Rating: 
Summary: David, were you in a rush to publish something?
Review: I immediately new that the this book would be something of a disappointment when I read the cover, but having been a loyal fan of David's since High School - 15 years ago - I decided to purchase it and hold on for a ride. Again, my instincts did not fail me. I must agree with the other reviews, it was an enactment of characters from his truly marvelous literary feast -The Belgariad and Mellerion. Ironically, George R.R. Martin had also released his 3rd book and Robert Jordan his 9th book as well, just around the same time. But I went against my instincts and gave David my first pick - very bad judgement. I read Robert's and George's books and let me tell you all, don't make the same silly mistake I made, skip David's book and move on to these other two. They are excellent, to say the least. David, I will continue to read your books, but definitely NOT this series. It is far from your known abilities and skills. Maybe if you improve the next book in the series, I'll give it a chance. MAYBE.
Rating: 
Summary: A Fresh Start Needed
Review: I couldn't bring myself to finish this book, mainly because the characters are a) simply re-writes of any character in any Eddings' fantasy and b) so completely self-satisfied, smugly superior, superficial, ultra-powerful elitist goody-goodies that I nearly hurled the book through my window in disgust. I find the stories the Eddings team bring to life to be very good, however the trend that started in the second trilogy of their Elenium epic has matured to full flower: the characters are grossly arrogant and egocentric. Without any doubt I feel the floundering toward enlightenment, with failures and setbacks, as seen in their Belgariad and Elenium trilogies needs to be dusted off and re-examined. I prefer to read and live the lives of characters who earn the right to boast that they are the best, rather than characters who have divine powers handed to them on a silver platter. Please see Steven R. Donaldson's Gap series: there's an excellent example of characters who reach their "Hero" status only through self-sacrifice, pain, fire and storm; without the help of an arrogant deity feeding them powers like puppy treats. Or Terry Brooks, where hints and half-concealed visions provide the only clues and the how, why, where, and what need to be answered with intelligence and intuition, not by some God who simply tells them what to do. I sincerely hope the Eddings' rediscover their roots, and approach their next epic or novel with a fresh and clean slate.
Rating: 
Summary: perhaps we are expecting a bit much
Review: Yes the charachters are the same, and yes the plot is not one of the most original. However, the book is enjoyable and would have been better recieved if the authors had just used the same familiar names from the previous novels. In all, read the book for fun after you borrow it from your local library.
Rating:
Summary: Oh no not again
Review: I really wanted this book to be different from the last several that the Eddings's have written. No such luck. The book started well, but rapidly went downhill. The characters were boring, and I really just wanted them all to die, the universe would have been better off withouth them. In all avoid this book
Rating:
Summary: Sweet Mother of God, NO!!!
Review: This book is David Eddings' worst book ever, and that's saying something. I don't regret the money I spent (well, not that much, anyway), but I do regret the time wasted suffering through it. It is PAINFULLY derivitive of his previous works. It features the very worst of all of them - the horrible butchering and terrible oversimplification of the relationships between men and women, the glib, simple-minded back and forth dialogue. I mean really...everyone has the same speech pattern, most of the dialogue is interchangeable between characters (calling the two-dimensional stars of this book 'characters' is a grudging compliment). On top of that, the contrived storyline that features so-called 'gods' using humanity for there own little war...AGAIN. If you've ever read Eddings' work before, you've no doubt noticed how there is always some reason why the gods cannot use their powers or the hero cannot use whatever power he has. It's the same here, except that it makes even less sense that usual somehow. Another thing...must there ALWAYS be some thousand-year-old woman standing over the main characters shoulder teaching him about magic and berating him for being a man - Polgara: "Alorns!", - Sephrenia: "Elenes!". You get the picture. If you haven't already made the horrible mistake of buying this book, PLEASE DON'T! It's too late for me, but others can still be spared. This book is TERRIBLE, and should never have been written. David Eddings is without doubt completely out of fresh ideas and needs to stop tormenting fantasy readers. Mr. Eddings, please...stop the insanity. If you want true fantasy, check out Tad Williams' 'Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn' trilogy, or his 'Otherland' series, also read George R.R. Martin's 'A song of Ice and Fire' series.
