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The Tamuli #1-3
The Tamuli
For the first time in one magical volume-the three exciting novels of David Eddings's epic heroic fantasy THE TAMULI
Danger stalks Queen Ehlana's realm. Peasants whisper of the heroes of old who will rise again. Outlaw bands ravage the hill country. Then comes an ambassador from the far-off Tamuli empire, requesting aid: Tamuli is being torn apart by monsters, ancient warriors, and foul magics. Queen Ehlana turns to the great knight Sparhawk, and the two begin the perilous trek to the distant empire of the east, toward a glittering court seething with corruption and treachery.
This tale of rousing adventure, glory, and betrayal is fantasy at its best, as told by one of the finest storytellers of our time.
"This tale of comradeship, dastardly doings, multiple gods, strange races and noble and ignoble humans is vintage Eddings."
-Publishers Weekly, on The Shining Ones
"Eddings continues to reward lovers of great, sweeping fantasies with creative ingenuity in characterization, world building, and magical effects."
-Booklist, on The Hidden City
Danger stalks Queen Ehlana's realm. Peasants whisper of the heroes of old who will rise again. Outlaw bands ravage the hill country. Then comes an ambassador from the far-off Tamuli empire, requesting aid: Tamuli is being torn apart by monsters, ancient warriors, and foul magics. Queen Ehlana turns to the great knight Sparhawk, and the two begin the perilous trek to the distant empire of the east, toward a glittering court seething with corruption and treachery.
This tale of rousing adventure, glory, and betrayal is fantasy at its best, as told by one of the finest storytellers of our time.
"This tale of comradeship, dastardly doings, multiple gods, strange races and noble and ignoble humans is vintage Eddings."
-Publishers Weekly, on The Shining Ones
"Eddings continues to reward lovers of great, sweeping fantasies with creative ingenuity in characterization, world building, and magical effects."
-Booklist, on The Hidden City
1040 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
132 people are currently reading
842 people want to read
About the author
David Eddings
220 books5,559 followersDavid Eddings was an American author who wrote several best-selling series of epic fantasy novels. David Eddings' wife,
Leigh Eddings
, was an uncredited co-author on many of his early books, but he had later acknowledged that she contributed to them all.
They adopted one boy in 1966, Scott David, then two months old. They adopted a younger girl between 1966 and 1969. In 1970 the couple lost custody of both children and were each sentenced to a year in jail in separate trials after pleading guilty to 11 counts of physical child abuse. Though the nature of the abuse, the trial, and the sentencing were all extensively reported in South Dakota newspapers at the time, these details did not resurface in media coverage of the couple during their successful joint career as authors, only returning to public attention several years after both had died.
After both served their sentences, David and Leigh Eddings moved to Denver in 1971, where David found work in a grocery store.
David Eddings' first books (which were general fiction) sold moderately well. He later switched to writing epic fantasy, a field in which he achieved great success. In a recent interview with sffworld.com, he said: "I don't take orders from readers."
On January 26, 2007 it was reported that Eddings accidentally burned about a quarter of his office, next door to his house, along with his Excalibur sports car, and the original manuscripts for most of his novels. He was flushing the fuel tank of the car with water when he lit a piece of paper and threw into the puddle to test if it was still flammable.
On February 28, 2007, David Eddings' wife, Leigh Eddings (born Judith Leigh Schall), died following a series of strokes. She was 69.
David Eddings died on June 2, 2009 at the age of 77.
They adopted one boy in 1966, Scott David, then two months old. They adopted a younger girl between 1966 and 1969. In 1970 the couple lost custody of both children and were each sentenced to a year in jail in separate trials after pleading guilty to 11 counts of physical child abuse. Though the nature of the abuse, the trial, and the sentencing were all extensively reported in South Dakota newspapers at the time, these details did not resurface in media coverage of the couple during their successful joint career as authors, only returning to public attention several years after both had died.
After both served their sentences, David and Leigh Eddings moved to Denver in 1971, where David found work in a grocery store.
David Eddings' first books (which were general fiction) sold moderately well. He later switched to writing epic fantasy, a field in which he achieved great success. In a recent interview with sffworld.com, he said: "I don't take orders from readers."
On January 26, 2007 it was reported that Eddings accidentally burned about a quarter of his office, next door to his house, along with his Excalibur sports car, and the original manuscripts for most of his novels. He was flushing the fuel tank of the car with water when he lit a piece of paper and threw into the puddle to test if it was still flammable.
On February 28, 2007, David Eddings' wife, Leigh Eddings (born Judith Leigh Schall), died following a series of strokes. She was 69.
David Eddings died on June 2, 2009 at the age of 77.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
May 16, 2020
The Tamuli...why didn't he stop with The Elenium?
I finished The Tamuli, it was a slow read,at one point I had to set the book aside.I think it is fair to say it is not as good as its predecessor The Elenium.
I'll try to break it down,Sparhawk and his party are called to another country to help with their problems. This would mean everybody from the previous series,at first I thought this might good.
Then nothing new or surprising really happened,a couple of new races are introduced but by and far we've seen it all before.
When they get to their destination a whole lot of politics that take place.
