Tomes of Spellcasting--The Hidden City

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 Hidden City
Author: David Eddings
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Format: Paperback
Copyright Date: 1994

Take the champion of the Pandion Order, arm him with a broadsword and the arts of Styricum, partner him with a spirit greater than the gods themselves and what do you have? Sparhawk of Elenia, of course! But despite his power he's still a mortal, and this gives his enemies a certain edge over him, including the lives of his wife and her handmaiden, not to mention the fate of the entire world. To make matters worse, he's stuck battling inhuman monsters from another world, warriors out of antiquity, antiquated modern soldiers, an arrogant god, a disillusioned Styric wizard and his insane son, and the one being in the universe with power enough to rival even Bhelliom itself: Klael! Does he have any chance of winning at all? With his varied mortal allies, the support of several pantheons of gods, the power of Bhelliom with and within him, and his own formidable will? Maybe.

This third book of the Tamuli brings a titanic close to the saga of Sir Sparhawk of Elenia and the Blue-Rose, Bhelliom. It has everything you'd expect in the conclusion to as impressive a series as this. Amid all the fighting, and searching, and campaigning, and struggling, you still have time to look at the people involved and how their lives are proceeding. You don't simply have Ehlana and Alean being kidnapped and disappearing into the aether until they're rescued: you get to see them struggling to persevere and survive in their captors' hands. You don't simply have Khalad and Berit trekking across the land pretending to be people they aren't: you get to see them being true to their real characters, with calm, stoic Khalad's class prejudices and Berit's relative innocence continuing intact. Oh, and we get to see Zalasta's descent into misery and self-destruction clearly instead of having him appear one way at the beginning and another way at the end. Couple all of this with spectacular writing, and the book becomes a shining crown jewel in David Eddings' already impressive credentials.

Perhaps the best part of all is how Sparhawk, while keeping in character, manages to surprise everyone, even those that know him best. Everyone expects him to tear Matherion to pieces once he learns of Ehlana's kidnapping, but he keeps his head. There are other incidents throughout the text that provide similar grimly humorous instances. By far the best scene out of all of these is how Sparhawk, when offered the opportunity to be a god--or more--chooses a less divine niche to occupy in existence.

The Hidden City is a stellar example of David Eddings' writing, and is a definite must-read. Of course, if you read the other books in the Tamuli, then you absolutely have to read this! The humorous opening alone is worth the price of the book!

Rating: Thumbs up! It's time for showdowns: man vs. man, god vs. god, and elemental power vs. elemental power!

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