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jennayra's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
onceuponabookcase's review
4.0
Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.
The final book, and an awesome conclusion to what is a pretty great trilogy.
With the Bhelliom in his possession, Sparhawk travels back to Elenia and to his Queen, equipped to cure her from the poison coursing through her veins. Back to perfect health, Queen Ehlana can now take control of her kingdom. But Primate Annias still has his sights set on becoming the Archprelate, and even with Ehlana back in charge, his schemes have already been set in motion. And so Sparhawk the Church Knights make their way to the Basillica at Chyrellos to do what they can to thwart his plans. But Annias' has had renegade Pandion Martel stirring up the peoples of Rendor and Lamorkand, and marches armies to lay siege to the Holy City. Now Bhelliom has resurfaced, the evil god Azash is doubling his efforts to have the sapphire rose fall into his hands with his alliances with Martel.
Oh, how I love Queen Ehlana! What a woman! At only 18-years-old and Queen of the kingdom, she's quick, sharp, and knows how to get her way. She has perfected the art of oration and is a fantastic actress. She can use other's sexism and ageism against them, by planning up to their expectations, and managing to get what she wants. She comes across as girlish and maybe even slightly foolish, but she has a strong and intelligent mind behind her winsome smile, and can talk anyone round. She's a political genius, and just such a strong woman! She also has a wonderful sense of humour, and doesn't pass up the opportunity to take the mick out of anyone.
Another wonder in Flute. Now her identity as the Child Goddess Aphrael, one of the Younger Gods of Styricum, has been revealed, her moments on the page are dazzling. She's small and looks to be around six, but she has a towering personality, and she takes charge of those men in steel like they're the children. Completely wonderful! Also with a wonderful sense of humour, a little more offensive than Ehlana, but absolutely devoted to those she loves - and love our varied group of heroes she does. She's a treasure, and it's no wonder she always manages to get her way. She doesn't make as much of an appearance in this book as she has done previously, but when she does, you can't help but smile. I absolutely love how Eddings puts such strong female characters into his novels! With him putting them in a sexist setting, it's really quite wonderful seeing them come out on top - and says really a lot about his own view of women. I would not be surprised to find out that Eddings was a feminist.
Surprisingly (it's been a really long time since I last read these books), the siege at Chyrellos takes up the majority of the book. Considering this is the last book, and everything must come to ahead - the confrontation with the evil god Azash, and what that will lead to - I kept thinking "How long is this going to take?" while reading. I knew they had to move on at some point, I just didn't know when, or how, or even why. And I was getting closer to the end.
It has been awesome re-reading this trilogy, but now I've come to the end of it, I have realised I remember a whole lot more happening in it's pages than actually does. There is a lot more political scheming, intrigue and plotting to combat enemies than there is actual fighting and confrontation. It's a bit like chess, maneuvering and strategising to stay one step ahead of the other. While interesting and fascinating, with each book hitting aroung the 500 page mark, and expecting a lot more action, I finish this series a little disappointed. My own fault though for misremembering.
Political intrigue is absolutely fascinating, though, and I still love this trilogy dearly! A wonder from David Edding's and his fantastic imagination!
The final book, and an awesome conclusion to what is a pretty great trilogy.
With the Bhelliom in his possession, Sparhawk travels back to Elenia and to his Queen, equipped to cure her from the poison coursing through her veins. Back to perfect health, Queen Ehlana can now take control of her kingdom. But Primate Annias still has his sights set on becoming the Archprelate, and even with Ehlana back in charge, his schemes have already been set in motion. And so Sparhawk the Church Knights make their way to the Basillica at Chyrellos to do what they can to thwart his plans. But Annias' has had renegade Pandion Martel stirring up the peoples of Rendor and Lamorkand, and marches armies to lay siege to the Holy City. Now Bhelliom has resurfaced, the evil god Azash is doubling his efforts to have the sapphire rose fall into his hands with his alliances with Martel.
Oh, how I love Queen Ehlana! What a woman! At only 18-years-old and Queen of the kingdom, she's quick, sharp, and knows how to get her way. She has perfected the art of oration and is a fantastic actress. She can use other's sexism and ageism against them, by planning up to their expectations, and managing to get what she wants. She comes across as girlish and maybe even slightly foolish, but she has a strong and intelligent mind behind her winsome smile, and can talk anyone round. She's a political genius, and just such a strong woman! She also has a wonderful sense of humour, and doesn't pass up the opportunity to take the mick out of anyone.
Another wonder in Flute. Now her identity as the Child Goddess Aphrael, one of the Younger Gods of Styricum, has been revealed, her moments on the page are dazzling. She's small and looks to be around six, but she has a towering personality, and she takes charge of those men in steel like they're the children. Completely wonderful! Also with a wonderful sense of humour, a little more offensive than Ehlana, but absolutely devoted to those she loves - and love our varied group of heroes she does. She's a treasure, and it's no wonder she always manages to get her way. She doesn't make as much of an appearance in this book as she has done previously, but when she does, you can't help but smile. I absolutely love how Eddings puts such strong female characters into his novels! With him putting them in a sexist setting, it's really quite wonderful seeing them come out on top - and says really a lot about his own view of women. I would not be surprised to find out that Eddings was a feminist.
