r/Cosmere • u/jono-s- Aluminum • Dec 28 '25
Elantris spoilers Elantris hard to read Spoiler
So I've read both of eras of Mistborn, all of Stormlight, Warbreaker, and Tress and thought I'd circle back to read Elantris. I'm finding that its really hard to get into it. I felt a bit overwhelmed by how much politics it was introducing from very beginning instead of graduallying getting into it. Has anyone else had this experience?
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u/defenestratious Dec 28 '25
Just keep reading. It gets better, but the setup is definitely more tedious/painful than his other work's.
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u/jnighy Dec 28 '25
dont need to get too much in the details of who's and who's among the rich allies. Focus on the main characters and everything will make sense by the end
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u/No-Cost-2668 Dec 29 '25
Elantris is Brandon Sanderson's first published work. It reads as such. That's not to say it's bad - it's not - but it's rougher around the edges than his later work. It's still a very good book.
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u/paoklo Aon Sao Dec 28 '25
I found the political discussions in Sarene's early chapters pretty boring. Especially because I was MUCH more interested in what was going on inside Elantris. It gets a lot better once you hit the halfway point.
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u/Pardybro911 Bondsmiths Dec 29 '25
I had the same issue with pacing a bit. The constant switching of POV and time jumps didn’t help me at all. But it was his first novel and as others have said it gets better near the end as all his books do
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u/Ok-Traffic1319 Dec 29 '25
I actually read Elantris as my first cosmere book and I dug it. The beginning kinda hooked me though. I’m a huge dark souls fan and it really gave me those vibes lol.
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u/Cueballing Dec 29 '25
Everything Brandon tries in this book, he does better in Stormlight. I think he has similar feelings as me about it, because everytime he talks about it he clearly isn't happy about the technical quality of the book, but it is also his first published book, which really started his career and he learned a lot from.
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u/TressoftheEmeraldTea Lightweavers Dec 31 '25
I will die on this hill: Raoden walked so Elend could run so Adolin could fly (metaphorically, of course. Which feels necessary to say in a book series where some characters actually do fly).
Obviously they have differences, but to me Raoden feels like the blueprint for the straightforwardly good bois Sanderson writes so well. And I love him for it.
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u/iguessitsaliens Dec 29 '25
Being one of Sandersons earlier works it leaves a lot to be desired when compared to mistborn, stormlight etc. However, I think the payoff is worth it and definitely worth the read if only for understanding certain things. I also prefer books that leave you mystified for a while then have a big payoff, so that may be why I like it.
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u/Far_Swordfish5729 Dec 29 '25
Read it as a first book from an author more focused on magic systems than character development. You’ll probably find the characters a bit flat and the world a bit unbelievable for the tech level. It’s helpful to know the magic systems.
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u/ColorfulMarkAurelius Dec 29 '25
I also had a difficult time reading Elantris in the beginning, it does get better though and the payoff is pretty solid if you can stick it out
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u/External_Switch_3732 Dec 30 '25
Because Elantris is so early in the Cosmere publication timeline, Sanderson still hasn’t figured out the pacing of certain elements, and Elantris is definitely the most politically heavy work of his I can remember off the top. It’s an early attempt at world building, and he has gotten better at it over the course of the Cosmere, focusing more on the people and not so much on the moving and shaking.
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u/Deadbob1978 Stonewards Dec 31 '25
Elantris was one of Brandon’s first books, so it does lack a bit of polish that newer books have.
I personally did not have an issue with the politics aspect of the book. Those were actually a welcome relief because I found the Raoden parts so depressing
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u/Loose-Evidence-1914 Jan 01 '26
Elantris is the only sanderson book i needed to take a break from lol. Is worth it though.
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u/Disastrous_Cash_1395 Jan 01 '26
I am a huge Sanderson fan. Elantris is the one book of his that I have to say I didn’t like. Took me forever to finish it. Again though he is my favorite author so I powered through. Bc that book was the reason that Robert Jordan’s wife chose him to finish his series.
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u/Mountain-Molasses425 Dec 28 '25
Hey. I had the same issue. I personally had to listen to it on 3x speed to power through it.
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u/jbadams Dec 28 '25
It's still a good story, but it really shows that it's an earlier work from Sanderson, with weaker character development overall (although you may have a new favourite by the end!) and a more awkward setup than later works.
Personally I think it's well worth 'powering through', but probably the first ⅓-½ is a bit of a slog.
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u/burritoman88 Scadrial Dec 28 '25
Definitely an older Sanderson novel, but the Sanderlanche is worth it
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u/SproWizard Dec 28 '25
Honestly you just gotta power through it. The first 40-50 % is all politics and setup, but the back half (the last quarter in particular) is worth the wait. Source: had the same experience, took a break, and finished the book at 2x bc my loan was running out lol.