About the Author

David Eddings was born in Washington State in 1931 and grew up near Seattle. He graduated from the University of Washington and went on to serve in the US Army. Subsequently he worked as a buyer for the Boeing company and taught college-level English. His first novel was a contemporary adventure, but he soon began a spectacular career as a fantasy writer with his bestselling series ‘The Belgariad’.

Reviews

Hard on the heels of the Elenium trilogy, Eddings launches a new fantasy epic featuring the futher adventures of Pandion knight Sparhawk and his companions. Eddings is a first-class storyteller with a gift for easy humor and colorful characters. There will be considerable demand for this title.

Magic, insurrection, rebirth and new gods and cultures propel this first volume of a proposed second trilogy featuring Sir Sparhawk, Queen Ehlana and other stalwarts of Eddings's best-selling Elenium trilogy. The distant Tamul Empire, endangered by civil unrest exacerbated by paranormal (or magical, depending on the point of view) incidents, begs help from Sparhawk, destroyer of the Elder God Azash and savior of the Elenes. Undertaking the long journey to Tamul, the knight, his royal wife, their daughter Princess Danae and assorted followers encounter unrest in each of the lands through which they pass. Incidents taking more or less the same form--rumors, supported by rabble-rousing orators, of ancient heroes reborn to lead the downtrodden--arouse Sparhawk's suspicion of godly or magical opposition to his cause. Arriving in the Tamul capital, Sparhawk and his cohorts thwart a plot against the emperor but find disturbing evidence that the Troll-Gods and other old enemies are at work. Eddings' likable, spirited characters are not deeply etched but they reflect his original touch nevertheless. (Jan.)