The Ruby Knight (Book Two of the Elenium) (Mass Market Paperback)

by David Eddings (Author) "IT WAS WELL after midnight, and a dense gray fog had crept in off the Cimmura River to mingle with pervading wood smoke from a..." (more)
Key Phrases: formal armor, chain mace, church soldiers, Sir Sparhawk, Sir Knight, Church Knights (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Sir Sparhawk and his companions seek the Bhelliom, an antidote to a rare poison administered to Elenia's queen. "Eddings's delightful style propels the reader along a well-crafted and carefully unfolding course, and even through the few places he falls back on cliches of the genre," said PW.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
The Pandion knight Sparhawk and his companions continue their quest for the Bhelliom, the legendary jewel whose power alone can save a dying queen. Eddings's strength lies in his ability to create thoroughly likable heroes with personalities that transcend the formulaic fantasy genre. Graceful prose and judicious humor add style to this excellent addition to fantasy collections. Recommended.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 372 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; Reissue edition (November 13, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345373529
• ISBN-13: 978-0345373526
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #212,417 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 2 in The Elenium Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome! The Best Book I Have Ever Read!!!, October 15, 1999

By A Customer

I thought this book was beyond words. I hated books and hadn't picked one up since I was 7! But when i hit 8th grade, my English teacher forced us to read and I'm glad he did because this book is spectacular. The characters are so real! The adjectives the author uses almost lets you see the Knights! The plot keeps you guessing till the very end! If you love sci-fi or knights then i immensely recommend this book! Thanks David Eddings!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Middle-child syndrome", June 3, 2004

By	Ashley Megan "amazonfox" (Vernon, CT United States) - See all my reviews

Unfortunately, the "middle child" syndrome continues its time-honored tradition here. Although there is some action, for the most part "Ruby Knight" is a place-keeper, marking the time between when Sparhawk figures out what he has to do and finally does it.
At the end of "Diamond Throne", it was revealed that the only thing that would save Queen Ehlana was the Bhelliom, a legendary sapphire of enormous power. Once it was a part of the Royal Crown of Thalesia, but was lost during the monumental Zemoch War several centuries earlier. Now Sparhawk has to track it down, dig it up, learn how to control it, and get it back to Ehlana, before the spell preserving her life fails, and those of his friends who are supporting the spell die with it.
So Sparhawk and Co. trek across the continent, fighting a few battles, meeting a few characters (some of whom will become important later, so pay attention), avoiding the Bad Guys (as led by Annias, the churchman who's seized control of Ehlana's kingdom and is looking to take over the Church as well, and Martel, Sparhawk's nemesis) and learning much more than they planned about the REAL history of their world. We finally find out what the heck is the deal with Flute, the Styric orphan Sephrenia adopts, but as I said, this book mostly exists to keep Books 1 and 3 from bumping into each other.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Trolling for Sapphires, July 21, 2005

By	Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

After some innovative medical research (use violence when in doubt), some help from a nine year old, flute-playing sorceress, and a visitation from a dead king, Sparhawk finally knows what is wrong with Ehlana and how to cure it. Now all that remains is finding the cure (Bhelliom, the sapphire rose). Not only must Sparhawk retrace his steps, but he is due for a confrontation with some deadly sendings from Azash, and an argument with an extremely ugly troll. One can only hope that Ehlana will live up to expectations and put a stop to Annias's efforts to become head of the Elene church.

And so Sparhawk, Sephrenia, Kurik, and a small crowd of other knights set about a quest that in all likelihood will kill them all. Of course, 'supposed to' and 'does' are two very different words, but they definitely have their work cut out for them. Have not fear with enough enemy hacking, enemy magicking, and a bit of divine intervention hope will spring eternal. After all, how else would Eddings be able to write the next volume of this story.

Sarcasm aside, The Ruby Knight continues to prove that the Malloreon was just sophmore slump. This time the story, filled with detail and personality, continues to be entertaining throughout. More characters, honest and not will appear, and new friends increase the complexity of the novel without bogging it down. Eddings is an up and down author, so there is always a hitch somewhere, but thus far nothing serious has materialized. I wouldn't call The Elenium innovative writing, but the series is good fantasy, and very pleasant writing.