Customer Reviews

Domes of Fire (Tamuli, Bk. 1)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

David Eddings made a name for himself in the fantasy fiction arena with the release of his epic series the Belgariad, which had some very memorable characters, some interesting concepts, and spirited dialogue, but stuck pretty close to the staples of the genre - orphan boy finding out he is the focus of an ancient prophecy, gods fighting over a powerful talisman, wizards & sorceresses, etc. The series was a hit, and Eddings obviously liked the characters enough to bring them all back for the 5-book Malloreon series. Unfortunately for the readers, the series fell short of the standard achieved by the Belgariad.

Eddings then turned his attention to a new series, the Elenium. Like the Belgariad, the Elenium had some very memorable characters and some more interesting concepts. The series focused on militant orders of Church Knights who were trained in various forms of magic. Familiar concepts like gods fighting over magical objects, prophecy, and wizards & sorceresses once again featured prominently, but the series proved to be quite enjoyable. Once again, Eddings seems to take pleasure in the spirited dialogue between the main characters.

True to form, Eddings couldn't help but bring the characters from the Elenium back for another trilogy, or which Domes of Fire is the first volume. The Tamuli series is basically the Elenium all over again with a different evil god as the man foe. The storyline is very weak, and there is almost no sense of urgency to the series. It was a struggle to make it all the way through, since there really wasn't any motivation to do so. The whole series seemed to be thrown together just so Eddings could have his characters banter back and forth for three more books. By this time, the dialogue that was once fresh and clever is tired and stale. One can only read the phrases "Be nice" and "Isn't he a nice boy" so many times before they wear quite thin (long time Eddings readers will know what I'm talking about).

While I would recommend reading the Belgariad and the Elenium, I just can't say the same about the Malloreon and this series, the Tamuli. It is just repeating what has already been done to death. Hopefully Eddings will realize this and try something new soon. Otherwise there will be no need for me to bother reading his future works.

It seems that all you have to do to enjoy a book by Eddings is turn your brain off. It's been some time since I read the Elenium, and I didn't have much expectations as it comes to this sequel, but yes, the man can still write. Some people here complain that the characters never encounter any real danger, but I don't see that as a bad thing. In fact, what I've been missing in many fantasy books is a certain sense of lightness. You can get tired of savage, breathtaking battles for the victory of the good. I mean, we all know the good _will_ win in the end! So why bite your fingernails off for nothing.

Eddings is a humorous writer, of course, but his language is great and makes me laugh very often. Also he has a certain understanding of human nature. This is not great art, but surely there's worse fantasy writers around. I'll be very delighted to read the rest of Tamul.

Why does it seem like this whole series has so many gratuitous moments, like the monster vs. Zalasta scene? The characters start evidencing the not-that-funny one-liners that plague Eddings, but in this book they're not so bad - the rest of the series, however, will make your teeth ache with them. If you've read the Elenium (which was way better), you might want to read this just to find out what happens to Sparhawk and company. Don't. You can probably imagine a better sequel yourself.

What can i say, its a captivating story, it has humor. But i dont find the charakters welldone. The humor is in all the right places, AND all the wrong places, its everywhere. Because of this i got bloody tired of the book after reading half of it. And the humor never changes, therefor you dont get to experience feelings and emotions that are there. I cannot recomend this book. Thank you

I do not argue that Eddings repeat a general plot of fantasy again and again in all of his works. The template of his is always character-centered stories based on interesting dialogue and adventure. One will notice that he avoids dwelling into too much combat action where he could, most of his battles are fought before and after the actual bloodshed (which is in fact reality).

However, the same format means BY NO MEANS the same book. In the Sapphire Rose he again introduces a new set of settings and satiric jokes.

For those that like these types of books, they would enjoy every one of Eddings' books, for those that feel his books duplicate themselves (which I feel is really untrue), at least read a few of his works, and the Elenium + the Tamuli is a nice option.

