The Ruby Knight by David Eddings
The Ruby Knight is the second book in The Elenium by David Eddings, and it improves slightly on its predecessor, The Diamond Throne. Sparhawk and his companions continue their quest to save Queen Ehlana from the poison that is slowly killing both her and the knights whose life forces are keeping her alive. The story is a little more focused than the first book, and the light-hearted humor doesn’t seem as forced. Eddings has never had a problem creating likable characters, and his ensemble from The Diamond Throne really come into their own in The Ruby Knight. The evil forces in this book also get more defined and sinister as Eddings ramps up the threat to the forces of good.
Despite the interesting characters, not much really happens to advance the plot. Sparhawk’s company traipses from here to there looking for the magical artifact that will save his queen, and that’s about it. Still, I enjoyed the book enough to look forward to finishing the trilogy with The Sapphire Rose.
One thing I failed to mention in my comments on The Diamond Throne is how much darker and grittier this series is compared to The Belgariad. There are some ghastly, harrowing scenes that are reminiscent of Robert E. Howard’s stories of Conan the Barbarian. And where The Belgariad can be read by students as young as ten or eleven, The Elenium is probably more suitable for readers starting around thirteen or fourteen.
The Ruby Knight has its shortcomings, but it’s still a very entertaining book, especially for fans of the heroic fantasy genre.
The Ruby Knight by David Eddings
First edition New York: Del Rey, 1991
Print length: 372 pages
