A kandra researcher has returned to Elendel with images that seem to depict the Bands as well as writings in a language that no one can read. Waxillium Ladrian is recruited to travel south to the city of New Seran to investigate. For three days battle has raged in the snow around the great city of Tar Valon. In the city, a foretelling of the future is uttered. On the slopes of Dragonmount, the immense mountain that looms over the city, a child is born, an infant prophesied to change the world.
That child must be found before he can be killed by the forces of the Shadow. By: Robert Jordan. For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible.
Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison. When Robert Jordan died in , all feared that these concluding scenes would never be written. But working from notes and partials left by Jordan, established fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson stepped in to complete the masterwork.
By: Robert Jordan , and others. The Last Battle has started. The Pattern itself is unraveling, and the armies of the Shadow have begun to boil out of the Blight. The sun has begun to set upon the Third Age. Perrin Aybara is now hunted by specters from his past: Whitecloaks, a slayer of wolves, and the responsibilities of leadership.
All the while, an unseen foe is slowly pulling a noose tight around his neck Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, struggles to unite a fractured network of kingdoms and alliances in preparation for the Last Battle. As he attempts to halt the Seanchan encroachment northward - wishing he could form at least a temporary truce with the invaders - his allies watch in terror the shadow that seems to be growing within the heart of the Dragon Reborn himself.
The dead are walking, men die impossible deaths, and it seems as though reality itself has become unstable: All are signs of the imminence of Tarmon Gai'don, the Last Battle, when Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, must confront the Dark One as humanity's only hope. Unbeknownst to Rand, Perrin has made his own truce with the Seanchan.
It is a deal made with the Dark One, in his eyes, but he will do whatever is needed to rescue his wife, Faile, and destroy the Shaido who captured her. The conclusion of the Mistborn trilogy fulfills all the promise of the first two books. Revelations abound, connections rooted in early chapters of the series click into place, and surprises, as satisfying as they are stunning, blossom like fireworks to dazzle and delight.
It all leads up to a finale unmatched for originality and audacity that will leave listeners shaking their heads in wonder, as if awaking from an amazing dream. The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow. Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time. Elantris was built on magic, and it thrived. But then the magic began to fade, and Elantris began to rot. Now its shattered citizens face domination by a powerful Imperium.
Can a young Princess unite the people of Elantris and lead a rebellion against the imperial zealots? Brandon Sanderson's debut fantasy showed his skill as a storyteller and an imaginer of baroque magical systems to be fully developed from the start. Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not? With the price of one credit and at the length of three normal books it it a great find if you, like me, enjoy long books or series of books.
But the downside is that it is slower and not as refreshing as Sanderson's other works. Likable characters with developed individual story arcs helped carry the book along. What was your reaction to the ending? No spoilers please! The primary story picked up some speed for the last parts of the book and that helped my overall impression. How could the performance have been better?
It was my first experience with Jack Garrett as narrator. I found his pacing too slow to and the length of the breaks between sentences even worse. I almost ended up listening to the book at. If you think this might annoy you, be careful. Any additional comments? I rate this book in comparison with Sandersons other works which I really, really enjoyed. On its own I might have given it an extra star. Sometimes it seems that I far behind the wave with my reading.
I mean, I read books came out years ago. I don't see it as not being updated what is hot and the newest on the bestselling list, instead I consider it finding gems along the road of my reading journey. The latest one is Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. I had previous experiences with his books, I say experiences, because they weren't simple readings.
The first book I started to read was the Mistborn book 1. I couldn't finish it, don't ask why. I just struggled with it, picking the book up and putting it down several times. Finally around the middle of the book I said it was not for me.
It bothered me, because I'm fan of the Writing Excuses podcast, and I find those guys among them Brandon Sanderson funny and helpful. He seems to be a capable author to write a decent book. So I picked up another book of his, the Way of Kings, this time in audiobook format. Man, I was hooked from the beginning. That is a long one, and a few times it felt like flowing slowly, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
So I purchased Elantris and I was eager to start to listen to the audiobook. And I realised again, I like fantasy pretty much. Elantris isn't short, and a few times I was wondering if I need all those details or whether the dialogues couldn't be shorter, but by the end these all paid back.
