The Treasured One (The Dreamers, Book 2) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This book is not up to Eddings old style or even the standard of later edition books by David & Leigh Eddings. It was sorely disappointing yet I kept reading, like probing a sore tooth!
The first book was not very good, the repartee is getting dull and standard as well as every character seeming to be a cardboard copy of those who have gone before - just about every man is an amalgam of Belgarath/Silk/Sparhawk/Barak etc etc- with none of the warmth, humor and originality that made them all such lovable characters. (the women are either Polgara's or the rather nauseating Elenia character childgoddesses)
In this book:
Zelana's domain has been secured from the invasion of the servants of insect-like overmind the VLAGH but now her brother Veltan is having a premonition of trouble along his borders. The Dreamers have dreamt of 2 invasions and a great deal of chaos.
Sadly the characters may as well be interchangable because they all have the same supposed to be dry humor but now standard overdone satire. This makes it hard to follow the conversations, as they all reads like one long monologue.
Is it because I read that Eddings book (was it the Rivan Codex?) where the Authors described their formula for writing? I cannot believe that the reason this book is so stale.
Every passage is described in at least three ways before we are allowed to move on, and the authors will always take the opportunity to retell a plot direction ie battle tactic, at least 3 times. As if this was not enough interminable repetition, I discovered to my horror around the 6th chapter that the past chapters & events are retold from different viewpoints.
The authors take this opportunity to describe origins and motives, (which seem to be similarly interchangable)and then go on to relate, in torturous detail, the past months happenings.
This is repeated at least 6 times and what makes this so boring instead of interesting, is we already know exactly what happens and has happened on account of it being described at least 3 times in great detail from one character to another already. . .
Is my review beginning to sound repetitive? Perhaps it's an infectious virus...
So. The child/dreamers are vile little know-it-alls, as well as being revoltingly snide, whilst at the same time that usual gooey sweetness (eg: "well I'm always right, now give me a kiss-kiss").. Urgh.
Still the children are also the most likeable figures, but are only briefly aired*
The mysterious benefactor we know exactly who it is.
The only arch villian appears in bug form, and alas we only hear his voice through roars. I am sure if the authors gave him a voice it would be full or the same sort of overblown sardony with which every other character speaks.
Can I bear to review my beloved David Eddings this badly? I think I must.
If you borrow it from the library you will be disappointed but not as much as if you brought it... I purchased this book at the airport to read on the plane and now, 5 months later I have read it, but it's not a page-turner.
Poor show from David Eddings and I must say I feel that his books have taken a turn for the worse since Leigh Eddings began to be credited as authoring.
It is still more enjoyable than some really poor grade fantasy books and my rating of 2 stars is in comparason to other Eddings books, not what is on the market.
The plot is quite good, the characters, were they depicted less stiltedly are still good, and I will read part 3, bc I'm hoping that a little bit further into the series they might pick up the pace a little?
I also confess to being intrigued with whether any of these dopey or dull men are intended for the ladies - the only girls are the goddesses & Ara, wife of stodgy farmer Omago who invents the spear? and various other weaponry.
*perhaps the authors are saving that for a separate book - book 2, point of view of dreamers??
Readers will find an interesting conclusion to the book wherein it seems that the armies needen't have been gathered at all, if only everyone had done a little more communicating. This may seem a bizzare statement to make, as I have already complained about the excessive and repetitive conversations, but there you go. Just a little contrast for you to mull over.

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