Lyn: Here we are, Cosmere Chickens. The penultimate installment of the Elantris reread! It’s been a wild ride, hasn’t it?
Paige: I know I’ve enjoyed it!
L: It’s the penultimate one because there’s a SECRET short story that Brandon released in the Arcanum Unbounded short story collection, which takes place at the end of the novel! Bonus! So it makes a lot of sense for us to add that onto the end of the reread and cover it here. (If you don’t have a copy of Arcanum Unbounded, GoodGuy!Brandon also put it up for free on his website here, which means you can read it there before we cover it next week, if you haven’t already!)
(Non-)Spoiler warning: This week’s article has no spoilers from other Cosmere works. Read on fearlessly, chickens!
Last time on Elantris: The Climax…
Man, it was a lot. Hrathen died! Then he came back and then he died again! Raoden teleported half a world away to save Sarene only to… not be able to save her, but it was really heroic! A whole bunch of Elantrians followed him and joined in battle with the Dakhor monks! And Dilaf finally met his end! About time, right?
Chapter Essentials
POV Character(s): Sarene, Raoden
Discussion
Chapter 63
“This time I intend to keep a close eye on you. For some reason, my potential husbands have a way of disappearing.”
L: I’m so happy that she’s finally getting married. FINALLY!
P: Poor thing’s been through it with weddings in this book. I’m so glad she got her happy ending!
Well, Sarene finally gets her wedding. I hope the women don’t kill me for showing it from Raoden’s bored viewpoint rather than Sarene’s excited one.
L: Brandon…
P: At least she’s done and wed, right? Plus, we needed an info dump.
So Raoden let his mind wander too.
L: BOY THIS IS YOUR BLOODY WEDDING YOU BETTER PAY ATTENTION BEFORE I JUMP INTO THIS BOOK AND SMACK YOU
P: He had to think about what we’d missed so we could know what happened, right?
Right?!
[The bone] was like a carved piece of ivory, or a bundle of engraved wooden rods all twisted together. Most disturbingly, Raoden swore he could make out familiar symbols in the carving. Symbols he recognized from his schooling—ancient Fjordell characters.
The Derethi monks had devised their own version of AonDor.
L: Oh really, now?
P: This isn’t at all concerning!
You’ll notice, therefore, that I pile on the loose threads here. The most important one, of course, is the concept that Fjorden has gained access to the Dor (presumably recently.)
Hmm…
Raoden kept remembering Dilaf and his strange ability to resist, and even destroy, Aons.
L: Okay, that is a really good hook for a sequel, I’ve got to admit it!
P: Which I can’t wait to read!
It disturbed him that throughout his studies, readings, and learning, he had never discovered exactly how seons were created—if, indeed, they were even creations of AonDor.
L: Raoden may not know, but we do, thanks to answers that Brandon’s given at signings. Seons are splinters of the Shard of Devotion, after Odium destroyed Aona, its Vessel.
Onlookers, including Lukel, claimed that the JinDo had managed to defeat one of Dilaf’s monks alone—with his eyes closed. Some even said they had seen the young baron glowing as he fought. Raoden was beginning to suspect there was more than one way to access the Dor—far more.
L: If only Raoden knew! (Looking at you, The Emperor’s Soul.)
P: Now I need to reread that book!
“Was it everything you hoped for?” Raoden asked. “You said you have been anticipating this moment for your entire life.”
“It was wonderful,” Sarene replied. “However, there is one thing I have looked forward to even more than my wedding.”
Raoden raised an eyebrow.She smiled mischievously. “The wedding night.”
L: GET IT, girl!
P: Consummating the marriage is always fun!
Epilogue
The large man’s head was still bald. Sarene had been surprised at that fact, for all the other Elantrians had grown heads of white hair. When asked about the oddity, Galladon had simply shrugged in his characteristic manner, mumbling, “Seems right to me. I’ve been bald since I hit my third decade. Kolo?”
L: Oh, interesting. So the magic here seems to function like it does on Roshar. If he sees himself as bald, it doesn’t “need” to be healed. It’s all about Intent.
P: I had the exact same thought about Intent.
They all now knew the debt they owed to the man buried within. Hrathen of Fjorden, high priest and holy gyorn of Shu-Dereth. They had left his funeral until the last.
L: Aww. Well, good on them. I always hate it when a character redeems themselves and we don’t get recognition of that fact, so I’m happy to see this.
P: It’s rare to see, and it’s nice that Brandon gave Hrathen this monument.
“When you speak of this man, let it be known that he died in our defense. Let it be said that after all else, Hrathen, gyorn of Shu-Dereth, was not our enemy. He was our savior.”
With this, Sarene gets the final word, bringing the novel to a close…
Oh, and I apologize for the cheesy last lines of the chapter. They felt right. I keep trying to cut them, but a piece of myself knows that there’s a place for cheese–and this is it. So, they remain.
L: A fine cheese (like a fine wine or Scotch whisky) grows better with age, and I feel this cheese is very fine indeed. Is it cliché? Sure. But it’s also very fitting and very in-character for Sarene.
P: There’s a time and place for cheese, and this ending was both.
I can’t honestly promise that I’ll do an Elantris sequel.
L: Now, he said this back in 2006, BUT in his State of the Sanderson in 2023, he said:
Era Two is finished as of last year, and my next mainline Cosmere project after Wind and Truth is Era Three, along with the long-awaited Elantris sequels.
L: So, if you enjoyed this world and its fascinating magic system and characters, you’re in luck. Not only are there sequels on the way, you can also dig into The Emperor’s Soul, and next week Paige and I will be finishing up this reread series with “The Hope of Elantris,” the short story we referenced in the intro. Thanks for sticking with us, and we hope to see you there for the finale!
We’ll be leaving further speculation and discussion to you in the comments, and hope to join you there! Next week, we’ll be back with “The Hope of Elantris” from Arcanum Unbounded.
Buy the Book
Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection
