14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great characters make for a great book, February 18, 2004
Although Eddings wrote his "Belgariad" series first, the "Elenium" was the first of his series I read. Therefore, my comments will tend to be skewed in favor of the Elenium, although most readers who read the Belgariad first will be more in favor of that series. It's a direct result of the fact that Edding's major flaw is a tendency to plagiarize himself, rather obviously. Therefore, if two books or plots are all but identical, the second one will almost invariably be set in your mind as a poorer copy.
Anyways. The story opens with an old and battered knight, Sparhawk, returning home to the kingdom of Elenia after ten years of exile. The old king who exiled him is dead, and the new Queen Ehlana, whom Sparhawk tutored as a child, has pardoned him. But when he gets home, he finds that Ehlana came down with a deathly illness shortly after her coronation, and that to save her life, Sparhawk's old teacher in magic, the Styric sorceress Sephrenia, has placed her in a state of suspended animation, frozen in a block of crystal. Before they can bring her out, they have to find a cure for whatever illness Ehlana has. Sparhawk, of course, immediately signs up for the quest to save his queen.
Along the way, he picks up various companions, including four other knights from various kingdoms, in a sort of joint effort of unity among the many orders of knights. That's the explanation given, at least, although of course the real reason is that Eddings absolutely loves creating secondary characters, and a quest story is always better the more people there are involved. There's plenty of sword-and-sorcery, a few monsters, but not so much that you feel like you're alienated from the universe he's in. (I think he does a much better job in this respect here than with the Belgariad, but again that's just me.)
Say what you will, but Eddings really is good at creating characters that you can truly like and care about. And you can never go wrong with your basic quest story, which gets wonderful treatment here. I love this series, and "Diamond Throne" is an excellent start to it.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A very entertaining read!, May 31, 1999
By A Customer
I have purchased all of Eddings' fantasy novels and I admit that I have read all of them at least 5 times over. Although the characters and plots are quite traditional (the requisite thief, knights,royalty,magic,etc.), what makes me recommend his books is the certain fun you will get from reading them. I really recommend these novels to anybody who wants an entertaining evening at home with a book in one hand and a pack of chips in the other! I would not call his books "serious" (unlike Robin Hobb's excellent Assasin series). Still, it is obvious that Eddings puts much thought into each of his characters, and I think you will find yourself liking even the most minor of characters in the series for what he/she adds to the story. His characters are all the type of people you would like to meet in real life; full of honor, humor, wit, loyalty, feeling and strength. Sparhawk's adventures are a bit more fastpaced than that of Garion's (the very first series) and you will definitely find common elements in both of them. The younger reader will enjoy Garion's story (as I did when I started out) but older readers will appreciate the great humour and fun to be found amoungst Sparhawk and his fellow knights. We can't always be in the mood for 'serious' fantasy and fiction...grab an Eddings book for some fun and relaxation instead!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but..., June 11, 1999
On its own, I think this book is superior to much of Edding's earlier work in the Belgariad and the Mallorean. The characters are a bit more fleshed out and entertaining, and I especially enjoyed his ways of introducing some of them. Unfortunately, however, I read this book (and hence the series) AFTER the Belgarion, etc. Therefore, much of the plotline was transparent, as I had read it before. Don't get me wrong. It was still an enjoyable read and all. I just had hoped for a few teenie-weenie plot surprises here and there...
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