The Redemption of Althalus [Hardcover]

Althalus was just a thief, and only a good thief by the standards of the backwoods and hick towns where he spent most of his career; a trip to the big cities of the lowlands almost proved disastrous for him, because he could recognise neither real threats nor even more sophisticated forms of wealth. Hired to steal a magic book, he finds himself imprisoned by a talking cat and subjected to the extensive education that will make him leader of humanity's fight back against a death god and his cadre of thugs. Much of what is best in The Redemption of Althalus has to do with the process whereby he recruits his team--a spoiled princess, a witch rescued from the stake, a barbarian warrior and a street urchin with the brain of a great strategist; once the team is in place and their fight back against conquest and sinister magic begins, victory is more or less assured and a matter of watching a thoroughly entertaining process. It is interesting to see Eddings working on a smaller canvas than usual--there is a fundamental niceness to his books that entirely gets its head here, along with an attractive sense of humour.--Roz Kaveney

‘A graceful, fluid style of storytelling rare in fantasy writing’
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

‘Nobody writes modern fantasy like Eddings’
VECTOR

A fabulous brand new Eddings standalone fantasy, set in an entirely new magical world.

A bronze-age burglar, armed robber and sometime murderer, our hero Althalus is commissioned to steal a book by a mysterious cloaked stranger named Ghend. Althalus sets off to the House at the End of the World to steal it – after stealing Ghend’s cloak, as well, since winter is coming on. (Althalus is a rogue who can get away with almost anything… maybe with everything!)
At the House at the End of the World, he finds a talking cat… in the same room as the book Ghend described. What he can’t find once he’s in the house is the door by which he entered. Only 2467 years and an ice age later does Althalus re-emerge with the cat, Emmy, in the hood of his (Ghend’s) cloak. By now he can read. He’s read the book and discovered a tool mightier than the blunt instrument he once used to disable his victims. The book was written by the god Deiwos, whose evil brother Daeva is trying to unmake the world. Emmy is in fact their sister and she’s setting out to save the world with Althalus to help her.
No easy task. First there is a quest to unearth the magical knife that will enable Emmy to assemble and command her band of essential helpers: Eliar (young soldier), Andine (leader of a small country), Bheid (black-robed priest), Gher (ten-year old orphan), Leitha (telepath/witch). Their respective commands: lead, obey, illuminate, deceive, listen. Althalus is commanded by the Knife to seek.
Battles follow against Gelta the Queen of Night and the armies of Daeva involving many devious manoeuvres in and out of the House where Doors can be opened (solely by Eliar) to any place at any time. Daeva has his Doors, too. When Daeva can’t win through battle, he tries revolution. When Dweia (Emmy) can’t win any other way, Althalus will persuade her to lie, cheat and steal – reciprocating the lessons in truth, justice and morality Emmy has been giving him for some while.
The existence of the world hangs in the balance and love cannot be guaranteed to triumph in this glorious epic fantasy.

Here in a single volume is a completely new and self-contained epic from the modern masters of fantasy. 'The Redemption of Althalus' is set on the grandest scale in an entirely new, magical world.

Althalus – burglar, armed robber and occasional murderer – is commissioned to steal a book by a mysterious cloak stranger named Ghend. Althalus sets off to the House at the End of the World where the book is set – after stealing Ghend's cloak; after all, winter is coming on.

At the House at the End of the World, in the same room as the book Ghend described, he finds a talking cat. What he can't find once he's in the house is the door by which he entered.

By the time he manages to escape- with the cat, Emerald, in the hood of his (Ghend's) cloak – Althalus can read. He's read the Book of Deiwos, and discovered a tool mightier than the blunt instrument he once used to disable his victims. But there is another Book, written by the god Daeva who is the evil brother of Deiwos, and who is trying to unmake the world.

Emerald is in fact the sister of the two conflicting gods, and her intention is to use Althalus to stop Daeva returning all of them to primordial chaos. Althalus will teach her what she needs to know, which is how to lie, cheat and steal – 'Whatever works,' Emerald reflects – and in return she, more amazingly, will teach Althalus truth, justice and mortality.

The existence of the world hangs in the balance in this fabulous and extraordinary story of 'The Redemption of Althalus…' the rogue destined to steal the hearts and minds of readers.

David Eddings was born in Washington State in 1931 and grew up near Seattle. He graduated from the University of Washington and went on to serve in the US Army. Subsequently, he worked as a buyer for the Boeing Aircraft Company and taught college-level English. His career as a fantasy writer, with his wife Leigh, has been spectacular.