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The Dreamers #4
The Younger Gods
In the thrilling conclusion to The Dreamers, the Vlagh prepares for one merciless attack that will pit her forces against the might of both the Elder Gods and the Younger Gods. All may be for naught, however, if the allies fail to respond to the fact that one within their ranks is losing her mind. The end of twenty-five eons has now the four Elder Gods will be replaced by the Younger Gods. During this transition, the greatest danger comes not from the Vlagh, who breeds her largest and deadliest insectoid army for a final war on Dhrall, but from Aracia, an Elder God. Aracia has grown addicted to the worship of mortals and believes a young deity wants to usurp her glory. Eager to stay in power forever, the Elder God plans the to murder one of the Younger Gods. But in her madness, Aracia forgets that the Elder Gods are forbidden to take life-as a principle of existence. If she kills the child deity, it will cause the absolute unmaking of all creation...
432 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 2, 2006
69 people are currently reading
2631 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 117 reviews
January 21, 2012
Three books of awesome buildup, and…meh! Lame. Not glorious, thrilling and inventive like the first three books, no real development. Same old, same old, and the good parts aren't enough to boost the rest. It's fine enough for the first three quarters or so of the book, but then it all pretty much goes to hell. >:(
*deep sigh* I think that, in the whole of my reading history, this book is the biggest disappointment a favorite author has ever phoned in. It killed my joy in the rest of the series. So NOT a feel-good read.
*deep sigh* I think that, in the whole of my reading history, this book is the biggest disappointment a favorite author has ever phoned in. It killed my joy in the rest of the series. So NOT a feel-good read.
October 30, 2012
I was set to give this book three stars, as up until the "Epilogue," this was the best book of the series. And then, Worst. Ending. Possible.
If you are a complete-ist, and are finishing the series because you feel you have to (and I include myself in that,) the good news is that this is the best book of the four. Sure, all the characters blend together, and yes, there is a ton of repetition; but there are plot twists that make it worth while, (though they aren't foreshadowed as much as anvil-tossed.) AS LONG AS YOU DO NOT READ THE EPILOGUE.
If you own a copy, just tear out the last eleven pages, so that if a friend or relative happens to pick up the series they don't end up reading the epilogue.
-----
About The Dreamers as a whole: As I recall, when The Redemption of Althalus came out there were complaints that it was "too long," and that it should have been split into two books. I wonder if this had an effect on the editing (and writing) of this series. The excessive repetition may have been required to pad this series out to four books, when it could have easily been two.
If you are a complete-ist, and are finishing the series because you feel you have to (and I include myself in that,) the good news is that this is the best book of the four. Sure, all the characters blend together, and yes, there is a ton of repetition; but there are plot twists that make it worth while, (though they aren't foreshadowed as much as anvil-tossed.) AS LONG AS YOU DO NOT READ THE EPILOGUE.
If you own a copy, just tear out the last eleven pages, so that if a friend or relative happens to pick up the series they don't end up reading the epilogue.
-----
About The Dreamers as a whole: As I recall, when The Redemption of Althalus came out there were complaints that it was "too long," and that it should have been split into two books. I wonder if this had an effect on the editing (and writing) of this series. The excessive repetition may have been required to pad this series out to four books, when it could have easily been two.
August 25, 2016
No-one could accuse the Dreamers series of being classic fantasy literature, the first book is so-so, the second is decent and the third pretty pants, but this final book in the series takes awfulness to whole new levels. After four whole books of build-up, characterisation and world-building one character decides to instigate a deus ex machina, reverse time and destroy the main enemy in the past so that the entire story never happened. It makes absolutely no sense and completely ruins the series, let alone any re-readability the books might have had without it. With the exception of the two main couples who still manage to get together, thanks to some loopholes in the time-reversal, every single relationship from the story no longer occurred. The Trogites and the Maags, who at the beginning of the series would kill each other on sight, were fast on their way to becoming close allies, but now that never happened. A series of technological advancements, including the development of new weapons and a new monetary system which were invented during the course of the three wars featured in the previous books, well, none of that ever happened. The dissolution of the corrupt Trogite church? Never happened. Bizarrely, the main reasoning given for the time reversal is to prevent any of the characters from dying during the three wars, despite the fact that the only protagonist to bite the dust is One-Who-Heals, an elderly shaman who only dies because he's really old! How does destroying the enemy in the past help a character who died of old age in the future? He's still going to get old and die in the new time-line! What about all the minor evil characters that died during the story? They've just been brought back to life! The only character who doesn't get brought back to life thanks to this time-reversal is the goddess Aracia, but it's never explained why. Poor old Aracia gets a really raw deal in The Younger Gods. In the previous books she's presented as being similar to the other elder gods, if a little haughty and cold. She's keen on experimenting with her powers, creating a secret chamber in her palace and attempting to create a miniature sun, dotes on her Dreamer Lillabeth and the seals that live along her coast, and gets on well enough with her siblings. But in The Younger Gods it's claimed that she has never left the main chamber of her temple (despite the fact we've seen her do so multiple times), has no control over her powers, is despised by her siblings and basically ignores Lillabeth. Her main flaws are being a bit inconsistent, for which she's treated with utter contempt by the rest of the cast, and eventually being controlled by one of the Vlagh's servants, something which the other gods could easily have fallen prey to. When the Vlagh has taken complete control of Aracia and tries to get her to murder Lillabeth, an action which the other characters know will actually destroy Aracia herself, no-one tries to stop her because they don't like her enough! In one scene, her brother Veltan mentions trying something slightly crazy and instantly the other characters try to persuade him not to do it as they all love him too much to risk him dying. What did Aracia do to deserve this treatment? She's the victim of her own retro-active characterisation. After she dies, she's barely mentioned again, except to compare her unfavourably to Eleria, the goddess that will now take her place and to note her supposed similarity to the main villain.
