Seeress of Kell

Seeress of Kell (1991) David Eddings

The conclusion of the Mallorean is a lovely wrap-up, but that also makes it somewhat frustrating. All the ‘i’s are dotted and ‘t’s crossed and everyone who wasn’t already married and in love ends up so by the end of the book.

That’s not to mean there aren’t lots of lovely passages.

There was an abiding peace here, a peace that washed away the turmoil and anxiety that had beset them all on the plains below and somehow erased care and even thought. Each turn and each ridge top brought new vistas, each filled with more splendor than the last until they could only ride in silence and wonder. The works of man shrank into insignificance here. Man would never, could never, touch these eternal mountains.

That’s how I feel about the mountains too.

But there are–besides all the happily-ever-afters some things that frustrate me about this book. First and foremost is the actions of Barak and the others.

Barak and Mandorallen I can see haring off to Mallorea, regardless of what they’ve been told. But Hettar? Far less likely, and I really don’t see Relg buying into it.

I get that they were needed for other matters in the story, but that little bit of sleight of hand has always bothered me.

That said, it’s still a lovely escape, and perfect comfort reading during an illness.
Rating: 7/10

Published by Harper Voyager

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