Elantris
{5/5} “It had come with a tempest — that much even Raoden remembered. The earth itself had shattered, an enormous chasm appearing in the south, all of Arelon quaking. With the destruction, Elantris had lost its glory. The Elantrians had changed from brilliant white-haired beings to creatures with splotchy skin and bald scalps — like sufferers of some horrible disease in the advanced stages of decay. Elantris had stopped glowing, instead growing dark.”
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson, published in 2005
Elantris used to be a beautiful city of the gods. Ten years ago everything changed — now when people get the Shaod they become diseased, and were thrown into Elantris as a prison. That’s what happened to Raoden — he woke up a prince, but now he’s in Elantris. He meets one coherent man named Galladan, and trades his last piece of meat for a promise to show him around and tell him what he knows about this mysterious place.
This novel will grab you right away. The 3 storylines are equally engaging, and the characters are terrific.
It’s about people plotting to bring disaster to a kingdom, and other people plotting to save it. It’s about trying to solve a 10-year-old mystery.
This is the 1st book I’ve read by Sanderson. I will definitely read more.