{"product_id":"the-redemption-of-althalus-isbn-9780345440785","title":"The Redemption of Althalus","description":"\u003cb\u003eDavid and Leigh Eddings were mythmakers and world builders of the first order. With \u003ci\u003eThe Redemption of Althalus\u003c\/i\u003e, the authors of the Belgariad and Malloreon sagas created a thrilling stand-alone epic—boldly written and brilliantly imagined.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt would be sheer folly to try to conceal the true nature of Althalus, for his flaws   are the stuff of legend. He is, as all men know, a thief, a liar, an occasional murderer,   an outrageous braggart, and a man devoid of even the slightest hint of honor.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Yet   of all the men in the world, it is Althalus, unrepentant rogue and scoundrel, who   will become the champion of humanity in its desperate struggle against the forces   of an ancient god determined to return the universe to nothingness. On his way to   steal The Book from the House at the End of the World, Althalus is confronted by   a cat--a cat with eyes like emeralds, the voice of a woman, and the powers of a goddess.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e She is Dweia, sister to The Gods and a greater thief even than Althalus. She must   be: for in no time at all, she has stolen his heart. And more. She has stolen time   itself. For when Althalus leaves the House at the End of the World, much wiser but   not a day older than when he'd first entered it, thousands of years have gone by.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But Dweia is not the only one able to manipulate time. Her evil brother shares the   power, and while Dweia has been teaching Althalus the secrets of The Book, the ancient   God has been using the dark magic of his own Book to rewrite history. Yet all is   not lost. But only if Althalus, still a thief at heart, can bring together a ragtag   group of men, women, and children with no reason to trust him or each other. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eThe Redemption of Althalus\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Highly recommended . . . Featuring a cast of engaging characters, some fanciful plot twists, and a light-hearted atmosphere that should appeal strongly to fans and first-time readers alike.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The story takes off. The interactions between characters, straightforward plotting, and doses of wry humor keep the tale humming.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“An engaging young reprobate hero . . . [A] magical realm of good-natured fun.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A compelling, involving story.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eScience Fiction Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Highly recommended . . . Featuring a cast of engaging characters, some fanciful   plot twists, and a light-hearted atmosphere that should appeal strongly to fans and   first-time readers alike.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The story takes off. The interactions   between characters, straightforward plotting, and doses of wry humor keep the tale   humming.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“An engaging young reprobate hero . . . [A] magical realm of   good-natured fun.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A compelling, involving story.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eScience   Fiction Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eDavid Eddings\u003c\/b\u003e published his first novel, High Hunt, in 1973, before turning to the field of fantasy and \u003ci\u003eThe Belgariad\u003c\/i\u003e, soon followed by \u003ci\u003eThe Malloreon\u003c\/i\u003e. Born in Spokane, Washington, in 1931, and raised in the Puget Sound area north of Seattle, he received his bachelor of arts degree from Reed College in Portland, Oregon, in 1954 and a master of arts degree from the University of Washington in 1961. He has served in the United States Army, has worked as a buyer for the Boeing Company, and has been a grocery clerk and a college English teacher.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLeigh Eddings\u003c\/b\u003e has collaborated with her husband for more than a dozen years.\u003cb\u003eCHAPTER ONE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlthalus the thief spent ten days on the road down out of the mountains of\u003cbr\u003eKagwher to reach the imperial city of Deika. As he was coming out of the\u003cbr\u003efoothills, he passed a limestone quarry where miserable slaves spent their\u003cbr\u003elives under the whip laboriously sawing building blocks out of the\u003cbr\u003elimestone with heavy bronze saws. Althalus had heard about slavery, of\u003cbr\u003ecourse, but this was the first time he'd ever actually seen slaves. As he\u003cbr\u003estrode on toward the plains of Equero, he had a little chat with his good\u003cbr\u003eluck about the subject, strongly suggesting to her that if she really\u003cbr\u003eloved him, she'd do everything she possibly could to keep him from ever\u003cbr\u003ebecoming a slave.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe city of Deika lay at the southern end of a large lake in northern\u003cbr\u003eEquero, and it was even more splendid than the stories had said it was. It\u003cbr\u003ewas surrounded by a high stone wall made of squared-off limestone blocks,\u003cbr\u003eand all the buildings inside the walls were also made of stone.