Elantris
Brandon Sanderson, 2005
A prince wakes to find his body branded with the curse that exiles people into a sealed, rotting city — and decides to save the people already locked inside. The narrative moves with a heavy, gothic pace, blending a sense of dread with moments of intense wonder and power as you follow the prince's journey.
Feels like dread, wonder and hope. About faith, power and identity.
Who it’s for
You may like it if you enjoy high-stakes fantasy focused on themes of identity and moral responsibility. However, be aware that the setting is a sealed, rotting city, which provides a pervasive atmosphere of decay and dread.
Why read it
This book gives you a powerful look at how personal faith and sheer will can challenge impossible circumstances.
A page from the book
The advice you already know and keep ignoring.
Do not dash if you only have the strength to walk, and do not waste your time pushing on the walls that will not give. More importantly, don’t shove where a pat would be sufficient. Brandon Sanderson.Sanderson wrote his first published novel while working night shifts at a Provo hotel, and kept working there even after Tor bought the book.
Books that feel like this
More by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn
Brandon Sanderson, 2006
A street thief who burns metals for luck is pulled into a heist against a god-emperor—and a world buried in ash.
The Well of Ascension
Brandon Sanderson, 2007
A young Mistborn and a scholar-king try to hold a freed city together while an army gathers outside and old prophecy starts to look like a trap.
The Way of Kings
Brandon Sanderson, 2015
When a young scholar challenges ancient religious doctrine, they force a confrontation between faith, logic, and the true nature of divinity. A sweeping epic of idealism and intellectual defiance.
Where to get it
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Questions readers ask
- Is Elantris for me?
- You may like it if you enjoy high-stakes fantasy focused on themes of identity and moral responsibility. However, be aware that the setting is a sealed, rotting city, which provides a pervasive atmosphere of decay and dread.
- What is Elantris like?
- The narrative moves with a heavy, gothic pace, blending a sense of dread with moments of intense wonder and power as you follow the prince's journey. Feels like dread, wonder and hope. About faith, power and identity.
- What should I read after Elantris?
- If you liked Elantris, try Fairy Tale (Stephen King), Clockwork Angel (Cassandra Clare) and Throne of Glass (Sarah J. Maas).
A taste of the feed
The world-ending thing you’ve stopped noticing.
You get used to the amazing, that’s all. Mermaids and IMAX, giants and cell phones. If it’s in your world, you go with it. It’s wonderful, right? Only look at it another way, and it’s sort of awful. Think Gogmagog is scary? Our world is sitting on a potentially world-ending supply of nuclear weapons, and if that’s not black magic, I don’t know what is.
Fairy Tale · Stephen King
What it means when a shattered face doesn't bleed.
It connected with a sickening sound. Miranda reeled back—and then straightened. Tessa shrieked and dropped the globe, staring—the whole left side of Miranda’s face was crushed in, like a paper mask that had been smashed flat on one side. Her cheekbone was flattened, her lip mashed against her teeth. But there was no blood, no blood at all.
Clockwork Angel · Cassandra Clare
A dare that lands because it names the fear, not the dream.
You could rattle the stars,“ she whispered. ”You could do anything, if only you dared. And deep down, you know it, too. That’s what scares you most.
Throne of Glass · Sarah J. Maas
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