Greetings and salutations, Cosmere Chickens! We have less than 15% of the book left to go, and while things in this pair of chapters seem to be at a bit of a standstill, we all know that Sander-lanche is looming on the horizon, ready to bury us in climactic goodness! So for now, snuggle up with some coffee, tea, or cocoa and watch Hrathen get some well-deserved comeuppance, while Raoden continues to flaff about in his dandy disguise. Won’t you join us?
(Non-)Spoiler warning: This week’s article has no spoilers from other Cosmere works. Read on fearlessly, chickens!
Trigger warnings: Medical procedures without anesthesia (specifically stitches)
Last time on Elantris: Detonations and Dandy Deceptions…
While moping in the library, Raoden finally connects the dots and draws the line that corresponds to the new chasm formed during the earthquake, thereby releasing the Dor. He sets off a huge explosion when all that pent-up energy is released, but can’t get any further Aons to work as powerfully as they’re supposed to.
However, he can get them to work well enough to craft an illusion to disguise himself and Galladon and sneak out of Elantris for the very important, super-secret, vital task of…
Pretending to be a dandy and flirting with Sarene.
Chapter Essentials
POV Character(s): Hrathen, Raoden (aka Kaloo)
Discussion
Chapter 51
L: I wanted to begin talking about this chapter by bringing up a point Brandon makes in his annotations. (One note on our quotes of the annotations; there are quite a few spelling errors in them, we are including these as-is and not fixing them for this article.)
You may have noticed a slight tone shift in this chapter–I made it a little darker, filling it with death imagery. (Incense, ash, darkness, Svrakiss.) I wanted to subtly get across that things are growing more dim for Hrathen and Arelon.
I really love what he’s doing here. You see this a lot in films and other visual media (using elements of the setting to highlight themes within the scene), but not as often in literature, where so much of the heavy lifting of the visualization is on the shoulders of the readers’ imaginations. A good director will utilize shadow on half of a character’s face to subtly indicate that they’re being two-faced or manipulative, or that they have a dark side. It’s much easier to do this on film, where “a picture is worth a thousand words,” than in a book. And yet… here we see Brandon doing just this.
Wyrn had indicated that he had little patience for fools, and he would never name a foreigner to the title of gyorn.
L: Well, there goes Telrii’s dream of power.
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P: It was a ridiculous request anyway, and someone of his station should have realized that. While Wyrn doesn’t seem to mind throwing money at Telrii, he’s not going to grant him that kind of power.
The empty market was a manifestation of the Arelene nobility’s confused state. Suddenly they weren’t certain if it was better to be a Derethi sympathizer or not—so they simply hid. Balls and parties slowed, and men hesitated to visit the markets, instead waiting to see what their monarch would do.
L: In a way, you can’t really blame the nobles. They can’t tell which way the wind is blowing, and when that wind is carrying poisonous fumes, it’s better to just bunker down and hide.
P: And Telrii probably loves the confusion that’s clouding the minds of his “subjects.” He is very caught up in himself, that one.
“The ashes are like the wreckage of your power, are they not, Hrathen?” a voice asked.
L: Hoo boy. Here we go. Return of D***head Dilaf.
P: And he doesn’t seem too afraid or intimidated to speak his mind. Guess he’s over the shock of Hrathen’s miraculous cure.
L: Yeah… I think he’s too self-important and full of zealous fervor to feel afraid of anything. I doubt that Hrathen’s return scared him so much as just surprised him briefly.
Dilaf didn’t move. “You were close, I admit, but your foolishness cost you the victory.”
“Bah!” Hrathen said, brushing past the small man in the darkness, walking toward the exit. “My battle is far from over—I still have time left.”
L: As much as I dislike Hrathen, he’s really letting his ego blind him to the real and present danger that Dilaf presents.
P: Even when he was aware earlier of what a danger Dilaf was, I don’t think he fully respected just how dangerous the wily little sucker can be.
L: Clearly no, otherwise he would have disposed of Dliaf in a more permanent manner.
P: He went with the miraculous recovery plan instead. Tsk.
“It has all slipped away, hasn’t it, Hrathen? My victory is so sweet in the face of your failure.”
“Victory? What victory have you achieved? What…?”
L: What victory, indeed? And what a cliffhanger to leave us on.
P: It’s unsettling to see Hrathen thrown for a loop. It seems that he’s just finally realizing that Dilaf knows entirely too much about what he’s doing, how he’s doing it, and why he’s doing it. And I hate this cliffhanger!
L: Brandon explains a bit of his reasoning for this stylistic choice in the chapter annotations here:
This scene ends with a question. Hopefully, the reader is reminded that we haven’t really seen anything from Dilaf in the last few triads. Hrathen has been in control ever since he left Elantris, and what we’ve seen of Dilaf has been cursory and ignorable, for the most part.
Now, however, he’s back. His low profile in the last chapters was intentional. My hope is that the reader will hit the last few lines of this chapter and think “Oh, wait. I’ve been ignoring Dilaf lately. That’s not a good thing…”
Chapter 52
“Ow!” Raoden complained as Galladon stuck the needle into his cheek. “Stop whining,” the Dula ordered, pulling the thread tight.