David Eddings has written what is essentially the same novel four times now, and while it is an undemanding read for those who have enjoyed his previous work, there is a real sense that inspiration was starting to wear very thin.
The writing is lazy. There is too much cutesy author commentary and too many lines and situations being recycled for the umpteenth time, (character X says something outrageous, character Y stares at him helplessly, then gives up and laughs; character X is profoundly shaken by the theological implications of pretty much everything Aphrael gets up to). There is a scattering of teeth-grinding anachronisms ('cookie' 'mom'). The darker themes in this novel - life in an oppressive church run state, religious persecution - do not reconcile well with the cast of familiar, cheerfully bickering archetypes. There's no real tension and no serious threat, since Aphrael is on hand to sort everything out at the drop of a hat. The enemy is unconvincing and there are few significant new storylines - this was the first Eddings book where I found reading a chore. I've read all the other series several times over the past few years, but I only made it through the Tamuli once, and now I'm finding re-reading it drags just as much.

Awww, I was wishing for something great like the previous series, The Elenium, but I guess goddess Aphrael didnt answer my prayer correctly. This book was horrible, it made me want to stop at every chapter and just burn it or something. But I work hard for my money during the summer so I just couldn't do it. I have no idea why I went through the book so fast, because nothing was exciting... at all! So I take back what I said in my last review, that Eddings could maintain his talent and never go boring. The only good parts of this book are when Talen comes into the plot which is not very often... more like never.
Instead of buying this book, I suggest you go to the library and rent it and read chapter 22, because they are the only 17 pages worth reading. So why 2 stars?? Because I still have faith in Eddings, although I probably wont read `The Shining Ones.`

Read the Elenium again, and the Belgariad and Malloreon, because this book was a complete let down. Makes me wanna shed some tears...

(I lied, I have to read the Shining Ones, because The Diamond Throne of the Elenium series was also really boring. Thank God for the Ruby Knight. Hopefully the Shining Ones will be like the Ruby Knight....)

I haven't read anything by Eddings since the Belgariad series years ago. As I recall, I enjoyed it. The first book of the Tamuli series, "Dome of Fire", is a pleasure if you enjoy dialogue between characters and a fast paced plot. In "Dome", the situation and characters appear to be very straight forward. Eddings keeps things moving and the characters are sarcastic in their humor, direct in their conversation, emotional as necessary, and honest(the Elenes) to a fault. The "Bad Guys" are typically distasteful and so far, not too bright. In this book, the bad guys represent very little of a threat. Sparhawk and his "clan" dispatch them handily on every occasion and are never really pressed. But Eddings gives you every impression that the tables will turn and the Elenes will be sorely tested in book three(I assume). My only complaint is that there is an ABUNDANCE of references to events and people that Sparhawk and his group encountered in the past, that may or may not be relative to their current situation. This is a little distracting and keeping track is impossible. Nevertheless, I am quickly reading book 2, "The Shining Ones" for which I have very high hopes.

~The Tamuli is the follow-up trilogy for the brilliant The Elenium, which introduced a hero, called Sparhawk, and followed him on his quest to save his queen, and ultimately his entire world, from the clutches of the e~ details, that might need further explaining. When I first read Domes of Fire, the first book of The Tamuli, I was genuinely impressed, with how well this book took up the very points I had been wondering about... plu~ description of the world thay live in, and of the new continent Daresia in particular. The Tamuli is well worth the effort of buying if you like David Eddings special writing-style. If you have not read The Elenium,

This book is a change in Eddings' writing from sword and sorcery fantasy to a more sophisticated political yarn. It sets the stage for a predictable conclusion in later books, which show a Hollywood-level failing that the reader knows that there is no real danger to the main characters whatsoever (although I suppose Troll Gods aren't exactly Hollywood). Because this "setting the stage" part is the only part of the series that doesn't write itself, I liked this book the best of the trilogy, although it retains a few common faults of the author and genre, such as the simple race-stereotypes of characters. And what's with that mangled Irish dialect? After tredging through three books of that it gets a tad much. Hmm, this makes me want to go back to Guardians of the West...