The characters became my friends or enemies , and they were chiselled like the fine carvings on the walls of Elantris. The idea itself got me hooked in. There was this city, once beautiful, shining, people with godlike powers walked on its streets. Then suddenly the heaven became hell, the glory faded and gave place to mud and slime, pain and suffer. The strange power that earlier made semi-gods from ordinary people now destroyed their humanity making them living dead.
Of course prince Raedon finally solved the mystery of the disappearance of Elantris' power what would've been the point of the story if he didn't? The clues were well timed throughout the book. The magic system is amazing, shining signs in the air channelling power to this world and everything. I wonder how the author comes up with these ideas.
The political system is also well drawn. The throne is weakened, the country is on the edge of collapse, the political forces plot against each other, outside power threatens the kingdom, and even religion comes into the mix.
Just like in real life. There is an important phrase when talking about how captivating a book is: suspension of disbelief. Well, my disbelief was suspended all along the story. I enjoyed it a lot. What made the experience of listening to Elantris the most enjoyable? This is an excellent book as such, but sadly enough it takes quite some time to get over — not get used to — the readers ridiculous over-dramatization and unnecessarily long pauses.
After a while I could successfully ignore this though, and focus on the story. It, fortunately is quite entertaining. I started to write a long and not so positive review, but I changed my mind as I was going through it!
Its a good book. Not the best or the worst but more than good enough! Just read it Its worth far more that 1 credit! Loved it! You'll get sucked in soon enough! Add to Cart failed. Please try again later. Add to Wish List failed. Remove from wishlist failed. Adding to library failed. Please try again. Follow podcast failed. Unfollow podcast failed. Stream or download thousands of included titles.
Elantris By: Brandon Sanderson. Narrated by: Jack Garrett. No default payment method selected. Add payment method. Switch payment method. We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method.
Pay using card ending in. Taxes where applicable. Listeners also enjoyed Chaney Narrated by: R. Bray Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins Unabridged Overall. Publisher's Summary In , Brandon Sanderson debuted with Elantris , an epic fantasy unlike any other then on the market. Editor's Pick This made me appreciate having super powers "Even with his debut novel, Sanderson knew what he was doing when it came to world-building.
What listeners say about Elantris Average Customer Ratings. Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews. Amazon Reviews. Sort by:. Most Helpful Most Recent. Filter by:. All stars 5 star only 4 star only 3 star only 2 star only 1 star only. Heather Schnegelberger Great characters, engaging story, satisfying end I really loved the story that revolved around a widow princess, lost prince and faithless priest-- All who demonstrate the will to change and be changed in order to bring the tale to a compelling end.
Brittany Just love Jack Garrett's narration! Mike Mitchell Not his best work I flew through all 7 Mistborn books in less time than it took me to grind through Elantris. Christopher For the superfan or new listener if you already have the original of this then you really don't need this one. Fade75, Iowa Great first novel I'm a big Sanderson fan especially the stormlight archive!
Scott Feuless Tedious and contrived I had already read the first three books of the Stormlight Archive, which is Sanderson's most recent series, so perhaps it was a foolish mistake on my part to go all the way back to his oldest, but I was looking for another long read to fill up my month while not beginning another series before the last Stormlight comes out.
Stephanie Great story but terrible narration I enjoyed the book but really disliked the narrator. Michael McDonnell Narrator was great! EBG Emerging from their hiding place, Galladon and Karata approach Raoden to find the Hoed remnants of a man who was once their friend.
Galladon is determined to give Raoden peace in the embrace of the pool atop the mountain; he will then also give himself the same peace. Karata only acquiesces.
While Galladon and Karata carry Raoden towards oblivion, Lukel and the other captives are being marched to the pyres built for them within Elantris. As a revelation assaults Raoden's mind, he struggles to regain control of his body. Startling Galladon and Karata he dashes back down the mountain to Kae, grabs a stick and draws out the chasm line in the ground.
