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Mythmakers and world builders of the first order, the Eddingses spin tales that make imaginations soar. Readers have thrilled to The Belgariad and The Malloreon, magic-filled masterworks chronicling the timeless conflict between good and evil. But with those sagas brought to their triumphant conclusions, fans were left hungry for more. Now at last the wait is over. With The Redemption of Althalus, the Eddingses have created their first-ever stand-alone epic fantasy . . . It would be sheer show more folly to try to conceal the true nature of Althalus, for his flaws are the stuff of legend. He is, as all men know, a thief, a liar, an occasional murderer, an outrageous braggart, and a man devoid of even the slightest hint of honor. Yet of all the men in the world, it is Althalus, unrepentant rogue and scoundrel, who will become the champion of humanity in its desperate struggle against the forces of an ancient god determined to return the universe to nothingness. On his way to steal The Book from the House at the End of the World, Althalus is confronted by a cat--a cat with eyes like emeralds, the voice of a woman, and the powers of a goddess. She is Dweia, sister to The Gods and a greater thief even than Althalus. She must be: for in no time at all, she has stolen his heart. And more. She has stolen time itself. For when Althalus leaves the House at the End of the World, much wiser but not a day older than when he'd first entered it, thousands of years have gone by. But Dweia is not the only one able to manipulate time. Her evil brother shares the power, and while Dweia has been teaching Althalus the secrets of The Book, the ancient God has been using the dark magic of his own Book to rewrite history. Yet all is not lost. But only if Althalus, still a thief at heart, can bring together a ragtag group of men, women, and children with no reason to trust him or each other. Boldly written and brilliantly imagined, The Redemption of Althalus is an epic fantasy to be savored in the reading and returned to again and again for the wisdom, excitement, and humor that only the Eddingses can provide. show lessTags
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souloftherose Another epic fantasy tale featuring gods
Member Reviews
Eddings is one of my favorite fantasy authors, and the Redemption of Athalus is, in my opinion, his greatest work. While I love his series, they tend towards repetitiveness. Athalus, the anti-hero, is a fresh breeze.
An amazing book. It created such an shockingly loveable character in Althalus, a thief and killer! You want so much to hate him for the actions he takes, but you can't, because he is the portagonist of th book. Although not the typical knight in shining armor he soon becomes the savior of the world. The book illustrates how it takes evil to fight an even greater evil. Good is not always the best way to fight evil, and Althalus proves that with great style.
The Redeption of Althalus is the first book I read by the Eddingses. Supposedly their books are good, but I found this one to be boring.This is over a 700 page book, and by page 520 I decided I just couldn’t read it anymore.
I found that the story was predictable and formulaic, which usually doesn’t bother me, but in this case it became really boring with the addition of long, drawn out, detailed explanations of battle tactics. I like reading about battles and such, but I don’t need this much detail behind it. The battles were also uninteresting and you have a pretty good idea who is going to win within a page or two. Additionally, throughout the novel there weren’t any surprises or twists in the story, so there was nothing to show more keep me intrigued. I don’t know why I even read as much as I did. I guess I figured it would get better.
The plot really did have potential and their were some interesting aspects to the book, but it was just poorly executed.
The characters were also one-dimensional and uninteresting. What I didn’t like were the descriptions of the characters. All the women on the good side were beautiful, the one woman on the bad side was ugly, and this seemed to be the same for the men. The fat characters were slow and lazy and the skinny characters were athletic. There wasn’t any variation. I didn’t really come to like any of them or think of them people. None of the characters had any difficulty completing their tasks or coming up with and executing ideas. They just weren’t real. I also did not particularly like some of the dialog between the characters. Calling someone “pet” is just a little strange. There was also a bit of repetition with the dialog and storytelling.
What I did like about the book was the lack of detailed violence. I would recommend this book for young adults because its not as graphic as many other adult fantasy novels. The writing was also good with few to no errors. As previously mentioned, the plot did have some interesting aspects and their was definitely potential for a better story.
I would recommend the book to young adults who haven’t read much fantasy or to people who really like reading about battles. Otherwise, I wouldn’t waste any time reading this book. show less
I found that the story was predictable and formulaic, which usually doesn’t bother me, but in this case it became really boring with the addition of long, drawn out, detailed explanations of battle tactics. I like reading about battles and such, but I don’t need this much detail behind it. The battles were also uninteresting and you have a pretty good idea who is going to win within a page or two. Additionally, throughout the novel there weren’t any surprises or twists in the story, so there was nothing to show more keep me intrigued. I don’t know why I even read as much as I did. I guess I figured it would get better.
