Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.WARNING: This is a follow up trilogy to David Eddings' The Elenium. The events in these books take place several years after those in The Elenium, with the same characters. Therefore, this series - and so also my review - discusses things revealed in the previous trilogy. Read no further if you plan on reading The Elenium but don't wish it to be spoiled for you.Domes of Fire begins six years after the end of The Sapphire Rose. Queen Ehlana is back on her throne, married to Sparhawk, with a daughter of six - who we know to actually be an incarnation of the Child Goddess Aphrael. Annias, Martel and Azash are no more, and the Bhelliom is at the bottom of some unknown sea off of some unknown coast. Apart from Sparhawk wearing a few too many hats for his liking - Prince Consort and Interim Pandion Preceptor - and feeling stretched thin with all the political goings on that requires his attention, all in Elenia is fine.However, strange things soon crop up in Lamorkand, talks of rebelling against the King and that the return of a long dead local hero from centuries past. With the arrival of an emissary of the Tamuli Empire, Foreign Minister Oscagne, at the Basilica in Chyrellos with grave news of turmoil in the Empire, Sparhawk is called by Archprelate Dolmant to hear the trouble Oscagne's homeland is having at his request. It seems all over the Empire, people are stirring up the countrymen to revolution, announcing the reappearance of ancient heroes come to free them from those above them. The Emperor is failing to stamp down on the revolts as he normally is with the help of the Atans, Tamuli warriors, what with whole armies of centuries past being raised from the dead and supernatural monsters being spotted. Having heard of Sparhawk's proess and achievement against Azash, Oscagne has come to plead that he journey to Tamuli and help save the Empire.Domes of Fire is the first book in a second trilogy following Sparhawk and his friends. I enjoyed their company so much in the last trilogy, I decided to continue reading about them in The Tamuli, despite feeling a little disappointed at the end of the last. The majority of this story covers the journey from Chyrellos to fire-domed Matherion, the capital of the Tamuli Empire, and it is an incredibly long journey. Saying that, there's still a lot that happens. Now aware that the books about Sparhawk are more political intrigue and strategy based, I enjoyed Domes of Fire much more than I did The Sapphire Rose, simply because I wasn't expecting more.There are various different peoples occupying the countries that make up the Empire, with their own culture and beliefs. Each country that Sparhawk and his companions travel through, bar Atan, have seen their own evidence of the people wanting to revolt. Information is gathered and introductions are made along the way - Queen Ehlana's presence helping to smooth things over with the royals met, her wonderful personality making easy alliances for when action is needed as the story goes on. Much is afoot in Tamuli, and someone really wants to cause trouble. But more than that, there is some supernatural element behind it all, or allianced with the people, something with enough power to raise the dead... something that strongly hints at a God or Gods. And with the arrival of a familiar dark shadow, Sparhawk and his friends begin to strongly suspect the Troll-Gods.We see a lot more of Mirtai in this book. Mirtai, an Atan warrior, was introduced to us in the last trilogy, but she didn't get much page time. "Given" to Queen Ehlana by Platime, leader of the Elenian crimals, Mirtai becomes Ehlana's personal bodyguard, and takes her job very seriously - even going so far as to bullying the Queen into doing what she thinks is best for her health and safety, and pretty much everyone else too. She is a formidable woman of about six feet, but one dearly loved by all who know her well. Especially Kring, the Domi of the Peloi, the horse people of Pelosia. It's awesome to see how their relationship develops. It's even more awesome to learn more about the Atan culture while in Atan, and come to understand Mirtai a little better. Again, kudos to Eddings for his strong women!We meet a number of new characters in this book, two being Baroness Melidere and the maid Alean, ladies in waiting to the Queen. Both are so much more than they seem, and both are brilliant. There are political advantages to having their perspectives while in Tamuli, but it's also wonderful to see them plan to rope in several of Sparhawk's male companions. I do love me some romance! We also get to meet Oscagne, Norkan, the Tamuli ambassador in Atan, and Emperor Sarabian. These characters! They add much humour to a story already quite humourous, what with Kalten, Tynian and Ulath continuing to make an appearance. there is a lot of politics involved, but there is also a lot of humour. These characters really know how to banter!A fantastic start which looks to be a really exciting trilogy - and if I remember rightly, I won't be disappointed!
