7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Rose is a Rose is a Rose, July 23, 2005
This review is from: The Sapphire Rose (Mass Market Paperback)
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.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Best in the Series, July 26, 2000
This review is from: The Sapphire Rose (Mass Market Paperback)
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.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
simply wonderful, February 15, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: The Sapphire Rose (Mass Market Paperback)
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.
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