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe broad streets of Deika were paved with flagstones, and the public\u003cbr\u003ebuildings soared to the sky. Everyone in town who thought he was \u003cbr\u003eimportant wore a splendid linen mantle, and every private house was\u003cbr\u003eidentified by a statue of its owner-usually so idealized that any actual \u003cbr\u003eresemblance to the man so identified was purely coincidental.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlthalus was garbed in clothes suitable for the frontier, and he received\u003cbr\u003emany disparaging glances from passersby as he viewed the splendors of the\u003cbr\u003eimperial city. After a while, he grew tired of that and sought out a\u003cbr\u003equarter of town where the men in the streets wore more commonplace\u003cbr\u003egarments and less superior expressions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFinally he located a fishermen's tavern near the lakefront, and he stopped\u003cbr\u003ethere to sit and to listen, since fishermen the world over love to talk.\u003cbr\u003eHe sat unobtrusively nursing a cup of sour wine while the tar-smeared men\u003cbr\u003earound him talked shop.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I don't believe I've ever seen you here before,\" one of the men said to\u003cbr\u003eAlthalus.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I'm from out of town,\" Althalus replied.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Oh? Where from?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Up in the mountains. I came down to look at civilization.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Well, what do you think of our city?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Very impressive. I'm almost as impressed with your city as some of the\u003cbr\u003etown's rich men seem to be with themselves.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne of the fishermen laughed cynically. \"You passed near the forum, I take\u003cbr\u003eit.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"If that's the place where all the fancy buildings are, yes I did. And if\u003cbr\u003eyou want it, you can take as much of my share of it as you desire.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"You didn't care for our wealthy?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Apparently not as much as they did, that's for certain. People like us\u003cbr\u003eshould avoid the rich if we possibly can. Sooner or later, we'll probably\u003cbr\u003ebe bad for their eyes.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"How's that?\" another fisherman asked.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Well, all those fellows in the forum-the ones who wear fancy nightgowns\u003cbr\u003ein the street-kept looking down their noses at me. If a man spends all his\u003cbr\u003etime doing that, sooner or later it's going to make him cross-eyed.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe fishermen all laughed, and the atmosphere in the tavern became relaxed\u003cbr\u003eand friendly. Althalus had skillfully introduced the topic dearest to his\u003cbr\u003eheart, and they all spent the rest of the afternoon talking about the\u003cbr\u003ewell-to-do of Deika. By evening, Althalus had committed several names to\u003cbr\u003ememory. He spent another few days narrowing down his list, and he\u003cbr\u003eultimately settled on a very wealthy salt merchant named Kweso. Then he\u003cbr\u003ewent to the central marketplace, visited the marble-lined public baths,\u003cbr\u003eand then dipped into his purse to buy some clothing that more closely fit\u003cbr\u003einto the current fashion of Deika. The key word for a thief who's\u003cbr\u003eselecting a costume for business purposes is \"nondescript,\" for fairly\u003cbr\u003eobvious reasons. Then Althalus went to the rich men's part of town and\u003cbr\u003espent several more days-and nights-watching merchant Kweso's walled-in\u003cbr\u003ehouse. Kweso himself was a plump, rosy-cheeked bald man who had a sort of\u003cbr\u003efriendly smile. On a number of occasions Althalus even managed to get\u003cbr\u003eclose enough to him to be able to hear him talking. He actually grew to be\u003cbr\u003erather fond of the chubby little fellow, but that's not unusual, really.\u003cbr\u003eWhen you get right down to it, a wolf is probably quite fond of deer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlthalus managed to pick up the name of one of Kweso's neighbors, and with\u003cbr\u003ea suitably businesslike manner, he went in through the salt merchant's\u003cbr\u003egate one morning, walked up to his door, and knocked. After a moment or\u003cbr\u003etwo, a servant opened the door. \"Yes?\" the servant asked.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I'd like to speak with Gentleman Melgor,\" Althalus said politely. \"It's\u003cbr\u003eon business.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I'm afraid you have the wrong house, sir,\" the servant said. \"Gentleman\u003cbr\u003eMelgor's house is the one two doors down.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlthalus smacked his forehead with his open hand. \"How stupid of me,\" he\u003cbr\u003eapologized. \"I'm very sorry to have disturbed you.\" His eyes, however,\u003cbr\u003ewere very busy. Kweso's door latch wasn't very complicated, and his\u003cbr\u003eentryway had several doors leading off it. He lowered his voice. \"I hope\u003cbr\u003emy pounding didn't wake your master,\" he said.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe servant smiled briefly. \"I rather doubt it,\" he said. \"The master's\u003cbr\u003ebedroom is upstairs at the back of the house. He usually gets out of bed\u003cbr\u003eabout this time in the morning anyway, so he's probably already awake.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"That's a blessing,\" Althalus said, his eyes still busy. \"You said that\u003cbr\u003eMelgor's house is two doors down?