Harriet Klausner's Review Archive
While Longbow and his hooded companions seek deserved respite in the farming communities of the south, the Vlagh creates a hideous army of gigantic bat-bugs and armored spiders that is much more powerful and deadlier than their previous horde. . At the same time that the Vlagh seems ready to win, one of the original allies Jalkan falls to gold fever. He raises an army and declares a holy war against his former compatriots while the Vlagh begin their assault. In the midst of this war, an unknown assaults the minds of everyone from insectoid, humans, and seemingly aging and youthful Gods.
Filled with plenty of varying action that never fully explodes, the second Dreamer tale will excite fans of the Eddings though it reads like a middle book setting up the real adventure. The Elder Gods remain intriguing as their skills continue to wane while the Dreamers wonder if it is their time now albeit a bit early. The interesting Jalkan spin divides the solidarity of the allied forces, but competes for depth with the Vlagh war and other subplots. Still epic fantasy readers will enjoy the latest entry that spirals in several potentially enjoyable different directions setting up what should prove to be a spike of a third novel.