The Younger Gods

Just received the book but I am anticipating and wonderful read. I've gone thru all his books except for High Hunt and The Losers. Love the bits of humor Leigh adds in. They are very unexpected and sometimes quite droll.

Ok, I'm the first person to admit I like good fantasy. I have been waiting for this books to come out for what seems like a hundred years (I'm not the patient type!). It was worth it. I like the Eddings as writers, and it was worth all this time to get this book out of them. Please, my dear Mr. and Mrs...DON'T STOP. Give us more. Let the Elder Gods sleep, but keep in contact (somehow) with the Younger Gods. It is a wonderfull world now the Vlagh is neutralized. Lets make the land of Drahll a wonderful place for more adventures.

The Younger Gods (2006) is the fourth novel in The Dreamers series, following Crystal Gorge. In the previous novel, the combined forces of the Dhrall gods fortify the Crystal Gorge, but are driven out by deadly smoke clouds. They build breastworks outside the gorge and repel three bug attacks. Then a cyclone moves down the gorge and draws blue fire behind it, throwing bug-people around and totally incinerating the remains. The methane gas fire flows for miles into the desert, burning everything it reaches. After the bugs are removed, the hired forces and natives prepare to move to the eastern Domain. Nasaran, however, is reluctant to return to Aracia's Domain; he finally agrees if and only if he is left alone to build forts in the Long Pass. He declares that he will pack up and leave if Aracia ever comes into his presence. No one, god or human, has any quarrel with his terms. In this novel, the Vlagh is extremely determined to get through the Long Pass to the Domain of Aracia. She decides to produce as many children as possible, even if it will take a while to recover from the effort. This time she produces over a million and a half eggs. The gods and their allies meet at Mt. Dhrall to plan the campaign. Their concern is Aracia herself, so Sorgan is dispatched with his Maags to Temple town to keep the goddess and her priests out of Narasan's way. Sorgan soon has the priests hiding deep within the Temple. Takal Bersla has had especially harrowing experiences with Sorgan, more than once barely escaping with his life. After a few words from Alcevan, the priestess of Holy Aracia, Bersla starts persuading novice priest to assassinate Lillabeth, Aracia's Dreamer, in hopes that Enalla also will die. Assigning big, burly Maags as Lillabeth's bodyguard cut down the number of young priests willing to take a chance. Alcevan still hasn't given up and she seems to have some influence with Aracia. Although the goddess starts showing indication of sanity after meeting Sorgan, she reverts back to senility whenever Alcevan whispers in her ear. Rabbit is beginning to have suspicions about Alcevan. Back at the Long Pass, Gunda and Andar finish the first two forts and start building more. Soon they have a line of forts about a mile apart down the pass. Then it begins to snow on the west side of the pass, but not in the east; the bugs are soon covered in snow. This story duplicates the other three to some extent, but some new data about the gods themselves comes out in this volume. Aracia generates more speculations than all the rest combined. Longbow has figured out whom his unknown friend really is and passes on some of his thoughts. This novel concludes the series, but the ending is somewhat puzzling. It makes one wonders what was this exercise was all about. Anyway, Longbow is left happy with his fate and the Vlagh is left otherwise. The usual irritants also occur in this novel. Various phrases and comments become pandemic among th

I'll tell you, some people just don't understand. Take the first review of this book, for example. For an Eddings fan to not be able to distinguish the author's purpose in the story repetition is abominable. I'll let you figure it out on your own, but suffice it to say, it's brilliant, and well done. As with all their series, David and Leigh have drawn vivid characters with which readers can fall in love. Anyone who can't sympathize with Longbow simply has no heart and no sense of romance in his/her body. The other characters are all as well defined and lovable. But you can discover this for yourself should you choose to read the books. The truly amazing thing about all of the Edding's work is the depth, not only of the characters, but of the societies to which those characters belong. If you think it's easy, try it. I can guarantee you, it's much, much harder than it seems. I also enjoy the way that Edding's characters have such an intimate relationship with their Gods. Not like some gods that just tell their believers to have "faith". The true genius behind these books is there for those who want to seek it. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have. Read on!

This is the final installment of the four-book "The Dreamers" series by David and Leigh Eddings. The Vlagh, a bug-like immortal, is desperate to invade the god Aracia's territory to ensure the survival of her children. Meanwhile the other gods are assembling their forces to help save their sister's lands. However, as the younger gods' period of dominance approaches and the elder gods prepare for their time of sleep, Aracia begins to plot to destroy the younger god of her domain. Now Aracia's immortal brothers and sister not only have to save her domain from the Vlagh, but Aracia from herself. Once again, David and Leigh Eddings create a world of complex beauty and magic with their vivid descriptions. Every character is well drawn, and each has their own wit and idiosyncrasies, which makes the pace of the book speed along to the end. Most welcome is the focus on the development of the current main characters. In Books Two and Three, many new main characters were introduced into the plot and, as engaging as they become, their insertion was a bit disruptive. However, in this installment, the characters we already know are the focus, as well as their final battle with the Vlagh. Because of this, the Eddings' characters really shine as they work to find understanding amongst themselves and develop engaging and touching friendships. Unfortunately, because of the attachment readers will feel to these characters, some might be unsettled by how the ending affects their favorites. Still, this well-written conclusion to "The Dreamers" series will leave everyone hoping this isn't really the end. Reviewed by Joelle Charbonneau-Blanco 6/19/2006