Series: Book 1 in the Elantris series
Rating: ****
Tags: EN-Fantasy, Lang:en
Summary
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson is a rare epic
fantasy that is a complete and satisfying story in one
volume.
Elantris is fleet and fun, full of surprises and
characters to care about.
Elantris was the capital of Arelon: gigantic, beautiful,
literally radiant, filled with benevolent beings who used
their powerful magical abilities for the benefit of all. Yet
each of these demigods was once an ordinary person until
touched by the mysterious transforming power of the Shaod.
Ten years ago, without warning, the magic failed. Elantrians
became wizened, leper-like, powerless creatures, and Elantris
itself dark, filthy, and crumbling.
Arelon's new capital, Kae, crouches in the shadow of
Elantris. Princess Sarene of Teod arrives for a marriage of
state with Crown Prince Raoden, hoping -- based on their
correspondence -- to also find love. She finds instead that
Raoden has died and she is considered his widow. Both Teod
and Arelon are under threat as the last remaining holdouts
against the imperial ambitions of the ruthless religious
fanatics of Fjordell. So Sarene decides to use her new status
to counter the machinations of Hrathen, a Fjordell high
priest who has come to Kae to convert Arelon and claim it for
his emperor and his god.
But neither Sarene nor Hrathen suspect the truth about
Prince Raoden. Stricken by the same curse that ruined
Elantris, Raoden was secretly exiled by his father to the
dark city. His struggle to help the wretches trapped there
begins a series of events that will bring hope to Arelon, and
perhaps reveal the secret of Elantris itself.
At the publisher's request, this title is being sold
without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.