Not bad but could do better (The Redemption of Althalus - David and Leigh Eddings)

Member Name: Eloise102

Product:	The Redemption of Althalus - David and Leigh Eddings
Date:	25/06/02 (43 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: easy to read, plenty of humour

Disadvantages: too much rehashed from previous books

If this is the first David Eddings book you have read then you will probably find more to enjoy than those of us who are long standing fans. I had waited for the release of Althalus impatiently almost from the moment I first heard the title. When I sat down to read it however I have to admit to being a little disappointed. Many of the characters seem to be rehashes of those from previous books and the plot lines were a little thin on occasion. That is not to say I hated it, by no means, it is an enjoyable read but I just don't consider it to be up to his previous standard.

Basically the story is that Althalus, a notorious thief, is hired by a stranger named Ghend to steal a book which is held in the house at the end of the world. Althalus has been down on his luck lately and takes on the job. When he reaches the house he goes into a room and sees the book but when he goes to leave the door has diasappeared and a cat which was lying on the bed starts to talk to him. Initially he believes he has gone insane but eventually comes to realise that the cat is not what she seems. He stays in the house for many years (centuries as is turns out) and learns to read and use the book. The cat, who he names Emerald, tells him he has to go out into the world and obtain a particular knife. By this time he has discovered that Emerald is really the Goddess Dweia and that he is her instrument in a battle for the world with her evil brother Daeva and that Ghend is Daeva's emissary in the same way Althalus is for Dweia.

Althalus tracks down the knife and once he has it, uses it to find the people he needs to aid him in the upcoming struggle with Ghend. We have a young soldier named Eliar, a city state ruler named Andine, a priest names Bheid, a mind reader named Leitha and a slightly strange young boy who is living as a thief, named Gher.

Althalus tracks down the knife and once he has it, uses it to find the people he needs to aid him in the upcoming s
truggle with Ghend. We have a young soldier named Eliar, a city state ruler named Andine, a priest names Bheid, a mind reader named Leitha and a slightly strange young boy who is living as a thief, named Gher.

Each of these has their own task which involves trying to defeat their counterpart on the opposite side. We have diverse other characters including a large quantity of soldiers and some fighting shepherds. As we go along each of the good guys in turn defeats their own particular baddie, all in different ways. Eliar is able to use the Knife to move anywhere and anytime using doors in the house at the end of the world, however this is no real advantage as Ghend's people are also able to use their own doors to the same effect. Along the way romances develop between Eliar and Andine, Bheid and Leitha and of course Althalus and Dweia.

In the end it comes down to Althalus v Ghend in a showdown which Althalus wins by a strategic use of his doors and everyone gets married off and lives happily ever after.

The trouble is we've seen it all before, David Eddings seems to have developed a compulsion to marry off his male and female characters and it really is not necessary. It is fine to marry off the occasional couple but not all of them, you need the occasional confirmed bachelor/ess to counteract the syrup. The women always come out on top in every argument, which makes the men seem slightly weak and ineffectual and the women appear to be bossy and smug. It is a shame because the idea behind the book is a good one but I think David Eddings needs to work on his characters a little more and not just use the same ideas over and over. Men don't always give in gracefully in an argument (trust me I speak from experience) and women are not always right.

ps my apologies to anyone who read this prior to today's amendment, I only copies half the text from my word file in error. sorry

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