Tomes of Spellcasting--The Ruby Knight

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 Ruby Knight
Author: David Eddings
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Format: Paperback
Copyright Date: 1990

Sir Sparhawk of Elenia has enough problems to deal with, what with finding a cure for his poisoned queen and saving her life and the lives of his brother knights, thwarting a corrupt primate from ascending to the archprelacy, defusing the potential for religious uprisings, and preventing an evil god from subtly--and not so subtly--conquering the world. The last thing he needs are more quests to fulfill and more problems to solve. However, a new quest--tracking down centuries-old folklore--may be the only way to find a legendary gem, the sole power that can possibly save the queen, so he has no choice. That means that he must also face a succubus, a giant semi-sentient insect, hordes of its zombie-like slaves, and the followers of the god of evil, all the while searching for traces of the mighty Bhelliom. Can Sparhawk and his friends succeed, and will they be able to do so in time to save the dying queen?

The mystical arts of Styricum appear more often--to my eyes anyway--than they did in The Diamond Throne. Of course, this time there seems to be greater provocation as the stakes become higher and the number of threats to the quest increases. It's good to see people get by without falling back on a crutch, but the instances where Sparhawk and his friends do use magic are almost always those where they have no other alternative. It was also good to see them combining the mystic with the mundane, as in the way Sephrenia mixed things from Baron Alstrom's kitchen, then used magic to provide sufficient quantities of the stuff to work with. Of course, seeing things done the old-fashioned way was also enjoyable, as when the knights set aside their swords to become stone masons and carpenters.

I know character development to be necessary to draw the reader's interest, and Sparhawk and the others continue to develop. Well, maybe not develop so much as remain in character. The author established their characters before. Now he's using their strengths and weaknesses to great advantage. Understated Ulath, humorous Tynian, likeable Kalten, devout Bevier, innocent Berit, brusque Kurik, mischievious Talen, enigmatic Flute, and serene Sephrenia all work together in balancing out grim Sir Sparhawk. It makes them more than just a simple--relatively speaking--party of adventurers: it makes them a sort of family that you want to know and continue to learn about.

The Ruby Knight is the second book in The Elenium. It takes up where The Diamond Throne left off with Sparhawk returning from his visit to the late king's tomb. It is in almost all ways a fitting sequel to an already stupendous start. Only one question: what happened to the Damork?

Rating: Thumbs up! Ghosts and monsters abound in this second-of-three!

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