Customer Reviews

The Redemption of Althalus

5 star:		(76)
4 star:		(48)
3 star:		(45)
2 star:		(81)
1 star:		(142)

 

 

When I first read "The Seeress of Kell", I was so involved in it that, at one of the climactic moments, I actually exclaimed out loud in the middle of a crowded pizza parlor "Don't do it!". (I won't spoil that book for you, but if you've read it you probably know what I'm talking about) When "Cyradis was weeping" in a poetic section of the climax, I was with her. That set the bar for me with David and Leigh's work, and I've mostly been pleased with their books since then. I have to say, though, that based on that level of what I know them to be capable of, this book was a disappointment.

I cannot think of a single character, outside of the poorly developed "villains" of the work, who is not a slightly altered version of a Belgariad or Elenium character. There are several catchphrases among the main characters that were pulled directly from their previous work ("Be Nice", for instance), which, in combination with the retread characters, made it seem as if the cast of the Belgariad and the Elenium were doing a community theater production called "The Redemption of Althalus".

Another thing that bothered me was that too much was telegraphed. I knew *exactly* what was going to happen to Ghend, for example, about mid-way through the book. There was only one event that truly surprised me, and that was not revealed until very, very late in the game.

The book also jumped from location to location and event to event much, much quicker than in their previous work. It seemed as though they were trying to cram a trilogy into one book, and the edges show. Perhaps, had they taken the time and energy to flesh this out into a trilogy or pentology, the characters would have had time to become truly themselves and the work would stand with the two "Find Blue Rock/Use Blue Rock To Kill Evil God" series (couldn't resist :-) ) as a high watermark in modern fantasy.

All that said, however, I did enjoy the read... the story may not have been new or particularly inspiring, but as always they know how to keep you involved in it.

If you've read the Eddings' work before, then you know if you liked or didn't like it.

And whichever way you may have felt about the Belgarion books or the Sparhawk books you'll probably feel about this book.

I happen to enjoy Eddings books, even though, objectively, i can see a number of flaws in them.

There's a certain progression in size here, from the ten-plus-two-point-5 volumes of the Belgarion stories to the six volumes of the Sparhawk stories to this single volume. But there's really about the same amount of story from series to series -- which means that things have to happen faster and closer together to get it all in.

Which means things can get a little crowded, muddled or confusing, which means periodically one of the charcters explains things to another character -- entertainingly, but it's still an expository lump.

The standard Eddings characters are all here -- Althalus, the thief, recruited as a sort of disciple by Dweia, one of three sibling gods whose conflicts are the basis for the story, is amazingly similar to what you'd get if Silk had Belgarath's's sorcerous abilities. Eliar is Garion or Berit -- the eager young man who has to learn some lessons the hard way.

And so on -- just as most Heinlein novels, Eddings books are stocked with pleasantly familiar characters constructed out of the Very Finest Cardboard, who make their way through various horrific but not particularly frightening (to the reader, anyway) adventures until, after some sacrifices, they arrive at the happy ending. Along the way, they exchange clever/flippant/dry/cynical badinage and make jokes about their adventures and the way in which the young girl-type people (to use this books rather arch term) pursue the young boy-type people with marriage on their minds.

No previous Eddings book has ever been particularly earth-shatteringly important or ground-breaking, and certainly, this one doesn't change the pattern or break the mold.

But it's good for a pleasant afternoon or two and, so long as you're not looking for Incredible Significance or Deep Meaning in your fantasy it's certainly somewhat above the average in quality. And it will certainly satisfy a carving for light fantasy for a while...

As a character in the movie "Zachariah" says "[It's] what ye're lookin' for -- if that's what ye're lookin' for..." -- a remark that might well issue from the mouth of an Eddings character.

A greater load of treacle/molasses/syrup I have rarely read. David and Leigh Edding's book "The Redemption of Althelus" has exactly three characters throughout, though the Eddings do change the physical description and names of characters so that it appears there may be more. These characters are `good guy', `good girl' and `bad guy'. I would have included `bad girl' but the only bad girl in the book, the Queen of Night, is in fact merely `bad guy' in drag.

All the characters appear to be recycled and repackaged from Eddings's previous books. The `good girl' goddess character Dweia is Polgara, only she turns into a cat rather than an owl. The tiny temperamental princess Andine (also `good girl') in this book is actually the tiny temperamental princess of Belgariad fame Ce'nedra, with a memory wipe and a makeover. The `good guy' preist Bheid has more than a hint of the Ulgo priest Relg of the Belgariad. The main character Althelus is a mixture of Silk and Sparhawk (down to the occasional use of the manly expression "neighbour" that Sir Sparhawk was so fond of), with a pinch of Belgarath for good measure. He gets to live forever just like Belgarath as well.

