I’ve always said that I don’t like fantasy books in audio as I find it hard to immerse myself in a fantastical world in that format, but my partner recommended the graphic audio version of Brandon Sanderson’s Elantris, and I decided to give it a try. And I’m so glad I did! The immersion problem was solved by fantastic acting, background noises and music. I honestly loved the listening experience.

Elantris was a city of immense glamor and wealth, but a certain sickness turned the godlike inhabitants into living dead, the city into ruins. In the book we follow a prince of the neighboring city who ends up in Elantris, his fiance who gets heavily involved in politics and a priest who comes to convert the city. I think the characterization is some of Branderson’s best - though the audiobook, through the actors’ interpretations, might have elevated the characters above their written form.

Another highlight is the political aspect of the story. It was fun to follow all the scheming and begin to understand the history of the area as well. The part that didn’t impress me as much, though it’s usually what Branderson excels at, is the magic system. It didn’t particularly interest me and it wasn’t explained all too well, though flicking through the physical book, I see that there’s an appendix giving more background.