User:Whiteheadj/Redemption

The Redemption of Althalus is a fantasy novel by David and Leigh Eddings. It is notable because, unlike in the vast majority of fantasy novels, the world evolves over the ages, going from a bronze-age barter economy to a more traditional high fantasy setting over the course of the work.

Synopsis
The book The Redemption of Althalus is in seven parts with a Prologue and an Epilogue.

Prologue
Althalus decides to explore civilization after being told a funny story of something that happened there. The story is about the people of Deika (a country in Althalus' world), who decide that the gold in Kagwher (another of the countries) is meant for them. They send over an army to take the gold, and all the soldiers desert to make their fortunes gold-digging. The Deikans, not understanding why the soldiers would desert when they were being paid a copper penny a day, sent another army to punish the first one. When the army got there they decided that they were just as clever as the first army, and they deserted as well. When the Deikans heard of this, they sent out a third army to see what had happened to the first two, and that army deserted as well. As Althalus said: "That would be a quick way to lose an army...".

Part One - The House at the End of the World
Althalus has tried to rob a salt merchant, Kweso, in Deika (not successful largely because of the merchant's dogs), he has tried to rob a very rich man, Omeso, in Kanthon (not successful because all of the money is hidden underground to fool the tax inspectors), and he has tried to rob a merchant, Druigor, and left the strongroom, not knowing that all the paper on the floor is money! Althalus, thinking that his luck has given up on him, decides to go back home, away from "civilazation". However, on his way there he hears (in a tavern) about a Clan-Chief in Arum (a country) who has a strongroom full of gold. Naturally this caught Althalus' attention, so he went there (after stealing the informant's wolf-skin cloak). He spent the whole winter with Gosti Big-Belly's clan, telling Gosti (the supposedly rich clan chief) funny stories and jokes. At the end of the winter, he robbed the strongroom, only to find that instead of being filled with gold, there was barely anything, and that what was there was copper and bronze. Taking as much copper and bronze as he could, Althalus left Arum and went to Hule. In Hule he met a man named Ghend, who told him that if he went to the House at the end of the World and found a book there, Althalus would be payed the book's weight in gold. Althalus set off on this task, after stealing Ghend's cloak! Althalus journeyed up to the edge of the world, where he saw the sky "catch on fire" (presumably the Northern Lights) and met an old man who claimed to be talking to God (when, to everyone else, he was merely talking to himself). Eventually Althalus reached the House at the End of the World, and went into a room upstairs where he found the Book, and a talking cat found him. Althalus was originally convinced that he had gone mad, but after being taught how to read the Book by the cat, he realises that he hasn't, and grows to love the cat and call her Emerald.