Customer Reviews

The Sapphire Rose [With Earbuds] (Playaway Adult Fiction)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

With Bhelliom in hand Devid Eddings takes the plot of the Elenium into its final stanzas - curing Ehlana, undoing of Annias' plot to gain control of the Elene church, and the final defeat of the schemes of the god Azash. Each of these is a story in itself, and the book is densely plotted as the final phase of Sparhawk's efforts falls into place.

There is really only one serious problem with this book. The weakest character in the series makes her debut - Ehlana. Edding's, for some reason, tends to make his female romantic leads a strange combination of domineering and fluttery. C'nedra, in the first two series, is the perfect example of a woman who is stuck the stereotype of the devious female. Selfish, manipulative, irritating, and then occasionally she will step out of character. Elhana could be C'nedra's sister. She waken, maneuvers Sparhawk into marrying her, directly interferes in church politics like a pro, and then settles into a kind of wishy-washy background character. Go figure. The good news is that while Ehlana has a prominent role in the story, she actually doesn't have a very big part.

The most interesting part of the book is really the struggle for control of the church, which is pure politics and sneakiness. Annias' plans must be undone. This means that Sparhawk and the church leaders opposed to Annias must play a complicated waiting game in the hope that enough evidence will be found to expose the priest as in league with Azash. As Annias has managed to bribe himself into possession of a simple majority, this becomes a game of inches.

Once the politics are over, Sparhawk is free to perform his real duty. The world's only hope is that the Pandion knight can use his control of Bhelliom to work the end of Azash. Not an easy task, and Sparhawk must overcome not only the Sapphire Rose, the the ancient troll gods before he can enter the city of Zemoch and confront Otha and Martell for the last time. His companions once again are his squire Kurik, his friend Kalten, Sephrenia, the first knights of the Elene orders, and Talen, the thief. The interplay of the characters is as good as always, but this is the third quest of the series and it gets a bit familiar at times.

As usual, Eddings wraps things up tidily with a strong climax, throws some curious hints in the epilogue and then the curtain descends. Of the three different series so far, this is both the shortest and the best written. The Belgarion is, perhaps, the most original, but the Elenium is the work of a mature writer, and it shows. As you might expect, this is only a temporary stopping point - we are promised yet another sequel.

The series started with The Diamond Throne ends well in this book. The Sapphire Rose is, undoubtedly, the best and most interesting book in The Elenium.

As a whole, the series was a bit one-dimensional, with flat characters and a standard knight-saves-the-world-and-damsel-in-distress plotline. But once all that is accomplished, Mr. Eddings actually surpasses himself and throws in a few surprises, setting up the next trilogy nicely.

It is worth reading the other two books in order to understand this one. Good summer reading.

The Elenium series was definitely one of the best fantasy series I have ever read. Eddings inserts humor in every line; there is a lingering amount of his own wit in every character which I found simply fascinating. My love for enchantment as well as the knights of the Medieval era was realized in this series--no small feat by any means. I recommend this series--Diamond Throne, Ruby Knight, and Sapphire Rose to anyone who appreciates magic, adventure, comedy, and romance in the same book.

The "Sapphire Rose", of course, is the Bhelliom, an object of such enormous power that worlds literally revolve around it and Gods have fought wars for it. All Sparhawk cares about, though, is that it is the one thing that can save the life of his poisoned Queen, Ehlana.
Ehlana's healed pretty early in, which leaves the rest of the book for Sparhawk to vanquish evil, destroy the Bad Guys, etc etc. See, once the Bhelliom resurfaces, Azash, the evil God of the Zemochs, knows who's got it. Since Bhelliom is the one thing Azash needs to free himself from his prison and take over the world, he's a little interested in getting Sparhawk to give it to him - or wresting it from his cold, dead hands, whichever's easiest. To that extent, there's a long, protracted section of the book devoted to the election of the Archprelate (the equivalent of the Pope) in the Holy City. If Annias, who secretly worships Azash, can buy enough votes, he wins, and Azash gets Bhelliom. So before Sparhawk can go off and kick immortal butt, he and his buddies have to head off this impending disaster first. It's political, it's complicated, and there are long sections where nothing happens but debate and voting. But it's also intelligent, witty, and gives several characters (including Ehlana) a chance to shine. Put it this way - if you think the political stuff in "Star Wars" is too complicated, you'll hate this part of the book. But if you enjoy that stuff, as I do, and seeing how wars are won by more than sword-waving, this book is fantastic.
Of course, there's real action, too - Sparhawk does face down Azash, with some help (of course). Ehlana and Sparhawk get married - their love story is both awkward and romantic, and quite cute. And someone dies - I can't say who, but I cried when I read it. (And there's no "Man-with-two-lives" business as in the Belgariad.)
The best book in a great series!

Honestly, it's not the most profound book in the whole wide world, but it does entertain, and that's what it's for. A lot better than the previous two books... the plot isn't as predictable and the characters are *finally* developed, though Ehlana gets on my nerves a bit (to say it without spoiling the plot). Eosia is a bit dreary for my taste as a world, but the story is fun.

I doubt I'll read the Belgariad though.. one trilogy with blue jewels is enough. Maybe I'll pick up the Tamuli when I can find it.

Oh, and to the reviewer below.. I doubt that the Church of Elenia is the same as the Catholic Church, though it could be implied. It *is*, after all, fantasy. The Church of Elenes is probably something of a social commentary on the real Church here, but of course, the specifics aren't going to be exactly the same.

