Tomes of Spellcasting--The Diamond Throne

Tomes of Spellcasting

Welcome to the land of mystery, where the impossible is possible, and the improbable the reality. Join me as I investigate worlds filled with magic and meet the souls that wield this wondrous powers.

W A R N I N G !

This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.

That said, on to the review!

Title: The Diamond Throne
Author: David Eddings
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Format: Paperback
Copyright Date: 1989

With the waning life of the young queen he's sworn to protect, the lives of twelve of his brother knights and his mentor in the mystical arts, and the seat of the archprelacy at stake, you'd think Sir Sparhawk of Elenia had enough to worry about. Unfortunately, he also has to worry about the connivance of a corrupt primate, the manipulations of a renegade knight, the unsettling potential for religion-related uprisings, and the threat of invasion from a kingdom whose deity demands the world. All this, and someone--or something--is out to get him, too. When is he ever going to be able to get around to saving his queen with all these things piling up on his doorstep? Sooner than expected, since everything is related in some small way or another. The question, then, is will he survive the overwhelming odds against him?

Although this is a fantasy world where magic--a.k.a. the arts of Styricum--is relatively commonplace, we get to see more than simply continuous spellcasting. It has its place, of course, as seen in narratives of the history of the continent of Eosia, but those possessing the knowledge of the arts use it sparingly...well, almost, if you consider Sparhawk's slightly petty usage towards the beginning. The knights use the arts only after they've explored force-of-arms and the intimidation value of their being knights in the first place, not to mention stealth and guile when it proves helpful. I for one enjoyed reading books handled in this manner. Nothing against using magic all the time--I did it myself for my master's thesis--but this time around it was interesting to see how Sparhawk and his companions relied more on intelligence and physicality than metaphysicality.

I found the distinction between the Elder Gods of Styricum and the Younger Gods of Styricum somewhat confusing until I compared them to the Greco-Roman myths where the Titans (the Elder Gods' counterparts) were overthrown by the Zeus and the other Olympians (a.k.a. the Younger Gods). That made it easier. Of course, I'm not certain where the Troll-Gods would fit into this theological formula, nor the individual Elene God, but that wasn't really the problem. Of course, understanding the Eshandist heresy and its relationship to the Elene church was confusing as well. I'm still not certain I understand. Help?

I should really be reviewing David Eddings' The Belgariad first, but at the time a trilogy seemed easier to reread than a quintet. Still, The Elenium--of which this is the first book--is entirely independent of those other books, so there's no problem with needing to know what happened there to understand what's happening here.

Rating: Thumbs up! This first book sets the stage for a wonderful trilogy!

Want a second opinion? See one at Toby's Land of Fantasy Book Reviews.

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