This is yet another enjoyable adventure from the pen of David Eddings, with another very engaging and interesting character in the form of Sir Sparhawk.
When I bought the first novel in this series it was through the book club, again, where it was offered with at least a fifty percent discount on the retail price, which was the hardback version, making it more or less the same price as the paperback version would be, so naturally, I bought it.
This, of course, meant that all the other books in the series would have to be hardbacks too if I wanted them to look right on my bookcase.
After a long exile, Pandion Knight Sparhawk returns to his native land to find his young queen grievously ill.
Ehlana has been poisoned and will die unless a cure can be found within a year. The life force of twelve of her sworn knights is all that sustains her, but one knight will be lost within the passing of each month if the antidote isn’t found.
To save his queen, his comrades, and the stability of the kingdom, Sparhawk begins the search for the cure, only to discover a greater and more pervasive evil than he could ever have imagined.
Format
HardbackDate Acquired
25th August 1989Retail Cost
£9.70Number of Pages
396Year Read
1989Ehlana, Queen of Elenia, has been poisoned. A deep enchantment sustains her life, but it will end soon.
Then Sparhawk, Pandian Knight and the Queen's Champion, learns where to get to cure for the poison.
He and his companions set forth on a dangerous quest to find the antidote before the queen should perish and the peace ends....
Format
HardbackDate Acquired
8th March 1991Retail Cost
£11.49Number of Pages
347Year Read
1991Finally, the knight Sparhawk had come to possess Bhelliom, legendary jewel of magic that alone could save Queen Ehlana from the deadly poison that had felled her father. Sparhawk and Sephrenia, ageless instructor in Styric magics, made haste to free Ehlana from the crystalline cocoon that had preserved her life while they desperately sought a cure.
But Bhellion carried dangers of its own. Once the stone came into his hands, Sparhawk found himself stalked by a dark, lurking menace. Whether the foul Zemoch God Azash was behind this threat, or some other enemy, even Sephrenia could not say—only that the sapphire rose held powers too dangerous for any mortal to bear.
Restoring Queen Ehlana would be only the beginning of Sparhawk’s mission. With the aid of four stalwart knights, one from each Militant Order, he must thwart Ehlana’s prisoner, the Primate Annias, in his plot to assume the throne of the Church. For as Archprelate, Annias would serve his secret master, Azash, and deliver up to the dread God the one thing Azash thirsted for—Bhelliom itself!
Format
HardbackDate Acquired
12th June 1992Retail Cost
£12.24Number of Pages
502Year Read
1992At the conclusion of The Elenium the company of Pandion Knights led by Sir Sparhawk, having freed Queen Ehlana of Elenia from the spell which threatened her life, had marched on Zemoch, routed their enemies and defeated or destroyed the evil god Azash. Sparhawk returned to Elenia, where he and Ehlana were married.
But their peaceful reign is destined not to last long. A few years later, in the Tamul Empire far to the east, unrest is brewing which threatens the nation’s stability. Investigations show that the trouble is clearly of paranormal origin, and suspicion at first falls upon the Styrics. These suspicions prove unfounded, and indeed it is the pre-eminent Styric magician Zalasta who suggests that the Empire look westwards for assistance in solving their problems… specifically, to the legendary warrior Sparhawk.
Format
PaperbackDate Acquired
2nd April 1993Retail Cost
£8.99Number of Pages
584Year Read
1993Sparhawk and Queen Ehlana must do everything they can to educate Tamuli Emperor Sarabian in the art of leadership if they are to have any chance of standing against the evil forces that threaten their kingdoms.
Sarabian’s enemies are regrouping and once again plan to attempt to take the empire for themselves.
But more disturbing than the political machinations of court, there have been reported sightings of Shining Ones among the hordes of monsters roaming the land. If Sparhawk and his allies are to have any hope of defeating this growing threat they must resurrect the sacred jewel of the Troll-Gods, otherwise the fate of not just their kingdoms, but the entire world, will be at stake . . .
Format
PaperbackDate Acquired
18th April 1994Retail Cost
£8.99Number of Pages
608Year Read
1994Queen Ehlana has been taken prisoner and held in the Hidden City as the time for battle approaches.
The face of the enemy has been unmasked as Cyrgon, the sinister god of the Cyrgai. Corrupted further by unspeakable magic, he threatens to destroy the world in his lust for power.
In exchange for their help in defeating Cyrgon and saving his beloved Ehlana, Sparhawk has offered freedom to the Troll-Gods trapped in their sacred jewel, the Blue Rose. However, this carries its own cost . . . But what price is too high when the fate of the world and everything you hold dear is threatened.
Format
PaperbackDate Acquired
25th April 1995Retail Cost
£9.99Number of Pages
616Year Read
1995