Some of the ideas presented in the novel, such as the idea that all of the elder gods have false memories and have only been alive for a short amount of time, are decent but would have worked much better in a short story or stand-alone novel. Unfortunately four novels of build-up that simply end with one character turning back time on a whim do not a good series make.
Bonus Evil Fat Character Count: Whilst reading this novel, take a shot for every time an evil character is fat, take two for when said character has 'Fat' as their epithet every time they appear and a third for when the other characters stand around laughing at how hilarious fat people are, speculating how much food they eat and how funny it would be if they didn't get to eat said food. Try not to get alcohol poisoning. Fail.
Some of the ideas presented in the novel, such as the idea that all of the elder gods have false memories and have only been alive for a short amount of time, are decent but would have worked much better in a short story or stand-alone novel. Unfortunately four novels of build-up that simply end with one character turning back time on a whim do not a good series make.
Bonus Evil Fat Character Count: Whilst reading this novel, take a shot for every time an evil character is fat, take two for when said character has 'Fat' as their epithet every time they appear and a third for when the other characters stand around laughing at how hilarious fat people are, speculating how much food they eat and how funny it would be if they didn't get to eat said food. Try not to get alcohol poisoning. Fail.
May 28, 2021
titular sentence:
p155: "...The Dreamers and the younger gods are connected in ways that Dahlaine didn't anticipate when he came up with his scheme, and they're connected with each other in ways that none of us could have imagined."
typo:
p131: Alcevan seems to think that if Lilglabeth died, Enalla would cease to exist...."
Rest in peace, David and Leigh. I'm glad my brother introduced me to you when he did.
27 books, 12,209 pages
p155: "...The Dreamers and the younger gods are connected in ways that Dahlaine didn't anticipate when he came up with his scheme, and they're connected with each other in ways that none of us could have imagined."
typo:
p131: Alcevan seems to think that if Lilglabeth died, Enalla would cease to exist...."
Rest in peace, David and Leigh. I'm glad my brother introduced me to you when he did.
27 books, 12,209 pages
February 24, 2013
Ah, the wasted hours of my life. I could have recommended this series as the weakest offerings of an aging great author couple if not for the ending that reversed, in just a few short pages, all character development that had occurred in four books on the whim of a spoiled child.
I cannot say more without revealing too much, but I will say this: if you feel compelled to read this book, this series...do not allow yourself to become invested in any character's growth, especially minor characters who come into their own and provide amusement as they do. You will be left with nothing but a sense of abandonment. For those who thrive on happy endings no matter what, this is the series for you. Without regard to the fact that they unravelled everything else they built, the Eddings provided a trite package of sweet, complete with a gooey bow.
I cannot say more without revealing too much, but I will say this: if you feel compelled to read this book, this series...do not allow yourself to become invested in any character's growth, especially minor characters who come into their own and provide amusement as they do. You will be left with nothing but a sense of abandonment. For those who thrive on happy endings no matter what, this is the series for you. Without regard to the fact that they unravelled everything else they built, the Eddings provided a trite package of sweet, complete with a gooey bow.
August 18, 2025
In a word... Disappointing
2.75/5
2.75/5
August 4, 2010
Ok, I am sorry. But this book was horrible. It felt like it was written for people in the early stages of Alzheimer's. The climax of the story was written no less than four times, supposedly from different peoples' points of view, except the reactions of the people were worded differently every time (it had Rabbit having at least 3 different reactions to the form of the Vlagh). The characterization felt especially caricature-like, like they were all shy children who'd never had sex, or were ashamed of the subject in general. Except of course, during the few moments in the book where the man would get all prudish, but those "naughty" women would be amused by their embarrassment. What are we, 9? Then, there is the fact that it felt that every other chapter/section ended with "and so-and-so laughed." For the climax of some big war, there was absolutely no sense of conflict or impending doom or whatever. Then, randomly for 2 chapters in the middle of the book, the narration changed to first person, for two different characters! For no apparent reason! And I feel really bad ranting about all this, the Eddings' always wrote books that were enjoyable. But, his wife having died a few years back, and this being the last book he wrote before he died, I kind of wish they could have just left the series open.
July 6, 2019
3 ½ Stars
The Younger Gods is the fourth book in The Dreamers Series by David Eddings. This series takes place in a new ‘universe’, but the stories feel a lot like Mr. Eddings other books but are my least favourite of his stories.
