


There are three main point-of-view characters in the story: The majority of the story takes places within the country of Arelon.

Much of the book occurs in groupings of three chapters, one for each of the three main characters. The book focuses on three principal characters whose stories intertwine. Anyone affected by the Shaod is now thrown into Elantris to stay there forever, still immortal, but cursed with unquenchable hunger and unhealable pain. But ten years ago, a cataclysm known as the Reod somehow destroyed the magic of Elantris, the inhabitants of the city became "cursed," and the city was sealed off from society. Anyone in Arelon had the potential to become an Elantrian through a magical transformation known as the Shaod. As Raoden tries to avoid gangs, keep his sanity, and unite the people of Elantris, Sarene must cope with the loss of her husband-to-be and try to save Arelon from Hrathen, a priest tasked with converting all of Arelon to the religion of Fjorden or dooming it to destruction.Įlantris was once a place of magic, and the immortal Elantrians were gods in the eyes of people, with the divine ability to create and heal with a mere wave of a hand. At the beginning of the story, Raoden is cursed by an ancient transformation known as the Shaod and secretly exiled to the city of Elantris just days before his betrothed, princess Sarene of Teod, arrives for their wedding. The story follows three main characters: Prince Raoden of Arelon, Princess Sarene of Teod, and the priest Hrathen of Fjorden. Two related works, Hope of Elantris and The Emperor's Soul, have been released, and two additional novels in the series have been announced. The book gained generally positive reviews, and has been translated into multiple languages. The book was published on April 21, 2005, by Tor Books and was Sanderson's first published book. Elantris is a fantasy novel written by American fantasy and science fiction writer Brandon Sanderson.
