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Brandon Sanderson / Elantris question: big spoiler for those who have not read
« on: December 28, 2006, 11:41:02 AM »
Just finished Mistborn, which I enjoyed very much, but not nearly as much as Elantris, which just blew me away. I was so glued to that book. Compelling mystery, vivid characters, fascinating setting, wow. But it left me with a nagging question. (spoiler)
When Raoden was struck on the head and became dizzy and disoriented, it was explained that as an Elantrian, he would be that way forever: "The blow to his head had done something to his brain. He could barely keep himself upright, let alone speak. The worst part of it was, he knew he would never improve. He could not heal-- now that the dizziness had come upon him, it would never leave."
After he snapped out of the Hoed, though, he managed to run down the mountain at top speed, "one wrong step and he wouldn't stop rolling until hit the foot of the mountain", reached Kae, and then continued to run in a straight and precise line dragging the stick on the ground, even steadying himself after being tripped by grabbing hands... I don't get it. Did the magical pool heal the damage to his brain? Did emerging from the Hoed somehow change his disoriented state for the better? Did he fight back a concussion with sheer will power? It seemed at the time he was pretty well done for even before getting a sword to the gut, because the book spent a lot of time emphasizing that Elantrians can not recover from anything that requires time to do so, even the single second for the flare of pain from a toe stub. It added a lot of drama and urgency throughout because of the danger, so this nitpick is tied into a major element of the plot. Please clear up?
When Raoden was struck on the head and became dizzy and disoriented, it was explained that as an Elantrian, he would be that way forever: "The blow to his head had done something to his brain. He could barely keep himself upright, let alone speak. The worst part of it was, he knew he would never improve. He could not heal-- now that the dizziness had come upon him, it would never leave."
After he snapped out of the Hoed, though, he managed to run down the mountain at top speed, "one wrong step and he wouldn't stop rolling until hit the foot of the mountain", reached Kae, and then continued to run in a straight and precise line dragging the stick on the ground, even steadying himself after being tripped by grabbing hands... I don't get it. Did the magical pool heal the damage to his brain? Did emerging from the Hoed somehow change his disoriented state for the better? Did he fight back a concussion with sheer will power? It seemed at the time he was pretty well done for even before getting a sword to the gut, because the book spent a lot of time emphasizing that Elantrians can not recover from anything that requires time to do so, even the single second for the flare of pain from a toe stub. It added a lot of drama and urgency throughout because of the danger, so this nitpick is tied into a major element of the plot. Please clear up?