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May 26, 2015JihadiConservative rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
It's rare to find a good high fantasy tale that doesn't span less than half a foot tall. Elantris is an exception. By now, nearly everyone knows who Brandon Sanderson is. You know, author of The Way of Kings, Mistborn, and all those big fat fantasy novels that are selling out quickly at the bookstore. But the novel that first put him on the map was Elantris, a standalone fantasy novel and arguably one of the most imaginative books in the genre. While Elantris doesn't do anything new in the genre (and few books do these days), it's a thoroughly enjoyable tale and certainly one of the better high fantasy tales you can find in packed into a single volume. Elantris proves that you don't have to cut down a wide swath of forest to tell a fantastic fantasy tale -- something that many fantasy authors don't seem to realize. What's surprising is that Fat Fantasy Meister Sanderson started his forest-killing career with an environmentally-friendly standalone. If you like Sanderson's other books, it's a no brainer to read Elantris. But author pedigree aside, Elantris is a great story with a rather unique (to fantasy anyway) story? Now why should you read Elantris out of the many other great books out there? The plot is great, the characters well drawn, and it's a fantasy adventure that sucks you in and won't spit you out till you've finished the last page. The book has a strong female protagonist too (something that's quite common in most of Sanderson's books) and a likable, manly hero too. If you are looking for a standard high fantasy tale to make this list, then Elantris is the stand-in one for that spot. Apparently, Sanderson is working (or thinking about) writing a sequel the book, though the story is completely self contained as it is.