History YMMV / Elantris

* AuthorAppeal: Brandon Sanderson is publicly a big fan of From Software's ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' franchise. Elantris was written several years before the first ''Dark Souls''released, but their are strong similarities between the series. Both involved a protagonist is who is TheUndead, confined to the crumbling ruins of what was once the greatest city in the world, surrounded by others of their kind who vary between actively hostile and completely insane. The phenomenon of becoming Hoed/Hollow is also remarkably similar, where an Elantrian/Undead is crushed by the weight of their failures until they can do little more than endlessly repeat their MadnessMantra.

* SoOkayItsAverage: Among [[Literature//TheCosmere Cosmere]] fans, it’s seen as good, but easily the weakest of the main novels.

* SoOkayItsAverage: Among [[Franchise/TheCosmere Cosmere]] fans, it’s seen as good, but easily the weakest of the main novels.

* MagnificentBastard: Hrathen.

* MagnificentBastard: Hrathen.

* MagnificentBastard: Hrathen.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Sanderson ended up changing several things from his original conception of the novel.
** Raoden was originally supposed to have been in Elantris for awhile, rather than a newcomer.
** Raoden was originally supposed to have a younger brother "the Mad Prince" who would act as a supporting villain, but was cut for being largely extraneous to the novel (though Sanderson admitted to liking the character)- Telrii ended up taking over the meatier portions of his role.
** Hrathen was originally supposed to be a Dula who converted to Shu-Dereth and betrayed his own people to the Fjordell- this was changed because it undermined the ending of Hrathen's arc [[spoiler: where the very Fjordell Hrathen turns against his people and his prophet-king to do what's right]].

** Raoden was originally supposed to have been in Elantris for awhile, rather than a newcomer; he was originally supposed to have a younger brother "the Mad Prince" who would act as a supporting villain, but was cut for being largely extraneous to the novel (though Sanderson admitted to liking the character)- Telrii ended up taking over the meatier portions of his role.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Sanderson ended up changing several things from his original conception of the novel. Raoden was originally supposed to have been in Elantris for awhile, rather than a newcomer; he was originally supposed to have a younger brother "the Mad Prince" who would act as a supporting villain, but was cut for being largely extraneous to the novel (though Sanderson admitted to liking the character)- Telrii ended up taking over the meatier portions of his role; Hrathen was originally supposed to be a Dula who converted to Shu-Dereth and betrayed his own people to the Fjordell- this was changed because it undermined the ending of Hrathen's arc [[spoiler: where the very Fjordell Hrathen turns against his people and his prophet-king to do what's right]].

* CompleteMonster: [[spoiler:Dilaf.]] His backstory would have made him somewhat sympathetic, but it's clear that by the time of the novel he's too far gone into genocidal insanity for the audience to want anything for him but a nice KarmicDeath. [[spoiler:He gets it.]]

* NightmareFuel:
** A city full of insane zombies, where any cut, bruise, or stubbed toe hurts ''forever'', slowly driving you toward madness.
** Also, anything to do with [[spoiler:Dakhor magic. They grow their bones into the shapes of runes through an extremely painful process.]] That's NightmareFuel enough already; then you find out about the techniques that are PoweredByAForsakenChild...

* AccidentalNightmareFuel:
** A city full of insane zombies, where any cut, bruise, or stubbed toe hurts ''forever'', slowly driving you toward madness.
** Also, anything to do with [[spoiler:Dakhor magic. They grow their bones into the shapes of runes through an extremely painful process.]] That's NightmareFuel enough already; then you find out about the techniques that are PoweredByAForsakenChild...

* [[CrowningMomentofAwesome Crowning Moment Of Awesome]]:
** When Hrathen confronts the real villain of the story.
---> '''Hrathen:''' I thought you understood by now, [[spoiler:[[CompleteMonster Dilaf]]]]. ''Nothing'' [[MagnificentBastard I]] do is ''just'' for show.
** The closing portion of the book. [[spoiler:The fatal flaw that had corrupted Elantris is suddenly corrected, and all the withered zombie like creatures become [[PhysicalGod glowing embodiments of magical might]], walk out of a raging inferno, and start kicking ass.]]

* MagnificentBastard: Hrathen.