When provoked, Sparhawk was not the most reasonable of men.The Ruby Knight is a direct continuation of The Elenium, picking up almost exactly where The Diamond Throne let off, so don’t let grass grow beneath your feet between books. That said, this book doesn’t have the same impetus going for it; it takes a while to build up steam, and there is a lot of moving around from point A to B to C. There and back again…“I'm starting to feel a very powerful urge to hurt some people."“The Younger Gods of Styricum like symmetry. We were ten when we began this search, so now we have to be the same ten every step of the way.” Um. Really?As bizarre (and random) as some of the plot parameters appear to be, the big “revelation” at the end of the story actually puts everything nicely in perspective. It wasn’t a real surprise to me, since there are more than enough hints, to be honest. Eddings also seems to be foreshadowing events here that will only take place much later. As late as The Tamuli even."You're a bloodthirsty one, aren't you, Sparhawk?"The action scenes are quite good. Counterpointed with the lighthearted vibe of the dialogue (and the story in general), though, it sometimes comes across as surprisingly dark and violent. Sparhawk is always entertaining though, since his impulses often place him (and his friends) in some rather awkward situations."Are you mad, Kalten?" Ulath exploded. "You want me to draw my axe on my own king?""Of course not," Kalten grinned, "only on his funeral cortege. If he goes up against Sparhawk, he'll be drinking heavenly mead after the first pass."The religious theme can be quite funny, since it touches on a reality that many can likely identify with: even among religious folk, there are different levels of commitment.“You go with him, and if he tries to pray more than once a day, you have my permission to brain him.""That could have some interesting political ramifications, Your Majesty." "Lie about it. Say it was an accident."In conclusion. It’s not as good as The Diamond Throne and it does get a bit repetitive, but it’s still fun, and I still want to finish the trilogy. "That's a very ugly horse you've got there, you know?" "We're a matched set, Your Majesty."Cover art – notesFirstly:Keith Parkinson is responsible for the art, and it’s pretty good, but I’m not entirely sure what it relates to. That saurian fellow on the right confounds me. It isn’t The Seeker since that worthy is clearly depicted as insectile, and it most certainly isn’t Ghwerig the (stunted and hairy) Troll either. This leaves one possibility: namely the vaguely described being that Sir Tynan inadvertently summons by necromancy. Any thoughts?Secondly, and lastly:Whoever designed the cover on the Del Rey mass market paperback should be severely chastened chastised. The cover art is cropped to death, and slotted into a little block at the bottom of the cover. It looks ludicrous, since you can only see the top half of the picture, like a child took a scissors to it. And to think, how marvelous the older editions looked…“If he stops to pray one more time, I'm going to strangle him.”
seconda parte della trilogia degli Elene. Ora sappiamo che per la regina Ehlana c'è una speranza. La magia. Il bhelliom è l'unico che oggetto che può scongiurarne la morte. La sua ricerca non è però così facile dal momento che la gemma risulta scomparsa da 500 anni. Ritrovarlo è l'unico modo per guarire la sovrana e mandare all'aria i piani del primate Annias, otre che impedire che cada nelle mani del terribile Dio Azash.Sparhawk e il colorito gruppo che già abbiamo incontrato nel primo libro, partono alla sua ricerca. Confermo le impresioni e l'adorazione che ho per questo autore e le sue storie, se la trilogia degli elene non è, forse all'altezza della saga di belgariad, non è comunque molto più in basso. La stessa arguzia nello stile e nel linguaggio, lo stesso modo d'intrecciare gli eventi e lasciarti in ultimo spiazzato. non vedo l'ora di dare l'assalto al terzo e ultimo libro!!!"«Parla quando sei interpellato», lo redarguì Berit. «Se facessi così, nel frattempo potrei anche diventare muto»""«A volte penso che la nobiltà sia comunque tutta una farsa.gli uomini sono uomini...con o senza titoli. Non credo che dio ci badi, quindi perchè dovremmo badarci noi?»""«Grazie a dio sono arrivato in tempo allora. Quell'idiota non è granché come figlio, ma sua madre non sarebbe stata felice di sapere che eravate stato costretto a tagliarli la testa.»""Mai metodi di Kurik erano brutalmente diretti. lo scudiero attraversò la strada, afferrò l'ubriaco per il coppino e lo trascinò in fondo alla via, immergendogli la testa nell'acqua di una fontana.«Ecco», disse in tono amichevole, «ora credo che ci capiremo. vi farò alcune domande e voi mi risponderete...a meno che non conosciate un modo per farvi spuntare le branchie»""Gli epiteti con cui Talen chiamò Sparhawk, Tel e i suoi uomini risuonarono per una buona distanza verso sud, e per la maggior parte erano tutti molto poco lusinghieri"http://my-empty-purse.blogspot.it/
What do You think about The Ruby Knight (1991)?
Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.Continuing to re-read this trilogy, and I'm still loving it!The Ruby Knight picks up right where The Diamond Throne ended. After talking to the late King Aldreas' ghost, Sparhawk now knows the only way to save Queen Ehlana after she was poisoned is to find Bhelliom, the sapphire jewel carved into the shape of a rose. Infused with the power of the Troll Gods, Bhelliom is practically invincible, and can do anything. However, Bhelliom has been lost for around give centuries. Sparhawk must again go out to find Bhelliom, which was last seen in the crown of King Sarak, who died during the Zemoch invasion 500 years ago. Travelling with his companions to Lake Rendor, where the majority of the battle took place, they discover a creature of darkness sent by evil Sytric Elder God Azash hot on their heels, the search becomes more desperate to find Bhelliom, before it falls into the wrong hands.Sparhawk's journey is long, and with each month that goes by, another knight dies, handing over his sword to Sephrenia. Sparhawk begins to get frustrated and melancholic, and finds he has doubts about their journey and what it will accomplish. Is it just a fool's errand? Will they ever find Bhelliom, and will they even find it in time to save the young Queen? The danger is somewhat amped up in this book with various groups of people trying to hinder their search, and it's absolutely wonderful!In this book do some of the events I remember take place. Fights with senseless people, raising the dead, an encounter with a crazy woman with insatiable blood lust! It's just incredible! I love the moments when Flute finally speaks and astounds them all, and when they discover the truth about who she is. And I love how we get to know some of Sparhawk's companions better. In The Diamond Throne, he is joined by Tynion, Bevier and Ulath, three brilliant Knights from the other three orders of Church Knights, and they're such great characters. Bevier is so devout and proper, but has no problem loping off someone's head if the situation arises. Ulath is strong and quiet, but has exceptional wit when he does speak, and works wonders when it comes to getting their enemies to comply. Tynian is like Kalten, another humourous, happy-go-lucky Knight, but built as big as an ox, and just as intimidating with a sword as how he looks.A wonderful second novel, and loving where the final book is going - I've already picked it up. Really can't recommend these books enough!
—Joanne
I'm still enjoying this story very much. All the characters are enjoyable to read about, and their interactions with each other can be very fun. I especially loved the development of Talen's relationship with his father in this volume. I also liked how Flute's mysteries were handled, until at last it was revealed at the end of the book.This book definitely felt more focused on the adventure and journey than the last book. Yet at times it did give me a Lord of the Rings feel to the travel. In other words, they were giong to various places and things happened while there. Yet the overall goal wasn't reached until almost the end of the book.In itself I can see how this would be a good thing. As I said, it does allow for more character development and it does feel like a lot of what they go through is important. They face these obstacles because an outside force doesn't want them reaching their goal. I guess I'm just anxious for the heroes to save the day.Now that they are one step closer to saving the queen, I really look forward to seeing how everything ends in the final volume!
—Kacey
Although I'm interested enough to finish this trilogy, I'm finding that the writing is annoying me. And I'm particularly disturbed by the women in the story (or the lack thereof.) It's like every woman is either a mother or a whore or completely deranged. The hero, Sparhawk, is singularly virtuous as concerns the women, but the little girl he championed into her pre-teens is now becoming an object of desire. But she's held in stasis in a diamond/glass encasement, so she's not a real character yet. She's like this lofty, remote, unachievable goal. And at the end of the book, the blurb about the final book reveals that she becomes his wife. Well, way to spoil us! I shouldn't be too peeved...you can see it coming even if the pairing of this older, very worldly warrior knight and the little girl he mentored is kinda creepy.Guess I can't really get into the characters. They are all too smug, sarcastic...with no surprises. I'm going to read three other books on my agenda before I finish the final book. I'll have to wait and see if I feel differently about it as the story wraps up.
—Dani Lane
