By Jeff Suess
The Cincinnati Enquirer

David and Leigh Eddings' reputation as top-notch fantasy authors takes a hit with their latest book, The Elder Gods, first in The Dreamers series.

David Eddings has plowed this territory before with much better results (Leigh Eddings is listed as a collaborator). His attempt at world building ends up a sketch no fuller than the map in the inside cover. The preface tells all you need to know.

The four elder gods overseeing the Land of Dhrall are replaced by younger gods every 25 eons. The changeover is coming soon, which is when the insectoid horror That-Called-the-Vlagh threatens all-out war.

Unable to actively interfere or to kill, the elder gods wake the young ones early. They manifest in the form of the Dreamers, children with dreams powerful enough to kill.

The gods also enlist humans to battle the Vlagh's hybrid minions. Maag pirates, Dhrall tribal hunters, and a Trogite army team-up despite their differences. They are just too darn agreeable. Maags have made their living pirating Trogite ships for years, yet the races put aside their squabbles for the sake of gold and end up downright chummy.

This all makes for a Saturday matinee story aimed more for a juvenile audience. The story is both simplistic and simple. Characters have one defining trait and don't make waves. The only conflict in this black-and-white world is with the Vlagh: it's bad; it must be destroyed.

The gods are out of touch with everything. Instead of focusing on them, as the title suggests, the book sticks with the humans, mostly Longbow, Captain Hook-Beak, and Rabbit. Brief character backgrounds are welcome digressions from a weak plot. The tale of Longbow's tragic wedding day has more feeling and development than the rest of the book.

The Elder Gods is a quick read, but could easily have been done in half the space. Characters spend more time talking about things than doing them. Eddings has an infuriating habit of detailing a plan, executing it in half a page, and then retelling what happened to each character that comes along.

Fans of Eddings will be disappointed. The Elder Gods is a pleasant afternoon read, but not much more engaging than that.

Review

The Elder Gods: Book One of The Dreamers

By David and Leigh Eddings

Warner Books, $25.95

404 pages

E-mail: jsuess@enquirer.com