I did enjoy the books, but for me they don’t feel quite as epic as his other reads. These books were a little slow in places, and I found it hard to ‘get into’ the stories- in comparison to his other works. Some of the books, especially the first book, feel way too long- and would have worked just as well, if not better, if they had been shortened. There was a lot of dialogue, and a lot of repeated information, which was frustrating and slowed down the flow of the story/stories.
The world building though, was really well done, as expected from Mr. Eddings. The fantasy and adventure was fun- if not a little corny and cheesy in parts.
This is a story of Gods, Monsters, and humans- and even though I have rated it lower than his other work, it is still worth the read for a true fantasy lover.
The Dreamers Series Books are:
-The Elder Gods (Book #1)
-The Treasured One (Book #2)
-Crystal Gorge (Book #3)
-The Younger Gods (Book #4)
Happy Reading!
The Younger Gods is the fourth book in The Dreamers Series by David Eddings. This series takes place in a new ‘universe’, but the stories feel a lot like Mr. Eddings other books but are my least favourite of his stories.
I did enjoy the books, but for me they don’t feel quite as epic as his other reads. These books were a little slow in places, and I found it hard to ‘get into’ the stories- in comparison to his other works. Some of the books, especially the first book, feel way too long- and would have worked just as well, if not better, if they had been shortened. There was a lot of dialogue, and a lot of repeated information, which was frustrating and slowed down the flow of the story/stories.
The world building though, was really well done, as expected from Mr. Eddings. The fantasy and adventure was fun- if not a little corny and cheesy in parts.
This is a story of Gods, Monsters, and humans- and even though I have rated it lower than his other work, it is still worth the read for a true fantasy lover.
The Dreamers Series Books are:
-The Elder Gods (Book #1)
-The Treasured One (Book #2)
-Crystal Gorge (Book #3)
-The Younger Gods (Book #4)
Happy Reading!
August 10, 2021
The whole series is emblematic of what I call "lazy fantasy;" everything is solved too easily and the magic system is not adequately explained. There is also a serious and terminal case of deus ex machina that made this series a slog. Very disappointing because I love the Belgariad.
2021 Reading Challenge: fantasy
2021 Reading Challenge: fantasy
September 26, 2016
I'm on the fence about that ending.
First things first though the last books in series have the enormous job of 'tying all the ends together'. This book seemed to open up more.
For me there were a lot of things left unexplained. Also a lot of the characters seemed to have knowledge of things they'd had no chance to investigate beforehand. I also didn't like how undeveloped the characters were in the end... Literally.
That ending man, just... Ugh.
Not the worst read but not the best, probably gonna be thinking about this one for a while though.
First things first though the last books in series have the enormous job of 'tying all the ends together'. This book seemed to open up more.
For me there were a lot of things left unexplained. Also a lot of the characters seemed to have knowledge of things they'd had no chance to investigate beforehand. I also didn't like how undeveloped the characters were in the end... Literally.
That ending man, just... Ugh.
Not the worst read but not the best, probably gonna be thinking about this one for a while though.
February 7, 2011
I'm really disappointed that this wasn't a better written series; the characters are fantastic and the storyline is great, but there was just too much repetition and I wondered if that was done to stretch it into four books. As I said in my review of book 3, I think the author had good intentions in presenting different parts from different characters viewpoints, but it was just very repetitious and could've been done in a much better way. I really wish these has been better.
abandoned
November 9, 2007This is not typical Eddings. And yet, I trudged through the first three because I wanted to know what was going to happen. I like the concept of the characters. It's not a typical adventure quest like his other series, which is refreshing. However, the banter is a little trite at times. And yet, I'm still reading because I need to finish the series and find closure.
July 16, 2012
Whether or not you enjoyed the first three books of the series, the last book retroactively makes the entire rest of the series suck. A huge "none of this ever happened" twist ending after four books of drama and character development renders everything you've read up to that point completely pointless. The ending literally made me angry, and I refuse to even touch the series ever again.
May 17, 2017
These books became a little hard to get through. The first one was pretty good, but then it started feeling like Eddings was just trying to add filler to make each book longer. He started having chapters in the second book that told each of the main characters' backstory, which I liked. However, once we learned about each character, he kept jumping back in time to get a perspective from a different character, but it felt like the story was going two steps forward, one step back with each chapter, since it kept repeating what the reader already knew. There were several other things that kind of ruined these books for me as well. I did like the story and I was very interested in seeing how it played out. What I didn't like was that all of these characters from different backgrounds and different parts of the world seemed to have the exact same personality, manner of speaking, and sense of humor. Any that weren't exactly like that seemed to be the "weird" characters that nobody else in the group really understood. There were several phrases that were repeated constantly by many different characters (not everybody says "go on down the road", "go on up the hill" every time). The worst thing was that when the same part of the story would be re-told from another character's perspective, the dialogue would change! If he was going to repeat parts of the story, the dialogue should have either been summarized or important parts should have been repeated verbatim. Near the end of this last book, the reader already knew what was going to happen because it had been discussed several times already. One of the last chapters provided a little new insight and then the next one went back several steps to tell the same exact parts again. I actually said "Oh come on!" out loud. I feel like parts of this story could have been fleshed out into extremely interesting details or backgrounds, but they were just glossed over in favor of trite dialogue between the characters.