The best book is probably the 3rd book in The Tamuli, someone gets kidnapped and the party has to work at trying get this person back,more action in the last book.
All in all 2.5
I finished The Tamuli, it was a slow read,at one point I had to set the book aside.I think it is fair to say it is not as good as its predecessor The Elenium.
I'll try to break it down,Sparhawk and his party are called to another country to help with their problems. This would mean everybody from the previous series,at first I thought this might good.
Then nothing new or surprising really happened,a couple of new races are introduced but by and far we've seen it all before.
When they get to their destination a whole lot of politics that take place.
The best book is probably the 3rd book in The Tamuli, someone gets kidnapped and the party has to work at trying get this person back,more action in the last book.
All in all 2.5
Read
December 22, 2008Sparhawk and his wacky group of friends are at it again.
Be sure not to miss everyone's favorite troll, Bhlokw. See what kind of mischief that lovable scamp gets into.
Be sure not to miss everyone's favorite troll, Bhlokw. See what kind of mischief that lovable scamp gets into.
April 1, 2007
I suppose at some point people might begin to ask why, if I hated Eddings so much, did I keep reading him. The books were fun, I was in highschool, and I could read a book of his in about a day, so it wasn't much of an investment; it was like eating cotton candy or reading Clive Cussler. The Tamuli, however, was where I finally gave up. The second trilogy set in the world of Sparhawk, Eddings proceeded to tell the same story he had used in his last three epics AGAIN. Twice was lazy, three times was silly, but four times was almost offensive. I got through the first two of the three books, woke up and asked myself why the hell I was bothering, and then never picked up a book of his again.
August 20, 2016
Despite having to abandon this one, I chose a 2 star rating instead of 1 star rating. After reading the Belgariad and the Malloreon, I jumped right into the Tamuli, which may have been a mistake for me. If I didn't immediately begin reading the Tamuli after reading the Belgariad and Mallorean, Eddings' writing maybe would not have come off as redundant. While reading the Tamuli, I kept thinking, I've read one Eddings novel (Belgariad), and so I've read them all (Mallorean/Tamuli). The story just dried up for me and I felt like my time could be better spent on a new adventure by a different author.
December 30, 2014
I liked The Tamuli for what it was - low-brow, amusing, medieval fantasy. The two-star rating is because the series was not as good as the preceding Elenium, for the simple reason that it was pretty much the same plot re-hatched with old and new characters. It had some good concepts nonetheless. I did find it a shame that some plot points of The Elenium were made more or less redundant and/or nonsensical by new information given in The Tamuli, which makes me suspect a retroactive attempt to tie the two series together that was rather unnecessary.
December 19, 2008
I really liked these books. I remeber getting tired of the heros always knowing what was going to happen and planning for it well in advance...so there was no suspense, and I was never worried about the protaganists getting hurt or loosing...
However, I loved the new and indepth cultures that Eddings always creates. Good stuff.
However, I loved the new and indepth cultures that Eddings always creates. Good stuff.
December 10, 2015
Okay, so it's possible David Eddings has a bit of a formula with his stories, and he repeats it, but that doesn't change the fact that the way he writes is purely enjoyable, and this series is no different. Quality heroes, plenty of humour, some good fighting and ultimately, just a classic feel-good adventure.
January 2, 2011
Became repetitive and uninspired as it went along. Was a good read at first, but I ended up putting the book down before finishing it, which is rare for me to do (especially with Eddings).
August 11, 2012
This is a review, once again, of books I have reread enough times that I can recite long stretches of dialog. I'll be referring back to my review of the preceeding trilogy - the Tamuli is, I think, more successful overall, but I still have rather a lot to say about it. Reviews by book and then I'll talk about the framing device:
Domes of Fire:
The first half of the book is essentially a road trip. It's fine, it moves reasonably quickly and there are some nice touches - the Manor of Horrible People is well-crafted, and the Secret Government is entertaining throughout. The battles are a little too easy and obvious to be particularly gripping, but the conflict at Sarsos - where the knights, who were held up throughout the previous trilogy as the righteous defenders of the persecuted, mystic Styrics, encounter the ultra-civilized heart of Styricum and confront their own self-righteousness and sense of racial superiority - is blunt but welcome in a genre that doesn't spend a lot of time questioning white Christian-analogue heroes.
The second half is both more interesting and more problematic. We arrive at Matherion, the title city, which is theoretically the heart of a Chinese-style bureaucratic empire, but other than skin tone and org structure everyone is pretty much the same and there aren't really any culture clashes. (Except for one, which I'll get to in a minute.) The plot picks up speed, the stealthy battle preparations are entertaining, and the climax is fairly satisfying. The Emperor is an entertaining character, and the villains are suitably villainous.
