Rating: 
Summary: ...really good...
Review: Last December, after a long period of anticipation, I received Redemption in the mail from amazon com. My friend and I literally fought over who would get to read the first few pages--both of us being avid Eddings fans. My expectations were high and I wasnt disappointed; though, the book was not exactly what I had envisioned from the offset. Redemption contains all of the usual Eddings' mastery: richly detailed world, humor, entrapping story, and the kind of characters you become attached too. However, throughout the entire book--especially the last two thirds--there permeates a certain sense of in-completion. Like, while writing the book, the Eddings--being long connoisseurs of multi-volume epics--did not know just what to do with a stand alone novel. It seems that their instincts told them to more fully cover the story, but, wanting to keep the length at one book, they had cut out a lot of material that would have further developed the story to a better ending and done away with the "rush to hurry up and get things done". As a result the book seems somewhat . . . choppy. However, I loved this book. In the Belgariad, does Garion ever grate on your nerves? I dont know about you, but he sure does mine. I have always preferred grown-up type characters in books simply because, quite often, teenage characters are portrayed horribly. Hey, Im a teenager myself, but a lot different than some authors seem to think that all teens are like. In Redemption the main character--Althalus by name, but you couldn't guess that could you?--is somewhat of a combination between three of Eddings' previous characters: Sparhawk, Belgarath, and Silk. Those just happen to be some of my favorite characters from Eddings' previous books; so it is no surprise that I really liked Althalus. That, however, is not the only reason I love this book. Simply, the book is a great combination of most of Eddings' old 'magic' and some new as well. If you like other Eddings' books, your sure to at least think this is good, and you'll probably think that its great.
Rating: 
Summary: Tripe
Review: Let me preface this by saying that I "was" an Eddings fan before this. It seems, much like Fiest, that it is more important to pump out a steaming pile than to actually write a good story. Here are the major reasons this book is simply awful: 1. The characterization is atrocious. Everyone from Althalus to Gher (a 10 year old boy) is a shell of the same character. I can honestly say I developed no attachment to any character. Picking one feature of a character, i.e. Andine's voice or Eliar always being hungry and harping on it over and over doen't make a character more memorable. 2. The dialogue is woefully pitiful. Everyone in this book can "lie smoothly" or "reply glibbly". It's maddening. And all conversations are one-liner zinger exchanges. Each conversation ends in someone being annoyed or blushing. For example: Khalor (standing on a plateau): "Where did this waterfall come?" Althalus: "You won't give me credit for it?" Khalor: "No, but I probablay don't really want to know, do I?" Althalus: "It would be easier to give me credit" Khalor: "Althalus, your giving me a headache" Ha-Ha! Simply sparkling dialogue. If you like this sort of witty banter. Eddings has 600+ pages of it. 3. The plot is disjointed and uninteresting. There is very little development in terms of the world and the villians. I now interpret the "House" as a substitute for Eddings saying "Let me see, I can't think of anything good so I'll just give this house another special power. That takes care of me thinking of some more plot." In this "House" you can time travel, be under perpetual illusions, spy on anyone, and look and travel anywhere in the world." The only power it is missing is the ability to give me a refund. Eddings dropped the ball here big time. Eddings is taking advantage of his previous work and counting on his fan base to support him. Now we has to win me back. Stay away from this book. Read George R.R. Martin. He'll blow you away.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: This books seems to be a revisitation of The Belgariad, albeit with different names for the characters. The dialogue has been lifted, sometimes word for word, from that series but what worked the first time falls sadly short this time. These characters are shallow, would-be wise guys whose humor is embarassingly bad. The plot is weak. Forget this one. Read The Belgariad, or move on to better writers such as Cherryh, Card, De Lint, Tarr, or Le Guin.
Rating:
Summary: The man behind the book
Review: I must say that I enjoyed the book quite a bit. It wasn't the David Eddings norm. But it was a story that reminded me of those told by the camp fire. Their wasn't a lot of majical fire fights or spectacular death scenes. It had a hero that was imperfect, a love story that was believable, and a resolution at the end of the book that was definate. The character interactions seemed to give me a sense of the author's and their relationships. I would recomend this book to anyone who likes a great story.
