Description
Althalus is a young thief and occasional killer known for his skill and incredible luck. A number of capers end without much monetary reward for him, until he stumbles into a shrine built to the fertility goddess Dweia. Soon afterward he meets the wizard Ghend, who hires him to steal the Book, a magical tome that can be found in the bizarre House at the End of the World. There, Althalus discovers Dweia in the form of a black cat and learns that she has chosen him to aid her in a war against Ghend and her evil brother, the destroyer god Daeva. Together, Althalus and Dweia use the power of the Book and gather a small team of questionable heroes who must battle Ghend's supernatural forces and armies. The thief Althalus can only hope his luck holds out for this one last task, since the very fate of humanity is at stake.
The Redemption of Althalus is the first stand-alone, single-volume high fantasy saga written by the husband-and-wife team of David and Leigh Eddings. Their previous beloved series include the Belgariad, the Malloreon, and the Elenium; although Althalus is bursting with the daring escapades their fans expect, it is also an engaging departure for the authors. Althalus is a grand adventure that will enthrall readers of their multivolume epics and features a precision of plot and language that can be achieved only by having an actual resolution. A stand-alone epic fantasy is a rarity in the modern publishing world and a concept that should be embraced more often. The Redemption of Althalus offers action, sorcery, humor, and soaring imagination without leaving loose threads or fractured subplots. The authors' satire on religion and high society punctuates the action; in one clever turn, Althalus enters a city where the wealthy are forced to hide their riches and live worse than the poor to avoid taxation. Althalus is well-polished and smoothly constructed, with real storytelling muscle and a gratifying finale.