I really loved Eddings' Belgariad and Mallorean series and because of those I always try to give his other series a try. I'm hoping if I attempt another one it will be written with that type of quality instead of what I saw in the Dreamers series. So while I would recommend The Dreamers for the creative story, take them with a grain of salt if you choose to read them.
I really loved Eddings' Belgariad and Mallorean series and because of those I always try to give his other series a try. I'm hoping if I attempt another one it will be written with that type of quality instead of what I saw in the Dreamers series. So while I would recommend The Dreamers for the creative story, take them with a grain of salt if you choose to read them.
August 10, 2011
It isn't very hard for me to explain why I don't like this book, no, this series, very much. First of all, the ending was just stupid.
But on to some issues that I have with the series as a whole. The characters, though fairly likeable in general, are portrayed in an extremely aggravating manner.
1. Every single one of them apparently enjoys a "good" joke, which, in and of itself, is not unrealistic. What isn't realistic is that this sense of humor extends so far as to require a "joke" every other page or so. It seems to me that being involved in a WAR would inject a little bit of solemnity to matters. I mean people could die, even though nobody seems to die in the wars after maybe the first one. But no, these wars are just a big party for everyone involved except for the Vlagh. Also, almost nobody ever tells a joke like a normal person would. Instead, it is almost always said "without a trace of a smile on his face." The repetition of this one idiom just infuriates me beyond measure. Every time that I saw it, I felt like throwing the book across the room. Suffice to say, it got old real fast.
2. The dialogue. Not only does every other person talking tell a "joke," everyone talks in the most awkward way possible. the most common example of this is how everyone says "friend so-and-so" when talking to a friend. I'm sorry, is the characterization here so bad that we readers must be reminded every chapter who the good guys and the bad guys are? (Actually, I feel that the characterization is okay, I just have an issue with this phrase.) Another phrase that is overused, though not as much, is "dear heart." I realize that couples have pet names for each other, but I'm pretty sure that they don't use one all the time. One last thing about the dialogue, which also has to do with my first point, is that everyone who talks kind of dumbs it down. When talking about a military tactic that will make it possible to kill thousands of bugs at a time, they say how inconvenient that will be for the Vlagh. I think that we are old enough to understand and accept that they are okay with killing every single bug that threatens them.
3. Every character is the same. Now, I feel that I need to explain this one. I'm not claiming that absolutely every character is a carbon copy of every other one, but within each race/tribe of humans, there are several roles filled by characters that are almost identical. There is always the character who is the best friend of the most important person of each race/tribe. This character could almost be termed as the comic relief sidekick except that he's not funny. Then the faceless masses behind the leaders of each race/tribe also appear to function more or less the same, i.e. just to be there, and to sometimes make a "joke." Then there are the leaders, Sorgan and Narasan. Both have two lieutenants that are constantly making "jokes" and don't appear to be the most competent people in the world. Both become friends with each other very fast, despite the fact that their races are practically mortal enemies. Whatever happened to cultural differences and unique character traits? About the only unique thing about each race/tribe was either their level of technology, methods of hunting/fighting, or where they lived. That is beyond unrealistic. That's just absurd. It would be like if an American man, a Saudi Arabian man, and a Japanese man met and discovered that they had practically identical childhoods and liked exactly the same things. It just doesn't happen.
4. Longbow. He is pretty much the only character with a unique motivation and personality, but he comes off as a sociopath. On quite a few occasions, another character remarks on how he wouldn't want to be fighting Longbow or how he's fairly scary. The first is acceptable, as that can just be admiration of his fighting skills, but what about the second comment? This guy sounds like a menace to any society. He really contributes nothing because of his single-minded obsession with elimination the Vlagh. With that kind of personality, what would he have done if the war hadn't come along? Lived alone forever and become that man in the woods that parents of his tribe warn their kids about? Probably.
5. Religion. Though this entire series deals with gods and how they affect the land that they rule, there is not a single real religion. There is not a single realistic religion in this entire world. A realistic religion might have some corrupt and/or ambitious members, but in general it should have a fairly moral message, or at least start out with one. Aracia's church exists explicitly so that her priests don't have to work, and the Trogite Church seems more like a corporation than a religion. It seems like the Eddings' have an issue with religion. Like, a really big issue. I'm not much of a believer in organized religion, but I would never portray it like this. I realize that religion does have some very good effects, though there will be corruption at times as well as religious extremists, but that's what makes it realistic. These "religions" are entirely corrupt, and therefore totally unrealistic.
In general, this book seems like it was not meant to be exclusively for young children, but the simplistic elements that appear consistently throughout this book and the entire series make that demographic the only one appropriate. Oh, but wait, there is the small issue of genocide and eternal torment, along with many lovely images of what the bugs will do to people if they get a chance, so never mind. I guess that this series is not suitable for really anyone, and especially not any Eddings fans.
