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joshua175's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
theappleking99's review against another edition
3.0
This series was the first of David Edding's works that I had the chance to read. I'd heard from some friends of mine that he was a fantastic author, and I'd seen his name mentioned in several references for positive book reviews, so I decided to give it a try. This series, following the adventures of the aging knight, Sparhawk, was a mixture of hits and misses for me, though I am glad that I followed through until the end. It begins when Sparhawk returns from his exile from the Kingdom he was sworn to protect, to find his beloved Queen Ehlana, who was poisoned, encased in magical crystal to spare her life while a cure was found.
While, overall, the story was well-told, and the characters were likable, I personally found the story to be on the slow side. There were many sections that I found difficult to remain interested during them. However, don't let this deter you from reading the series. Though some parts dragged on, the history of the land was interesting to learn about, and a majority of the characters were fleshed out and distinct. My favorite character has to be Flute, a little girl who communicates only through playing a(believe it or don't) flute. She is mysterious and sweet, and her twist was welcome. For the most part, I liked the dynamics between the characters. Sparhawk had his friend and eternal squire, Kurik, and the struggle of Sephrenia, the one who had spared Ehlana's life, left me feeling sorry for the poor woman. However, there was one relationship that left me ill-at-ease, as it did my friends before me. The fight scenes were decently well put together, though I can name several books with light skirmishes that I enjoy more, and the final chapters were impressive. Despite the issues I found with it, I wouldn't turn anybody away from reading the Elenium, as those are mostly my own personal misgivings, and one should never base their decisions on books solely on a review. I look forward to reading more of David Edding's writings in the future.
While, overall, the story was well-told, and the characters were likable, I personally found the story to be on the slow side. There were many sections that I found difficult to remain interested during them. However, don't let this deter you from reading the series. Though some parts dragged on, the history of the land was interesting to learn about, and a majority of the characters were fleshed out and distinct. My favorite character has to be Flute, a little girl who communicates only through playing a(believe it or don't) flute. She is mysterious and sweet, and her twist was welcome. For the most part, I liked the dynamics between the characters. Sparhawk had his friend and eternal squire, Kurik, and the struggle of Sephrenia, the one who had spared Ehlana's life, left me feeling sorry for the poor woman. However, there was one relationship that left me ill-at-ease, as it did my friends before me.
Spoiler
Sparhawk and Ehlana's relationship felt a little forced. While I often enjoy stories where the knight becomes the Queen's consort, like Ranger's Apprentice, I didn't enjoy Ehlana's insistence that this man who was between 20 and 30 years her senior was the only man she wanted to marry. I like Ehlana overall, but that whole section just rankled my sense of rightness.denjzen's review against another edition
4.0
I like all of David Eddings' books, but I think you always love best the ones you read first. I read The Elenium trilogy first, and it's still one of my comfort reads.
smitchy's review against another edition
3.0
This is an ok read but Eddings seems to have the same stock characters doing the same things in his series. If you have read the Belgariad series you will find the characters very familiar. This becomes even more apparent in the Tamuli series which follows on from this one. I read this as a 12-13 year old and noticed it even then. If you are going to read Eddings stick to the Belgariad books.
joyspren1's review against another edition
4.0
A reread (number too many to count) for this three-in-one book. A good return to a simple but fun story. Full review on my blog.
https://www.joyspren.com/blog/the-elenium-review
https://www.joyspren.com/blog/the-elenium-review
benjamintripp's review against another edition
sparhawk and his group zany friends go on a wacky adventure
agw622's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Sparhawk is everything you want in a protagonist. He's a truly amazing fantasy knight. Eddings manages to keep the pace constantly going even during the traveling bits. The full gang is amazing, and the plot well flushed out.
vaderbird's review against another edition
4.0
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
barrettcmyk's review against another edition
2.0
It's not that I didn't enjoy this book-- it was a reasonably light fantasy-quest type do, something I definitely needed after a spate of heavier reads.
That said, it's kind of your standard fantasy fare: a group of heroes out to seek and destroy a talisman that will keep the forces of evil from taking over the world. Sound familiar?
Biggest beef: Across the entire 3 book set (900 pages!) we get approximately seven named female characters, and only two of those could be considered primary. TWO. Compared to the 8-10 core Knights, not to mention a whole host of people they meet along the way, all the Kings, priests, preceptors, or any number of people in any sort of command. The remaining are either bit parts, or else roundly talked about -- whether because they're sleeping with everyone in town or because they're wily conniving women-folk who are gonna keep their menfolk in line, by golly. So.... Yeah. A few more females would've been welcome.
That said, it's kind of your standard fantasy fare: a group of heroes out to seek and destroy a talisman that will keep the forces of evil from taking over the world. Sound familiar?
Biggest beef: Across the entire 3 book set (900 pages!) we get approximately seven named female characters, and only two of those could be considered primary. TWO. Compared to the 8-10 core Knights, not to mention a whole host of people they meet along the way, all the Kings, priests, preceptors, or any number of people in any sort of command. The remaining are either bit parts, or else roundly talked about -- whether because they're sleeping with everyone in town or because they're wily conniving women-folk who are gonna keep their menfolk in line, by golly. So.... Yeah. A few more females would've been welcome.
whisper88's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I adore the Belgariad/Mallorean and its world of characters shaped my childhood. However when it comes to the Elenium/Tamuli I've had a few false starts but never actually finished the series until recently.
Unfortunately I did not love this series like I loved the afore mentioned, but it was still another glorious Eddings' adventure under my belt. His world building and character development are superb and his works are one of the best series for escapism. Most contemporary fantasy authors were influenced by the fellowship/quest trope but they can't even hold a birthday candle compared to the roaring bonfire of Eddings (I consider him in the same league as Tolkien.)
That being said this series was a sad echo of the Belgariad/Mallorean, many of the same character voices and nuances were reused and the quest was a little too "been there, done that." But not necessarily in a bad way?
An aspect I always appreciate in his writing are his attention to geography and politics within his worlds. It makes it so much more real and allows for political intrigue humour. (Which I find absolutely hilarious.)
Unfortunately I did not love this series like I loved the afore mentioned, but it was still another glorious Eddings' adventure under my belt. His world building and character development are superb and his works are one of the best series for escapism. Most contemporary fantasy authors were influenced by the fellowship/quest trope but they can't even hold a birthday candle compared to the roaring bonfire of Eddings (I consider him in the same league as Tolkien.)
That being said this series was a sad echo of the Belgariad/Mallorean, many of the same character voices and nuances were reused and the quest was a little too "been there, done that." But not necessarily in a bad way?
An aspect I always appreciate in his writing are his attention to geography and politics within his worlds. It makes it so much more real and allows for political intrigue humour. (Which I find absolutely hilarious.)