Like many other people I read this book during my teens. Since I first picked it up I have read it some 15+ times, after the 13th I stopped counting, and listened to the entire series read by Cameron Beierle. This is a biased review and the short of it is that despite the many flaws and few plot-holes in this book I enjoy it to this day.
To start, this book is a generic fantasy novel written with a pre-designed template that could be easily guessed. With that sentence alone you probably know how the book is going to end, and in fact David Edding's foreword spoils the ending in the first pages. This book, however, is an amazing example of "it's the Journey, not the Ending."
The core of this book is the characters who are flawed, and until the later part of the series, The Malloreon, are somewhat one-dimensional. You spend a great deal of time growing up with the main characters, and continue well into their lives over the course of the ten books in this series, then loop right back around to the final two books which are more of an prologue that restart the whole series. The characters are all lively and detailed, each standing with their own personality that is only marred by the idea that each person from one or another nationality is very similar to anyone else who shares that nationality.
The unfortunate side is that a book series this old and long has several moral issues stated by other reviews, such as a rape which, while not described in detail, is also glossed over and ultimately "Forgiven" that causes me to cringe to this day. Though many characters on the "good team" have many flaws (theives, murderers, lechers, drunks, drug dealers, spies, slave trade and I could go on) nearly each one has owned up by saying that they understand they do bad things and are not necessarily good people. The other major strike by this series is its sexism. While not outright rewards, as both the women and men in the couple situations are supposed to be being rewarded with each other, it frequently appears that getting a girl to settle down with is the reward from the Prophecy. I do however appreciate certain strong females such as Bethra, who is a harlot, among other things, and has no problem asserting herself as such.
Ultimately this is a light read spread out over some couple million words. It won't change your life, it won't shock you with some revolutionary ideas, but it may help you feel good to read a brightly worded and frequently humorous novel filled with light hearted banter.
From the words of my favorite character, "I've looked at the world for quite a few years now and I've found that if I don't laugh, I'll probably end up crying."
A Biased Review
Like many other people I read this book during my teens. Since I first picked it up I have read it some 15+ times, after the 13th I stopped counting, and listened to the entire series read by Cameron Beierle. This is a biased review and the short of it is that despite the many flaws and few plot-holes in this book I enjoy it to this day.
To start, this book is a generic fantasy novel written with a pre-designed template that could be easily guessed. With that sentence alone you probably know how the book is going to end, and in fact David Edding's foreword spoils the ending in the first pages. This book, however, is an amazing example of "it's the Journey, not the Ending."
The core of this book is the characters who are flawed, and until the later part of the series, The Malloreon, are somewhat one-dimensional. You spend a great deal of time growing up with the main characters, and continue well into their lives over the course of the ten books in this series, then loop right back around to the final two books which are more of an prologue that restart the whole series. The characters are all lively and detailed, each standing with their own personality that is only marred by the idea that each person from one or another nationality is very similar to anyone else who shares that nationality.
The unfortunate side is that a book series this old and long has several moral issues stated by other reviews, such as a rape which, while not described in detail, is also glossed over and ultimately "Forgiven" that causes me to cringe to this day. Though many characters on the "good team" have many flaws (theives, murderers, lechers, drunks, drug dealers, spies, slave trade and I could go on) nearly each one has owned up by saying that they understand they do bad things and are not necessarily good people. The other major strike by this series is its sexism. While not outright rewards, as both the women and men in the couple situations are supposed to be being rewarded with each other, it frequently appears that getting a girl to settle down with is the reward from the Prophecy. I do however appreciate certain strong females such as Bethra, who is a harlot, among other things, and has no problem asserting herself as such.
Ultimately this is a light read spread out over some couple million words. It won't change your life, it won't shock you with some revolutionary ideas, but it may help you feel good to read a brightly worded and frequently humorous novel filled with light hearted banter.
From the words of my favorite character, "I've looked at the world for quite a few years now and I've found that if I don't laugh, I'll probably end up crying."