But on to some issues that I have with the series as a whole. The characters, though fairly likeable in general, are portrayed in an extremely aggravating manner.
1. Every single one of them apparently enjoys a "good" joke, which, in and of itself, is not unrealistic. What isn't realistic is that this sense of humor extends so far as to require a "joke" every other page or so. It seems to me that being involved in a WAR would inject a little bit of solemnity to matters. I mean people could die, even though nobody seems to die in the wars after maybe the first one. But no, these wars are just a big party for everyone involved except for the Vlagh. Also, almost nobody ever tells a joke like a normal person would. Instead, it is almost always said "without a trace of a smile on his face." The repetition of this one idiom just infuriates me beyond measure. Every time that I saw it, I felt like throwing the book across the room. Suffice to say, it got old real fast.
2. The dialogue. Not only does every other person talking tell a "joke," everyone talks in the most awkward way possible. the most common example of this is how everyone says "friend so-and-so" when talking to a friend. I'm sorry, is the characterization here so bad that we readers must be reminded every chapter who the good guys and the bad guys are? (Actually, I feel that the characterization is okay, I just have an issue with this phrase.) Another phrase that is overused, though not as much, is "dear heart." I realize that couples have pet names for each other, but I'm pretty sure that they don't use one all the time. One last thing about the dialogue, which also has to do with my first point, is that everyone who talks kind of dumbs it down. When talking about a military tactic that will make it possible to kill thousands of bugs at a time, they say how inconvenient that will be for the Vlagh. I think that we are old enough to understand and accept that they are okay with killing every single bug that threatens them.
3. Every character is the same. Now, I feel that I need to explain this one. I'm not claiming that absolutely every character is a carbon copy of every other one, but within each race/tribe of humans, there are several roles filled by characters that are almost identical. There is always the character who is the best friend of the most important person of each race/tribe. This character could almost be termed as the comic relief sidekick except that he's not funny. Then the faceless masses behind the leaders of each race/tribe also appear to function more or less the same, i.e. just to be there, and to sometimes make a "joke." Then there are the leaders, Sorgan and Narasan. Both have two lieutenants that are constantly making "jokes" and don't appear to be the most competent people in the world. Both become friends with each other very fast, despite the fact that their races are practically mortal enemies. Whatever happened to cultural differences and unique character traits? About the only unique thing about each race/tribe was either their level of technology, methods of hunting/fighting, or where they lived. That is beyond unrealistic. That's just absurd. It would be like if an American man, a Saudi Arabian man, and a Japanese man met and discovered that they had practically identical childhoods and liked exactly the same things. It just doesn't happen.
4. Longbow. He is pretty much the only character with a unique motivation and personality, but he comes off as a sociopath. On quite a few occasions, another character remarks on how he wouldn't want to be fighting Longbow or how he's fairly scary. The first is acceptable, as that can just be admiration of his fighting skills, but what about the second comment? This guy sounds like a menace to any society. He really contributes nothing because of his single-minded obsession with elimination the Vlagh. With that kind of personality, what would he have done if the war hadn't come along? Lived alone forever and become that man in the woods that parents of his tribe warn their kids about? Probably.
5. Religion. Though this entire series deals with gods and how they affect the land that they rule, there is not a single real religion. There is not a single realistic religion in this entire world. A realistic religion might have some corrupt and/or ambitious members, but in general it should have a fairly moral message, or at least start out with one. Aracia's church exists explicitly so that her priests don't have to work, and the Trogite Church seems more like a corporation than a religion. It seems like the Eddings' have an issue with religion. Like, a really big issue. I'm not much of a believer in organized religion, but I would never portray it like this. I realize that religion does have some very good effects, though there will be corruption at times as well as religious extremists, but that's what makes it realistic. These "religions" are entirely corrupt, and therefore totally unrealistic.
In general, this book seems like it was not meant to be exclusively for young children, but the simplistic elements that appear consistently throughout this book and the entire series make that demographic the only one appropriate. Oh, but wait, there is the small issue of genocide and eternal torment, along with many lovely images of what the bugs will do to people if they get a chance, so never mind. I guess that this series is not suitable for really anyone, and especially not any Eddings fans.
April 10, 2021
Recensione valida per l'intera tetralogia.
Avete presente il Deux ex machina?
Ecco questa saga potrebbe essere considerata il maggior esponente di questa particolare tecnica narrativa. Qui non c'è l'intervento di un Dio che risolve come d'incanto una situazione complicata, ma di ben 4, ma che dico 4, addirittura 8, se non persino 9, o forse 13 o 14 Dei? Insomma qui gli Dei non solo si impicciano delle vicende del popolo, ma vogliono farla da padrona e diventarne i veri protagonisti.
Qui siamo alla presenza di un fantasy in vecchio stile, molto è raccontato, le decisioni sono quasi tutte prese a tavolino e raramente ci si imbatte nella vera azione, a dir la verità la trama è piuttosto prevedibile.
Di contro i personaggi sono ben sviluppati, molti mostrano una certa vena di ironia, anche se parlano tutti un po' allo stesso modo.
