With only limited exposure to the books of David and Leigh Eddings, I'd been led to understand that the name 'Eddings' was one of the 'big' names in the scene. Starting with their latest book was something of a mistake on my part - I was accidentally sent a copy of the book because I didn't cancel an 'editor's choice' from a book club. Instead of sending it back, I decided that I was curious enough to try it out for myself.

The storyline is a curious one - the world on which it is set actually had two sets of gods - the elder and the younger. The elder gods began creation, got tired, and the younger gods took over to let the elder gods sleep. when the younger gods grew tired, the elder gods took over the helm once more, and this pattern continued down the ages. Now, along with the gods, there is a creature known as 'the Vlagh' who is pretty much intent on complete world domination. As the book begins, the Vlagh is beginning it's attempt just at the point where the gods are about to change over. There is also a prophecy about 'the Dreamers', who are predicted to be instrumental in stopping the Vlagh and we begin with one of the gods giving his sister a baby to raise - one of the dreamers - with the revelation that all of the family have one of their own to raise.

While the storyline is definitely interesting, the style is something that I found a little difficult to get into. It's quite light, and moves along at a pretty fast pace, but never seems to delve beneath the surface. The character interactions are quick-witted, humourous, and there's quite a lot of sarcasm thrown about, which is relatively unusual for the genre. On the downside, though, the characters don't enjoy a lot of depth - there isn't much in the way of backstory for any of the characters, including the 'elder gods' of the title. This does, at times, feel a little strange - with the great dialogue that they've created for the characters, you'd expect them to have a more solid, defined feel to them. They're more like pictures on a wall with some excellent quotes attributed to them than fully-fledged characters.

Happily this doesn't distract too much from the overall storyline. While the people and the places are an important part of the overall story, they takes second place to the interaction between the characters. It's these interactions that form the heart of the book's appeal, and ultimately what makes or breaks the book for you.

One thing worth pointing out, though, is that for existing fans who've read all of the Eddings' previous books, this one is definitely a case of 'more of the same.' One friend of mine who'd read all of their other books told me that this one wasn't anything new or special when compared to the rest of them, but that he was still interested in reading the next books in the sequence.

Myself, I'm curious. I felt a little disappointed by the lack of depth, but I'm intrigued by the story. I'm curious about the gods, and the dreamers. While it is, ultimately, going to end with the triumph of good over evil (but how many fantasy novels will ever change from this standard plot?) it doesn't matter. It's definitely a case of the journey itself being more interesting than the scenery along the way, and with the sequel already out I'm looking forward to reading it.

Having recently re-read the first in the series to prepare for the new book, I found myself wondering if this one would be more of the same, or if there would be something new in there to grab my attention. Straight away, with the very first chapter, something was different. All of a sudden, we're in the first person.

I'd made a point of reading some more Eddings after I'd initially read the first of this series, just to see what they were like. And, for the most part, the worlds and characters take second place to the storylines and the interactions between characters. There's a certain childlike joy in the way the stories bounce along, and in the delivery of the lines from the characters that permeates the Eddings' work. But in all of these, not once had I read anything written in the first person.

It didn't last long, but the occasional shift to this perspective certainly made things a little more interesting. There were other changes, too. The plotlines of the book diverged a little - the storyline began to travel in waves. Basically, what the Eddings do is to pick a character, and tell you some of their history. They work this history over right up until the 'present' - where you got to in the story - and then takes the story itself further forward. Then, we do it again with a different character. It might sound a little odd, but it works really well. Not only do you get to learn more about some of the characters (which was, for me, one of the weak points of the first book), but it has a knack of leaving ample opportunity for plot developments to stem from past actions. As you learn more about the characters, you end up feeling more for them, and taking more of an interest in them. It's done so well that it doesn't impose on the storyline at all, and you get the added benefit of knowing a little more about the characters.

Once the first realm has been defended at the end of the first book, the second realm becomes the point of focus for this one. This new realm is governed by a different member of the family of gods, and protected by a different dreamer, but the overall feel is still very much the same. In this book, the gods take a slight step back, and allow the human characters to take more of the limelight. We learn more about characters from the first book, along with meeting some new characters who are every bit as interesting. The business of war is still a major factor, but with the diversions into the history of the characters it never becomes stale or dull because it never has an opportunity to do so.

The storyline itself still bounces along at a decent pace, and there are hints of future developments appearing with some new characters to represent their races - introduced so that they can be familiarised with the servants of the Vlagh whom they'll - presumably - be fighting with in the final part of the series. Another powerful character is also introduced, although exactly who she is, and what her intentions are are both left tantalisingly unresolved.

For me, the weaknesses in the first book of this series have been more than resolved, and the storyline is starting to take on some twists and turns. What initially appeared to be a simple and blindingly obvious storyline is now becoming a little more tangled, and a little harder to see through. It is also becoming much more interesting and entertaining in the process. It's an excellent addition to the series, and well worth spending some time with. Unfortunately, the next book in the series is not due until July of next year, so you'll be in for a long wait until the next one.