized and wanted more from it. 

In Conclusion

Despite its flaws, Elantris is a very good debut novel by Brandon Sanderson. It’s not the best of his books that I’ve read but it is a lot better than the worst. 

It is a great start to the Cosmere, it’s not at as grand a scale as the later books but in the end I do recommend it if you want a moderately sized entry to Brandon Sanderson’s style. 

I give this book a 7.3/10. I found it hard to get invested at times and there were a few elements that left me wanting more, but I found it really fun and engaging in the end. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for the next segment in my Cosmere review series which will be Mistborn Era One.