My only objection - and it's one of those objections-in-hindsight, because I am now aware of sexual politics in a way I definitely wasn't when I was a teenager - is the Free-Love Empress Seduces Innocent Knight sequence. This isn't actually as appalling as it could be - she's portrayed as a perfectly good woman from a culture that doesn't place a lot of importance on sex, not an Evil Slut or anything, and late in the third book we actually get some of her viewpoint and she's kind of great. But the scenes where the older, more experienced knights tell the young hot one to just give it up because she needs to be kept happy, regardless of his personal desires or ethics, are... appalling. This is the best example of the Eddings's otherwise-liberal politics totally falling down when it comes to certain kinds of gender stereotyping - of course the young man should bang the hot topless woman, he's a man, he'll enjoy it no matter how he's protesting now. It's a relatively minor subplot, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
The Shining Ones:
Ah, the middle book. Always a challenge. It's got some high notes - the Troll God bargaining sequence is great (how do you persuade bestial, elemental gods to essentially let their worshipers go extinct?) the Maid Saves the Day bit is fantastic (shy, timid maid uses her professional knowledge to solve a political problem) and the whole bit with Atana Maris nicely encapsulates the successful portrayal of women as competent at whatever they choose to do, including kicking ass (absolutely, unquestionably competent warrior woman does her job and yet is still a normal person with relationships and a personality and everything - later on, Eddings uses her specifically to lampshade stereotypical thinking about women as warriors.) But while it's very satisfying to learn the True History of Everything, there's a good chunk of the middle of the book where everyone is literally sitting in a room listening to stories. There are also many, many scenes where everyone is standing around talking about what needs to happen next, what's happened offscreen, etc. It kind of kills the pacing.
The Hidden City:
In contrast to the middle book, the third book is kind of a mess because everyone is scattered all over creation and we get viewpoints from just about every character we've ever met (and at least one that has had maybe a couple dozen lines in the preceding five volumes.) No objections about the pacing, though - plenty of stuff happens, and it happens regularly. One of the very successful portrayals of the series is of the secretly obsessive ex-boyfriend type, who eventually turns murderous - it's really quite chilling, reading it as an adult. The concept of gods is also moderately interesting, and fully explored in this volume - they are superhuman, but not perfect; intelligent, but not omniscient; powerful, but limited, and with personalities that shape their powers. The Bhelliom is explained as basically the next level up, although Eddings uses a variety of barely-coherent excuses to limit its power circumstantially so that it doesn't destroy the plot (this really doesn't hold up for me, and is probably the biggest flaw throughout the series, although at least this trilogy fixes the inconsistent-powers problem from the previous series.)
The climax works just fine, although it probably works better if you haven't read the Belgariad, because it's a straight-up retread. World-destroying powers agree to let their (im)mortal avatars decide the outcome, one represents conservatism and stagnation, the other represents progress and humanism, the good guy wins. They're even represented by the same colors. The good guys go home after spreading peace, love, and western upwardly-mobile social structures, the Arab- and Roman-analogue people are soundly defeated, and almost everyone is getting married. Except Ulath, who may be engaged to a Troll dude.
General notes:
The framing device, through the prologues, is actually a contemporary narrative. The first book has a fairly dry academic piece that sums up the previous series and introduces the new region and plot. The second book has a response to that piece, bringing the summary current but also arguing for the other perspective, that we know at that point to be the "bad guy" side. The third is a scene rather than a text, and brings in characters we recognize, in a time period that is clearly after the good guys win, and basically serves as a teaser. It's an interesting way to do it.
I have to remark on the racial angle, because it is another thing I just can't quite fail to see these days. The good guys are white, western and northern European Catholics (there are straight-up English, French, German and Norse analogues.) The mystical magical people are Jews (ghettoized, learned, don't eat pork, don't follow the majority religion, have a glorious home city far away.) As they travel east, they encounter Eastern Europeans (socially backwards, follow a variant of the "right" religion,) nomadic horse-people, and then the Asians (dark haired, golden-skinned, in a heavily bureaucratic empire - essentially good people but godless and set in their (obviously inefficient) ways.) Then there are the bad guys - desert peoples, jungle peoples, both of whom are darker-skinned, hopelessly corrupt and degenerate, and traffic in slaves. The "real" bad guys are lost-out-of-time ancient Romans, whose ideals of racial purity are mostly what make them so horrible. So it's kind of a horrible mishmash of good intentions and unquestioned stereotypes, driven mostly by the sort of Eurocentric thoughtless worldbuilding that gives fantasy a bad name.
There are good parts, even looking back on it now - the women are all fully-realized, powerful, and varied, even though Eddings makes regular remarks about how "women are like this and men are like that" - those assumptions are almost always limited to relationship issues, not larger societal roles. The problems of racial prejudice are attacked head-on, not subtly but honestly. And there is a very heartening sequence where the devout moralistic one is chided for being horrified at the existence of gay people - who are portrayed with a sympathy that was unusual in 1992. (Not that they all don't die, of course.) This is a problematic series at worst - I would happily recommend it to fans of pulp fantasy, and, unlike some other childhood favorites I could mention, I am not at all ashamed to have it on my shelves.
Domes of Fire:
The first half of the book is essentially a road trip. It's fine, it moves reasonably quickly and there are some nice touches - the Manor of Horrible People is well-crafted, and the Secret Government is entertaining throughout. The battles are a little too easy and obvious to be particularly gripping, but the conflict at Sarsos - where the knights, who were held up throughout the previous trilogy as the righteous defenders of the persecuted, mystic Styrics, encounter the ultra-civilized heart of Styricum and confront their own self-righteousness and sense of racial superiority - is blunt but welcome in a genre that doesn't spend a lot of time questioning white Christian-analogue heroes.
