A case of familiarity breeding contempt? (The Redemption of Althalus - David and Leigh Eddings)

Member Name: Nickm101

Product:	The Redemption of Althalus - David and Leigh Eddings
Date:	07/09/00 (8 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well written

Disadvantages: Could be any other book he's written

When i first bought this book, I reminisced about the first time I read the Belgariad, and how fresh his style of writing was. They were the first of the more adult Fantasy books I had read, and it was a wonderful experience. Then I progressed through all of his other books, relishing the change in focus from character to character, the warlike Sparhawk made a refreshing change from the plotting Belgarath...
So I fully expected a new character to grab my imagination and attention when I sat down to read it, and yet, the more i read, the more familiar it all seemed. I know that authors obviously have a style, and would rarely break from it, however, it was more than that. It seems to me that all of the characters in Redemption are merely rehashes from previous stories, and every conversation is the same. For Althalus see Belgarath, Eliar see Garion, Emmy see Polgara...the list just goes on...
For an ardent fan of David Eddings, I was sorely disappointed. The story was once again on familiar ground also:
Inter-nicine battles between gods, using humans as the pawns..
So, from my point of view, it has damaged his reputation as an innovative and imaginative writer, but not my appreciation of his other works.
For any new reader, I would say this:
Buy Pawn of Prophecy, start from there, and read all the way upto, but not including Redemption, and you will never be disappointed.

Summary: