Book Review
The Redemption of Althalus By By David and Leigh
Eddings
Voyager/Harper Collins Entertainment Hardback 694 pages ISBN 0 00 224754
2 £17:99
Purchase from:
Amazon
UK
I will admit right at the outset that, as yet, there is no film connection
with this book. Yet thinking about the TV serialisation of The 10th Kingdom
earlier this year and the fact that Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is presently
in production in New Zealand, one wonders if the lesser yet extremely popular
fantasies of Terry Pratchett, Stephen Donaldson (The Chronicles of Thomas
Covenant etc.) and the Eddings may also be destined for the big or small
screens. After all Harry Potter is all set to be filmed.
David Eddings work has been heading the popular best selling lists for some
twenty years now and his multitudinous fans have avidly devoured his five-book
Belgariad, and Malloreon epics, his three-book Elenium and
Tamuli sagas and his latest trilogy co-authored by his wife Leigh:
Belgareth the Sorcerer, Polgara the Sorceress and The Rivan
Codex.
The Redemption of Althalus, their new collaboration is a one volume epic
thus making it more viable and manageable as a screen play. The story contains
many elements familiar to readers of earlier Eddings epics: a Herculean struggle
between the powers of light and darkness involving gods and goddesses and
sorcery, and the recruitment and adventures of a team of six apostates, including
two women - one a tiny Princess (another Eddings stock character) and an
alleged witch, a remarkably insightful child and a priest whose faith and
values are tested to the limit. They are led by Althalus who at the beginning
of the book is a thief and occasional murderer. He is persuaded by the chief
villain, Ghend in the service of Daeva, the God of darkness, to steal a book
from the House at the End of the World. When he gets there Althalus meets
a talking cat who turns out to be the Goddess Dweia who persuades him to
turn to the cause of Light, educates him in the ways of the book and sends
him out to lead his followers to combat Ghen and his followers. Before their
final victory, they are involved in huge battles and sieges, holy insurrections
and complicated duplicities involving intricate magical doors that enable
the heroes to travel through time and space. [These doors would certainly
offer the special effects people some interesting challenges].
This is a rattling good read; a jolly adventure spiced with lots of thrills,
comedy and romance. Suspend all belief; relax and enjoy the roller-coaster
ride.
Reviewer
Ian Lace