The second half is both more interesting and more problematic. We arrive at Matherion, the title city, which is theoretically the heart of a Chinese-style bureaucratic empire, but other than skin tone and org structure everyone is pretty much the same and there aren't really any culture clashes. (Except for one, which I'll get to in a minute.) The plot picks up speed, the stealthy battle preparations are entertaining, and the climax is fairly satisfying. The Emperor is an entertaining character, and the villains are suitably villainous.
My only objection - and it's one of those objections-in-hindsight, because I am now aware of sexual politics in a way I definitely wasn't when I was a teenager - is the Free-Love Empress Seduces Innocent Knight sequence. This isn't actually as appalling as it could be - she's portrayed as a perfectly good woman from a culture that doesn't place a lot of importance on sex, not an Evil Slut or anything, and late in the third book we actually get some of her viewpoint and she's kind of great. But the scenes where the older, more experienced knights tell the young hot one to just give it up because she needs to be kept happy, regardless of his personal desires or ethics, are... appalling. This is the best example of the Eddings's otherwise-liberal politics totally falling down when it comes to certain kinds of gender stereotyping - of course the young man should bang the hot topless woman, he's a man, he'll enjoy it no matter how he's protesting now. It's a relatively minor subplot, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
The Shining Ones:
Ah, the middle book. Always a challenge. It's got some high notes - the Troll God bargaining sequence is great (how do you persuade bestial, elemental gods to essentially let their worshipers go extinct?) the Maid Saves the Day bit is fantastic (shy, timid maid uses her professional knowledge to solve a political problem) and the whole bit with Atana Maris nicely encapsulates the successful portrayal of women as competent at whatever they choose to do, including kicking ass (absolutely, unquestionably competent warrior woman does her job and yet is still a normal person with relationships and a personality and everything - later on, Eddings uses her specifically to lampshade stereotypical thinking about women as warriors.) But while it's very satisfying to learn the True History of Everything, there's a good chunk of the middle of the book where everyone is literally sitting in a room listening to stories. There are also many, many scenes where everyone is standing around talking about what needs to happen next, what's happened offscreen, etc. It kind of kills the pacing.
The Hidden City:
In contrast to the middle book, the third book is kind of a mess because everyone is scattered all over creation and we get viewpoints from just about every character we've ever met (and at least one that has had maybe a couple dozen lines in the preceding five volumes.) No objections about the pacing, though - plenty of stuff happens, and it happens regularly. One of the very successful portrayals of the series is of the secretly obsessive ex-boyfriend type, who eventually turns murderous - it's really quite chilling, reading it as an adult. The concept of gods is also moderately interesting, and fully explored in this volume - they are superhuman, but not perfect; intelligent, but not omniscient; powerful, but limited, and with personalities that shape their powers. The Bhelliom is explained as basically the next level up, although Eddings uses a variety of barely-coherent excuses to limit its power circumstantially so that it doesn't destroy the plot (this really doesn't hold up for me, and is probably the biggest flaw throughout the series, although at least this trilogy fixes the inconsistent-powers problem from the previous series.)
The climax works just fine, although it probably works better if you haven't read the Belgariad, because it's a straight-up retread. World-destroying powers agree to let their (im)mortal avatars decide the outcome, one represents conservatism and stagnation, the other represents progress and humanism, the good guy wins. They're even represented by the same colors. The good guys go home after spreading peace, love, and western upwardly-mobile social structures, the Arab- and Roman-analogue people are soundly defeated, and almost everyone is getting married. Except Ulath, who may be engaged to a Troll dude.
General notes:
The framing device, through the prologues, is actually a contemporary narrative. The first book has a fairly dry academic piece that sums up the previous series and introduces the new region and plot. The second book has a response to that piece, bringing the summary current but also arguing for the other perspective, that we know at that point to be the "bad guy" side. The third is a scene rather than a text, and brings in characters we recognize, in a time period that is clearly after the good guys win, and basically serves as a teaser. It's an interesting way to do it.
I have to remark on the racial angle, because it is another thing I just can't quite fail to see these days. The good guys are white, western and northern European Catholics (there are straight-up English, French, German and Norse analogues.) The mystical magical people are Jews (ghettoized, learned, don't eat pork, don't follow the majority religion, have a glorious home city far away.) As they travel east, they encounter Eastern Europeans (socially backwards, follow a variant of the "right" religion,) nomadic horse-people, and then the Asians (dark haired, golden-skinned, in a heavily bureaucratic empire - essentially good people but godless and set in their (obviously inefficient) ways.) Then there are the bad guys - desert peoples, jungle peoples, both of whom are darker-skinned, hopelessly corrupt and degenerate, and traffic in slaves. The "real" bad guys are lost-out-of-time ancient Romans, whose ideals of racial purity are mostly what make them so horrible. So it's kind of a horrible mishmash of good intentions and unquestioned stereotypes, driven mostly by the sort of Eurocentric thoughtless worldbuilding that gives fantasy a bad name.