The plot really did have potential and their were some interesting aspects to the book, but it was just poorly executed.
The characters were also one-dimensional and uninteresting. What I didn’t like were the descriptions of the characters. All the women on the good side were beautiful, the one woman on the bad side was ugly, and this seemed to be the same for the men. The fat characters were slow and lazy and the skinny characters were athletic. There wasn’t any variation. I didn’t really come to like any of them or think of them people. None of the characters had any difficulty completing their tasks or coming up with and executing ideas. They just weren’t real. I also did not particularly like some of the dialog between the characters. Calling someone “pet” is just a little strange. There was also a bit of repetition with the dialog and storytelling.
What I did like about the book was the lack of detailed violence. I would recommend this book for young adults because its not as graphic as many other adult fantasy novels. The writing was also good with few to no errors. As previously mentioned, the plot did have some interesting aspects and their was definitely potential for a better story.
I would recommend the book to young adults who haven’t read much fantasy or to people who really like reading about battles. Otherwise, I wouldn’t waste any time reading this book. show less
A perfect, self-contained fantasy adventure. For a 700 page novel I breezed through this. The writing flows effortlessly and the characters are all endearing. While it doesn't reinvent the wheel by any means, it knows exactly how to spin the wheel for what is quite an enjoyable ride.
I have not read any books by David & Leigh Eddings for years and I was a bit concerned that this book would be a letdown, but I was immediately captivated by the storytelling style and by the protagonist, Althalus.
The secondary characters were all interesting as well, filling their roles in the overall story and adding a few surprises here and there.
While not quite high fantasy, there are a quest of sorts, puzzles to be solved, and battles to be won.
Entertaining and satisfying as long as one doesn't look too closely or delve too deeply into the how and why of things.
The secondary characters were all interesting as well, filling their roles in the overall story and adding a few surprises here and there.
While not quite high fantasy, there are a quest of sorts, puzzles to be solved, and battles to be won.
Entertaining and satisfying as long as one doesn't look too closely or delve too deeply into the how and why of things.
The first fantasy book I ever read was David Eddings' Enchanter's End Game, Book 5 of The Belgariad. I searched out and found books 1-4 and then tore though The Malloreon, The Elenium and The Tamuli. I have read these series countless times. I read The Losers and even though it was in a modern setting the writing style was similar enough that it was a comfortable fit. I read all the expended books associated with the world of the Belgariad. Then I read The Redemption of Althalus. Every bad habit, every small flaw in Eddings' other books combined to form the terrible monster that is The Redemption of Althalus. This book feels rushed, recycled and phoned in. It's my belief that one of two things happened here.
1. David let go of the show more reigns and let Leigh write this one herself (or vice versa, they claim all the previous books were a group effort)
or
2. The Eddings needed to finance a new expansion onto the guest house.
If you love the works of Eddings, do yourself a favor and NEVER READ THIS BOOK. It was a massive dissapointment. show less
1. David let go of the show more reigns and let Leigh write this one herself (or vice versa, they claim all the previous books were a group effort)
or
2. The Eddings needed to finance a new expansion onto the guest house.
If you love the works of Eddings, do yourself a favor and NEVER READ THIS BOOK. It was a massive dissapointment. show less
Entertaining enough, but a bit confusing to anyone who has read the Belgariad, Elenium, Tamuli, and Malloreon series'. Its like the author took personality traits from characters in those series' and mixed them in a hat and assigned them to new characters. It gives a weird feeling of having read this before.
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ThingScore 50
Seit dem großen Erfolg seiner fünfbändigen Belgariad-Saga gehört David Eddings zu den beliebtesten Autoren der modernen Fantasy. Galt es bisher als sein Markenzeichen, keine Serie unter drei bis fünf Bänden zu schreiben, überrascht er seine Fans jetzt mit einem in sich abgeschlossenen Roman aus einer neuen Welt mit einer ungewöhnlichen Hauptfigur.
Althalus ist ein Dieb und Schurke, der show more zu allem bereit ist. Als er einmal wieder dringend Geld benötigt, nimmt er den Auftrag an, ein Buch zu stehlen -- ein Buch, das so selten ist, dass er zuvor noch nie etwas von ihm gehört hat. Er findet es im Haus am Ende der Welt und muss sich von einer sprechenden Katze erklären lassen, wovon es handelt: von der Schöpfung aller Dinge. Als Althalus das Haus schließlich verlässt, hat er seine Meinung hinsichtlich seiner ursprünglichen Auftraggeber geändert. Mit grimmiger Entschlossenheit versammelt er eine Reihe von Gefährten um sich, um den Kampf zur Rettung der Welt aufzunehmen.
