[pat5150]

Hi guys!

I have just finished reading Brandon Sanderson's ELANTRIS, and I can tell you that it is indeed a good book.

This novel had been staring at me every time I entered a bookstore. I would pick it up, read the blurb, and think that it sounded pretty interesting. I posted about it on numerous message boards. Like me, most people had seen Elantris but had not bought it. After a while, readers' reviews began to surface and the consensus was definitely good.

Sanderson reminds me a lot of David Eddings and J. V. Jones, at least in terms of style and for the dialogues. Steering clear from the now popular "darker" fantasy tales which are rapidly becoming the norm in today's market, Elantris is a relatively "light" fantasy.

I have to admit that the ending packs a powerful punch, bringing this book to a very satisfying end. It was nice to see the different storylines converge to a climax like this. It proves that Brandon Sanderson not only knows how to spin a good yarn, but how to end it with an exclamation point.

In the end, what makes Elantris so special is the fact that it's so accessible. This is a book that basically anyone who likes a good fantasy epic can enjoy. And the fact that it is a stand-alone novel makes it even more appealing. This book was more popular than expected in hardcover. And I'm persuaded that it will be a huge success when it is released in paperback.

Keep an eye on Brandon Sanderson, for he just might be one of the bright new voices in the fantasy genre. And if it's not too late, you can also add Elantris on your Christmas present list!

By the way, there is a copy of Pratchett's THUD! up for grabs on the blog!

Patrick
www.fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com

[QuickTidal]

I have indeed of late suffered this same fate. I walk into the fantasy section of the bookstore and this book is staring me in the face. Perhaps it is time I broke down and read it.....I have so very much to read though...LOL

[Folken]

http://www.malazanem...read.php?t=1470
Sanderson actually makes some posts in this thread, screen name Euol. Though very little discussion about the actual novel takes place...:Erm:
I enjoyed it, though not the mind stimulation novel, it was more an escape from breaking my head trying to understand the vastness of Erikson and Bakker. If you visit his official web-site there are some deleted chapters from the novel, where (literally out of the blue) a 2nd villian is introduced in the 3rd part. Although the character is very good it was a good choice to have him removed from the final draft.

[QuickTidal]

Dude, thanks for the linkage. Interesting!!

[euol]

I actually lurk here fairly often--it's a pretty good forum. The problem is, every time I come, I'm reminded that I shamefully haven't read GARDENS OF THE MOON yet. (Though I do have a copy sitting on my desk. I was visiting Tor back before Jim moved to Dell, and he was still Erikson’s US editor. I think he felt bad about rejecting one of my manuscripts once, because he handed me a stack of hardbacks about a mile high--including everything Tor had published by Erikson.) Anyway, just about every person I talk to promises me that I'll love GARDENS. I really need to read it.

It's interesting that you would point out the light nature of ELANTRIS, Pat. The truth is, I had just come off of writing a very dark (for me) novel before beginning work on ELANTRIS (which was, by the way, my sixth novel.) I'd been writing about a tired immortal who had been turned into a killing machine. (Everybody has to write at least one immortal super-warrior book, right?) In addition, I was a bit tired of reading about deep ponderous characters with serious emotional problems, and even more tired of seeing so many people in fantasy try and emulate Martin's brutal grittiness without emulating his brilliance or experience with language.

So, that's the mindset I was in when I wrote ELANTRIS. All in all, I'd have to agree that I don't strive to be as dark as the current trend in fantasy. I am, undeniably, an optimist. This tends to show through in my writing. (Though, it does amuse me that the book I wrote about a group of zombies who have been damned for eternity turns out to be the book that people find refreshingly light compared to what else is being published.)

I'm honestly curious to see what people think of my second book. Since I sold ELANTRIS four years after I wrote it--and by then had finished seven other books--my next novel is somewhat removed from ELANTRIS. I've backed away from having quite so much lighthearted banter in my books, and (for better or for worse) let my characters grow more conflicted. The focus on visual setting and rule-based magic is still a part of my style, as is the fact that I focus less on cultural setting and the 'mystical' feel of fantasy than other authors.

[Werthead]

I keep hearing great things about this book wherever I go. However, I'm in the UK and it doesn't seem to be out here yet. Any news on a UK release?

Refreshing to see a one-volume novel on the shelves and getting good reviews. Literally the last two books I remember seeing like that are War of the Flowers by Tad Williams and The Barbed Coil by JV Jones. So you are in good company.