There are good parts, even looking back on it now - the women are all fully-realized, powerful, and varied, even though Eddings makes regular remarks about how "women are like this and men are like that" - those assumptions are almost always limited to relationship issues, not larger societal roles. The problems of racial prejudice are attacked head-on, not subtly but honestly. And there is a very heartening sequence where the devout moralistic one is chided for being horrified at the existence of gay people - who are portrayed with a sympathy that was unusual in 1992. (Not that they all don't die, of course.) This is a problematic series at worst - I would happily recommend it to fans of pulp fantasy, and, unlike some other childhood favorites I could mention, I am not at all ashamed to have it on my shelves.
November 29, 2018
I read this series every year or two, so it feels like an old friend by now. I appreciate the portrayal of Sparhawk, the main character, and the story itself is entertaining.
At first glance this and the first trilogy are just relatively standard epic fantasy, much in the line of Eddings' other works. In this case the hero is an adult and the tone and humor is somewhat darker than in some other series, indicating that it's possible aimed at a slightly more mature audience. There are many characters who appear fairly one-dimensional and lots of "you mysteriously have the power to do this" situations.
There are some revelations in this series that feel like ret-cons on the first series. Many of the revelations make some sort of sense but others do stretch belief somewhat. The sheer stupidity or some characters is also jarring at times, although many of these are specifically described as such in the story. It's when the supposed smart characters don't do the obvious that problems arise.
Still, there are enough little sub-notes that make the story enjoyable in my opinion. There are also a range of rather nice ideas that work very well. The divine curses in the book work, and so do some of the ways that different problems (like the Klael-beasts) are overcome. Matter-of-fact throw-away lines ("I knocked.") are mostly what keep me coming back, though.
One thing to note is that the books appear to touch on a range of different issues that aren't generally found in high fantasy. There's the race of beings accused of sorcery/witchcraft who are stigmatised and regularly brutalised by the (white, anglo) Elenes. The fact that this race has a resource that the Elenes happen to want (in this case access to magic), aid each other well and have a pronounced dislike for pork raises certain comparisons with real life.
The interaction between the troll priest and the main characters later in the trilogy is also interesting. It makes the characters re-evaluate a race that had been previously treated as little more than especially dangerous animals. It does smack somewhat of the "noble savage" mythology, but still adds flavor.
One of the most interesting things in the series is the portrayal of gods. From a stern god of the Elenes (who is fairly hands-off) to others who are incredibly stupid (too stupid to live, in some cases). There are a few notes that hint at minor comments on the relationship between the aspects of a deity and their worshippers - do we create our gods in our own image or is it the other way around?
Don't get me wrong, the series isn't deep or philosophical, but there's enough little hooks there to make it more than just another "guy with sword and muscles bashes up the bad guys" story.
At first glance this and the first trilogy are just relatively standard epic fantasy, much in the line of Eddings' other works. In this case the hero is an adult and the tone and humor is somewhat darker than in some other series, indicating that it's possible aimed at a slightly more mature audience. There are many characters who appear fairly one-dimensional and lots of "you mysteriously have the power to do this" situations.
There are some revelations in this series that feel like ret-cons on the first series. Many of the revelations make some sort of sense but others do stretch belief somewhat. The sheer stupidity or some characters is also jarring at times, although many of these are specifically described as such in the story. It's when the supposed smart characters don't do the obvious that problems arise.
Still, there are enough little sub-notes that make the story enjoyable in my opinion. There are also a range of rather nice ideas that work very well. The divine curses in the book work, and so do some of the ways that different problems (like the Klael-beasts) are overcome. Matter-of-fact throw-away lines ("I knocked.") are mostly what keep me coming back, though.
One thing to note is that the books appear to touch on a range of different issues that aren't generally found in high fantasy. There's the race of beings accused of sorcery/witchcraft who are stigmatised and regularly brutalised by the (white, anglo) Elenes. The fact that this race has a resource that the Elenes happen to want (in this case access to magic), aid each other well and have a pronounced dislike for pork raises certain comparisons with real life.
The interaction between the troll priest and the main characters later in the trilogy is also interesting. It makes the characters re-evaluate a race that had been previously treated as little more than especially dangerous animals. It does smack somewhat of the "noble savage" mythology, but still adds flavor.
One of the most interesting things in the series is the portrayal of gods. From a stern god of the Elenes (who is fairly hands-off) to others who are incredibly stupid (too stupid to live, in some cases). There are a few notes that hint at minor comments on the relationship between the aspects of a deity and their worshippers - do we create our gods in our own image or is it the other way around?
Don't get me wrong, the series isn't deep or philosophical, but there's enough little hooks there to make it more than just another "guy with sword and muscles bashes up the bad guys" story.
January 1, 2023
Really this and the first one are both 3.5 stars, so I split the difference between the reviews. Also because the way they walk back the note of finality from the previous trilogy is genuinely kind of hilarious, the big bad has some very nice moments, and I like a lot of the new characters. It also has maybe my favourite moment in any of these series, where Sparhawk and co. visit Fantasy Israel where the Styrics get to be the dominant majority instead of the oppressed minority, and Sparhawk (who's spent his entire life defending Styrics, sometimes violently, and looking down on Elenes who are Fantasy Antisemitic about them) realizes how much he dislikes several of these "uppity" Styrics and seriously grapples, just for a minute, with the fact that he seems to only be able to accept them when they're meek and "inferior" where he can be the better person by treating them as equals, as opposed to these Styrics who don't give him the opportunity for moral grandstanding. Sure, it's handled in the form of "now that he's realized this he resolves not to do it anymore and we're never picking this back up or letting it lead to anything", but it's a moment of genuine insight I was happily surprised to see.
