Jalkan stumbled back, spitting blood, teeth, and curses and he clawed at his knife-hilt. Keselo's sword, however, came out of its sheath more smoothly and rapidly. The young man put the point of his sword against the bone-thin Trogite's throat. "Drop it, Jalkan," he said quite firmly. "Drop the knife, or I'll kill you right here on the spot." "But this peasant just hit me!" Jalkan screamed. "That's a hanging offense! I'm an officer!" "Not anymore, you aren't," Narasan declared in a flat tone of voice. "I've put up with you for much too long already, and you've just given me something that I've been waiting for. Your army career is finished, Jalkan, and good riddance." "You can't do that!" Jalkan screamed at Narasan. "I paid gold for my commission! Gold!" -from The Treasured One.
Publishers Weekly,In the bestselling Eddings duo's disappointing second entry in their Dreamers series (after 2003's The Elder Gods), the four gods (one for each point of the compass) face a new menace in the Land of Dhrall. Neither omnipotent nor omniscient, head god Dahlaine, his brother Veltan and their two sisters aren't even particularly bright. The Vlagh, an evil insectoid creature that's trying to take over the world by producing an army of mutated snake people, goes south to carry the fight for domination to Veltan's realm. The dreamers (the younger gods) forecast the coming horde and provide enough information for Dahlaine and his siblings to prepare themselves. Indeed, the gods' preparations for one rather tedious, unexciting battle occupy the bulk of the book. This fantasy comes as a great letdown from the authors of the luminous Belgariad series (Pawn of Prophecy, etc.). No true hero shines forth, and the gods' powerlessness makes them worse than cardboard cutouts. Filled with second- or even third-hand action, the story lacks urgency. The next volume desperately needs to be better in order to save the series. Agent, Eleanor Wood at Spectrum Literary Agency. (Oct. 26) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