It explodes with the power of the Dor as he completes it, revealing Elantris and its surrounding cities to be one massive Aon Rao. As these events take place, Shuden and Lukel lead a fight against their captors, and Dilaf moves to crush Teod. Hrathen overhears Dilaf musing to Sarene that he is going to kill her in front of her father, motivating Hrathen to warn Eventeo of the Fjordell invasion and attack Dilaf. Fighting off the other monks, Hrathen escapes with Sarene. Lukel and the others are beaten but hope is restored with Raoden's intervention.
Elantris and Arelon are secure but Ashe appears with grave news of Teod. Hrathen is assassinated in the streets of Teod. Galladon and the other Elantrians arrive in time to save Raoden and Sarene, fighting off more than fifty Dakhor monks with AonDor. Seeing Dilaf chase after Eventeo, Raoden pursues only to walk into Dilaf's ambush. Hrathen makes a miraculous appearance during the fight, revealing his partial-Dakhor secret, which he uses to kill Dilaf before succumbing to his own wounds.
With the war over and Teod managing to hold back the Fjordell army, Sarene has one thing left on her mind: marrying Raoden. She is not about to let him out of her sight this time, marching him down the aisle where they are married. A week after their marriage a great funeral is arranged for the people that died during the invasion of Arelon, Elantris, and Teod.
Sarene speaks for Hrathen, asking all to remember him as the savior who put what was right before his own ambitions. Elantris is set in the cosmere on the Shardworld of Sel. The magic systems of the world of Elantris each use a set of forms to access the Dor. This is Brandon's first published novel, and his sixth written novel. It is written in a triad system, with sets of three chapters telling roughly the same period of time through the three main points of view.
As always, it shines. There's not much to say about the way he handles it, actually, that I haven't raved about in other reviews - particularly for The Well of Ascension - but I do want to mention that even though the religions here feel somewhat more derivative than I'm accustomed to from Sanderson - the schism between Shu-Dorath and Shu-Korath is painfully close to Islam and Christianity - I still found it to be handled tastefully. Now, I'm not religious myself so someone who is might be annoyed at things that I didn't notice, but I feel it bears noting that I, as an atheist, found the religions to be a believably central part of the world without feeling that I was being preached at, which is often a delicate balance and one that few authors even attempt to address as directly, if they do so at all.
There are a few quotes regarding religion that I really, really loved: "Keseg taught of unity. But what did he mean? Unity of mind, as my people assume? Unity of love, as your priests claim? Or is it the unity of obedience, as the Derethi believe? In the end, I am left to ponder how mankind managed to complicate such a simple concept. It feels like Shuden is speaking for me when he comments sadly on the overcomplication of simple, positive ideas.
At times, Domi sees fit to send disasters upon the world; other times he gives the most innocent of children a deadly disease. These are no more curses than what happened to Elantris - they are simply the workings of the world. All things must progress, and progression is not always a steady incline.
Sometimes we must fall, sometimes we will rise - some must be hurt while others have fortune, for that is the only way we can learn to rely on one another. As one is blessed, it is his privilege to help those whose lives are not as easy.
Unity comes from strife, child. I refer, of course, to the common query of the atheist: if a benevolent god exists, why is there so much evil in the world?
To which most people will respond with vagaries about 'free will' and 'mysterious ways' and actually not answer the question in a satisfactory manner.
Now, I have my issues with this explanation, but not only is it perfectly in-character, at least Sanderson made the effort. That really counts for something. I may not be rushing out to convert after such blinding and faultless logic, but I'm glad to know there are people out there who have put enough thought into their faith to be able to answer such an essential question. View all 24 comments. With character interactions and dialogue being the weakest links, something I find puzzling since Sanderson clearly wrote such excellent dialogue for the imaginary characters in Stephen Leeds' Legion head.
All in all, it was an average story in an exceptional world. Shelves: fantasy , favorite-author , vomit-inducing-heroines , stand-alone-fantasy. I confess myself disappointed with Mr Sanderson. For the first time ever. And I feel bad about it.
Well, how can I not when I've enjoyed every book I've read by him and when I've always heard very positive things about Elantris? I'm just so glad that this wasn't the first BS book I read. Because I seriously doubt I'd be picking up his other books anytime soon after finishing Elantris. My biggest issue with this book is its main characters. I'm willing to turn a blind eye on Deus ex machinas lurki I confess myself disappointed with Mr Sanderson. No, all of these factors combined couldn't be as disappointing as the main characters.
