The Losers

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After an accident leaves Raphael Taylor without a leg, he finds himself thrust into the social welfare system, and amongst those that depend on it. THE LOSERS is a fascinating story of good and evil, love, pride and unlikely friendships, as well as a look at one neighborhood both helped and held down by social welfare. By David Eddings, the New York Times bestselling author of The Belgariad and The Malloreon fantasy series. From Publishers Weekly Stepping out of the fantasy genre, bestselling author Eddings fashions a searing indictment of the social-welfare system in this sometimes compelling but unfortunately didactic novel about down-and-outers in the Pacific Northwest. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal Raphael Taylor's life seems marked for greatness until his exposure to a world of hedonistic pleasure by college roommate Damon Flood culminates in an accident that leaves him physically and emotionally shattered. Raphael's struggle to rebuild his self-esteem in a society where government assistance programs encourage a loser mentality is the focus of Eddings's latest foray into mainstream fiction. Known for his best-selling fantasies (the "Belgarian," "Malloreon," and "Elenium" series), Eddings here attempts contemporary social commentary with problematic results. Society's outcasts are treated as archetypes, while characters' names imply symbolic connections that are never fully developed. Stripped of their fantasy trappings, the author's opinions assume a heavy-handedness that verges on the polemic. Readers drawn by Eddings's name and reputation may come away disappointed. Purchase only where demand warrants. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 1/92. - Jackie Cassada, Asheville-Buncombe Lib. System, N.C. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.