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Should I read Elantris?


ICanDream

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I’ve been debating for a while now about whether I should read Elantris. On the one hand, it seems like an interesting premise, but on the other hand, I don’t know if it will be worth my time and money.

I love the Stormlight books (they’re my favourite book series) and thought Mistborn was alright. 

So, should I read Elantris? If you think so, explain why, and vice versa

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10 minutes ago, Ammanas said:

For books I am unsure about I check it out at the library and later buy if I can see myself rereading so I can support the author. I personally liked it and really enjoyed Hrathen character arc.

I was going to do this, but it isn’t available in any local libraries. I live in England btw

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Personally, I feel that it's worth it.

  • The way perspective shifting is done is a little different, but workable. It gives a much better view of what's going on elsewhere at the same time, at the cost of rarely having the same PoV character for more than 2-3 consecutive chapters.
    Takes a little getting used to, but it's hard to get bored of a character/location when you are somewhere else pretty quickly.
  • The magic system(s) is fascinating, and opens up a lot of potential for the future.
  • It's also book 1 of a planned 3, so reading it at some point before reading the next ones is probably a good idea.

And as mentioned, Hrathen is a bit of a fan favorite on the forums.

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If you have any interest in the full Cosmere, then yes, you should. At least once anyway. Given the pivotal roles it seems Stormlight and Mistborn will play in the full Cosmere arc, it might become essential later down the road (circa stormlight 9-10 or Mistborn era 4) when Brandon starts pulling everything together.

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20 hours ago, ICanDream said:

I’ve been debating for a while now about whether I should read Elantris. On the one hand, it seems like an interesting premise, but on the other hand, I don’t know if it will be worth my time and money.

I love the Stormlight books (they’re my favourite book series) and thought Mistborn was alright. 

So, should I read Elantris? If you think so, explain why, and vice versa

loove Elantris. It is probably my favorite Cosmere book after Stormlight. I would absolutely buy it, if I were you and you can't get it at your library. It's a wonderful story, even if the Brandon Avalanche at the end is a little overwhelming. I'm on the same page as @Ammanas, I loved the character of Hrathen and his arc. So yes, buy it, even if it's just the paperback or Kindle edition.

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On 1/21/2018 at 4:19 PM, ICanDream said:

I’ve been debating for a while now about whether I should read Elantris. On the one hand, it seems like an interesting premise, but on the other hand, I don’t know if it will be worth my time and money.

I love the Stormlight books (they’re my favourite book series) and thought Mistborn was alright. 

So, should I read Elantris? If you think so, explain why, and vice versa

 

On 1/21/2018 at 4:54 PM, The One Who Connects said:

Personally, I feel that it's worth it.

  • The way perspective shifting is done is a little different, but workable. It gives a much better view of what's going on elsewhere at the same time, at the cost of rarely having the same PoV character for more than 2-3 consecutive chapters.
    Takes a little getting used to, but it's hard to get bored of a character/location when you are somewhere else pretty quickly.
  • The magic system(s) is fascinating, and opens up a lot of potential for the future.
  • It's also book 1 of a planned 3, so reading it at some point before reading the next ones is probably a good idea.

And as mentioned, Hrathen is a bit of a fan favorite on the forums.

I will more or less parrot what @The One Who Connects said here. My largest criticism of the book is that Brandon wrote it earlier in his career and then had the audacity to become a better writer as he kept doing it... There are some points in Elantris where the prose just doesn't flow as well as you see in his later books. With that said, the story is good, the characters are interesting and the magic system is fascinating. 

Then there is Hrathen; he is a spectacular character. He's among my favorite literary characters ever (although 2nd to Marsh for Brandon's characters). Hrathen's thought process is a very linear, logical one that honestly is very similar to how I think. I had rarely seen that depicted in a way that didn't make the person seem like a robot so I hold him in very high esteem. You get a good feel for his logical nature while still seeing him as human. 

In short, yes, you should read Elantris.

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Judging strictly from writing ability it's probably the weakest of the cosmere books but story and character wise I think it holds up well with Stormlight, definitely recommend getting it if you get the chance.

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It’s really good. The romance arc is pretty good, with foreshadowing and unforeseen elements that were surprising.

The main plot arc is also really good, but has its criticisms. Such as, “Raoden isn’t that cool. He just does cool stuff.” And, “Sarene is just too competent.” And, “Hrathen just can’t get any more cool, can he?”

I guess those aren’t criticisms. I think it’s because Elantris is my favorite book.

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Honestly I wasn't a huge fan of the book (thought the pacing was too slow), but it's worth reading if you want to read all the Cosmere books. It's not a terrible book but I wouldn't say I loved reading it. For me, Stormlight and Mistborn were a lot better. 

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