The Redemption of Althalus (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author), (Author) "Althalus the thief spent ten days on the road down out of the mountains of Kagwher to reach the imperial city of Deika..." (more)
Key Phrases: mind leech, rich mead, throbbing voice, Sergeant Khalor, Chief Albron, Brother Bheid (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As the first stand-alone one-volume epic fantasy by the popular Eddings team (whose series include The Belgariad; The Malloreon and The Elenium), this hefty saga about Good trouncing Evil plumps an engaging young reprobate hero into the arms of aDliterallyDdivine feline heroine. A professional thief and occasional murderer, Althalus accepts a commission to steal a supernatural tome known as the Book. When he arrives at the mysterious House at the End of the World, a lissome black cat with emerald eyes turns out to be the fertility goddess Dweia. Together they enlist a Mission Improbable team to out-sorcel the assorted villains marshaled by the sorcerer Ghend, who is bent on converting this medieval-like world from the worship of Dweia's good god-brother, Deiwos, to awful servitude under their wicked sibling Daeva. Plenty of derring-do spices up the first two-thirds of this jolly romp, and some zingy flashes of wit home in neatly on stuffy human institutions like overorganized religion and landed aristocracies. Unfortunately, the Eddingses can't resist a lengthy time-traveling reprise, which drags the story down into so-so conventionality. Though the Eddingses' multitudinous fans will likely feel right at home here in their safely magical realm of good-natured fun, this circle of would-be faerie has been trodden so often that here it yields very little deep-rooted literary greenery to munch on or to savor, still less to ruminate upon.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

The Eddings, whose fantasies usually sprawl for several volumes, had to cram to get their latest adventure into a mere 700 pages (768 in galley form). The first section, covering more than 2,000 years, sets up the premise: a talented thief, Althalus, is hired to steal the Book from the House at the End of the World. Althalus, who doesn't know a book when he sees one, gamely enters the house, is trapped there by a talking cat, and remains for 2,500 years, learning to harness the Book's powers. The talking cat, Emmy, is in fact Dweia, one of three sibling gods who rule the world. Her brothers, Dewois (the creator) and Daeva (the destroyer), are choosing up sides and preparing for battle. Dweia enlists Althalus' aid to obtain a knife covered with runes that can be read only by those companions chosen to join the fight on the side of good. Althalus, traveling with Dewois as the cat Emmy, seeks and enlists the help of several unlikely accomplices, including a young boy, a priest, a witch, a warrior, and a princess. Once the companions are gathered, the Eddings hit their stride, and the story takes off. The interactions between characters, straightforward plotting, and doses of wry humor keep the tale humming. Judging by the popularity of their other books, this is a sure purchase for fantasy collections. Candace Smith
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 791 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books, Inc.; 1st edition (October 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345440781
• ISBN-13: 978-0345440785
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (390 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #131,147 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but..., December 11, 2000

By	Aeirould "aeirould" (San Diego, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Redemption of Althalus (Hardcover)

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.

93 of 118 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars And outstanding stand-alone new Eddings!, November 8, 2000

By	"dweia" (The Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Redemption of Althalus (Hardcover)

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!

70 of 89 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stupenddous epic fantasy, November 4, 2000

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Redemption of Althalus (Hardcover)

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