On a side note, Eddings appears to be obsessed with the topic of immortality judging by his continual dwelling upon this theme. I mention this not to criticize but to suggest that perhaps he should donate some money to immortality projects such as the Methuselah mouse project (do a google search), rather than rehash old plot devices ad nauseam.

The authors continue their environmentally conscious ways, indeed they up the ante even further, by recycling all the stereotypical expressions used by characters in previous books. The girls all say things "winsomely" or "archly" or even "flatly" if they're annoyed. They do a lot of flaring and snapping and murmuring as well. They enjoy saying things sweetly when they patronize the menfolk, which they tend to do every other sentence.

The characterization of the bad guys is paper thin, and in this book they appear to be even more hopelessly inept than usual. Despite apparently possessing all the advantages of the good guys - magic, teleportation, and time travel - they somehow manage to do precisely nothing with these remarkable tools, and instead approach the good guy and gals from front on and foaming at the mouth. The bad guys do this not because they are excessively stupid, although a couple of them are, but because they just don't get along with one another and apparently would rather risk death and destruction at the hands of their enemies and of their own tyrannical boss -the evil god of the piece - than cooperate and win. What a fantastically original morality tale!

Like previous works the characters all enjoy what I call the "boast and bond", in which they congratulating one anther on how clever they have been as a device to explain various plot movements, and to bond the characters together.

Let's face it, characters aside, it is the strong plots we enjoy from David Eddings, but the use of time travel and teleportation in this book appears to have tripped the authors up plot-wise, they pick a rather arbitrary and unsatisfying path through the maze of possibilities that the introduction of such devices entails. Rather than rethink their premise, they appear to have simply applied a thin layer of retroactive plot spackle to the numerous resulting gaps and hoped for the best.

Several passages of the book are repeated from earlier sections with superficial changes, indeed the buildup to the finale is merely a rehashing of the first part of the book in which the main character Althalus meets his protagonist. The Eddings then repeat the repetition in each instance by having characters boast about each encounter, and these repetitions of repititions each occupy a couple of pages. This amazing writing device probably saved considerable work, yet somehow fails to make this a better book.

The Eddings know the value of a happy ending and they don't disappoint. Virtually everyone is married off in the end, including a somewhat gratuitous marriage between supporting characters Sergeant Khalor and a central character's mother. This marriage was presumably included under the plot device known as `throw as many bones to as many dogs as you can'. The novel ends when Althalus, having lived for several centuries after the events in the book (there's that lovely immortality dream again) finds out that his goddess wife Dweia, otherwise known as `Em' is pregnant. In justification of my initial statement about the syrupy status of this book I shall now quote directly from the final sentence of the book:

"He took her in his arms then and held her with tears of joy streaming down his face. `Oh, I do love you, Em!' was all he could say."

Awww.

I had read and loved all fantasy books by David and Leigh so far, and I was thrilled when I heard a complete new story was in making. "The Redemption of Althalus" is a stand-alone novel, and it's also a outstanding book! I will not go into any details, since I don't wish to spoil any surprises for people who haven't yet read it, but I will say that it once more truly captures that traditional niceness and character warmth that we have come to love so much in the authors' other work. The story was gripping, exciting and the humour was sharp and witty. I really liked the characters and the touches of philosophy were in one word brilliant! I webmaster a site (The Eddings Codex) dedicated to the books of David and Leigh Eddings, and after reading "Althalus", I immediately updated it with information and illustrations about the new book.

Meanwhile, enjoy reading, for if you loved the Belgariad-Malloreon and Elenium-Tamuli books, I'm sure you'll love Althalus!

In a choice that only proves the Gods work in mysterious ways, the Goddess Dweia selects a thief, who has committed murder, as humanity's champion. ALTHALUS is proud to be one of the top ten thieves, a top five liar, and an occasional killer when the need is there.

His latest client, Ghend, a servant of the destroyer God Daeva, hires ALTHALUS to steal a book in a house at the edge of the world. He arrives at his destination, finds the book, and meets Dweio disguised as a cat. Dweio teaches ALTHALUS to read and use the book before the pair ventures back into the realm of mankind. The latest battle has just begun between good and evil with many dying on both sides, but the final victory resides with THE REDEMPTION OF ALTHALUS.