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Yes.\" The servant leaned out through the doorway and pointed. \"It's that\u003cbr\u003eway-the house with the blue door. You can't miss it.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"My thanks, friend, and I'm sorry to have disturbed you.\" Then Althalus\u003cbr\u003eturned and went back out to the street. He was grinning broadly. His luck\u003cbr\u003ewas still holding him cuddled to her breast. The \"wrong house\" ploy had\u003cbr\u003egiven him even more information than he'd expected. His luck had\u003cbr\u003eencouraged that servant to tell him all sorts of things. It was still\u003cbr\u003equite early in the morning, and if this was Kweso's normal time to rise,\u003cbr\u003ethat was a fair indication that he went to bed early as well. He'd be\u003cbr\u003esound asleep by midnight. The garden around his house was mature, with\u003cbr\u003elarge trees and broad flowering bushes that would provide cover. Getting\u003cbr\u003einside the house would be no problem, and now Althalus knew where Kweso's\u003cbr\u003ebedroom was. All that was left to do was to slip into the house in the\u003cbr\u003emiddle of the night, go directly to Kweso's bedroom, wake him, and lay a\u003cbr\u003ebronze knife against his throat to persuade him to cooperate. The whole\u003cbr\u003eaffair could be settled in short order.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUnfortunately, however, it didn't turn out that way at all. The salt\u003cbr\u003emerchant's chubby, good-natured face obviously concealed a much sharper\u003cbr\u003emind than Althalus expected. Not long after midnight, the clever thief\u003cbr\u003escaled the merchant's outer wall, crept through the garden, and quietly\u003cbr\u003eentered the house. He stopped in the entryway to listen. Except for a few\u003cbr\u003esnores coming from the servants' quarters, the house was silent. As\u003cbr\u003equietly as a shadow, Althalus went to the foot of the stairs and started\u003cbr\u003eup.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt was at that point that Kweso's house became very noisy. The three dogs\u003cbr\u003ewere almost as large as ponies, and their deep-throated barking seemed to\u003cbr\u003eshake the walls.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlthalus immediately changed his plans. The open air of the nighttime\u003cbr\u003estreets suddenly seemed enormously attractive.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe dogs at the foot of the stairs seemed to have other plans, however.\u003cbr\u003eThey started up, snarling and displaying shockingly large fangs.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere were shouts coming from upstairs, and somebody was lighting candles.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlthalus waited tensely until the dogs had almost reached him. Then, with\u003cbr\u003ean acrobatic skill he didn't even know he had, he jumped high over the top\u003cbr\u003eof the dogs, tumbled on down to the foot of the stairs, sprang to his\u003cbr\u003efeet, and ran back outside.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs he raced across the garden with the dogs snapping at his heels, he\u003cbr\u003eheard a buzzing sound zip past his left ear. Somebody in the house, either\u003cbr\u003ethe deceptively moon-faced Kweso himself or one of his meek-looking\u003cbr\u003eservants, seemed to be a very proficient archer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlthalus scrambled up the wall as the dogs snapped at his heels \u003cbr\u003eand more arrows bounced off the stones, spraying his face with chips and \u003cbr\u003efragments.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe rolled over the top of the wall and dropped into the street, running\u003cbr\u003ealmost before his feet hit the paving stones. Things had not turned out\u003cbr\u003ethe way he'd planned. His tumble down the stairs had left scrapes and\u003cbr\u003ebruises in all sorts of places, and he'd managed to severely twist one of\u003cbr\u003ehis ankles in his drop to the street. He limped on, filling the air around\u003cbr\u003ehim with curses.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen somebody in Kweso's house opened the front gate, and the dogs came\u003cbr\u003erushing out.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow that, Althalus felt, was going just a little too far. He'd admitted\u003cbr\u003ehis defeat by running away, but Kweso evidently wasn't satisfied with\u003cbr\u003evictory and wanted blood as well.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt took some dodging around and clambering over several walls, but the\u003cbr\u003ethief eventually shook off the pursuing dogs. Then he went across town to\u003cbr\u003eput himself a long way from all the excitement and sat down on a\u003cbr\u003econveniently placed public bench to think things over. Civilized men were\u003cbr\u003eobviously not as docile as they appeared on the surface, and Althalus\u003cbr\u003edecided then and there that he'd seen as much of the city of Deika as he\u003cbr\u003ereally wanted to see. What puzzled him the most, though, was how his luck\u003cbr\u003ehad failed to warn him about those dogs. Could it be that she'd been\u003cbr\u003easleep? He'd have to speak with her about that.","brand":"Del Rey","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302929420517,"sku":"NP9780345440785","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780345440785.jpg?v=1767741199","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/the-redemption-of-althalus-isbn-9780345440785","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}