The Elder Gods and The Treasured One by David & Leigh Eddings (The Dreamers Books 1 and 2)

Original Titles: The Elder Gods (Book 1) and The Treasured One (Book 2)

Year Published: 2003 and 2005

Published by: Vision

Number of Pages: Both are 480 pages long.

First Sentence: 

Goodreads ratings:  I rated both as 3/5

Plot:

Somewhere beyond the farthest pole of the world, the land of Dhrall lies anchored by the will of four powerful Gods. Able to bend reality to their whims and influence the lives of mortal men, these deities are still bound by the laws of nature and cannot take lives. Yet the Gods are not the only power. For in the center of Dhrall lives a voracious horror known as the Vlagh. A nightmare made flesh, the Vlagh has bred a massive army of hideous monsters to overrun the world. In the coming battles the people of Dhrall will be aided by a ragtag force of foreign mercenaries and pirates, but the true champions of the war will be four enigmatic children known as the Dreamers. Raised by the Gods themselves, these children can alter the fabric of reality. But, unlike the Elder Gods, the Dreamers do not hesitate to kill...

My thoughts:

I wanted to love these books, I really did. Sadly enough, they were only ok. They were entertaining enough that I did not die with boredom reading them, but I was hit with a feeling of "Is that all?" when I finished. There are four books in the series and I have to be honest and say that I will not read the last two, at least not in the near future. I have no interest and no urge to know what happens to all the characters.

However, there are elements in the book that are more than good. There are characters that you get invested in and start to care for such as Longbow and Rabbit. The plot is not much to brag about, to be honest. There is a war with creatures that resemble insects and a kingdom that faces destruction. In theory, the book could be great with this plot, but in practice it falls like a house of cards in a light breeze. 

On the whole, the book feels uninspired. I loved Eddings books about Polgara, Belgarath and Belgarion, and these books just seem like a washed out version of those books. 

Do I recommend it?

No. 

The Redemption of Althalus by David and Leigh Eddings

Original Title: The Redemption of Althalus

Published by: Ballantine Books, Inc

Year Published: 2001

Number of pages: 791

First Sentence: "Now before the Beginning, there was no Time, and all was Chaos and Darkness."

Goodreads Rating: 4/5

Plot (taken from Goodreads):

Althalus is a young thief and occasional killer known for his skill and incredible luck. A number of capers end without much monetary reward for him, until he stumbles into a shrine built to the fertility goddess Dweia. Soon afterward he meets with the wizard Ghend, who hires him to steal the Book, a magical tome that can be found in the bizarre House at the End of the World. There, Althalus discovers Dweia in the form of a black cat and learns that she has chosen him to aid her in a war against Ghend and her evil brother, the destroyer god Daeva. Together Althalus and Dweia use the power of the Book and gather together a small team of questionable heroes who must battle Ghend's supernatural forces and armies. The thief Althalus can only hope his luck holds out for this one last task, since the very fate of humanity is at stake.

My thoughts:

I loved David & Leigh Eddings as a child and their two series about Belgarion (The Belgariad and The Mallorean) were the first long fantasy series I ever read. Me and a friend realised we both loved the series and she demanded that I read The Redemption of Althalus and I do not regret that. It is a good fantasy book with many great twists and turns. 

We get to tag along with the thief Althalus, as he after finding himself extremely unlucky in his endeavours of thieving takes a quest of finding and retreiving a book. We meet several other amazing characters such as Eliar, Andine, Bheid, Leitha and Gher. The dynamic between all of these is really great and its fun to read.

The negative thing I have to say about this book is that it is quite slow from time to time, This means that sections of the book actually get quite boring which in turn meant that it took a lot longer getting through then I first thought. Overall though, it is a good book well worth reading if you like fantasy books.

Do I recommend it?

Yes I do, especially if you already like David and Leigh Eddings. However, if you have never read their works before then I would recommend that you start with The Belgariad.