The Cosmere: What You Should Know Before Reading Elantris

The Fantasy Review’s guide to what you should know before reading Elantris by Brandon Sanderson.

Brandon Sanderson‘s Elantris is his first published work, initially released in 2005. Many fans of Sanderson’s work see this book as the weakest, however that does not mean it is bad or you won’t enjoy it!

I personally read Elantris after finishing The Mistborn Trilogy, but you can pick up this novel whenever you like. For more information, check out our Cosmere Reading Order.

Now, before you begin the book, it might be useful to understand a bit about the cosmere (the interconnected universe in which many of Sanderson’s works take place), and some other basic information.

What is The Cosmere?

The cosmere is a fictional universe created by Brandon Sanderson. It’s the setting for many of his adult fantasy novels, including Elantris, the Mistborn series, The Stormlight Archive, and Warbreaker. There is even a graphic novel, White Sands, set in this universe.,

While each series can be read independently, they all share a connected universal background and underlying system of magic based on a complex creation myth. To learn more about this, I would recommend reading The Stormlight Archive, or, if you don’t mind spoilers, jump onto the Coppermind (a Wiki).

Elantris is set on the planet Sel in the Selish System of the cosmere.

Sanderson’s Hard Magic Systems

Sanderson is known in fantasy circles for his rule-based magic systems, also known as “Hard Magic” systems. Each world in the cosmere has its own unique hard magic system, but they are all linked by the overarching creation myth of the universe.

In Elantris, the magic system is called AonDor. I can’t say more than that without spoilers!

Cosmere Reading Order

Elantris is an excellent entry point into the cosmere. It’s a standalone story, meaning you don’t need prior knowledge of any of Sanderson’s other works and can just dive right in.

There’s no strict reading order for a Sanderson reading order, but many readers would put either Warbreaker or The Mistborn Trilogy first, and then Elantris. However, there isn’t really an issue with reading Elantris first if that is what is calling to you.

Unless you are a seasoned fantasy reader, I wouldn’t suggest you start your cosmere journey with The Way of Kings (book one in The Stormlight Archive) as it is a far larger, more complex book and series than something like Mistborn.