Sarene, the heroine, the-most-perfect-and-intelligent-princess-that-ever-walked-the-earth is the chief reason why I felt like puking most of the time while reading this. BS and just about every character in the book would have you believe that she is the most awesomest thing ever: she's intelligent, beautiful, she has a great mind for politics, religion, she is a master swordsman.
In short, she's perfect, you see. But nothing that ever comes out of this girls mouth is remotely interesting, intelligent or funny. None of the 'clever' solutions she offers in the book ever does anyone any good. She repeatedly makes very foolish decisions. Yet everyone is ever in awe of her. You will read about how intelligent and amazing she is at least once in every page. Though basically all she ever does is be bitter about this or that, act like an old spinster even though she is only 25 year old or whine about how, how men don't want to marry her because of her intellect.
One of the other main characters, Prince Raoden is without a doubt the biggest Gary Sue Sanderson has ever created. And he is a very boring one at that. He is so boring that I'm not even going to criticize him because even trying to think and write something about that guy is extremely boring. Just think of a hero that is perfect, wealthy, lucky, smart, good, talanted and never dies in the book.
That is Raoden. Raoden is the Solver of the mysteries, savior of the Elantrians, defender of the weak. Raoden is the fair and beloved prince of Arelon. Raoden is all that is good and fair. Raoden is the walking and talking definition of being boring. Hrathen, on the other hand, is the only truly interesting and fully fleshed out character in Elantris. His storyline had the potential to save this book. I wish Raoden and Sarene were dead instead of Hrathen.
The mystery of it. So despite the painful stupidity of the characters, I gritted my teeth and embraced myself for biggest revelation. What I got instead was a poorly explained or was it even explained at all?
And don't even get me started on endless dialogs that were obviously meant to be humorous and witty but instead came off as excruciatingly boring and didn't even have an ounce of humor or intelligence.
View all 80 comments. Review number 2 Having just finished re-reading the first ever stand alone Brandon Sanderson novel I ever read it struck me how my view of the book has changed. Of course I always knew it was likely to happen. The flaws and pacing of the text were far more noticeable. That does not mean I did not enjoy the book all over again, I simply analysed it to a far greater extent.
The flaws of Elantris are to put it simply a slow and uneven pacing, the occasion lapse of characterisation, the fact that some Review number 2 Having just finished re-reading the first ever stand alone Brandon Sanderson novel I ever read it struck me how my view of the book has changed.
The flaws of Elantris are to put it simply a slow and uneven pacing, the occasion lapse of characterisation, the fact that some characters are thinly sketched out and the use of unexplained deus ex machinas right at the end. That said I fully recommend this book as your first venture into Brandon Sanderson's work if you are at all interested in fantasy or just want an entertaining read without the 'literary baggage'.
The strengths of this book are in the plot discussed more deeply in my first review and the depth of the novel. Brandon Sanderson manages to combat a lot of criticisms of modern fantasy in this work by concluding an entire story in one volume and while a lot of his later books have been called shallow fun with readable, yet not brilliant writing, this book is probably his deepest, philosophically.
I would love to read a feminist review of the book and one that did not simply question things like 'are the characters Mary Sues - because frankly I hate the term and fine most characters in some ways have unique qualities that make them interesting regardless or a review looking at the religious system built into the novel. What I myself find most interesting however is how it looks at pain and despair. Elantris is a modern version of Atlantis in many ways with Sanderson referencing that myth nicely.
Although his version is nowhere near as good as that by J. R Tolkien. In his version however, rather than showing a race of people drowned, he uses the idea of a sickness. Another idea it appears to reference is the fall of man as seen theologically in Genesis. This sickness is a curse that brings with it pain, despair and alienation. It is how this 'sickness' is treated that I find fascinating in this book.
It reminds me of how the X-Men are treated by humans in the comics and how humans have treated each other in slavery. And yet, the main idea running through this book is that we do not have to be defined by our conditions, that we are only defeated if we let our conditions get to us mentally.