Wie die bisherigen Romane von David Eddings handelt Althalus in erster Linie von zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen. Dabei erinnern Althalus und seine Kampfgenossen etwas zu sehr an die Figuren der Belgariad-Saga. Der theologische Rahmen ist nicht ganz so differenziert ausgearbeitet, wie man es gewohnt ist. Statt der Vielzahl von Göttern in früheren Werken müssen die Leser jetzt mit nur dreien Vorlieb nehmen. Dem entspricht auch der Mangel an ernsthaften Konflikten: Allzu leicht überwinden die Helden auch die schwierigsten Hindernisse, die Schurken scheinen von geradezu peinlicher Einfallslosigkeit.
Wer bisher noch nichts von David Eddings gelesen hat, sollte es auf jeden Fall erst einmal mit Kind der Prophezeiung probieren. Seine Fans sollten ihm Althalus nicht allzu übel nehmen und auf den Beginn einer neuen Serie hoffen. show less
Althalus ist ein Dieb und Schurke, der show more zu allem bereit ist. Als er einmal wieder dringend Geld benötigt, nimmt er den Auftrag an, ein Buch zu stehlen -- ein Buch, das so selten ist, dass er zuvor noch nie etwas von ihm gehört hat. Er findet es im Haus am Ende der Welt und muss sich von einer sprechenden Katze erklären lassen, wovon es handelt: von der Schöpfung aller Dinge. Als Althalus das Haus schließlich verlässt, hat er seine Meinung hinsichtlich seiner ursprünglichen Auftraggeber geändert. Mit grimmiger Entschlossenheit versammelt er eine Reihe von Gefährten um sich, um den Kampf zur Rettung der Welt aufzunehmen.
Wie die bisherigen Romane von David Eddings handelt Althalus in erster Linie von zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen. Dabei erinnern Althalus und seine Kampfgenossen etwas zu sehr an die Figuren der Belgariad-Saga. Der theologische Rahmen ist nicht ganz so differenziert ausgearbeitet, wie man es gewohnt ist. Statt der Vielzahl von Göttern in früheren Werken müssen die Leser jetzt mit nur dreien Vorlieb nehmen. Dem entspricht auch der Mangel an ernsthaften Konflikten: Allzu leicht überwinden die Helden auch die schwierigsten Hindernisse, die Schurken scheinen von geradezu peinlicher Einfallslosigkeit.
Wer bisher noch nichts von David Eddings gelesen hat, sollte es auf jeden Fall erst einmal mit Kind der Prophezeiung probieren. Seine Fans sollten ihm Althalus nicht allzu übel nehmen und auf den Beginn einer neuen Serie hoffen. show less
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Author Information
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David Eddings was born on July 7, 1931 in Spokane, Washington. He received a B.A. in English from Reed College in Portland in 1954 and a M.A. in Middle English from the University of Washington in 1961. After serving in the U.S. Army for two years, he worked as a grocery clerk, as a sales clerk for the Boeing Company, and as an English teacher in show more a business college and a teachers' college. During his lifetime, he wrote more than 25 books, many of them with his wife Leigh Eddings. His first novel, High Hunt, was published in 1973. His other works include the Belgariad series, the Mallorean series, the Elenium series, and the Dreamers series. He died on June 2, 2009 at the age of 77. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Series
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Redemption of Althalus
- Original title
- The Redemption of Althalus
- Original publication date
- 2000
- People/Characters
- Althalus; Dweia; Em; Daeva
- Important places
- the house at the end of the world
- Dedication
- For the sisters, Lori and Lynette, who have made our lives so much more pleasant.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! ! ! ! ! ! - First words
- Prologue:
In defense of Althalus, it should be noted that he was in very tight financial circumstances and more than a little tipsy when he agreed to undertake the theft of the Book.
Text:
Althalus the thief spent ten days on the road down out of the mountains of Kagwher to reach the imperial city of Deika. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Prologue:
And with that, Althalus drained his cup, bowed floridly to the other men in the tavern, and gaily set off to see the wonders of civilization for himself.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Text:
He took her in his arms and held her with tears of joy streaming down his face. ’Oh, I do love you, Em!’ was all he could say. - Original language
- English
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- Reviews
- 36
- Rating
- (3.52)
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- 7 — Dutch, English, Finnish, German, Italian, Swedish, Turkish
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- ISBNs
- 23
- ASINs
- 17