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The Belgariad #1-3
The Belgariad, Vol. 1: Pawn of Prophecy / Queen of Sorcery / Magician's Gambit
Millions of readers have discovered the magic of David Eddings’ New York Times bestselling series The Belgariad . Now the first three books in this monumental epic appear in a single volume. Here, long-time fans can rediscover the wonder—and the uninitiated can embark upon a thrilling new journey of fantasy and adventure.
It all begins with the theft of the Orb that for so long protected the West from an evil god. As long as the Orb was at Riva, the prophecy went, its people would be safe from this corrupting power. Garion, a simple farm boy, is familiar with the legend of the Orb, but skeptical in matters of magic. Until, through a twist of fate, he learns not only that the story of the Orb is true, but that he must set out on a quest of unparalleled magic and danger to help recover it. For Garion is a child of destiny, and fate itself is leading him far from his home, sweeping him irrevocably toward a distant tower—and a cataclysmic confrontation with a master of the darkest magic.
It all begins with the theft of the Orb that for so long protected the West from an evil god. As long as the Orb was at Riva, the prophecy went, its people would be safe from this corrupting power. Garion, a simple farm boy, is familiar with the legend of the Orb, but skeptical in matters of magic. Until, through a twist of fate, he learns not only that the story of the Orb is true, but that he must set out on a quest of unparalleled magic and danger to help recover it. For Garion is a child of destiny, and fate itself is leading him far from his home, sweeping him irrevocably toward a distant tower—and a cataclysmic confrontation with a master of the darkest magic.
644 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
166 people are currently reading
5278 people want to read
About the author
David Eddings
220 books5,560 followersDavid Eddings was an American author who wrote several best-selling series of epic fantasy novels. David Eddings' wife,
Leigh Eddings
, was an uncredited co-author on many of his early books, but he had later acknowledged that she contributed to them all.
They adopted one boy in 1966, Scott David, then two months old. They adopted a younger girl between 1966 and 1969. In 1970 the couple lost custody of both children and were each sentenced to a year in jail in separate trials after pleading guilty to 11 counts of physical child abuse. Though the nature of the abuse, the trial, and the sentencing were all extensively reported in South Dakota newspapers at the time, these details did not resurface in media coverage of the couple during their successful joint career as authors, only returning to public attention several years after both had died.
After both served their sentences, David and Leigh Eddings moved to Denver in 1971, where David found work in a grocery store.
David Eddings' first books (which were general fiction) sold moderately well. He later switched to writing epic fantasy, a field in which he achieved great success. In a recent interview with sffworld.com, he said: "I don't take orders from readers."
On January 26, 2007 it was reported that Eddings accidentally burned about a quarter of his office, next door to his house, along with his Excalibur sports car, and the original manuscripts for most of his novels. He was flushing the fuel tank of the car with water when he lit a piece of paper and threw into the puddle to test if it was still flammable.
On February 28, 2007, David Eddings' wife, Leigh Eddings (born Judith Leigh Schall), died following a series of strokes. She was 69.
David Eddings died on June 2, 2009 at the age of 77.
They adopted one boy in 1966, Scott David, then two months old. They adopted a younger girl between 1966 and 1969. In 1970 the couple lost custody of both children and were each sentenced to a year in jail in separate trials after pleading guilty to 11 counts of physical child abuse. Though the nature of the abuse, the trial, and the sentencing were all extensively reported in South Dakota newspapers at the time, these details did not resurface in media coverage of the couple during their successful joint career as authors, only returning to public attention several years after both had died.
After both served their sentences, David and Leigh Eddings moved to Denver in 1971, where David found work in a grocery store.
David Eddings' first books (which were general fiction) sold moderately well. He later switched to writing epic fantasy, a field in which he achieved great success. In a recent interview with sffworld.com, he said: "I don't take orders from readers."
On January 26, 2007 it was reported that Eddings accidentally burned about a quarter of his office, next door to his house, along with his Excalibur sports car, and the original manuscripts for most of his novels. He was flushing the fuel tank of the car with water when he lit a piece of paper and threw into the puddle to test if it was still flammable.
On February 28, 2007, David Eddings' wife, Leigh Eddings (born Judith Leigh Schall), died following a series of strokes. She was 69.
David Eddings died on June 2, 2009 at the age of 77.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 462 reviews
March 21, 2016
My grandfather on my father’s side bought me
The Ruby Knight
—the second book in The Elenium trilogy, by David Eddings—when I was nine or ten. It was the first modern fantasy I had ever read, and I remember being utterly captivated by Mr. Eddings’ story of knights and magic and monsters, and thinking, “I like this!”
I liked it so much, in fact, that I raced to our local library and, over the course of several months, devoured every novel Mr. Eddings had published. I even went so far as to purchase all five books of the series.
Mr. Eddings’ The Belgariad series (Volume One, Volume Two) is a wonderful introduction to fantasy. A classic coming-of-age epic, it features a young farm boy with a mysterious past; a mad, twisted god for a villain; true love; thrilling duels and battles; a unique land; and some of the most interesting characters in the genre. Mr. Eddings influenced how I approach fantasy, both as a reader and as an author. The Belgariad will always have a place of honor on my bookshelves.
I liked it so much, in fact, that I raced to our local library and, over the course of several months, devoured every novel Mr. Eddings had published. I even went so far as to purchase all five books of the series.
