Elantris by Brandon Sanderson - Paperback

El libro está perfecto 👏llegó en excelentes condiciones. Solamente los de la paquetería lo aventaron al dejarlo y pudieron haberlo dañado, eso no me gustó si lo quieren tomar en cuenta.

Sanderson lo conosco per via della serie della Ruota del Tempo, sebbene non sia ancora arrivato a leggere la parte scritta da lui (ho scoperto relativamente da poco la saga). Tuttavia un amico mi ha vivamente consigliato di leggere qualcuno dei suoi libri e, dopo aver letto qua e la per decidere da dove iniziare, ho optato per l'ordine cronologico. Elantris, il suo primo lavoro. E penso di non aver sbagliato perché è brillante, accattivante e quando pensavo di aver capito qualcosa, mi sono trovato spiazzato dalla narrazione. Ti tiene sulle spine, ti avvince, anche se per la maggior parte del tempo non è un libro di grandi azioni e battaglie a suon di magia. E' diverso da ogni altro fantasy io abbia mai letto, una ventata di freschezza in un mondo pieno di storie simili, dove cambiano solo l'ambientazione e i nomi dei personaggi. Non so (per ora) se il resto dei suoi lavori meritino quanto Elantris, ma fossi in voi, non me lo perderei di sicuro!

Absolutely brilliant.... would rate at 6 out of 5 if I could. Outstanding mind-bending story with amazing characterisation. A "could not put it down" saga! If the rest of the series is only half as good I will be well pleased.

Amazing book. Must read.

It happens from time to time that literature is blessed with the birth of a new world. On very rare occasions it is simply breathtaking and without any doubt the work of a genius, something that is acknowledged worldwide. Tolkien is an, maybe the, example for that. Not so seldom, but still far too rare, are the inventions of gifted authors that are always doomed to stand in the shadow of Tolkien. The only way to really cope with that burden is to twist some aspects of classic fantasy in a way that the reader is taken by surprise, smiles while reading and whispers to himself, whilst turning the page, an honest "awesome". that happened a lot to me when I read "Elantris". Of course, there is no way denying that, of all fantasy-novels Sanderson has written so far, it presents the most orthodox setting. No dark sky and a landscape that is tormented by frequent ash-falls. No flora and fauna that perfectly has adapted to shattering tempests. Rather a solid concept that balances somewhere between high and low fantasy. The characters are well written. Maybe not the most remarkable work of fiction but believable. They maybe are a bit too stereotype. The princess a bit too witty, the prince a bit too heroic, the villain a bit too insane, but that's alright. It is not because of the characters that the book is awarded with five stars. There are actually two reasons for that: 1) The magical system Sanderson invented is simply beautiful. One cannot say that it is highly creative or downright ingenious. But it is beautiful. The way Sanderson uses and works with his magic is unique and sets him apart from any other modern fantasy author. That is his great strength and his talent. The focus is not, as in the Mistborn Trilogy, set upon the fancy construction of the system but on the atmosphere it creates and, again, its beauty. 2) If one concentrates on isolated aspects of the book it is average. At best. But somehow, and I cannot really say why, The book taken as a whole is just and only brilliant. It manages to capture the reader and it won't let go until the last word is read. Writing an average book that actually entangles the reader in such a way is quite a task. And Sanderson somehow succeeds. Do not expect the most exciting story ever. Do not expect unforgettable characters. Do not expect anything at all. Just begin reading and give in, for, as Wilde also stated once: "Beauty is a form of genius--is higher, indeed, than genius, as it needs no explanation."