This is the idea of contrasting sickness and health, freedom and slavery and alienation and acceptance as only defeating you if you accept them with your mind. A fine, entertaining book and one with some interesting and relevant themes. I hope instead that people can find the themes in those great books in good books like this one. Review number 1 The premise: a blessing that turned men into gods became a curse that turns men into the undead without a heartbeat and with skin that shrivels in place of the silver skin and hair they possessed before.
What follows is one man's quest to discover how and why the curse happened and hence why he has been thrown into Elantris. Where before the curse he would have been immortal and free of all pain he remains immortal but with a body which no longer heals itself. The pain builds up and up until eventually those cursed snap. In the midst of this plot a religious conflict exists as one man tries to convert an entire city to his religion and prevent war. A princes also strives to work out what happened to her promised husband while trying to fix politics within the city bordering Elantris.
Sound confusing? Well Brandon Sanderson manages to pull together all these conflicting elements, spinning a web of intrigue and magic so dense it's hard not to be drawn into the world formed by his words. Its very easy reading this to see why he was chosen to complete Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time Series because he is a superbly brilliant writer of fantasy.
The story explores incredible themes like rejection, political intrigue, religious extremity, bigotry, xenophobia and a load more. And the story is easy to pick up and read from beginning to end. Trust me this is a book that must be read in order to appreciate the wonders of the fantasy genre. Not all will enjoy this as much as I did. As a debut novel it does exhibit several typical aspects of other debuts. For instance a tendency to over-word is prevalent.
Still it is a finely told story despite any flaws and that is why I loved it as much as I did. If you want to read a city based fantasy that focuses on political intrigue, religion and the idea of what pain will do to people then read this book.
Appendices: 1. I was going to read this but I had to return it for the second time before I got the chance. I guess one day I'll get the chance to re-read and I'll see if my thoughts are still the same.
View all 30 comments. There will be sequel books of 'Elantris'. There are three main characters: Raoden, prince of Arelon, was loved by all, including the princess he'd never met. Hrathen, high priest of Fjordell, will convert the people of Arelon or kill them. Sarene, the princess of Teod, was a widow before she was ever married.
This is usual genre cliches, offers something for everyone: mystery, magic, romance, political, wrangling, religious conflict, fights for equal 'Elantris' is the first novel by Brandon Sanderson. This is usual genre cliches, offers something for everyone: mystery, magic, romance, political, wrangling, religious conflict, fights for equality, sharp writing and wonderful, robust characters.
This book has focused on religious and politics. Raoden and Kaladin are reminiscent but they are different because Raoden is more omnipotent. Kaladin is more victim. Raoden is what Kaladin would have been like if he was born to a more powerful family and Kaladin is what Raoden would have been like if he was born to a less powerful family. My favourite characters are Raoden and Hrathen. I find Hrathen intrigues than rest of the characters because his character is more complex.
I have noticed lots of people gave lower rated of this book. Most of them are like me read books by Brandon Sanderson before 'Elantris' like 'Mistborn' or 'The Stormlight Archive', they are very popular and they like it so I think these people who have gave lower rated of this book have a high expectation towards 'Elantris'. I love this book so much Alhamdulillah. View all 3 comments. Took me only about 4 months but i did it!
Now i can read Warbreaker in peace. View all 25 comments. Rated 4. What do I say besides I really really loved it? This book had everything I adore about high fantasy books. Multiple plot lines of various motives, whether they be political, religious, emotional or more.
Character perspectives I loved reading from - and absolutely none of them proved to be "the boring one", as is usually the case with multi-perspective books. A pace that seemed even and yet escalated the further in you read I loved learning bout Rated 4. I loved learning bout this world and its ways. Its various cultures seemed so realistic in relation to its political climate and religious tensions. The city of Elantris itself managed to maintain the mystery it claims to be throughout, while also reveal tidbits of information to keep you intrigued enough to turn the pages.
The magic system was really interesting to read about, even more so as new rules and mysteries were revealed. Even the character perspectives contributed to the world building, their varying backgrounds contributing to the social dynamics and understanding of the current state of affairs.