The big, glaring problem here, meanwhile, is the whole concept of the Atans: an entire race so naturally violent that the peaceful bureaucrats had to enslave them forever before they wiped themselves out, and everything that comes from it. C'mon guys. You can do better than that.
The big, glaring problem here, meanwhile, is the whole concept of the Atans: an entire race so naturally violent that the peaceful bureaucrats had to enslave them forever before they wiped themselves out, and everything that comes from it. C'mon guys. You can do better than that.
July 21, 2017
Given I am ahead on my reading target I figured I don't need to cheat and log this as separate books. My goodness this is a massive tome. Perhaps I should have tracked down the original trilogy first however I believe the Mallorian would have stood on its own so should the Tamuli.
It doesn't. This series suffers badly from superman syndrome, the main characters just seem indestructible. Every move they make is flawless, every plan come together perfectly. The only times enemies gain the upper hand is when the protagonists are waiting for their next move. Large chunks of the book are devoted to finding increasingly more powerful characters (emperors, mythical creatures and a silly number of gods) or indeed the only super weapon in the world.
That said it is incredibly well written in true Eddings crafting but this does little to alleviate the boredom or the intense dislike for the arrogant, manipulative, murderous (bordering on genocide) main cast. I'm glad I don't have to lug this to work anymore!
It doesn't. This series suffers badly from superman syndrome, the main characters just seem indestructible. Every move they make is flawless, every plan come together perfectly. The only times enemies gain the upper hand is when the protagonists are waiting for their next move. Large chunks of the book are devoted to finding increasingly more powerful characters (emperors, mythical creatures and a silly number of gods) or indeed the only super weapon in the world.
That said it is incredibly well written in true Eddings crafting but this does little to alleviate the boredom or the intense dislike for the arrogant, manipulative, murderous (bordering on genocide) main cast. I'm glad I don't have to lug this to work anymore!
January 3, 2021
Fantastic Trilogy
I very much enjoyed this trilogy, The story line was well thought out and the characters were truly brilliant, not one weak one. The passage through each book seemed endless and at times very hard to put down, as the story line didn't have a place to stop at as you needed to know how or where the plot was going next.
I very much enjoyed this trilogy, The story line was well thought out and the characters were truly brilliant, not one weak one. The passage through each book seemed endless and at times very hard to put down, as the story line didn't have a place to stop at as you needed to know how or where the plot was going next.
June 16, 2018
Love and determination
The Sparrowhawk legend continues in this terrific set! Can he and his queen survive all the changes occurring in their world? They make great foils to each other and the storyline is truly magical. A great read and a classic on par with Tolkien!
The Sparrowhawk legend continues in this terrific set! Can he and his queen survive all the changes occurring in their world? They make great foils to each other and the storyline is truly magical. A great read and a classic on par with Tolkien!
June 30, 2024
Great Summer read! I listened to it on my way to and from work, and binged the final 8 hours over the weekend. I really enjoyed it, and was sad when I was finished. As with any audiobook, the Narrator is critical, and in this case he did not disappoint.
June 9, 2018
Awesome Adventures
I have read this collection of books many times and I fall in love with the characters and their friendships and adventures every time.
I have read this collection of books many times and I fall in love with the characters and their friendships and adventures every time.
March 3, 2019
Probably his best series. Really enjoyed it.
October 1, 2020
Great series
Recommended to all fantasy lovers who also like a good action section. Eddings is great, as good as Fiest in my book.
Recommended to all fantasy lovers who also like a good action section. Eddings is great, as good as Fiest in my book.
November 24, 2024
enjoyable trilogy
Enjoyed the series loved the characters and the plot. Looking forward to more reading by Eddings. Did not want this to end.
Enjoyed the series loved the characters and the plot. Looking forward to more reading by Eddings. Did not want this to end.
February 11, 2025
4 Stars
The Tamuli Omnibus (The Tamuli Books #1-3) by David Eddings.
2025 Buddy Read.
Full review to come.
The Tamuli Omnibus (The Tamuli Books #1-3) by David Eddings.
2025 Buddy Read.
Full review to come.
January 2, 2012
Fidèle à sa copie de recette gagnante, David Eddings (et sa femme je suppose) a décider de faire une histoire dans son monde avec Sparhawk a nouveau et cette fois-ci sur le continent à l'Est où un autre peuple vie et où il pourra voyager d'un pays à l'autre dans le but d'éviter une noir prophétie. Encore du déjà vu, mais cette fois ci l'auteur s'est (a mon avis) un peu planté. Voici les trois raisons principales:
#1. Dans cette série Sparhawk (comme pour Belgarion dans la Mallorae) possède le Bellium et l'utilise beaucoup. À la différence de Belgarion, Sparhawk l'utilise pour se facilité la vie pas mal plus et comme il n'y a pas de Belgarath pour lui dire qu'il scrape un peu le monde, he bien, il ne se gêne pas. Il est même encourager à le faire par une déesse qui dit l'aimer fort fort. Donc à cause de ça, à la moitié du deuxième roman on sait un peu trop que les bon vont gagner et que l'ennemie pourra pas faire grand chose pour s'opposer aux bons. Ça enlève tout le thrill de au moins pas savoir comment ça va se passer, mais là c'est écrit gros dans le ciel. Pas super enlevant de lire un roman où on sait que peut importe ce qui sera mis sur le chemin du héros, il a juste à sortir son bijoux et il va tout régler.
