The Treasured One

The Treasured One (2004) is the second novel of The Dreamers series, following The Elder Gods. In the previous volume, the Maag smith Rabbit introduced metal arrowheads to Zelana's hunters and Longbow returned the favor by showing the Maags how to make venom from dead snake-men. When the snake-men charged the fortifications at the head of the ravine, the whole lot of them were killed on the slope. Then came snow and later came hot winds; the resulting flood washed all the snake-men in its path down to Lattash. Afterward the outflow from the twin volcanic eruptions killed off the rest of the invading snake-men, but buried Lattash in hot lava. In this novel, the Vlagh waits for the signal of a successful invasion, but hears only silence through the overmind. After a long delay, she sends out the warriors guarding her to check out the situation. Later one comes back with news of death and defeat. The Maags and Trogites take the residents of the now drowned and buried village of Lattash to a new site across the bay. Old Chief White-Braid retires and the reluctant Red-Beard is selected for the position. Of course, Red-Beard will not be around very much since the Dreamer Ashad has envisioned an attack on Veltan's Domain in the south. In addition, the Dreamer has seen a second invasion on the southern shores of Dhrall. The Maags and Trogites relocate to the southern Domain and the leaders gather in Veltan's new map-room. There they are shown the lay of the terrain around the Falls of Vash and plan their strategy. Sorgan's cousin Skell and a small party are sent upstream to mark a trail around the Falls and to select positions for new fortifications. The hanging valley over the Falls is very large, stretching over ten miles from the Falls of Vash to a large gap in the northern mountains. This mile wide opening between the valley and the Wasteland seems the result of an earthquake and is clearly the way that the bug-men will follow in the invasion. The slope leading down to the Wasteland is filled with basalt slabs; these would be perfect blocks for building the fortifications if Maag and Trogite forces can reach the gap in time. Skell has his small force lay ropes up the stream bed where they have climbed up to the heights. Shortly afterward, the advance force of Trogite soldiers lands and builds piers along the river banks. Then Veltan arrives on his pet lightning bolt and declares that a second invasion of Trogite churchmen has landed on his southern shores. The Maags sail down the river to burn the invading ships and the Trogites continue carrying their supplies up the stream bed to the hanging valley. This novel does not add much to the story as a whole. It tends to be repetitious, but does fill in portions of the backstory from other viewpoints and adds abundant details on the corruption of the Amarite Church. The story of Jalkan, the greediest man in the world (except for the higher echelons of the Amarite Church), adds a

I pretty much have read everything Eddings has written and it is very obvious that the older he gets the better he gets. This series is the best that he has written - book 2 being a slight letdown from book 1 but only because book 1 was so good. The only thing he has done that was better was his stand alone Redemption of Althalus

Though triumphant in the recent battle with the malevolent insectoid Vlagh (see THE ELDER GODS), none of the victors realize that the enemy is hatching a new even deadlier plot to take over Dhrall. The tired quartet of sibling Gods succeeded in the first skirmish because they awakened early their replacement Gods, the Dreamers forged a mortal army to repel the deadly Vlagh. While Longbow and his hooded companions seek deserved respite in the farming communities of the south, the Vlagh creates a hideous army of gigantic bat-bugs and armored spiders that is much more powerful and deadlier than their previous horde. . At the same time that the Vlagh seems ready to win, one of the original allies Jalkan falls to gold fever. He raises an army and declares a holy war against his former compatriots while the Vlagh begin their assault. In the midst of this war, an unknown being assaults the minds of everyone from insectoid, humans, and seemingly aging and youthful Gods. Filled with plenty of varying action that never fully explodes, the second Dreamer tale will excite fans of the Eddings though it reads like a middle book setting up the real adventure. The Elder Gods remain intriguing as their skills continue to wane while the Dreamers wonder if it is their time now albeit a bit early. The interesting Jalkan spin divides the solidarity of the allied forces, but competes for depth with the Vlagh war and other subplots. Still epic fantasy readers will enjoy the latest entry that spirals in several potentially enjoyable different directions setting up what should prove to be a spike of a third novel. Harriet Klausner