David Eddings and Leigh Eddings - The Redemption of Althalus

Pros: Light, accessible, fast-paced, enjoyable characterizations, solid prose...
Cons: ...but we've seen this before from Eddings, with better execution.

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 ...

Pros: Myth, fantasy; adventure, romance all in one, huge volume
Cons: Repetitive and pedestrian at times

Remember when you were a kid? When you lived your world in your mind? Remember how, when you wanted it to be bigger, you'd just expand your range of imagination? You wanted more, you imagined it became more. Bigger, you made it so....

Pros: A standard fantasy, easy reading, with likely appeal for younger readers!
Cons: Repetitive, stilted and extremely weak by comparison to its phenomenal predecessors!

We all know that most reviews begin with a brief synopsis of the basis of the plot and, of course, attempt to avoid completely spilling the beans for potential readers that are supposed to react to the review somehow. For the sake of convention, I'll ...

Pros: uncomplicated, keeps papers from flying off my desk when I turn on the fan
Cons: recycled material, silly gender stereotypes, lack of interesting conflict

I have a feeling this is one book which will leave me feeling peeved long after I've returned it to the library. In the past, I've enjoyed Eddings' work, particularly his two early series, The Belgariad and The Mallorean, which involves a...

Pros: Characters, Battle scenes
Cons: Lack of antagonist development, Thin plot

I was positively overjoyed when I learned of the publication of David and Leigh Eddings’ newest novel, The Redemption of Althalus. I have long been a fan of their work, which includes the five book Belgariad and Malloreon series and...

Pros: Amusing. Quite Exciting. One unusual plot twist (just one). Good escapism.
Cons: Much tactical detail, weak dialog, plot similar to every other Eddings epic

If you want to read a David Eddings Book, I'd recommend strongly that you don't start with this one. It's disappointing. (I started with The Diamond Throne, and it starts at a good pace, so is probably a good place to begin Eddings type reading.)
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Pros: Quick read, witty dialog, neat magic trick
Cons: Eddings readers have seen it all before, and better

I like this book. It's a painful admission to make, but there it is. Yes, the authors use stock characters. No, their plots aren't overly original. But dagnabbit, The Redemption of Althalus is a campy, schmoozy, fun ride from beginning to end....

Pros: Engaging, clever, and in one volume
Cons: Fairly similar to other Eddings productions

Is the thrill gone? The writing team of David and Leigh Eddings has produced some far-flung and rich fantasy worlds in which witty, well-developed characters are enmeshed in an eternal battle between good and evil. So it is with _The Redemption of...

Pros: It's an Eddings, and very entertaining
Cons: A little too familiar, a little too easy

The Eddings are one of the few authors (with Pratchet) whose books I automatically go out and buy, so after a period spent filling in gaps in his earlier series, I was pleased to see this book appear - a whole new Eddings world is always worth reading....

Pros: Steady plot Good humour
Cons: Anything and everything

Now, I liked the Belgariad and Mallorean so when Althalus came out I was all set to spend my money on it. It starts of nicely enough, with us meeting a Silk-like thief named Althalus. He's famous for his luck, however he soon falls down on it and after ...

Pros: You CARE about these people. All in one story.
Cons: None

The Eddingses have been writing fantasy for a very long time, but most are used to seeing their works as series rather than a single book. Let me tell you what you are getting yourself into before you buy or read it so you don't waste your time. ...

Pros: Cute characters, touches of humour.
Cons: No characterization, thin plot, weak opposition.

I don't understand it. For a book that begins well and catches one's interest, the Redemption of Althalus really lets you down pretty quickly; it takes a while to notice your fading interest, and you may not locate the reason for that right...

Pros: Realistically, very few.
Cons: One dimensional characters, bad interplay, carbon copy plot

I'm not sure how to begin...David Eddings has loomed large in my pantheon of favourite writers since I picked up the first book of the Belgariad in the early 80s. The Mallorean which followed it was excellent, though a bit repetitive in some themes and ...

Pros: Humorous characters, strong writing.
Cons: Weak plot, rehash of older work, but not as good.

If you've read The Belgariad, Mallorean, Elenium and the Tamuli series. Then don't buy this book, you've already read it.

The good: humorous, as always. Eddings has a way of making the character interaction very funny.

The good...

Pros: Military strategy and political science
Cons: Same old same old. And for some odd reason, it drags toward the end.

The only damper that could possibly halt one's enjoyment of this epic is the fact that one has read similar ones before. If, however, you have never read an Edding's, you are in for a treat.
We have the typical degenerate hero: Althalus- the...