#2. On se fout un peu de cette histoire. Après avoir lu Elenium, j'étais satisfait du final et je me demandais bien comment l'auteur pourrait étirer l'histoire sur trois autres volume. He bien la réponse est simple, il ne pouvait pas, mais il l'a fait pareille. Une bonne partie du Tamuli est une réécriture de la Mallorae avec moins d'action, des dialogue moins fort et des personnages qui suivent une ligne simple mais sont appauvri par une inutilité dû à une sur-utilisation du Bellium. Donc les personnages principaux sont peu approfondi car on voit qu'il sont pas embarquer à fond la caisse dans l'aventure, ce qui nous embarque ne même temps moins.
#3. L'intro comme la conclusion ne sont pas travaillé et encore une fois l'histoire fini sec. Ça prouve que ces roman n'ont pas bénéficié du même travail que la Belgariad quant à la préparation, l'organisation et la création du monde dans lequel on est lancé. On embarque moins dans ce monde et on voit qu'avec un peu plus de temps à éditer et retravailler cet histoire on aurait pu avoir un second classique, mais à remacher des restes on fini pas trouve que sa goûte moins bon.
Cette trilogie est de loin meilleur que bien des livre que j'ai lu, mais je ne peux lui donner plus que 3 étoiles car elle est de loin inférieur aux livres précédents et souffre d'un auto-plagiat quasiment risible. Quand on soupire à partir de la moitié du deuxième roman car on trouve que ça va être long à finir sa s'annonce mal. Cependant, le fait que j'ai lu la trilogie au complet tout de même et que je lui donne 3 étoiles prouve que tout n'est pas mauvais non plus.
Alors pour les fan des oeuvres de Edding seulement, car quand vous avez lu la Belgariad et la Mallorae, je peux vous le dire, vous avez lu de que David Edding à fait de meilleur.
#1. Dans cette série Sparhawk (comme pour Belgarion dans la Mallorae) possède le Bellium et l'utilise beaucoup. À la différence de Belgarion, Sparhawk l'utilise pour se facilité la vie pas mal plus et comme il n'y a pas de Belgarath pour lui dire qu'il scrape un peu le monde, he bien, il ne se gêne pas. Il est même encourager à le faire par une déesse qui dit l'aimer fort fort. Donc à cause de ça, à la moitié du deuxième roman on sait un peu trop que les bon vont gagner et que l'ennemie pourra pas faire grand chose pour s'opposer aux bons. Ça enlève tout le thrill de au moins pas savoir comment ça va se passer, mais là c'est écrit gros dans le ciel. Pas super enlevant de lire un roman où on sait que peut importe ce qui sera mis sur le chemin du héros, il a juste à sortir son bijoux et il va tout régler.
#2. On se fout un peu de cette histoire. Après avoir lu Elenium, j'étais satisfait du final et je me demandais bien comment l'auteur pourrait étirer l'histoire sur trois autres volume. He bien la réponse est simple, il ne pouvait pas, mais il l'a fait pareille. Une bonne partie du Tamuli est une réécriture de la Mallorae avec moins d'action, des dialogue moins fort et des personnages qui suivent une ligne simple mais sont appauvri par une inutilité dû à une sur-utilisation du Bellium. Donc les personnages principaux sont peu approfondi car on voit qu'il sont pas embarquer à fond la caisse dans l'aventure, ce qui nous embarque ne même temps moins.
#3. L'intro comme la conclusion ne sont pas travaillé et encore une fois l'histoire fini sec. Ça prouve que ces roman n'ont pas bénéficié du même travail que la Belgariad quant à la préparation, l'organisation et la création du monde dans lequel on est lancé. On embarque moins dans ce monde et on voit qu'avec un peu plus de temps à éditer et retravailler cet histoire on aurait pu avoir un second classique, mais à remacher des restes on fini pas trouve que sa goûte moins bon.
Cette trilogie est de loin meilleur que bien des livre que j'ai lu, mais je ne peux lui donner plus que 3 étoiles car elle est de loin inférieur aux livres précédents et souffre d'un auto-plagiat quasiment risible. Quand on soupire à partir de la moitié du deuxième roman car on trouve que ça va être long à finir sa s'annonce mal. Cependant, le fait que j'ai lu la trilogie au complet tout de même et que je lui donne 3 étoiles prouve que tout n'est pas mauvais non plus.
Alors pour les fan des oeuvres de Edding seulement, car quand vous avez lu la Belgariad et la Mallorae, je peux vous le dire, vous avez lu de que David Edding à fait de meilleur.