David and Leigh Eddings have been writing exciting epic fantasy for years, but THE REDEMPTION OF ALTHALUS is their finest hour. Readers will liken the work to that of Tolkien and Brooks yet see much originality in the fast-moving story line. Fans will believe in chattering cats speaking "humanese", magical houses, and goddess manifestations as everyday occurrences. This acceptance allows the audience to concentrate on the interpersonal relationships that turn this epic fantasy into quite an achievement for this writing duet.

Harriet Klausner

Sorry, David and Leigh, but we deserve better than this.

For the first time in my life, I didn't finish a fantasy novel. The fact that the book was an Eddings novel just added to the depression. I grew up with the characters of the Belgariad/Mallorian, and honestly, Eddings could keep turning out books on those characters and I would continue to buy them.

This book, however, is atrocious, for 3 reasons:

1. I hate the heroes!!! Not just apathy, here... I can't stand them. They are annoying, shallow, fake... and I think this comes from the attempt to force us to like them. I didn't like the characters in the Belgariad because they were "cute"... I loved them because I watched them grow, I knew their habits and nuances, and their lively interactions were intertaining and absorbing.

2. The number one rule in writing is SHOW, DON'T TELL. Why on earth did they break this rule?!?!?! Giving a list of characteristics is amateurish, and I've never seen the Eddingses do it... until now. This was a blow below the belt to me, when I know they know how to do it right!!!

3. "Sort of?" "Kind of?" These phrases have no place in the narration of a professional novel. As a long-time reader, these stand out to me like sore thumbs. I was thrown out of the story every time I encountered one.

I remember reading the reviews for this book, before I purchased it, and thinking, "It can't be that bad, it's an Eddings book! These reviewers must be wrong." Well, my friends, I was wrong. I hope you don't make the same mistake I did. Save your money: get it at the library. If they don't carry it, email me and I'll send you my copy.

On the other hand, if you'd like a good read, try the Belgariad. Start with Pawn of Prophecy and read them all. These Eddings classics are well worth the time and money. If you've read them before, read them again! That's what I'm about to do... hopefully it will wipe away memory of reading this tripe.

David Eddings has always been a favorite of mine, although lately it seemed to me that he was running out of ideas. With his creation of a new world and characters for this new book, I had the highest hopes, but was let down very quickly. The most important thing that made his first two series so addictive (Belgariad and Elenium) so addictive was his deep, real characters. They developed over the course of the story, growing, changing, and interacting realistically. The stories, both successes and failures, were intensely character driven. Unfortunately, none of that was present here. The characters are vaguely interesting, but they never feel particularly real. They certainly never change much. The greatest loss was that all the decisions were made by Fate and the Gods, not the characters. It's a really weak way to drive a story. Worse, the individual abilities of the characters are fairly unimportant. Success is based on their ability to come up with new and interesting ways to use almost godlike resources (gee, who COULDN'T win a war with what amounts to a teleporter, a time machine, and an infinite supply of gold?) The romance is forced, cliched, and far too convinient. Finally, the ending is largely a rehashing of the beginning, with only minor changes. I suppose that's a problem with time travel, but again, death for a book. I know this sounds like an unforgiving review, but I really was THAT disappointed. If you've never read Eddings, go back and read "The Belgariad." If you have, go back and read "The Belgariad" again.

When I first saw this book, I was so excited. I consider myself to be a huge Eddings fan and have read all of his books with the exception of the Rivan Codex (which I bought, but couldn't bring myself to read).

I was quite disappointed with this book.

I found that the beginning of the book seemed almost childishly written; I was wondering if perhaps I had "outgrown" Eddings (I began reading his work when I was 11 years old) or if this book in particular was poorly written. When Althalus finally meets Emmy, things seemed to get better, but only for several chapters.

The characters in this book are totally unbelieveable. "Hey, I could read a word off this knife, so now I'm going to drop everything I'm doing and follow you." There was no significant character development, and the characters sort of all merged into just a sea of names since their dialogue was nearly identical (e.g. all the male characters constantly stating, "Yes, dear." and all the female characters repeatedly saying, "Isn't he sweet?"). Leitha in particular comes to mind; I never felt that Eddings really delved into her character, except as perhaps an afterthought.

The worst was when the war in Wekti was going on. All of a sudden the reader is introduced to a whole horde of characters, many with similar names, and it's nearly impossible to follow who is doing what.

