The Elder Gods (The Dreamers, Book 1)

Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable read...
Review: Contrary to other reviews I enjoyed this book, sure its not as good as The Belgariad, but seeing the gods point of view was different from his previous work.
People are blaming Leigh Eddings for the quality of work going down, this isn't fair, nor is it true, Eddings himself has said that his wife had worked with him closely when he wrote all his books and he felt it was only fair that she was given credit for it, if his quality of work has gone down (which I don't believe it has as much as people are saying) then it is because of other reasons.

An enjoyable read, likable characters and a decent plot.

Rating:
Summary: Dreadful
Review: I was so disappointed in this book. I have reread the Belgariad and Mallorean series more than once and enjoyed the style and humor of the books. However, this series seems to me like the Eddings are just capitalizing on their name. The writing style is annoying and the plot juvenile. Don't waste your time.

Rating:
Summary: What Happened?
Review: Like many of the other reviewers here, I devoured the Belgariad and the Mallorean (even the Tamuli), so when I saw that there was a new series out I got really excited and rushed out to buy the first. What a disappointment. There was none of the complexity of the previous worlds, and for "gods" these folks seems to have a pretty inconsistent level of knowledge/interest in their lands/people. I felt like I was reading dialogue of little children repeating conversations overheard from their parents (the parents in this case being Silk, and Barak, Polgara, etc.) I love the Eddings, and of course I'll buy the second, third, and fourth, despite this book, but I won't rush to put them at the top of my reading pile.

Rating:
Summary: Not as bad as others would lead you to believe!
Review: First of all this is not by any means one of Eddings best books, but it's not nearly as bad as many people would have you think. The concept of a fantasy series told from the point of view of the gods was really neat and original. The plot twists were a little predictable, but not annoyingly so. It is an easy read and not a bad purchase if you can pick it up cheap. I wouldn't waste money on the hardcover though. Pick up a used paperback and enjoy...

Rating:
Summary: When did Eddings Begin to Resort to Formula?
Review: I got through the first chapter and knew I wasn't going to be thrilled with this series. Why? It's pretty much the same series and story we've read before. Eddings has given up on creativity in his books and has gone to a formula. You have humans and Gods, and maybe you have some sort of wizard-like characters. The Gods and the humans interact to defeat a 'bad' God. Good triumphs over evil after a lot of hardships.

Formulas are good. They help us get our story together. However, a formula should never be so predictable your readers can figure out the ending of an entire series of books by the end of the first chapter of the first book. That just is boring.

If you've never read Eddings before, don't bother with this book. Get The Belgariad. It's his best series by far. If you're an Eddings reader, you won't get much out of this series either. You might want to read it for old times sake, but don't go out and purchase it. Your library loans them out for free. Take advantage of that instead.