Curiosa la divisione in sezioni e capitoli molto strutturati e con precise regole di punti di vista e sviluppo. Forse avrei evitato il rivivere così tante volte le stesse scene raccontate da diversi POV, ma la trama rimane comunque lineare e scorrevole.
Ma il vero flop qui è il nemico, assolutamente non all'altezza della moltitudine di Dei e poteri contro cui si ritrova a doversi contendere i territori. Il finale poi è un po' una delusione.
Tuttavia Eddings mi ha svezzata al Fantasy da giovane e sono da sempre affezionata ai suoi Dei bambini che corrompono coi baci e a protagonisti con le scarpe spaiate e la lingua tagliente, che non posso che dargli le tre stelline della piena sufficienza.
Avete presente il Deux ex machina?
Ecco questa saga potrebbe essere considerata il maggior esponente di questa particolare tecnica narrativa. Qui non c'è l'intervento di un Dio che risolve come d'incanto una situazione complicata, ma di ben 4, ma che dico 4, addirittura 8, se non persino 9, o forse 13 o 14 Dei? Insomma qui gli Dei non solo si impicciano delle vicende del popolo, ma vogliono farla da padrona e diventarne i veri protagonisti.
Qui siamo alla presenza di un fantasy in vecchio stile, molto è raccontato, le decisioni sono quasi tutte prese a tavolino e raramente ci si imbatte nella vera azione, a dir la verità la trama è piuttosto prevedibile.
Di contro i personaggi sono ben sviluppati, molti mostrano una certa vena di ironia, anche se parlano tutti un po' allo stesso modo.
Curiosa la divisione in sezioni e capitoli molto strutturati e con precise regole di punti di vista e sviluppo. Forse avrei evitato il rivivere così tante volte le stesse scene raccontate da diversi POV, ma la trama rimane comunque lineare e scorrevole.
Ma il vero flop qui è il nemico, assolutamente non all'altezza della moltitudine di Dei e poteri contro cui si ritrova a doversi contendere i territori. Il finale poi è un po' una delusione.
Tuttavia Eddings mi ha svezzata al Fantasy da giovane e sono da sempre affezionata ai suoi Dei bambini che corrompono coi baci e a protagonisti con le scarpe spaiate e la lingua tagliente, che non posso che dargli le tre stelline della piena sufficienza.
July 19, 2017
I plowed through this book just to finally be done with this series. It wasn't worth it. I should have stopped halfway through book one. When an author gets famous enough, they get to a point where they could sneeze onto a napkin and somebody would publish it. I would have rather read the sneeze. I have seriously read high schoolers with a better writing style than Eddings.
The funny part is, the first half of this book is the best that the series gets. Sorgan and crew have to pull off a fake war in order to snap Aracia back to her senses. It's clever, the characters are on full display, and plot points happen every chapter. But then... nothing. The final battle never happens. The characters never resolve their arcs. In the final confrontation, one of the gods makes sure to bring along Longbow, Keselo, and Rabbit, because "he needs them". But then those three proceed to do absolutely nothing.
And then there's the ending. Other reviews here should give you a taste of just how abysmal it is. One reviewer suggested ripping out the last 11 pages (the Epilogue), and I would echo that sentiment. Without those 11 pages, the story would at least wrap up. With them, it takes the utter pointlessness of the series, puts it through an amplifier, and makes sure that it is echoing in your mind every time you think of this book or this author in the future.
Reader, stay far, far away from this book.
The funny part is, the first half of this book is the best that the series gets. Sorgan and crew have to pull off a fake war in order to snap Aracia back to her senses. It's clever, the characters are on full display, and plot points happen every chapter. But then... nothing. The final battle never happens. The characters never resolve their arcs. In the final confrontation, one of the gods makes sure to bring along Longbow, Keselo, and Rabbit, because "he needs them". But then those three proceed to do absolutely nothing.
And then there's the ending. Other reviews here should give you a taste of just how abysmal it is. One reviewer suggested ripping out the last 11 pages (the Epilogue), and I would echo that sentiment. Without those 11 pages, the story would at least wrap up. With them, it takes the utter pointlessness of the series, puts it through an amplifier, and makes sure that it is echoing in your mind every time you think of this book or this author in the future.
Reader, stay far, far away from this book.
June 20, 2018
The Dreamers
This is for all four books in the 'Dreamers' series. The Elder Gods, The Treasured One, The Crystal Gorge & The Younger Gods.
3.5 stars. I enjoyed it!
This was a different prospect from the usual fantasy tales as the enemy wasn't your dragon or orc or sorcerer. But she was no less hell bent on taking over the world.
A lot of reviews for this book are negative, mostly because they are complaining that the book repeats itself. Thats actually kind of the point. The repeats are from totally different perspectives. The story from a god, the story from a soldier, the story from a corrupt clergyman. The story from the Treasured One.
I've always loved David Eddings for his likeable and believable characters. Although this is no Belgariad, This is 'Eddings Lite'. Not particularly a deep work, but I feel the characters are well defined to thier purpose and you learn more about them with each telling of the story.