*SPOILER* There are also some weird plot inconsistencies. I mean, half the book more or less seems redundant. God tries to unmake world. A whole bunch of potentially avoidable events happen. Good guys win. Couldn't Althalus and Gher have just gone back in time right from the beginning and avoided all the wars? *END SPOILER*

I was sure that there was going to be a second part as I progressed further into the book; something heroic like Althalus having to trick his way into Nahgharesh and face Ghend. The ending was anti-climactic, to say the least, and almost seemed as if Eddings was quickly trying to wrap up an already in shambles storyline.

As usual, all of the characters in this book have equivalents in Eddings' other books. This isn't a bad thing if you are fond of Eddings' style of writing (as I am).

I'm really sad that this book wasn't better than it was; I really wanted to like this book. But I just can't. Eddings is getting older and I really hope that he puts out more books before he retires from writing... Mr. Eddings, please go back to writing trilogies. Those seem to be where your talents lie. Trying to cram so much into one book resulted in too many shortcomings.

This book probably deserves one star, but I just can't bring myself to give any Eddings book a rating that low.

This is an epic novel - but hardly up to the past standards of characterization that the Eddings have had in the past. I found Althalus a poor stand in for the complexity of Eddings most famous thief - Silk. He does not capture your sense of humor, nor does he exude the urbane humanity that Eddings has done with such skill in the past. Because I came to this novel with the expectations of their first novels, I was sadly disappointed and as a reader remained aloof from what transpired during the story. The plot itself gets muddled down by Eddings most famous theme - Fate. The characters are once again drawn together by a means other than their own and the final relationships are finished up with neat little wedding bows. (Events that were predictable from the first moment you meet each character.) While the time plot is interesting, it gets lost underneath the simplistic use of magic. The world that Eddings creates is actually devoid of magic users (with the exception of a witch or two.) and when Althalus starts throwing people up in the air - his talents are simply accepted by those around him. Within moments of revealing his powers, his companions are "lulled" into a type of obedience that might make the plot simpler to move along - but hardly gives the characters a chance to be individuals. In essence, this creates a certain one dimensional simplicity that flaws all the characters. Even Althalus' love for Em is hardly more than a child expressing affection for it's mother. Yes, for me, certain elements were lacking that left the characters and their relationships flat. This was Eddings greatest gift, but it is not captured within this "stand-alone epic" at all.

Firstly I have to actually emphasise that I did not approach this book thinking that it would be the best in the world - I loved Eddings when I was a teenager, and I do still like to go back to the Belgariad to relax but I wasn't expecting challenging fantasy like that from Wurts or Martin. I only actually bought the book when I saw it on special offer somewhere for a tenner. And so I settled down to read it.

At first I enjoyed it - Eddings does have a strangely comforting way of putting things, a bit like a nice mug of Horlicks. Normally if the book was a bit below par then this itself would raise up a star or two - but the deficiencies in this book are too many and they are all far too evident.

Firstly, my only expectation was that Athalus was going to be a character in much the same mould of Silk in the Belgariad. They are both thevies and so it would provide a refreshing new perspective to the standard Eddings good vs evil scenario. Unfortunately Athalus becomes no more than a poor carbon-copy of Sparhawk. In actual fact I was actually reading Athalus as Sparhawk for about 10 pages before I caught myself. This could be due to Eddings' own personality - maybe he is just a irritable chap with a heart of gold and not much personality besides - he is very good at describing the Silk persona's actions from the outside - but he certainly can't relate to it from inside his shoes.

Secondly he has tried to pack a whole trilogy's character development into one book. This certainly means that he couldn't give as much detail to how it happens - and it certainly ain't believable. Ce'Nedra's transformation in the Belgariad and the Mallorean from annoying she-dog to a regal queen was spread out over 10 books. Andine's transformation took a few pages and it doesn't fit. He should have left her in the process of developing at the end of the book.

And the really unforgivable reason why this book stinks is that the good guys are just too powerful. There is no suspense whatsoever - the bad guys are stupid and always one step behind. Eddings destroys two of the section endings with his annoying 'high' style of describing things - imagine Mandorallen from the Belgariad trying to explain a confrontation and you should get my drift.

The last part of the book is where Eddings decides to play with time travel and where he gets out of his depth. I suppose the reason why people hate this section so much is that it begins with "Why don't we go back in time so you can get your coat back" instead of "We need to go back in time else the world shall be destroyed".

Unless Eddings can put himself in a new persona and come up with some suspense he should retire now - though not before he brings out a book titled Zedar the Apostate.