Rating: 
Summary: Painfull.
Review: I've read most of the Edding's books.
Characterized by quick and interesting dialouge coupled with easy to follow plost lines they're great when you want something cheerfull in your life.HOWEVER. This. Book. Stank. .... The first half of the story is nothing but a repeat of their other series and the last half is a direct repeat of the first half, this time with some minor plot changes. I found myself wondering why I was read the thing through... and couldn't come up with an answer. Unless you like seeing the Good Guys thrash the Bad Guys then get married to each other. *shudder*
Rating: 
Summary: I really enjoyed this book
Review: After reading several other books by the Eddings', I wasn't sure what to expect with this one volume epic. However, I was not disappointed! As I don't enjoy reading the dark fantasy of Tolkein (although I do enjoy the movies) this story is light hearted and enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: People dislike this book. Its totaly untrue.
Review: This book may be a little different after all the other Edings books but it is still an exelent book. I for one like this book very much.
Rating:
Summary: It Stands Alone
Review: As my first Eddingses book, I have no preconception as to how this pair of authors "should write," which is perhaps the cause of my high rating. Judged alone, I found this a humorous book with a not-so-virtuous protagonist and his journeys through land, time, and mind. It was refreshing to find literature with simplicity and a sweet ending instead of protracted plot and politics like the ones I have been reading. The poetic form that interspersed the text added a surreal quality, and was quite apropos.
Rating:
Summary: Like being force-fed a box of Twinkies
Review: Having read previous David Eddings series (The Belgariad, The Mallorean, The Elenium and the Tamuli), I picked up this book expecting more of the same: fantasy/adventure on the lighter side, with a wry, sarcastic twist. The Redemption of Althalus was a real disappointment. Character development is non-existent, and the tone of the narrative is childish and off-putting. In previous books, Eddings assigned predominant personality traits to the various races he created. For example, the Tolnedrans loved money, and the Thulls were dim-witted thugs. Simplistic, yes, but acceptable in context, particularly considering the main characters' personalities did develop as the story progressed. This is not the case in The Redemption of Althalus. As characters are introduced the authors assign personality traits, and that's it for any character development. This is a gargantuan flaw in the book because it prevents the reader from ever being hooked into the fantasy. It's like a puppet show - if the puppets are manipulated well by the puppeteer, the strings fade away and the audience sees a character rather than a puppet. The Eddings are like bad puppeteers, unable or unwilling to imbue their characters with lifelike qualities. I saw the strings the whole time. I didn't get this book expecting Tolkienesque drama, but I certainly wasn't prepared for how deep into vapidity the book would dive. Previous Eddings works are characterized by a certain amount of silliness - gods are petulant and must be scolded, kings and heroes are treated like children, etc. That was part of the fun - the juxtaposition of the apocryphal events with the silly circumstances and sarcastic dialogue gave the books a quirky tone. I think the Eddings were aiming for that tone in The Redemption of Althalus, but somewhere along the line they forgot to turn off the cute. The characters were absolutely juvenile and spent an inordinate amount of time either making sarcastic cracks or gushing baby talk about how much they LOVED one another. I know plot development was trying to take place, but I was too sickened by all the cooing and (not so) witty repartee to really care. To sum up, reading this book was like being force-fed an entire box of Twinkies: nothing but sweet fluff, and way too much of that.
Rating:
Summary: Pwease Pwease Stop: I Cant Take It
Review: I just couldn't finish this book. First I must say that when I use the word 'character' during my summation I use it very loosely. The level of language in this book must be aimed at a pre-adolescent level. The nicknames are silly, juvenile and distract from the story, if you could call it that. The story revolves around a central character, who is a thief, womaniser, murderer etc... who steals a sacred book from a God. It's a rehash of good verses evil, however, this is much shallower than usual. I would say you could transpose the concept of the TV series Hogan's Heros over the top of this so called Epic. The good characters are smart, witty and all their plans work. The evil characters are so inept it's laughable.
The standard for Fantasy was set by Tolkien and very few have been able to live up to it. The Eddings series of the Belgariad was light and enjoyable, however, this book is so far below that level, I would advise you to save your money and your time.
Rating:
Summary: Review from a teen
Review: The Redemption of Athalus shres the story of a witty, sarcastic, and Talanted thief who gets trapped in a tower with the embodiement of a goddess, and is trained to stop the destruction of a god from covering the world.
It is a great book that I highly recomend for all avid readers. It has an excellent plot, great descriptions, and exceptional characters.
