Harriet Klausner's Review Archive
For eons the four elder sibling gods (Dahlaine, Zelana, Aracia, and Veltan) have ruled Dhrall except every 25,000 years or so they take a breather and delegate their duties temporarily to the younger foursome of gods. The time for rest is upon them; however there is no respite for the weary as the Vlagh, a deadly adversary, challenges the Elder Gods' reign.
The Vlagh plan is simple. Coming from within she has arisen from the central wasteland of the realm; people are cattle to be eaten by the evil offspring insect army. As her horde expands and conquers, the Elder Gods need rest yet must fight at a time when one of them Aracia seems to have become a dangerous megalomaniac demanding worship while a younger God Lillabeth wants to replace her as a top gun. Aracia plans to break the first taboo of the Elder Gods of thou shall not kill a younger god.
The Dreamers series is a fun somewhat simplistic saga with a subtle underlying theme involving parental-child relationships as immortality means the heir remains the heir forever. The story line is action-packed with the Elder Gods facing a crisis at a bad time for them (not that any time is a good time to face a crisis). Fans of the Eddings will enjoy this tale that can stand alone, but the nuances will be better understood by reading the previous three fantasies.