David Eddings seemingly can't keep his thoughts on track. Domes of Fire jumps around through so many different mythical races and cultures that by the end I wasn't sure which I was reading about, or where I was on the map. Despite this, Domes of fire was a refreshing change of pace from elves, dwarfs, and magic conjuring from thin air. Unlike traditional fantasy writers, Eddings follows the law of conservation of energy (sort of) and therefore the use of magic was limited to the amount of power the person's deity possessed, and that was based on how many followers the deity has. The vast majority of people present in the plot were not able to use magic, and those that were had restrictions - time to cast a spell was based on how long it would take to describe exactly what the mage wanted, and then how much they spent begging their god to cast it for them. The main character, Sparhawk was lucky enough to be blessed as a reincarnation of his god for a daughter and was therefore the most powerful man in the world due to her bias and willingness to help him. Sparhawk marched willy nilly across the entire continent to answer a fellow king's call for help against a uncontrollable troll god. On the trip, Sparhawk and his holy knights (who could all use magic) plowed through all enemies in their path, including an entire herd of trolls. Reaching kingdom is distress, Sparhawk and his men were confronted with a civil war. But of course, this was quickly laid to rest by brilliant tactics, fearless soldiers, lots of pitch, and a touch of magic. After the civil war was ended, the troll gods themselves confronted Sparhawk and promised that what he had just faced was just the beginning.
What do You think about Domes Of Fire (1993)?
Danger stalked Queen Ehlana's realm. When an ambasador from the far-off Tamul Empire begged for help, Sparhawk, Ehlana's champion and Prince Consort, was the Emperor's last hope. For surely the knight who had killed the evil God Azash could prevail against the terror in Tamul. But waiting for him was a glittering court seething with corruption, treachery--and the greatest danger Sparhawk would ever face!### From Publishers WeeklyMagic, insurrection, rebirth and new gods and cultures propel this first volume of a proposed second trilogy featuring Sir Sparhawk, Queen Ehlana and other stalwarts of Eddings's best-selling Elenium trilogy. The distant Tamul Empire, endangered by civil unrest exacerbated by paranormal (or magical, depending on the point of view) incidents, begs help from Sparhawk, destroyer of the Elder God Azash and savior of the Elenes. Undertaking the long journey to Tamul, the knight, his royal wife, their daughter Princess Danae and assorted followers encounter unrest in each of the lands through which they pass. Incidents taking more or less the same form--rumors, supported by rabble-rousing orators, of ancient heroes reborn to lead the downtrodden--arouse Sparhawk's suspicion of godly or magical opposition to his cause. Arriving in the Tamul capital, Sparhawk and his cohorts thwart a plot against the emperor but find disturbing evidence that the Troll-Gods and other old enemies are at work. Eddings' likable, spirited characters are not deeply etched but they reflect his original touch nevertheless. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. ### From Library JournalHard on the heels of the Elenium trilogy, Eddings launches a new fantasy epic featuring the futher adventures of Pandion knight Sparhawk and his companions. Eddings is a first-class storyteller with a gift for easy humor and colorful characters. There will be considerable demand for this title. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
—Andrew Wilson
I didn't realize there was trilogy before this book. I kind of figured there had to be given how little is explained in this book. As the first book of a new trilogy I feel like there should have been more explanation for poor sods like me who went into this book not knowing what was going on. That was my first major gripe with this book.My second major gripe is that nothing happens in this book. Nothing at all. Very early on you're given a framework of what the characters think the situation is. The rest of the book is just the characters confirming what they already suspected was the truth. There aren't any twists. Nothing unexpected happens. It's very very boring.
—John
So it's been 3 years since I read an Eddings (the Elenium, which I quite enjoyed). I felt in the mood for some comfortable reading and thought it was about time I read this sequel series.The thing about this book is.... nothing happens. Sure, stuff happens but it all feels a bit directionless. Even by the end of the book, I still feel I don't really know where the series is heading. There's the other Eddings problem of 2D characters - even when new characters come on the scene they very quickly start speaking in the same manner as every other character. I don't mind that so much, as long as the road trip is interesting.And the road trip, the adventure, the exploration of the world is what I like about Eddings. Is it contrived that the party has to visit every country on the map? Yes. Do I care? No! I love maps and when I play games I explore every nook and cranny. It probably comes from my early experiences playing D&D. There's some of this in this book, but not enough.Anyway, it's not terrible but it's certainly not 4 stars. Hope the next ones improve.
—Neville Ridley-smith