P: Sarene sliced poor Raoden in the face during their little duel! That had to be agonizing. And the additional wounds from the stitches. Yikes.
L: Raoden seems to be dealing with the pain pretty well though. Presumably because he’s got something more pressing to take his mind off it, just like all those tasks he gave to the other Elantrians.
“Well, you fight better than I expected.”
“I had Eondel teach me,” Raoden said. “Back when I was trying to find ways to prove that my father’s laws were foolish. Eondel chose fencing because he thought it would be most useful to me, as a politician. I never figured I’d end up using it to keep my wife from slicing me to pieces.”
P: Well, gee… if you would just tell them who you are, maybe you wouldn’t have gotten your face sliced open!
L: If only.
The illusions were attached to their underclothes, allowing them to change outfits each day without needing to redraw the Aon.
L: Okay, I’ll be the one to say it. RAODEN YOU CHANGE YOUR UNDERWEAR, YOUNG MAN!
“And the magnificent Kaloo returns.”
“Please, sule, not in private. I come close enough to strangling you in public.”
L: I do love me a good Sanderson bromance, and these two fit the bill to a T. Stoic straight man? Check. Amusing and kind charmer? Check. Galladon and Raoden are basically the proto-Kal and Adolin.
P: I feel that they’re pretty well-written, myself. Definitely enjoyable to read. And the fact that Sanderson can make Raoden so charismatic, despite all of his pains, is moving.
L: Side note. Every time I see the name Kaloo, I think of either a kazoo or Baloo the bear.
“Tell me this. Why is it that every time I meet her, Sarene is determined to hate me?”
L: Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you keep lying to her about who you really are, you absolute DUNCE.
P: This! Tell the woman the truth! She’ll bonk her forehead with her palm and say, “Well, that makes sense!”
L: Maybe after she gives him a well-deserved bonk or two.
The true test was going to be getting himself into Roial and Sarene’s secret meetings. If he was ever going to do any good for Arelon, he needed to be admitted into that special group. They were the ones who were working to determine the fate of the country.
P: ::arches eyebrow:: Telling them who you are would do it.
L: Seriously, this is just infuriating. Brandon didn’t include anything in his annotations about why Raoden doesn’t come clean to Roial, so we’re left to conclude that it just… didn’t serve the plot.
“Citizen, I hope I do not injure you when I point out that the others see you as rather frivolous.”
Raoden laughed. “I hope they see me that way, my lord. I should hate to think I’ve been playing the fool for nothing.”
L: Nicely played.
P: He does have to show a streak of seriousness so that Roial will invite him into the inner circle.
“You have already been through what we might have to suffer, and that makes your advice valuable—no matter what the others may think.”
“There is a way to escape Duladel’s fate, my lord,” Raoden said cautiously. “Though it could be dangerous. It would involve a … change in leadership.”
P: And of course, Raoden knows just what to say to get Roial to extend a little trust to “Kaloo.”
L: Brandon’s got a bit to say about this in the annotations too…
It may seem odd that Roial invites Kaloo to the meetings after just a short time. Remember several things, however. First, Sarene wasn’t in the town for very long before she herself got into the meetings. Second, they’re desperate for help and new perspectives. Third, Kaloo has been living with Roial, and Roial knew Raoden quite well. I’m not saying that Roial saw through the persona, but he undoubtedly sensed some of the same things in Kaloo that he liked in Raoden.
Now back to the text:
“You know the house of the merchant Kiin?”
“Yes.”
“Meet me there tonight at sunset.” Raoden nodded, and the duke excused himself. As the door shut, Raoden winked at Galladon. “And you thought I couldn’t do it.”
P: And he’s in. Can’t wait to discuss the next chapter!!
L: Fingers crossed that someone finally realizes who Raoden really is and gives him a good bonking.
L: The coolest tidbit I found in the annotations of this chapter is this little bit here. Now… I find it fascinating as a writer, since this is giving a little glimpse into the craft. Maybe it will appeal to you, too, writer or no:
I often develop characters in my mind based solely on their dialect—and everyone has a dialect, despite what you may think. Galladon’s might be the most obvious, but—in my mind, at least—everyone in the book speaks a little differently. Roial is dignifiedly mischievous, Ahan favors flamboyant words, Kaloo favors frivolous words, and Ashe likes words that make him sound solemn. Karata is curt, Lukel likes to quip, and Raoden firm.
L: Using dialect, or accent, as a basis for characterization is a really clever shortcut.
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 chapters 53 and 54.
Paige resides in New Mexico, of course. Between work and school and the SA5 beta read, she’s trying to work on book 3 of a YA/Crossover trilogy with just a hint of the supernatural. Links to her other writing are available in her profile.
Lyndsey lives in Connecticut. She’s a professional actress and makes magic wands for a living. If you enjoy queer protagonists, snarky humor, and don’t mind some salty language, check out book 1 of her fantasy series. Follow her on Facebook or TikTok!
