A review by _rae
The Elder Gods, by David Eddings
2.0
I'm spoiled. I started reading [a:David Eddings|8732|David Eddings|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1223870462p2/8732.jpg] with his series The Elenium and The Tamuli. I fell in love with those books. It was great Fantasy Lite reading and I ate all six books up. I followed them with The Belgariad and The Mallorean. And it was then I started seeing a pattern. The Redemption of Althalus confirmed it. David Eddings seemed to have a formula and he was determined to stick to it.
There isn't much imagination in Fantasy writing. It's nearly always about a quest and there is always someone in that quest discovering something about themselves. There are massive battles, there are deaths and there are magical beings. This is found in all fantasy books, not just David Eddings'. But he hangs onto these tropes like his life depended on it. The verbal exchanges are almost the same, the buddy-buddy between the male characters. The female characters always needing love and affection physically; their habit of always being flighty and whimsical is the same as well. Each book/series of books can be laid side to side and lines of comparison drawn between everything.
I didn't mind it because the books were still enjoyable but- BUT in this book it's bordering on the ridiculous. The well rehearsed quips between characters are getting predictable, the small child who always wants kisses is now becoming annoying (where as in the Sparhawk series it was almost endearing), and the questing group of characters is back again with everyone filling in their required roles.
I don't want these books spoiling my enjoyment of the Sparhawk series but I'm starting to think less of Eddings because of his more lazy approach to the writing of fantasy.
I'll finish The Dreamers series, so I can say I have read all of Eddings' books. But I'd have to say these are not his best. And I would not direct a first timer to these. Read The Elenium, The Tamuli, The Begariad and The Mallorean in that order. And those books only. Love David Eddings for his good works. Don't let the other books spoil it.
There isn't much imagination in Fantasy writing. It's nearly always about a quest and there is always someone in that quest discovering something about themselves. There are massive battles, there are deaths and there are magical beings. This is found in all fantasy books, not just David Eddings'. But he hangs onto these tropes like his life depended on it. The verbal exchanges are almost the same, the buddy-buddy between the male characters. The female characters always needing love and affection physically; their habit of always being flighty and whimsical is the same as well. Each book/series of books can be laid side to side and lines of comparison drawn between everything.
I didn't mind it because the books were still enjoyable but- BUT in this book it's bordering on the ridiculous. The well rehearsed quips between characters are getting predictable, the small child who always wants kisses is now becoming annoying (where as in the Sparhawk series it was almost endearing), and the questing group of characters is back again with everyone filling in their required roles.
I don't want these books spoiling my enjoyment of the Sparhawk series but I'm starting to think less of Eddings because of his more lazy approach to the writing of fantasy.
I'll finish The Dreamers series, so I can say I have read all of Eddings' books. But I'd have to say these are not his best. And I would not direct a first timer to these. Read The Elenium, The Tamuli, The Begariad and The Mallorean in that order. And those books only. Love David Eddings for his good works. Don't let the other books spoil it.