Surprisingly (it's been a really long time since I last read these books), the siege at Chyrellos takes up the majority of the book. Considering this is the last book, and everything must come to ahead - the confrontation with the evil god Azash, and what that will lead to - I kept thinking "How long is this going to take?" while reading. I knew they had to move on at some point, I just didn't know when, or how, or even why. And I was getting closer to the end.
It has been awesome re-reading this trilogy, but now I've come to the end of it, I have realised I remember a whole lot more happening in it's pages than actually does. There is a lot more political scheming, intrigue and plotting to combat enemies than there is actual fighting and confrontation. It's a bit like chess, maneuvering and strategising to stay one step ahead of the other. While interesting and fascinating, with each book hitting aroung the 500 page mark, and expecting a lot more action, I finish this series a little disappointed. My own fault though for misremembering.
Political intrigue is absolutely fascinating, though, and I still love this trilogy dearly! A wonder from David Edding's and his fantastic imagination!
crazycatgeek's review
4.0
Things I loved about the Elenium trilogy were the characters and their relationships. As in every book of Eddings I have read so far, the characters each have their own, distinct personality that distinguishes them from the others, but they are almost all likable in a way. The characters in the Elenium are less stereotypical than the ones in the Belgariad, which is also a positive point in my opinion, even though I didn't mind it too much in the Belgariad. Some of the villains are still just evil because they are simply evil, but some of them had layers this time, too. Sparhawk himself, as well as Talen, Sephrenia, and Flute, were favourites of mine.
As for the character relationships - some were predictable, but not in a way that annoyed me, and others were quite surprising. I'll again mention Flute here for reasons that will be obvious once you have read this book. There were some romantic relationships, but I also really liked the portrayal of the friendships between the knights and the parent-childlike relationships between some of the other characters.
The plot is not particularly strong, although I do still have a weakness for quest stories. That aspect of the plot was good. The story in itself is a little thin, but again, not to the point where I minded very much because everything else was worked out so well. The descriptions of people and places were sometimes a little too long and dry, causing me to skim over them rather than read them attentively, which disrupted the flow of the story a little.
One thing I noticed about this series compared to the Belgariad and the Malloreon that I didn't like as much was the violence. Of course there will be violence in epic fantasy stories and I don't mind that at all. I was rooting for the good guys in their quest and their fights with the bad guys and the fights were sometimes interesting to read, too. However, what bothered me was the sometimes almost indifferent attitude of the main characters (who are generally good, noble, and likable characters) towards matters such as the murder of innocent men (as opposed to the 'real' bad guys) or the rape of women. In some cases, their distaste for such things was shown; but in others, they seemed to hardly care or at the very least dismiss it under the guise of things needing to happen for the greater good or things being normal in times of war. Those latter cases didn't sit well with me.
Overall, the Elenium is a very good series that held my interest and drew me into the painted world with its cities, landscapes, and characters, with all their problems and relationships. There were some things that bothered me or that I didn't like as much, but that generally didn't disrupt my enjoyment of the story. I do think I will be reading more from Eddings.
As for the character relationships - some were predictable, but not in a way that annoyed me, and others were quite surprising. I'll again mention Flute here for reasons that will be obvious once you have read this book. There were some romantic relationships, but I also really liked the portrayal of the friendships between the knights and the parent-childlike relationships between some of the other characters.
The plot is not particularly strong, although I do still have a weakness for quest stories. That aspect of the plot was good. The story in itself is a little thin, but again, not to the point where I minded very much because everything else was worked out so well. The descriptions of people and places were sometimes a little too long and dry, causing me to skim over them rather than read them attentively, which disrupted the flow of the story a little.
One thing I noticed about this series compared to the Belgariad and the Malloreon that I didn't like as much was the violence. Of course there will be violence in epic fantasy stories and I don't mind that at all. I was rooting for the good guys in their quest and their fights with the bad guys and the fights were sometimes interesting to read, too. However, what bothered me was the sometimes almost indifferent attitude of the main characters (who are generally good, noble, and likable characters) towards matters such as the murder of innocent men (as opposed to the 'real' bad guys) or the rape of women. In some cases, their distaste for such things was shown; but in others, they seemed to hardly care or at the very least dismiss it under the guise of things needing to happen for the greater good or things being normal in times of war. Those latter cases didn't sit well with me.
Overall, the Elenium is a very good series that held my interest and drew me into the painted world with its cities, landscapes, and characters, with all their problems and relationships. There were some things that bothered me or that I didn't like as much, but that generally didn't disrupt my enjoyment of the story. I do think I will be reading more from Eddings.
countdeworde's review against another edition
4.0
První dva díly jsem zhltla jako malinu, proto pro mě byl děsný šok, když jsem narazila na začátek trojky. Najednou to bylo všechno upocené, nezáživné a napětí se někam vytratilo. Až jsem se lekla, že mi nezbyde nic jiného, než dát jen dvě hvězdy. Když se však vyřešily trampoty v hlavním městě a začalo se intrikovat při volbě arcipreláta, tak se Sparhawk oklepal a děj začal opět nabírat na obrátkách.