I noticed that what was for all the talk of 'war' there really never was one, there was a lot of strategy, but when it all boiled down to it not a whole lot of fighting.
The thing that disappointed me was the ending, the last few pages. I personally think that the author could have tied the ends together to a far more satisfying conclusion.
Its not great writing but..
"Fun though!"
This is for all four books in the 'Dreamers' series. The Elder Gods, The Treasured One, The Crystal Gorge & The Younger Gods.
3.5 stars. I enjoyed it!
This was a different prospect from the usual fantasy tales as the enemy wasn't your dragon or orc or sorcerer. But she was no less hell bent on taking over the world.
A lot of reviews for this book are negative, mostly because they are complaining that the book repeats itself. Thats actually kind of the point. The repeats are from totally different perspectives. The story from a god, the story from a soldier, the story from a corrupt clergyman. The story from the Treasured One.
I've always loved David Eddings for his likeable and believable characters. Although this is no Belgariad, This is 'Eddings Lite'. Not particularly a deep work, but I feel the characters are well defined to thier purpose and you learn more about them with each telling of the story.
I noticed that what was for all the talk of 'war' there really never was one, there was a lot of strategy, but when it all boiled down to it not a whole lot of fighting.
The thing that disappointed me was the ending, the last few pages. I personally think that the author could have tied the ends together to a far more satisfying conclusion.
Its not great writing but..
"Fun though!"
March 4, 2022
I have been a fan of David Eddings since I read the Belgariad back in 1985 and I have enjoyed all the books he has written since then, that is until The Dreamers series.
Eddings plots and characterisation have always been uncomplicated but enjoyable and endearing, however, with The Dreamers series and especially The Younger Gods, this all changed.
The writing style is still one that is easy to read, but the plot and characterisation have become more puerile with each book, with The Younger Gods being the worst of the lot.
This book also suffers from the same information being repeated by several characters to each other and is written as if they haven't heard it before, it also has several scenes that repeat within a few pages, though rather than being a typo error this looks like there were several drafts of a number of scenes and rather than choose one, both were added, making sure to cut away to another scene before coming back to the one you have just read.
The conclusion to the story is also very unsatisfactory and left me feeling very underwhelmed.
If you enjoy Eddings books, then I would advise against reading this book, or the series, as it will spoil your impression of the man and his past works.
Eddings plots and characterisation have always been uncomplicated but enjoyable and endearing, however, with The Dreamers series and especially The Younger Gods, this all changed.
The writing style is still one that is easy to read, but the plot and characterisation have become more puerile with each book, with The Younger Gods being the worst of the lot.
This book also suffers from the same information being repeated by several characters to each other and is written as if they haven't heard it before, it also has several scenes that repeat within a few pages, though rather than being a typo error this looks like there were several drafts of a number of scenes and rather than choose one, both were added, making sure to cut away to another scene before coming back to the one you have just read.
The conclusion to the story is also very unsatisfactory and left me feeling very underwhelmed.
If you enjoy Eddings books, then I would advise against reading this book, or the series, as it will spoil your impression of the man and his past works.
May 11, 2025
I've always considered David Eddings one of my favorite authors having loved The Belgariad and The Mallorean since childhood, so this year I thought I'd dedicate myself to reading The Dreamers. I have to say, I wish I hadn't. What a disappointment! Many of the characters seem to have been lifted from other series by the Eddings duo and the repetition between and within each book... to be put it quite bluntly, it was awful. In some cases the same thing was explained three times over on the same page! And each time a new character was introduced the whole story was told again. I swear, the whole of the story could have been cut down to one or two books. I am still giving each book 3 stars because I did at least get through them all - it wasn't a DNF - I liked the concept, I liked the storyline, and I was amused by some of gags. It was an easy read, it just could have done with a blooming good edit.
NB having read the books as a series, I am posting the same review against all four books.
NB having read the books as a series, I am posting the same review against all four books.
January 3, 2019
Sorry to say, but most of the criticism of this series is fairly well-founded. I did still enjoy the read, but this is the fourth book that focused on setting up for a massive conflict only to have it be supplanted by a greater power.
I'll apologize for a spoiler here...but honestly, if you haven't read this series, you might as well just skip it and enjoy the better Eddings' works. There is such a massive logic flaw in having them alter the past so that none of the events even occurred. The reason for doing so was necessary because Aracia was coerced into non-existence, but if the preceding events never occurred...neither did that one. So, changing the past would not have resulted in the end result it was designed to bring about.
This ending makes the earlier issues regarding redundancy even more insulting. Not only did none of these events happen, but the reader was forced to read these non-events multiple times.
I'll apologize for a spoiler here...but honestly, if you haven't read this series, you might as well just skip it and enjoy the better Eddings' works. There is such a massive logic flaw in having them alter the past so that none of the events even occurred. The reason for doing so was necessary because Aracia was coerced into non-existence, but if the preceding events never occurred...neither did that one. So, changing the past would not have resulted in the end result it was designed to bring about.
This ending makes the earlier issues regarding redundancy even more insulting. Not only did none of these events happen, but the reader was forced to read these non-events multiple times.
