Decent Story, definitley not one of his best. Really in my opinion, the story is really a 2.5 or 3 star story, but after reading the story, and reading the title of the book. Did I understand the deeper meaning to the story and plot. And why it is called Defending Elysium.The Story begins when Jason Write a PC (Phone Company) agent arrives at eversong to investigate the disapperance of a scientist. Jason is a very likeable character. He is being watched and followed by a competing agent/agency Coln. But ends up saving Coln's life. From there Write finds that there is more to the disapperance to the scientist than what appears on the surface. And discovers that the ideal world he is looking for is not what you expect. What is lacking in the book is that it doesn't have the same world building like you would see in a typical sanderson book. Yes it is there, but not to the same level of depth. This short novella, could have easily been extended another 5000 words, to help with world detail, plot subscences and character develpment. But all in all, it was a decent read, with a very pleaseant and surpise ending. So this is pretty short, but it is quite fun. It is set in the future, and has both fantasy and sci-fi elements, as well as Sanderson's characteristic wonderful ending. It definitely is an unpolished early work though, and has some awkward dialogue and exposition. Overall, very much worth the time, especially for Sanderson fans.Writing: 3/5 (Still good, just not up to his usual standards)Concept: 5/5Plot: 4/5Characters: 5/5Ending: 5/5Overall: 4/5Definitely worth reading, but with so many typos and the inconsistent pace, I didn't feel it deserved a full 5 stars.
What do You think about Defending Elysium (2000)?
Fun, quick read. I think I'm more partial to his fantasy than his sci-fi work though.
—luck
Whoa! Fantastic story. I'm disappointed, and a bit sad that the book ended.
—llm
Not one of Sanderson's better ones but a cool idea and nice short story.
—Rbdmom
This was a fantastically well done, self contained story.
—magschan