Rating: 
Summary: "Classic" EDDINGS
Review: Although not as good as the Belgariad or the Elenium, it contains all you'd expect from an Edding's fantasy series; tempermentally assertive women (His Trademark!), lots of cute dialog and rapid plot development all in one nicely sized package. What a Bargain!!!
Rating:
Summary: Don't bother
Review: Horrifingly bad dialogue. The plot and the concept behind this book had some promise. Unfortunately, the dialogue (as many other reviewers have noted) is so bad that the book is sometimes painful to read. The intent may have been to create witty and realistic conversations between the characters, but if so, the effort fell far short. Not only is the dialogue repetitive and inane, but it is also just plain silly (see other reviewers' comments for specific examples). It has been awhile since I read any previous Eddings books, but from what I remember, they were far far superior to this effort. I remember enjoying them and finding that the plots, characters, and dialogue were intriguing, somewhat complex and relatively insightful as this genre goes. Not so this book. Definitely pass this one up. It is not worth your time, effort, or money. Reading this book is a truly disappointing and disheartening experience.
Rating: 
Summary: "Best Of" Eddings
Review: They should have titled this book "Best of David Eddings". It combines all of the best parts of Eddings' Belgariad, Malloreon, and Tamuli series. The hero Althalus, can be likened to a combination of Belgarath and Sparhawk, with the other characters following along nicely. It is typical of Eddings' lighthearted approach to an oftentimes too serious topic. An excellent read.
Rating:
Summary: I would have given it <1 star, but Amazon wouldn't let me...
Review: I don't know what I was thinking when I bought this - perhaps it had something to do with the fact that my memory told me that The Belgariad/The Mallorean series were so good that this book would, by extension, be good too. Wrong. Now I'm left wondering if anything the Eddingses have ever written is above a sixth grade reading level... The Redemption of Althalus is so full of under-developed characters, "cutsie" dialogue, and plot-holes through which you could drive a Panzer tank that I found myself cringing everytime I turned a page. An earlier reviewer quipped that this book probably came about as the result of David and Leigh Eddings sitting around their house having a conversation with their cat - that assessment could not have been closer to the truth! If fantasy is your thing and you have a serious jones for something to read, may I recommend the following: if you have not already done so, immediately read George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire. If you can handle the long-windedness of it, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time or even Terry Goodkind's pointless Sword of Truth are better reads than "Althalus". If you have already read these series, do yourself a favor and reread The Lord of the Rings or, better yet, Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant... at least you won't feel that you've wasted 3 hours of your life.
Rating:
Summary: Meeting Expectations Again
Review: David and Leigh Eddings' new stand alone novel matched every expectation that I held to them. I have loved their books. I've read the Belgariad, the Mallorean, the Elenium and the Tamuli, and I've never been disappointed in their mastery of language. The married couple kept me glewed to the book, often inspiring me to stay up to all hours of the night to read 'just one more chapter.' The characters were so personalized that I couldn't help but find myself forming attachments, leaving me wondering about them even after I had finished the book. Admitadly this story is a little slow at points and it doesn't deviate from the steriotypical 'save the world' theme of the fantasy genre. However, I do not believe that this detracts from the novel. The Eddings develope a new twist on this old theme and make up for the slow points with an overall immersive plot.
Rating:
Summary: Good.....Not Great
Review: I hadn't even heard that the Eddings' were releasing this book i just saw it and bought it.. I have read every title that they have released on average about 6 times each and have been absolutely captivated by them. But I have to say this is not their best work. I did however like it enough to enjoy the book. As was put in another review of this book "it gave me a fantasy fix without the commitment of a series". A series would have probably turned out a little better, but with what was done I am pleased. Now if you are an avid reader of David and Leigh Eddings, as I am, then you will more then likely enjoy the book, if not you may end up a little disappointed. But who knows you may enjoy it and if you havent read the others you may decide to read them as well.
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