I have to admit that when I first figured out the plot Brandon Sanderson’s debut novel, Elantris, I was quite intrigued. Despite his being a novice, Sanderson does a masterful job in setting up a totally new land and a new magic system in very little time. Most interesting of all, however, is when you are introduced to the protagonist — a prince turned zombie.

It has probably been done before, but I have to admit that I have never read a book where the main character is a zombie. It was nice reading a fantasy novel with a fresh perspective on it, and Elantris definitely had it. The magic system, the protagonist, and much of the plot were all quite refreshing. At points when I thought I had things pegged, Sanderson went a different direction. In a genre where it feels like much of what we read is just a rehashing of things which have gone before, Elantris really is a breath of fresh air.

That’s not to say that the novel was perfect. A few portions of the story seemed to drag. Sanderson was determined that we understand the political and religious atmosphere of the land, whether we were really interested in it or not. That’s not to say that it wasn’t necessary to understand any of it — some of it was critical to the plot — but I thought that the author got a bit too carried away at times.

Still, the novel was very good, especially for it being Sanderson’s first. I would certainly recommend it to fans of Epic Fantasy, especially as a good example of how to write a rich and engrossing epic within a single pair of covers.