So the title may be as old as the proverbial hills, but that's never stopped me from using old (and bad) puns before. And there's something comforting about knowing what you're getting – nothing new, but something that is tried, trusted and works well. I'm sure everybody also has their book equivalents too, something well-loved and may not alwasy make any claims to high art, but that is fun and enjoyable and takes you away to a better place in a flight of pure escapism. Some people might dub such works guilty pleasures, but I see no reason to be guilty – read what you like, if you enjoy it and don't let anybody tell you not to. If you're not enjoying it, find something that you do.
I can safely say that I feel pretty much like that towards David Eddings' books. When it comes down to it, they're cracking straight-up vanilla fantasy fare. Eminently readable, very satisfying, not too taxing on the old grey matter, and spinning a good yarn – what more could one ask for? Having loved the Elenium trilogy, I picked up Domes of Fire, the first of the sequel trilogy, the Tamuli. It picks up a few years down the line from the first series and like a favourite old sweater, it was a warm and comfortable fit.
The cast of characters – and like most self-respecting adventuresome fare, it has a decent size cast – were all back, not to mention introducing some fresh faces. I like pretty much all of them and it's nice that they're not simply two-dimensional. Sparhawk is an excellent hero, as he's got a developed personality, well-rounded character, a host of different allegiances and commitments and while he's good, he's not infallible. The plot built up nicely for the next one, and the story was also self-contained within the book too, and I will no doubt pick that up in due course. Any excuse to go frolicking with the trolls again.
Book number: 48
Title: Domes of Fire
Author: David Eddings
Category: Charlotte's choice
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