Finále, a tím nemyslím jen finální souboj se zloduchy, napravilo Eddingsovu reputaci a upřímně mě pobavilo. Magie a cestování přes půl zeměkoule bylo zábavné, ale opravdovou korunu tomuto dobrodružství nasazují dialogy a především ty, kde si ze sebe přátelé rytíři dělají legraci. No a pak rozhovory Sparhawka a Píšťalky.
Pokud se jen trochu zajímáte o fantasy, nejlépe tu hrdinskou, rytířskou, a o tzv. klasiky žánru, pak si Elenium přečtěte. Jen ten začátek trojky budete muset nějak přetrpět.
Já se mezitím s chutí pustím do Tamulské trilogie, kde příběhy rytířů Církve pokračují.
Finále, a tím nemyslím jen finální souboj se zloduchy, napravilo Eddingsovu reputaci a upřímně mě pobavilo. Magie a cestování přes půl zeměkoule bylo zábavné, ale opravdovou korunu tomuto dobrodružství nasazují dialogy a především ty, kde si ze sebe přátelé rytíři dělají legraci. No a pak rozhovory Sparhawka a Píšťalky.
Pokud se jen trochu zajímáte o fantasy, nejlépe tu hrdinskou, rytířskou, a o tzv. klasiky žánru, pak si Elenium přečtěte. Jen ten začátek trojky budete muset nějak přetrpět.
Já se mezitím s chutí pustím do Tamulské trilogie, kde příběhy rytířů Církve pokračují.
smcleish's review against another edition
3.0
Originally published on my blog here in January 2002.
The concluding part of the Elenium trilogy has three stories which are related only by events in the earlier novels and by the protagonists involved. The first is the return to Elenia with the recovered sapphire, Bhelliom, to cure the poisoned queen; the second is the opposition to the attempt of the corrupt Annias to gain the Archprelacy and become the head of the Elene church; and the third is the journey to confront the evil god Azash in his temple. It is in the third that Eddings' debt to [b:The Lord of the Rings|33|The Lord of the Rings|J.R.R. Tolkien|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347257199s/33.jpg|3462456] is most apparent, and it is the second that is the most interesting. The Sapphire Rose is competent, enjoyable fantasy, and it ties up the loose ends of the trilogy satisfyingly.
The concluding part of the Elenium trilogy has three stories which are related only by events in the earlier novels and by the protagonists involved. The first is the return to Elenia with the recovered sapphire, Bhelliom, to cure the poisoned queen; the second is the opposition to the attempt of the corrupt Annias to gain the Archprelacy and become the head of the Elene church; and the third is the journey to confront the evil god Azash in his temple. It is in the third that Eddings' debt to [b:The Lord of the Rings|33|The Lord of the Rings|J.R.R. Tolkien|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347257199s/33.jpg|3462456] is most apparent, and it is the second that is the most interesting. The Sapphire Rose is competent, enjoyable fantasy, and it ties up the loose ends of the trilogy satisfyingly.
bokmaskin's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
pandemoniumpizza's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this conclusion to the trilogy. It had a lot of funny banter between characters that made me laugh. I found the story to be really interesting and an entertaining read.
tallaria's review against another edition
2.0
Better than the first two, but that isn't saying all that much.
sookieskipper's review against another edition
2.0
A decent ending to a decent series. However, it was too long and a book extra to get to that point.
The adventures all come to a point to resolve the problem at hand - which was introduced in the very beginning of the first book. The adventure and the action parts are really written well and Eddings has a knack of recreating the scene with minimalism and enough verbs to get one hooked.
The book would have been a good end to the series had the romance thing not played out the way it did. It bugged me how the ward, Ehlena, becomes a queen and then the main protagonist - Sparhawk's wife. She was a child when he last saw her and after a decade of exile he is back and they eventually get together. It was just...ugh-worthy for me. Though it all played out for the better, it didn't stop being uncomfortable for me for most part of the book.
The series ended satisfactorily end but it failed to entice me to pick up the next trilogy in the series.
The adventures all come to a point to resolve the problem at hand - which was introduced in the very beginning of the first book. The adventure and the action parts are really written well and Eddings has a knack of recreating the scene with minimalism and enough verbs to get one hooked.
The book would have been a good end to the series had the romance thing not played out the way it did. It bugged me how the ward, Ehlena, becomes a queen and then the main protagonist - Sparhawk's wife. She was a child when he last saw her and after a decade of exile he is back and they eventually get together. It was just...ugh-worthy for me. Though it all played out for the better, it didn't stop being uncomfortable for me for most part of the book.
The series ended satisfactorily end but it failed to entice me to pick up the next trilogy in the series.
katekat's review against another edition
4.0
I know that David Eddings books are very much a repeated formula from series to series but that does not take away from my enjoyment of them. I first read his books many years ago when I chose them because they were the longest books I could find. I enjoy his characters and the plot and I find that in general they stand up to the test of time as long as you can enjoy the raging sexism.