July 16, 2016
Much like its prequel trilogy, the Elenium, Eddings' Tamuli is a light, entertaining read that immerses the reader in a detailed world that the characters fully explore over the course of three books.
I thought this trilogy did a much better job elaborating on the cosmology of the universe, going into more detail all the competing religions. Really, the world is a pantheon, with each race or nation having their own god or gods, and each god jealously trying to prevent its race from worshipping any other gods. Still, that doesn't quite make me understand how a continent of people can be fiercely monotheistic and have no knowledge of any other gods. I still find that strange, and this book still made the Elene God not present or justifiable in any way, shape or form.
Eddings, as always, puts together a entertaining cast of characters. I might even say there were too many characters. In the third book, when all the characters as assuming other identities and we're following numerous different groups, it got rather hard to follow. Also, I despite Kalten and Khalad, mainly because I kept mixing up their names. Let's not have characters in the same party have similar names, please. Eddings characters always come across as a little too perfect and adaptable to any situation (while their foes, while wily, never come across as sane or smart), but that's okay in the long run.
If you like the Elenium, you're going to like the Tamuli, even though after three more books it might seem a tad repetitive and all you want to do is rush towards the ending.
I thought this trilogy did a much better job elaborating on the cosmology of the universe, going into more detail all the competing religions. Really, the world is a pantheon, with each race or nation having their own god or gods, and each god jealously trying to prevent its race from worshipping any other gods. Still, that doesn't quite make me understand how a continent of people can be fiercely monotheistic and have no knowledge of any other gods. I still find that strange, and this book still made the Elene God not present or justifiable in any way, shape or form.
Eddings, as always, puts together a entertaining cast of characters. I might even say there were too many characters. In the third book, when all the characters as assuming other identities and we're following numerous different groups, it got rather hard to follow. Also, I despite Kalten and Khalad, mainly because I kept mixing up their names. Let's not have characters in the same party have similar names, please. Eddings characters always come across as a little too perfect and adaptable to any situation (while their foes, while wily, never come across as sane or smart), but that's okay in the long run.
If you like the Elenium, you're going to like the Tamuli, even though after three more books it might seem a tad repetitive and all you want to do is rush towards the ending.
May 10, 2016
I have reread this series and intend to do so every decade for the rest of my life along with
Raymond E Feist's Riftwar and Empire
David Eddings' Belgariad, Mallorean, Elenium and Tamuli
Patricia Briggs' Hurog, Raven, Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega
Joel Rosenberg's Keepers of the Hidden Ways (unknown classic)
Dave Duncan's A Man of His Word (unknown classic)
Robin Hobb's Farseer and Tawny Man
S M Stirling's Dies the Fire
Tad William's Memory, Sorrow and Thorn
Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels
Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid
Joe Abercrombie's the Heroes book
David Gemmell's Drenai
Raymond E Feist's Riftwar and Empire
David Eddings' Belgariad, Mallorean, Elenium and Tamuli
Patricia Briggs' Hurog, Raven, Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega
Joel Rosenberg's Keepers of the Hidden Ways (unknown classic)
Dave Duncan's A Man of His Word (unknown classic)
Robin Hobb's Farseer and Tawny Man
S M Stirling's Dies the Fire
Tad William's Memory, Sorrow and Thorn
Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels
Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid
Joe Abercrombie's the Heroes book
David Gemmell's Drenai
March 19, 2014
Thoroughly enjoyable series and not what I expected from Eddings at all. Not a fan of The Belgariad or The Mallorean but this series, for me, was a step into a different style of writing for Eddings and I feel like it was a really good story. The characters were more life-like, with more realistic motivations and it handled sorcery in a way I could appreciate (not a Deus Ex Machina sort-of-way when it was convenient).
If you were to read any of his books, I would recommend this series.
If you were to read any of his books, I would recommend this series.
July 28, 2010
i read it back in 2006 and once i started i couldn't put it down until i finished it... took me almost 3 days (coz i have to work during the day) to finish it but it's so captivating and i just love Sparhawk
July 27, 2011
Fast-paced, and on the whole, very enjoyable. However, Eddings writes the type of dialogue that appears in Buffy week after week. Quips and slang are occasionally funny, but overall it feels unauthentic and ruins the fantasy for me. Left me wishing David Gemmel had written more books!
January 21, 2016
It has its flaws but I'm giving it 5 stars because every time I read it, I feel like I'm getting together with old friends. I could criticize stuff about it, but at the end of the day, I'm always happy when I start it and sad when it's over.
November 1, 2016
Lighthearted, with the emphasis on "light"
I like David Eddings, but this one seemed tired and predictable. The final book had an air of inevitability which took the edge off all the plot twists. That said, it's worth reading once.
I like David Eddings, but this one seemed tired and predictable. The final book had an air of inevitability which took the edge off all the plot twists. That said, it's worth reading once.
October 20, 2019
Great and colorful, even better than the Elenium. ,
But still, the Magic of the Belgarath stories is unsurpassed. Lots of interesting angles on politics, religion, race, friendship. Really well written in the Eddings' inimitable style with lots serious fun.
But still, the Magic of the Belgarath stories is unsurpassed. Lots of interesting angles on politics, religion, race, friendship. Really well written in the Eddings' inimitable style with lots serious fun.
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