The Younger Gods by David EddingsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Well, I beg to differ.
"The Gods Must Be Crazy".
It's an obvious notion Vadis, the Pilgrim From Everna got while exploring the nameless World of the Dreamers. And that notion escalated to a climax in this final episode of The Dreamers Saga.
In this last work, the late David Eddings tried so hard to bring out the "climax of all climaxes". While altogether sliced the story between lots of main characters' point-of-views and balancing between dialogue, narration (story) and action.
The result is, the Pilgrim is again impressed by the brilliant work of a true Fantasy Pro as follows:
- Brilliant strategies, giving a more "natural" touch in this "god-loaded" story.
From fort-building to outsmarting enemies and - a goddess in particular.
- Fantastic and godly magicks that seem to fit in place, representing the main elements of nature. Remember the episodes: 1-Volcano (Earth-Fire), 2-Flood (Water), 3-Tornado (Wind-Blue Fire) and 4-Blizzard (Ice).
-Individual brilliance of the commanders and especially the "Dream Team": Longbow, Keselo, Rabbit and Omago.
If you choose to ignore Omago from page one, get ready for a surprise. A bit predictable, yet still shocking.
All in all, the characters are likable with sufficient descriptions of their interesting personalities, traits and abilities.
In spite of that, the Pilgrim stumbled on several things. Observant readers, be warned.
- Too many reminders and discussions about the exploits in past episodes and chapters, in dialogues and narrations alike.
- Except for the blizzard and a few others, on many occasions the Pilgrim was left with "reports" about battles and such. Maybe it's to avoid prolonged narrations about such "minor events". Yet the Pilgrim wished he "join" the characters in action in the spur of the moment instead of "hearing" them TALK about it. The danger, the suspense...
- The involvement of so many mighty gods and dreamers, though with limitations still made things seem so easy.
Especially, for instance, "Father Time". He made the daring sneak into the nest of the Vlagh like a walk in the park.
Well, let's just assume that the gods helped make the impossible possible. Whenever the mortals meet a dead end, the gods would walk in and break the wall.
Apart from the setbacks, the Pilgrim saw (or read) some very interesting things:
- Aracia's madness maybe a subject of scrutiny here - the base problem, the elder gods' main weakness. Yet, the Pilgrim can't help feeling sorry for her. Well, even Greek, Norse and mythological gods have their flaws too.
- The fission between "Big Me" and "Little Me" is another fascinating thing. They shared one body at first, so the logical split should be one in body, one in spirit. Well, where logics can't explain, as long as it's in realms of fantasy we'll just assume it as the work of the almighty.
- As explained in the ending solution, the human counterparts, especially the "mercenaries" didn't retain the memory of their "tour of profit" in Dhrall. They only became more mature, wise and knowledgeable without knowing how.
That's good because, if their memory was intact, we can predict what happen next: The Trogs, Malavis and Maags would unite and invade Dhrall, bringing their gods with them. "You cheated! Give us our gold back!" They'd say.
The Pilgrim must agree that he found the time-manipulating ending is logically hard to believe. Some said that right out: it's plain stupid.
- Among the notable new characters is Alcevan, the crafty little priestess. If only she wasn't at all "buggy", she would be a perfect mate for Rabbit.
All in all, this last work of David Eddings is worthy of appreciation and regarded as "The Treasured One", if not for entertainment. Just consider the condition Eddings was in when he wrote this novel and the magnitude and flair of his works in his prime.
Farewell, David and Leigh. We'll always remember you and learn from your legacy.
Review by: The Pilgrim of Everna
As written in: http://fireheart-vadis.blogspot.com/2011...
View all my reviews
The four elder gods Dahlaine, Zelana, Aracia, and Veltan have ruled over Dhrall for eons. Every 25,000 years, the siblings pass on their duties to a quartet of young gods so that they can rest. But as the next changing of the gods approaches, the elder gods are faced with a potential catastrophe: an enemy has arisen from the vast wasteland in the center of Dhrall and is bent on conquering the entire realm and using all its inhabitants as nourishment for its minions. The Vlagh, as it is called, is a wellspring of evil, continually birthing nightmarish insectoid monstrosities to make up her army. But as the final battle looms closer, one of the elder gods begins losing her sanity. As the gods desperately search for ways to stop the Vlagh -- and rein in their unstable sibling -- heroes turn up in the unlikeliest places.
A word of warning: Fantasy fans who are looking for a truly epic fantasy saga -- like Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth or Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time -- will not find it here. Unlike the Eddings' classic Belgariad series (Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, et al.), the Dreamers tetralogy is decidedly light, featuring a more intimate cast of characters, all-age-encompassing themes, and not overly complex plot threads. That said, hard-core Eddings fans should thoroughly enjoy the husband-and-wife writing duo's world of Dhrall, where the godly couple Ara and Omago are arguably extensions of the authors themselves. Paul Goat Allen(less)
Mass Market Paperback, 432 pages
Published March 1st 2007 by Warner Books (first published 2006)
ISBN 0446613320 (ISBN13: 9780446613323)
edition language: English
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