The Treasured One (Dreamers Series #2) »

New York Times bestselling authors David and Leigh Eddings, creators of such grand fantasy epics as The Belgariad, The Malloreon, and The Elder Gods, continue the national bestselling saga of The Dreamers with an epic new novel. This enthralling and richly imaginative fantasy tale transports us to a wondrous land where gods and mortals join together to defy the dark forces that would destroy them all...THE TREASURED ONE

As spring ripens into summer and warm winds blow through the apple orchards, rumors abound of hooded strangers scouting the peaceful farmlands of Vash. Flush from their narrow victory over the horrific Vlagh, Longbow and his companions are drawn to this pastoral territory in south Dhrall, confident that they will thwart the next assault by their inhuman foe. But on the border of the desolate Wasteland, the Vlagh is breeding a monstrous new army of venomous bat-bugs and armored spiders. These giant, grotesque legions threaten to overwhelm the allies, who are further shocked by a prophecy delivered by the Dreamers: an invasion by a new, second army.

Seduced by the prospect of limitless gold and pagans ripe for enslavement, a corrupt former priest, Jalkan, will betray his allies. Conspiring to plunder this unspoiled land, Jalkan raises a force of armed acolytes and declares a global holy war. Caught up in the clash of these vast powers, neither Longbow and his allies nor Jalkan and his troops grasp the new danger among them. A mysterious entity - neither god nor mortal - has begun to meddle with the minds of both the locals and the invaders, spinning a web of intrigue that entraps all in its path.

Farmers and hunters, soldiers and madmen, mortals and gods-all charge to a battle that will decide the fate of the world.

Publishers Weekly

In the bestselling Eddings duo's disappointing second entry in their Dreamers series (after 2003's The Elder Gods), the four gods (one for each point of the compass) face a new menace in the Land of Dhrall. Neither omnipotent nor omniscient, head god Dahlaine, his brother Veltan and their two sisters aren't even particularly bright. The Vlagh, an evil insectoid creature that's trying to take over the world by producing an army of mutated snake people, goes south to carry the fight for domination to Veltan's realm. The dreamers (the younger gods) forecast the coming horde and provide enough information for Dahlaine and his siblings to prepare themselves. Indeed, the gods' preparations for one rather tedious, unexciting battle occupy the bulk of the book. This fantasy comes as a great letdown from the authors of the luminous Belgariad series (Pawn of Prophecy, etc.). No true hero shines forth, and the gods' powerlessness makes them worse than cardboard cutouts. Filled with second- or even third-hand action, the story lacks urgency. The next volume desperately needs to be better in order to save the series. Agent, Eleanor Wood at Spectrum Literary Agency. (Oct. 26) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.