The Redemption of Althalus

By: David Eddings, Leigh Eddings

Narrated by: Dennis Holland

Length: 27 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Mythmakers and world builders of the first order, the Eddingses spin tales that make imaginations soar. Listeners have thrilled to The Belgariad and The Malloreon, magic-filled masterworks chronicling the timeless conflict between good and evil. But with those sagas brought to their triumphant conclusions, fans were left hungry for more. Now at last the wait is over. With The Redemption of Althalus, the Eddingses have created their first-ever stand-alone epic fantasy....

It would be sheer folly to try to conceal the true nature of Althalus, for his flaws are the stuff of legend. He is, as all men know, a thief, a liar, an occasional murderer, an outrageous braggart, and a man devoid of even the slightest hint of honor.

Yet of all the men in the world, it is Althalus, unrepentant rogue and scoundrel, who will become the champion of humanity in its desperate struggle against the forces of an ancient god determined to return the universe to nothingness. On his way to steal The Book from the House at the End of the World, Althalus is confronted by a cat - a cat with eyes like emeralds, the voice of a woman, and the powers of a goddess. She is Dweia, sister to The Gods and a greater thief even than Althalus. She must be: for in no time at all, she has stolen his heart. And more. She has stolen time itself. For when Althalus leaves the House at the End of the World, much wiser but not a day older than when he'd first entered it, thousands of years have gone by.

But Dweia is not the only one able to manipulate time. Her evil brother shares the power, and while Dweia has been teaching Althalus the secrets of The Book, the ancient God has been using the dark magic of his own Book to rewrite history. Yet all is not lost. But only if Althalus, still a thief at heart, can bring together a ragtag group of men, women, and children with no reason to trust him or each other. Boldly written and brilliantly imagined, The Redemption of Althalus is an epic fantasy to be savored in the listening and returned to again and again for the wisdom, excitement, and humor that only the Eddingses can provide.

©2000 David Eddings and Leigh Eddings (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Awesome listen

Absolutely loved listening to this book. It's one of my favorites. I can't wait to hear his other titles

Leigh and David create magic..

Dennis Holland wonderfully brought this bit of awesome epicness to life. From beginning to end, I was glad to go on this journey.

Such an excellent read

I love this book. This story is so great and has so much for people who look for so many different things in the stories they read. It's something that can be read over and over without getting old or boring. The characters are wonderful and the scenes are described in a fun and detailed way to immerse the reader in the world around them.

Epic, laugh out loud, fantasy

What did you like about this audiobook?

Witty, epic, fun.

How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?

The fact that while Althalus was being "redeemed" and underwent some changes, he was still very much himself throughout the book. No male Mary Sue here!

Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he achieve this?

The depth of realization that the characters really do come from different and unique areas of the world. He gives each one a unique voice, and each area/country its own accent. (And stays true to that accent with other characters from that area, while still modifying it slightly to suit each person. For example, the Arums sound Scottish - fitting, as they wear kilts. But the rough-spoken sargeant sounds different than the well-read Clan Chief.)

What did you find wrong about the narrator's performance?

Several, the descriptions of which would spoil parts of the book.

Do you have any additional comments?

Redemption of Althalus doesn't have the same in depth in world building as the his ten book (plus two) epic fantasy saga, the Belgariad and Mallorean. (Obviously.) However, it still has the Eddings' trademark wit and humor, and is a thoroughly enjoyable read in itself.

Fantastic

Love the Eddings. The banter between the main characters is great and reminds my husband and I of our sense of humor with 36 years of marriage under our belt.

Must have

Those who enjoy fantasy novels should definitely give this a listen! I enjoyed reading the book on its release and listening to it gives even greater insight to the story.

Brilliant

Love Eddings in general, but this stand-alone is just a tad more awesome than most of his other books.
It's funny as heck too :-)

Good, but not great

This isn't Eddings at his best, but it certainly isn't bad. It starts well, but the latter half feels a bit episodic and lackluster. It's as my headline says, good, but not great.

The narration is another issue. It ranges from okay to downright strange. The voices, while distinct, are sometimes comically bad-- ranging from terrible Scottish on the part of Eliar to an Indian child trying to imitate Bela Lugosi on the part of Gair. It could really have been done better.

Excellent book for long drives!

I have long been an Eddings fan. love reading this book when it was first published and loved listening to it.

Finally a decent narrator for an eddings book!

Would you listen to The Redemption of Althalus again? Why?

I've read it several times before - it's a great book - I bought the audiobook for fun. The other books by Davide Eddings I have on audio have pretty poor narration - this one jumps up to being a good job.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Redemption of Althalus?

This is a book of really getting to know the characters and seeing the ensemble interact, it's one of the things Eddings does best and it's showcased very nicely here.

What about Dennis Holland’s performance did you like?

Nothing was disturbing or annoying in the performance, which is a good thing. There are a few narrators who actually enhance a book, I wouldn't say that about this one, but it doesn't detract either.