[QuickTidal]

Incidentally, I got about $120 in gift certificates for X-mas, and so this week I plan on going out and grabbing Elantris in the hardcover (which is always good for my collection, to have them in tasty, tasty hardcovers!). I'll weigh in after I read it (which will likely be after my current reread of the Malazan books.)

[pat5150]

Hi Brandon!

I'm quite eager to read MISTBORN next spring! It will be interesting to see how your writing style has evolved.

QuickTidal, give ELANTRIS a try, and I'm convinced you won't be disappointed!

By the way, to all of you who have registered to the ELANTRIS contest on the blog, well the name of the winner has been announced!

Patrick
www.fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com

[QuickTidal]

Okay, success. I went to the book store just now and bought Elantris with one of my gift cards. I also bought Ash by Mary Gentle, and The Darkness That Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker. I now have all kinds of things to read!

[euol]

I've heard good things about Baker, and not just from this forum. Let me know what you think.

Werthead, the UK publishers have been dragging their feet. (I've sold ten languages on the book, but not UK. I think it comes from the fact that over there in the UK you have a wealth of fantasy talent, and don't have as much a need to import upstart Yanks.) However, I did sell British Book Club rights to BCA, which we find very amusing. They actually called my agent and thought that it was ridiculous that there hadn't been a UK release on ELANTRIS, since it got such good reviews. They decided to release a book club edition before we got to a bookstore release!

So, anyway, you should see some book club editions show up in used stores eventually. Also, my agent is pretty certain we can get ELANTRIS out in the UK when we sell MISTBORN rights over there. We'll see.

[Werthead]

That's very odd. Given the cack that gets released over here (mentioning no names, cough Goodkind cough) usually the UK publishers leap onto any US novel that has a large number of positive reviews, especially if it's something with recommendations from big-name authors like Orson Scott Card they can put on the cover. Voyager I can understand (although part of HarperCollins they seem to be a bit cash-strapped at times), but Orbit I'd have thought would have leapt on your book. They also have a lot of contacts with Tor. Maybe they're just fully booked for the year? Or they have some kind of vendetta against single-volume novels?

Cheers for your reply.

[fortyseven]

thinking of getting this.

[pat5150]

Hi Brandon,

I don't consider you one of those upstart Yanks! Far from it. . . And I don't believe anyone who has read ELANTRIS would, either.

Happy New Year!

Patrick
www.fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com

[Folken]

Oh I agree, it's a promising start Brandon. The only reason I called it light reading was because I had just come off a 5month reading spree of God(of this here forum) and Bakker. Those two are anything but light;) I must say I was a bit disappointed to see that mad prince was taken out of the story. He was a very interesting character.
Only one advice: don't sell your soul to make a quick buck like GOOkind:D

And yes you should sit down and read Gardens;)

[QuickTidal]

120 pages in.....so far, so good.

If you are reading this Mr. Sanderson, I really DO like your writing style! This is the first (and alot of the time) largest roadblock as far as people reading fantasy. If you can't TELL me the story in a good and solid way, then it doesn't matter what the story is right? Anyway, I think you give us just enough after each chapter (which so far btw are well proportioned and split between the characters nicely) to keep interest high.

I am not gonna weigh in too much on it till I have finished, but I gotta say I am quite impressed and pleasantly surprised thus far!

[Brys]

I hadn't realised that I had a US copy of the novel! I didn't even realise that it wasn't out here. I really don't know why it hasn't been picked up - perhaps its precisely because it's a standalone (the publishers can't be certain to make lots of money out of this, as there's no series to be dragged out), but I thought there were still some publishers who looked for quality novels as well.

[Mithfanion]

Mr. Sanderson,

Is there a synopsis of Mistborn available, to get a taste of what it is about? What would you say it features?

[QuickTidal]

Mithfanion said:

Mr. Sanderson,

Is there a synopsis of Mistborn available, to get a taste of what it is about? What would you say it features?

I already looked it up. Try @ Amazon.ca, there is not only a synopsis (sounds way cool by the way!), but they also have the cover!

[Mithfanion]

Thanks. Synopsis doesn't bowl me over but I suppose it could be an interesting book.

[pat5150]

I'm presently doing an email interview with Brandon Sanderson, and I've asked him about MISTBORN. Let's see if we'll learn a little more about this upcoming series. . .

Patrick
www.fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com