February 11, 2020
Just. Don't. Read. It!
If you want to waste several hours of your life, that you'll never get back again, then read The Dreamers Quartet - I did, and really wish I hadn't.
If you read reviews (which I hadn't before I started these), then you'll know from previous reviews just how these books have been received - so take their warnings to heart, and don't bother!
I love all of the other books the Eddings team have ever brought out, but tis particular quartet - and especially this last one - should never have gone to the printer, as they lack so much, that they are an insult to the work David Eddings has brought to us before!
I have always kept every book I've bought of the Eddings team - but these four will be off to my local charity shop, as soon as I can get into town - I've too little free space on my bookshelves, to waste them with books I'll definitely never read again!
If you want to waste several hours of your life, that you'll never get back again, then read The Dreamers Quartet - I did, and really wish I hadn't.
If you read reviews (which I hadn't before I started these), then you'll know from previous reviews just how these books have been received - so take their warnings to heart, and don't bother!
I love all of the other books the Eddings team have ever brought out, but tis particular quartet - and especially this last one - should never have gone to the printer, as they lack so much, that they are an insult to the work David Eddings has brought to us before!
I have always kept every book I've bought of the Eddings team - but these four will be off to my local charity shop, as soon as I can get into town - I've too little free space on my bookshelves, to waste them with books I'll definitely never read again!
June 14, 2018
This is honestly the only book I have never finished to date. The entire series was so long winded-far longer than it needed to be and the ending of this was the cherry on the top. I was approximately 1/3 of the way through this last book and the 500-odd pages per book were starting to drag me down. So I decided to skip to the end to see if I could convince myself to keep going based on the ending. Once I'd done that, I threw the book across the floor and never looked back - and I do anything not to ruin my books. It felt like an enormous waste of my previous two weeks of reading and a bit like a betrayal. Bottom line is don't read this series unless you have literally nothing else to do and no other books to read, or if you don't mind an ending that offers you nothing but frustration.
July 17, 2025
A terrible ending to the series
This series has consistently had two problems: 1) presenting the same events repeatedly but from different points of view, and 2) solving problems via miraculous intervention by gods at the last moment (i.e., deus ex machina). This final novel cuts down significantly on the first issue but ramps up the second one into overdrive. I won’t spoil the ending, but what a letdown.
This series has been a real chore to read. Not recommended. I give this novel 3/5 stars, and the series as a whole 2/5 stars.
This series has consistently had two problems: 1) presenting the same events repeatedly but from different points of view, and 2) solving problems via miraculous intervention by gods at the last moment (i.e., deus ex machina). This final novel cuts down significantly on the first issue but ramps up the second one into overdrive. I won’t spoil the ending, but what a letdown.
This series has been a real chore to read. Not recommended. I give this novel 3/5 stars, and the series as a whole 2/5 stars.
September 15, 2020
Thankfully got through this. The series is done.
Terribly disappointing considering the Belgariad and Malorean series. No, they weren't the most complex and sophisticated fantasy reads, but they were an exciting adventure through and through.
Dreamers became a chore from the get go. Almost read like a first draft that was leaning towards the recycling bin or maybe to be reworked into a mediocre kids series.
Perhaps retirement is the the future for these authors.
Terribly disappointing considering the Belgariad and Malorean series. No, they weren't the most complex and sophisticated fantasy reads, but they were an exciting adventure through and through.
Dreamers became a chore from the get go. Almost read like a first draft that was leaning towards the recycling bin or maybe to be reworked into a mediocre kids series.
Perhaps retirement is the the future for these authors.
October 9, 2017
This is probably the worst series I have read in a long while. Where was the quality control? What even more unbelievable is, is that this series has been translated and reprinted!
Should come with the following warning label; "Danger! Can cause serious damage to your own and your unborn child's intellect."
Should come with the following warning label; "Danger! Can cause serious damage to your own and your unborn child's intellect."
September 7, 2021
Disappointing
I was very disappointed with this series. Sections were Re worded and repeated several times. There was little action and a shallow story. It didn’t seem to have been written by David Eddings. I kept reading the series hoping it would get better, but that never happened.
I was very disappointed with this series. Sections were Re worded and repeated several times. There was little action and a shallow story. It didn’t seem to have been written by David Eddings. I kept reading the series hoping it would get better, but that never happened.
August 4, 2022
To be honest, I find that all this series isn´t up to Eddings usual quality. The story is original and has possibilities, yet it is repetitive in itd narration and dialoges and makes for slow reading. The ending is what I liked best,
October 20, 2022
Excellent series!
This was a great series to read. Although, while I had hoped for a little different ending like that of some of the Eddings other series, I still liked how it ends. I also will recommend this series to everyone who loves fantasy fiction.
This was a great series to read. Although, while I had hoped for a little different ending like that of some of the Eddings other series, I still liked how it ends. I also will recommend this series to everyone who loves fantasy fiction.
September 1, 2017
While I love Eddings writings and I truly enjoyed this series, I feel that the ending presented in this book was a rip off. A true and great loss when David died
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