Cons: ...but we've seen this before from Eddings, with better execution.
The Bottom Line: It might not be bad for those unfamiliar with Eddings' work. Those who are, and the more demanding fantasy fans probably shouldn't bother.
slarter's Full Review: David Eddings and Leigh Eddings - The Redemption o...
David Eddings is one of those authors whose name looms large over the modern fantasy landscape. His Belgariad and Malloreon quintets are almost perfect examples of light, but well-crafted fantasy tales. The problem with these series, of course, is that they are rather lengthy. The same is true of his later works, though The Elenium and The Tamuli boast a three books each, rather a slacking off from his initial publications. An investment in these series, however, for fans of the fantasy genre, is a generally rewarding endeavor. Moments of nail-biting tension and laugh-out-loud humor are sprinkled liberally throughout the novels, making for a highly enjoyable reading experience. It is surprising, therefore, that the Eddingses (David’s wife, Leigh, has become a collaborator and co-author for essentially all of his more recent works) have managed to pen an epic fantasy comprised of only one volume. The Redemption of Althalus is a sprawling work of close to 800 pages in paperback that adheres very closely to the Eddings formula.
<=== Characters & Plot ===>
We meet our roguish-yet-lovable protagonist, Althalus, who is, for all intents and purposes, the luckiest thief in the world, just as he is about to experience a rather disturbing run of bad fortune. Lured by the promise of wealth beyond his wildest dreams, he journeys from his home in the mountainous borderlands to the lowlands. Unfortunately, nothing seems to go well for him there, and soon he finds himself back home, lamenting his recent string of catastrophes. So it is that, with his wallet running close to empty and a few mugs of mead in his gullet, Althalus meets Ghend, whose offer of work is well-nigh irrefusable. All our hero has to do is steal the Book of Deiwos from the House at the End of the World. Poor and rather grumpy, Althalus sets off northward in search of the End of the World, and the House that is located there.
Things go slightly awry with the original plan, however, and Althalus ends up spending the next couple of thousand years stuck in the House with Emerald the cat, who just happens to be an incarnation of Dweia, who just happens to be the sister of the two gods who are currently arguing over the ultimate fate of the universe. Now our erstwhile thief finds himself caught up in a millennia-old struggle between the gods, and must locate a number of crucial people for the coming confrontation. Thus, Eliar, a young and impetuous Arum warrior, Andine, the young, pretty, vocally-talented Arya of Osthos, Bheid, a priest in the middle of an existential crisis, Leitha, the willowy, beautiful mind-reader, and Gher, possibly the smartest person on Earth (and all of ten years old), must join forces to outwit the ancient god Daeva, and his minion Ghend, before they rewrite history and create hell on earth.
<=== Analysis ===>
The Redemption of Althalus is a very entertaining, very enjoyable read, but I must confess that I found it a little disappointing. A reader unfamiliar with the fantasy genre, or with the authors’ work would likely formulate an entirely different opinion of the book; I am, however, neither of these. The crucial flaw, for me, was the novel’s many and close similarities to the Eddings’ earlier works—one can’t help but get the feeling that one has seen these characters before. Althalus, first of all, bears a marked resemblance to Silk, the wiry prince-thief of the Belgariad and Malloreon. Dweia, the goddess, seems to be a mixture of Polgara, from the aforementioned quintets, and the child goddess , of the Sparhawk trilogies. These are two of the most blatant examples, but many of the other characters in the novel also have an awfully familiar feel to them. Familiar, in some senses, is good, but in this case, and for this reader, it detracted a little from the story’s originality.
Another issue with the characterization is the relatively scarce development afforded the story’s villains. It is generally the case that evil characters exist merely as a foil for the heroes, and certainly this is most prevalent in genre works from lesser authors, but The Redemption of Althalus marks the first time that I have noted this tendency in the Eddings. While on the subject of the villains, it must be said that, though there were a few moments of tension throughout the narrative, there was very little doubt from the very beginning concerning who would win the inevitable conflict. This is not necessarily a characterization issue, but rather a more systemic problem with the novel. The opening couple of hundred pages involve the predictably-interesting development of the major characters, but once the first blows of the war are struck, the urgency slacks off quite tremendously. The forces of good, from that point on, have very little trouble outmaneuvering their opponents, and as such, the tension bleeds from the story after a few more episodes. Good wins just a little too handily over evil, in this instance, for the story to remain absorbing right through to the end.
These issues, it should be noted, are not ones which would necessarily present themselves to most readers of fantasy. As I said, readers unfamiliar with Eddings’ earlier novels might thoroughly enjoy his mixture of accessible prose, witty dialogue, and entertaining characterizations. Those a little less demanding of their fantasy works might appreciate the light, fast-paced read of Redemption, and accept the story as a pleasant diversion. I, however, fresh from rereading the monumental Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, brought a significantly more jaundiced eye to the book. The lightness, the sameness, and the predictability of it combined to create a vaguely disappointing experience, and one which I never expected to obtain from an Eddings novel.
<=== Finale ===>
As a stand-alone fantasy novel, The Redemption of Althalus really isn’t all that bad. It is light, fast-moving, and predictably-entertaining. The problem with it is that, when it is compared to the Eddings’ earlier novels, it looks just entirely too similar, as though they applied the same formula, but changed the names, places, and a few of the details. Also, the predictability of the eventual outcome detracted from the urgency of the story. In all, while a less mature reader might find a great deal to like about it, I would recommend that more seasoned fantasy fans look elsewhere, especially if they’re already familiar with the authors’ oeuvre. While a good formula, well applied, can be successful with the right audience, there’s no getting around the fact that it produces a formulaic result. For those who crave that little something extra from their literature, that just doesn’t cut it.
On his way to steal The Book from the House at the End of the World, Althalus collides with Dweia, a seductive goddess in the form of a cat who can ma...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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