DSNX25: 20 Years Later, I Still Love Elantris

I first encountered Elantris in 2011, when my Nana gave me an ebook copy for my birthday. It was my first Brandon novel, my first time reading on a Kindle, and the book that marked my transition from children’s fiction into broader fantasy. I was eleven, leaving behind Narnia, Hogwarts, and Camp Half-Blood to explore a world of zombie gangs, broken magic, and fractured kingdoms.

The three protagonists’ struggles captivated me—their attempts to reshape their circumstances, their clashing viewpoints, and the way their conflicts intertwined. Raoden’s constant battle with the Dor and his experimentation with Aons especially thrilled me; the promise that he would solve the Reod and fix the magic system kept me turning pages long into the night.

In the fifteen years since, I’ve read widely across fantasy, including the full breadth of the Cosmere. I’ve even worked with Karen Ahlstrom in Dragonsteel’s continuity department, becoming something of an encyclopedia of Brandon’s worlds (it’s true—I have a trophy proclaiming me the “Best First Intern”). Yet even after devouring Mistborn, the Stormlight Archive, The Kingkiller Chronicles, The First Law and more, Elantris holds a special place in my fantasy pantheon. My affection for its characters and its world has only deepened as I’ve grown more immersed in the Cosmere they launched.

Photography credit: Elizabeth Rose. (Thanks for coming to my panel, mom)

At Nexus today, I sat on a panel centered around Elantris. As Brandon Sanderson’s debut novel and the starting point of the Cosmere, it occupies an unusual space—occasionally criticized, yet still deeply beloved by Sanderfans and fantasy readers alike.

The panel was well received, and the audience shared their enthusiasm for AonDor and the stories of Raoden, Sarene, and Hrathen. I was struck by how this twenty-year-old book helped spark such a massive fantasy franchise—one that now commands a significant share of the fantasy community’s attention.

It’s fun to look back and see how Elantris served Brandon’s needs as a writer still mastering his craft. Raoden, Sarene, and their romance carry an earnest spark, and Hrathen’s antagonism is shaded with enough sympathy to make his climax feel grounded and justified. The supporting cast is memorable—recognizable even when they appear off-world or under pseudonyms. The magic system enhances the story rather than overwhelming it, and moments like Raoden’s desperate run with the stick or Hrathen’s late-book revelations are early glimpses of the Sanderlanches to come.

Elantris planted the seeds of the Cosmere and made its mark on the fantasy landscape of 2006. As Brandon’s style has evolved and influenced a new generation of authors, the novel has become a touchstone for many readers who trace their Sanderfan origins to its pages. And though the wait for a sequel may last a while yet, Elantris offers everything I enjoyed about it in 2011 and more, to seasoned Cosmere veterans and those cracking open Brandon’s first book for the first time.