Since the beginning of time there have been eight elder Gods. At any one time four are awake and four asleep. When they do sleep it is for eons. The only time that they are vulnerable is just after they awake.

At the moment the waking Gods are Zelana of the West, Dahlaine of the North, Aracia of the East and Veltan of the South.

The Ruler of the Wasteland wants to become a God but know they only way he can do this is to destroy the other Gods so he waits, gathers his troops in readiness and looks for the time that the Gods are just awakening.

Each of the current conscious Gods has a companion, a young child known as a Dreamer, who seems to have prophetic dreams. As they grow and mature it starts to become obvious that they are no ordinary children. Their dreams seem to reflect reality rather too closely for pure coincidence.

When it becomes apparent that the forces of the Wasteland are gathering together the Gods realise that it is only a matter of time before they make their move. There is only one possibility. They must bring together the different tribes of the Land of Dhrall, force them to put aside their differences and form an army to face the creatures of the Wasteland.

At this time the battle is confined to the West although it is evident that as time passes they may have to fight similar battles in the other 3 regions. When an evil Lord has been planning to take over the world for so long he is not going to give up at the first hurdle.

The Elder Gods is the first novel from David and Leigh Eddings since Regina's Song and it heralds a return to the world of Fantasy. As in their previous series, David & Leigh have created a world in glorious Technicolor, full of character and adventure.

There is the usual cast of heroes that you come to expect from an Eddings novel and, despite their differences, they manage to work together against the attack of the Ruler of the Wasteland. As with other books by these authors, the story combines adventure with just the right amount of humour. The writing style is relaxed and completely addictive.

Although The Elder Gods is described as a stand-alone novel it sets the scene for a further 3 novels set in the same world. I cannot wait until the next book hits the shelves. I definitely want to know what happens next!