It was a complicated story, and didn't hold your hand - but it was a story to easily sink into. After feeling pretty "meh" about most of my recent reads, this was one I definitely needed.
This was my second read by Brandon Sanderson, and it's only reminded me how I want to read everything he's written. I love it so much.
Keep them inside, and they will destroy you for certain--leaving behind a person so callused that emotion can find no root in his heart. I expected to like this. I knew I would. I just didn't expect to love it so, so much. Elantris might just have jumped to be my 1 favorite Sanderson book.
Sure, I adore the first Mistborn trilogy I'm not comparing them, but I think Mistborn is the first thing people think of when they hear Sanderson's name. It's breathtaking. I love Kell, and Vin, and Sazed and all of the gang with all of my heart. They are my favorite, they are irreplaceable. But I spent three books with them. Three very hefty books at that.
Raoden and Sarene stole my heart completely and unabashedly in just one book. Raoden, who is the most pure and beautiful soul in probably all of the universe.
And not just Cosmere. Sarene who is so headstrong and stubborn, she would probably move a wall with just her will if she had to. And Hrathen, who seems intimidating and scary, but in reality is lost and scared. Their stories are so different, but they intertwine in the best of ways. Elantris also has a very cool magic system, but it isn't explored much until about the last third of the book - which plot wise makes the perfect sense, but also leaves the reader hungry to know more.
Which now we can, because Elantris 2 is a thing that will happen. One day. I loved that it was inspired by Chinese lettering, something that has always fascinated me. All of it is of either religious or political nature - two forces that drive the book. But it isn't confusing, it's just a lot to take in, but once you do - you will feel as if you are yourself are a part of all of the schemes. Elantris made me cry, and it made me laugh.
A lot. It's a story about how our parentage doesn't define us. It's a story about being lost without a purpose, and finding it in the most unexpected places. It's abut coming together and building a better community. It's about embracing who you are and believing that people who truly love you, will love you no matter what. And as weird as it feels for me to say - the romance in here will make your heart turn to goo, because it's so beautiful.
Physically inevitable or not, truth stands above all things. It is independant of who has the best army, who can deliver the longest sermons, or even who has the most priests. It can be pushed down, but it will always surface. Truth is the one thing you can never intimidate. This book has killed me. View all 8 comments. Reread rating: 4. Original rating: 4 stars Elantris was one of the first Sanderson books I ever read, before I knew the Cosmere was a thing.
I found it incredibly philosophical and thought-provoking when I first read it, and I still do upon this revisit. And, upon revisiting, I just had to up my rating. In the novel, this hope comes from faith in a higher power, in the people around you, in the fervent belief that good will triumph. And through an incredible amount of pain and hardship, that generally proves to be the case in this book.
I love Raoden with my entire being. He struggles greatly, but he never gives up. I find him and his innate goodness incredibly inspirational. I also related surprisingly strongly to Hrathan and his struggles with his faith. There was a raw honesty to him that I deeply appreciated.
But until then, know that I loved this book. Oct 14, Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it Shelves: 21th-century , fiction , magic , roman , adult , fantasy , epic , united-states , young-adult , science. Elantris Elantris 1 , Brandon Sanderson Elantris was the capital of Arelon: gigantic, beautiful, literally radiant, filled with benevolent beings who used their powerful magical abilities for the benefit of all.
Its inhabitants looked like gods and their magic allowed them to do incredible things. Elantrians became wizened, lepe Elantris Elantris 1 , Brandon Sanderson Elantris was the capital of Arelon: gigantic, beautiful, literally radiant, filled with benevolent beings who used their powerful magical abilities for the benefit of all.
Princess Sarene of Teod arrives for a marriage of state with Crown Prince Raoden, hoping -- based on their correspondence -- to also find love. View all 4 comments. Jun 11, Robin Bridge Four rated it really liked it Shelves: awesome-audio , ya , kick-ass-heroines , book-boyfriend-material , super-sidekicks , chick-i-want-to-hang-out-with , sci-fi , stars , bro-mantic , fantastic-fantasy.
On sale today for 2. Sandersonitis Support group a. Strong Female Characters 2. Complex Heroes and Villians 3. Complicated yet Understandable Magic Systems 4.
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