Rating: 
Summary: Good for what it was.
Review: I just finished the book this morning and I agree with the other reviewers that the characters in the book were resurrected from other Eddings novels and that the dialogue was a bit predictable. I enjoyed the book for what it was, a new spin on the old characters. Since I liked the characters so well in the other books, it didn't annoy me to have them redressed and reused the way it seems to have annoyed the other readers. Because it was a "stand alone" epic, the authors did not seem to have the time to develop the characters and make them too different from the other novels. The antagonists were a bit stupid and unorganized, but again, probably just because of the limited amount of time available to develop them. Perhaps if this had been the first book of a new series, more time and care would have been taken in character and plot development. There was a sense that everything was a bit reused and rushed to tie up the loose ends quickly and prevent a sequel. But I'm busy working and raising a family and I DON'T need another lengthy book series in my life right now. That could be part of the appeal for me. I got what I wanted, a quick fantasy fix without a committment. I don't have to surf the net to find out the release date of the next installment and I won't feel the need to choose between splurging to buy the hardcover version or waiting for the paperback when it does come out. I started the book in December and found it quite difficult to get into for the first 100 pages. I even read five other books in the mean time. But once I started back, I barely set it down. I enjoyed the relationship between Altalus and Em and the thinly veiled attacks on contemporary formal religion. So the book was good for what it was, a quick-fix chance to visit old friends in new settings without being manipulated and strung along for seven years to see what finally happens in the end.
Rating:
Summary: My best guess
Review: Although it is well written as is all the works by this team, it is still a little predictable in its character progression. Still, I am riveted to the book and have not been able to put it down since I began. I always recommend the Eddings style and appreciate him and her both. My four stars are a honest opinion and it will be a re-read just for the joy of the book. Continue the great works it keeps me coming back for more everytime. It must, I have every SF book written by him and by them together.
Rating:
Summary: very "Eddings-ish"
Review: Enjoyed the book, but David certainly follows a "winning" path. The similarities between this book and previous are numerous. If you enjoyed them, you'll like this one. If you're looking for something new and different, you'll be sorely disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Not Edding's best
Review: When Belgarath & Polgara came out I bought them in HC first (I had more money then) and devoured them each in one sitting. I was expecting more from Redemption than what I got. The characters are derivative (did anyone else keep getting hung up on Khalad/Khalor?) and the dialogue tried to be sparkling and witty but somehow fell short. Nothing sticks in my mind from Redemption and yet the scene where Ce'Nedra first gives birth still makes me snicker. It's rather depressing because we KNOW the Edding's are capable of much better writing than this. I will be buying this in paperback, perhaps it will read a little better without the fever pitch of anticipation.
Rating:
Summary: David, What happened?
Review: This novel is cotton candy. After the veritable feasts of literary wit and a truly entertaining saga in both David's Belgariad and Malloreon series there are certain expectations about Mr Eddings' writing that the reader sort of holds in mind when reading a new novel from him. But this book is a redux of Belgariad's characters such as Silk (Althalus), Garion (Gher), C'Nedra (Andine), and so on. I do adore David's elastic banter between characters and his strong ability to make them lively and engaging, but the baby talk and repetitive smart alecky comments between Emmy/Dweia the goddess and Althalus which generalizes to conversations between the rest of the characters (except the bad guys) is just too "precious" for palatability. I am massively bummed out about this. He uses strong metaphors in an engaging way to put forth his opinions and insights. I enjoyed his light hearted smacking around of various combustible topics like religion, politics, and other esoteric spiritual practices. The plot lines of this novel were well planned and could have become a really terrific story had he expended his considerable talent in a more substantive effort. Basically, I was left with the feeling that he was dialoging with his wife and their house cat and together they came up with this cutsey ball of yarn. If you enjoy reading sugary confections then this one is guaranteed to please.
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