Once again, David Eddings has surpassed the standard for the fantasy book genre. In The Sapphire Rose, Eddings' characters stand out better than ever. His characterization is bold, and yet all of the characters are similar in terms if audacity, wit, and sense of humor. Insiginificant characters from previous novels are finally appearing in major roles. And once again, Sparhawk and Elahna's witty battles add new spice to this already fantastic series. Despite the fact that this is the 3rd novel based around the adventures of Sparhawk, its just as original and intriguing as the first. In my humble opinion, Eddings has unleashed a whole new world of fantasy, and The Sapphire Rose has completed yet another superb series of fantasy novels. Bravo.

How many times can David Eddings write some little tale about a blue stone that is actually the force of good in the universe? Always, some mortal man picks it up and uses it to kill a God, only the BAAAAD force of the universe is actually in the God. No wonder he can pump out the books, he just scribbles out the names and locations, and fills them in! The characterization is good...if you only want one character that is. Every single one of them cracks the same jokes, has the same grin. Amusing for the first 20 pages or so, then its stereotypes and repetitive humour stars to come out. If you are searching for a good argument again human cloning, then read this book. A world of identical personalities loses its vivacity pretty quickly

Since I was first introduced to the writings of David Eddings, through the best selling series, The Belgariad, at the age of 11, I have had a real affection for the seemingly realistic characters and simple yet exciting writing style that Eddings had so cleverly utilised to draw the reader into his fantasy world. Since then, I have come to think of Eddings as the king of modern fantasy writing, and I feel that the final book, The Sapphire Rose, in his series The Elenium, has upheld his title.

The world that Eddings has created in the series The Elenium, has a complex series of religions and races that are spherically different yet are interactive with each other. The religious zealots that are inherent with any religions, be they fantasy or in the real world, are the story keys and can simply described as good and evil, dependent on the religions and their role in the aiding or thwarting of the heroes journey.

The Sapphire Rose continues from the first two books in the trilogy, The Diamond Throne and The Ruby Knight telling the story of the short-tempered, Sparhawk, the Queens Champion and member of legendary Pandion Knights. The trilogy follows Sparhawk and his quest to find the magical jewel Bhelliom to cure his poisoned queen, along with the help of his band of companions, including, the powerful and wise Sephrenia of the Styric religion, her goddess Aphrael.

The medium paced and predictable plot of the first two books is spiced up quiet a bit in The Sapphire Rose. Eddings simple writing style enables the reader to keep track of the action and the characters, yet creates many twists and turns, adding surprises, that even the most critical fantasy reader would not anticipate. This is demonstrated in the plot intrigue when Sparhawk, having managed to retrieve the Bhelliom and cure his queen, the logical end to the trilogy, finds that he now must wage a war on the evil Styric god Azash and his followers, and must demonstrate his faith, which he is sceptical of, by taking the Bhelliom right into Azashs' hands.

One of the main things that I have enjoyed about David Eddings' writing is that all readers will find a character that they identify with. Each of the characters, although written very simply and perhaps a little two dimensional in the first of the series, are fully developed near the end of the second book. It is a pity that in the third book the characters, having been well developed in the second of the trilogy appear to have changed in The Sapphire Rose, suddenly presenting with different values. This is demonstrated particularly in Eddings need to make his descriptions more violent then I would consider necessary. Even though I understand that the characters were fighting a war, did everyone have to be constantly dripping with blood?

The impact of the violence in the story line is minimal, and it leaves one wondering why the change of the characterisation was seen as necessary for the author, and if the author was writing to a new formula to attract new readers to his slow selling trilogy. Compared to the Belgariad series, the Elenium series was not as quick to move off the shelves, and this is a possible reason for the change in the authors' direction. The slow development of the characters throughout the trilogy leaves one with a lack of empathy for the characters and their motives, and the new direction of the writing style makes this writer wonder if Eddings was attempting to hang on to the die hard fans, and attract new ones to his series.

It is interesting to note that two prequels to the Belgariad series were released after the slower selling Elenium series, thus demonstrating an attempt to recapture the audience that might have been lost to the author from the change of formula and the unneeded violence of The Sapphire Rose.

Even though the book was slow moving at times, and certain characters were not developed to their best, and with the added element of the incongruous violence, The Sapphire Rose maintains Eddings wit and offbeat humour that has made many readers addicts to his style of writing. The book is written specifically for lovers of the fantasy genre, however it does relate to many aspects of the real world, particularly in the areas of diversity of religion and culture. It does not match Eddings previous submissions, and is a bit of a disappointment, to those anticipating a revisit to the Belgariad world. Sparhawks world is darker, and a little more mature than the gentle and innocent world of Begariad, yet, Eddings still maintains his ability to spin a good story, and in this writers opinion maintains his regal position in the world of fantasy writers.

This is the last book in The Elenium and so all loose ends are getting tied. Sparhawk must save his pretty, young Queen, and this is accomplished pretty much in the first five minutes and for the rest of the book we watch as Sparhawk must save the world from the evil God, Azash and his underlings, Adus, Krager and Sparhawks sworn enemy, and one time friend, Martel. He must play a game he doesn't like, waiting for Martel to make his move and to follow him and try to stop him. He must do this without getting killed (his wife would NOT appreciate that) or allwing Azash to get his hands on the Sapphire Rose, or Bhelliom, the most powerful object in the world. Surprisingly, there is also a moment towards the end of the novel when you will need a tissue or two. All in all, this was a great book and has firmly cemented its place as one of my all time favourite books. If you're thinking about reading this book, then stop thinking and start doing, you don't know what you are missing out on.

The Sapphire Rose lives up to the standard set by its two predessors. The characters develop nicely, and of course, we get to meet Ehlana. The book is characterised by the same dry sense of humour that comes out in all of Eddings books. However, often untrue and sometimes offensive remarks about the Christian church and its beliefs spoiled the enjoyment for me at times. If Mr Eddings wishes to include something like that in his books it would be nice if he researched it next time instead of following popular opinion.