David and Leigh Eddings are quickly becoming one of my favorite wrtiting teams. I especially love the witty and sarcastic characters they portray.
Rating:
Summary: It's a sad thing when a favored author lets you down.
Review: A friend put me onto David Eddings several years ago by introducing me to THE BELGARIAD. It was funny,exciting,entertaining and just plain old fun to read. I followed that up with THE MALLOREON and THE ELENIUM neither series matched the magic I found in the original but they were good reads just the same. I know one shouldn't judge a book by its cover but when I saw THE REDEMPTION OF ALTHALUS it looked and sounded like a somewhat darker tale and I was intrigued. Much to my disappointment it was even lighter than any one of its predecessors. Althalus is such a lightweight thief, totally devoid of a dark side, so why does he need to be redeemed? It takes a lot for me to put down a book without finishing it but I dropped this one before page 200. I see that David's wife Leigh's name is being added to the covers. Can she be to blame for the lack of depth and abundance of saccharin? Whether you are an Eddings fan or a first timer, skip this one. You won't be missing a thing.
Rating:
Summary: Not my cup of tea!!!! Horrible character development
Review: The Female characters in this book were either vapid and silly (Andine/Leitha) or annoyingly cute and sarcastic (Dweia). The characters aren't really fleshed out...Eliar is basically a pig who eats alot...that's all we really know about him...the others are pretty shallow as well...I really think it is unoriginal and very unmoving...when all the characters in the book fall in love with each other and live happily ever after...it's too fake and too convenient....give me a book with challenge, struggle, betrayal....tragic love...heroic destiny.,..something that really grips you and gets you going....This book is the opposite...lovey dubey cute couples traveling together on a cliche mission to save the world. Please!!
Rating: 
Summary: Light-hearted but disappointing
Review: Having plowed through three multi-volume fantasy series in a row, I thought this single-volume tome, the first standalone fantasy adventure by the husband-and-wife team, might be a welcome respite. I haven't read any book by the Eddingses, but their reputation as prolific and popular authors is well-known. I was further intrigued by the "#1 international bestseller" plug emblazoned on the hardcover. The title character is a thief and occasional highwayman and murderer whose skills are legendary. He's also a braggart and a liar of epic proportions. Plagued by a streak of uncharacteristic bad luck, he accepts a job from a shady character to steal a Book in the House at the End of the World. He finds the Book but is detained by a talking cat, who is in reality the goddess Dweia in disguise. Dweia persuades him to be her agent, and they recruit others to join their team, including a warrior, a priest, a queen, a mind-reader, and a young thief. Together they engage in epic struggles with agents of the Evil God, who seeks to undo all creation and return the universe to nothingness. That the names of the authors are in larger fonts than the title of the book should have been a warning bell, I suppose. To be fair, the story is somewhat interesting. The concept of a House that compresses space and time, and that allows one to travel vast distances or time by simply going down the hallway, is a novel idea. Throw in a few modern concepts, such as the time-space duality and even the procedure for rudimentary brain surgery, and the story has a distinct sci-fi feel. Nevertheless, the plot is more or less predictable, straightforward action-adventure with a smattering of romance: Althalus and friends recruit an army, goes here, repel an invasion, fall in love, goes there, fight another war, go some place else, defeat the bad guys, etc. The pace is, for lack of a better word, unchanged. It's the same whether the characters are cuddling, or fighting for their lives. The authors seem to be on cruise control throughout; they seem to be recounting a story fact by fact, instead of portraying it, making it come alive. The feeling is comparable to watching a documentary film versus an action movie or drama. The cookie-cutter characters are rather flat and two-dimensional. So they are all different in their attributes and abilities, but nothing else distinguishes one from the other. They all make the same cliche wisecracks, punts, or sarcastic remarks. Some merit a chuckle or two, but after a while one is left to wonder whether or not there is anything else to them. In fact, I can't even envision what each character looks like; I'd like to see more than just tall/short, big/tiny, dark-haired/blond, beautiful/ugly, etc. Contrast this with the works of some other authors, such as George Martin, who lavishes attention on the description of the wardrobe alone. Of course, characterization goes beyond superficial appearance. There are other means, such as describing how events unfold from the character's point of view, that can bring the point across. Unfortunately such richness and attention to details are absent here. Similarly, the writing is competent, but lacks a certain sophistication and seriousness demonstrated by some other authors. The book is entertaining if you're in the mood for casual reading, and I feel that it would be most appropriate for a younger audience rather than a serious fantasy fan.
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