Mr. Eddings’ The Belgariad series (Volume One, Volume Two) is a wonderful introduction to fantasy. A classic coming-of-age epic, it features a young farm boy with a mysterious past; a mad, twisted god for a villain; true love; thrilling duels and battles; a unique land; and some of the most interesting characters in the genre. Mr. Eddings influenced how I approach fantasy, both as a reader and as an author. The Belgariad will always have a place of honor on my bookshelves.
August 24, 2009
Maybe more like a 2.75 on the ratings scale. Competent but predictable fantasy. The author created the world before he created the story, and it shows. The setting is very thoroughly imagined and meticulously crafted; the story, less so. The characters are all familiar fantasy archetypes, though not bad examples of those archetypes, for the most part. The pacing is exceedingly slow, and the action depends a great deal on the people in the story not telling each other basic, necessary information about what they are doing or why, which gets tiresome. You would think that, by the forty-eleventh time the Prophesied Savior Of The Whole Universe is nearly killed because his "wise" mentors gave him a necklace and said, "Here, put this on, it's a family tradition to wear one" instead of "You must wear this magical medallion at all times and never ever take it off even to bathe or else the forces of evil will CONTROL YOUR MIND," it might clue them in that perhaps a more thorough explanation of what is going on might be in order. But no. Apparently not.
There are two more books in the series, contained in the next omnibus, which I do plan on reading. If only to see if it is ever explained why our hero, who is destined to do battle with the Ultimate Evil, and whose upbringing was strictly under the control of his "wise mentors," was never taught seemingly basic stuff like...how to read. And how to fight with a sword. Or any other weapon, really. Perhaps the next volumes will explain why our hero was raised in such a way as to make him seemingly incompetent to walk to the next village and buy a spool of thread on his own, much less fight an ultimate battle for the fate of the world.
There are two more books in the series, contained in the next omnibus, which I do plan on reading. If only to see if it is ever explained why our hero, who is destined to do battle with the Ultimate Evil, and whose upbringing was strictly under the control of his "wise mentors," was never taught seemingly basic stuff like...how to read. And how to fight with a sword. Or any other weapon, really. Perhaps the next volumes will explain why our hero was raised in such a way as to make him seemingly incompetent to walk to the next village and buy a spool of thread on his own, much less fight an ultimate battle for the fate of the world.
November 5, 2016
Queen of Sorcery is definitely still my favorite. There's so much humor in this series. The characters are ridiculous and funny.
One good thing about reading this volume as a whole is that Pawn of Prophecy is a tad bit light on substance, and Queen of Sorcery is high on humor, but by the time you get into Magician's Gambit you're actually getting much more into the darker aspects of the series. It's no longer light-hearted. There are still plenty of laughs, though.
But, oh god. I wanted to kill Eddings when a line comes up something like this "Garion instantly knew that the city had been designed by a woman. Men think in straight lines and women in circles." I actually just had to close my eyes and shake my head a few times at that one.
One good thing about reading this volume as a whole is that Pawn of Prophecy is a tad bit light on substance, and Queen of Sorcery is high on humor, but by the time you get into Magician's Gambit you're actually getting much more into the darker aspects of the series. It's no longer light-hearted. There are still plenty of laughs, though.
But, oh god. I wanted to kill Eddings when a line comes up something like this "Garion instantly knew that the city had been designed by a woman. Men think in straight lines and women in circles." I actually just had to close my eyes and shake my head a few times at that one.
December 3, 2022
The first three Belgariad books are a lot of fun!
***
Pawn of Prophecy
Garion is a young orphaned farm boy believed to be the descendant of heroes, destined to confront the fallen Dark Lord Torak who betrayed the gods of the old age and threw the world into darkness. With Torak's wicked forces rising from the shadows to wreak havoc in search of an ancient orb that will allow their master to be resurrected, Garion sets out on an epic quest to gain the support of kings from around the world and claim the orb before it falls into the wrong hands. Accompanied by his fierce yet motherly Aunt Pol, the wise sorcerer Wolf, and a slew of colorful companions, Garion must face many challenges before he confronts his mortal enemy and discover the truth behind his lineage.
An engaging classic fantasy with fun characters and charming humor. The plot and characters are rather simplistic and cliche, but not necessarily in a bad way. All the characters are recognizable archetypes that have been done hundreds of times before. Garion is the orphaned farm boy turned hero of prophecy. Pol is the harsh yet lovable sorceress. Wolf is the wise old bearded wizard. Silk is the cunning sharp-tongued jester. Barak is the barbarian warrior with a heart of gold, etc. But the Belgariad manages to utilize these archetypes much better than most typical classic epic fantasy stories by making them far more human, realistic and relatable.
The story is as formulaic and by the numbers as fantasy can possibly be, but this was actually an intentional choice by the author. He wanted to prove that he could make a fun, engaging and entertaining series using all the familiar tropes often associated with classic fantasy. Where Eddings succeeds where many classic fantasy epics don’t is the great dialogue, stronger prose, tighter pacing, characters with bright personalities that pop out of the pages and consistently witty and humorous banter between the core cast.
Is it a monumental work of fantasy that redefines the genre? No. Is it highly entertaining with moments of brilliance here and there? Definitely.
Silk is my favorite character so far. He’s like Littlefinger from Game of Thrones, but if he were actually a decent guy that just likes gambling, debating and being a sassy little devil.
My rating: 3.8/5
***
Queen of Sorcery
Queen of Sorcery continues right where Pawn of Prophecy leaves off and expands upon everything the first book spent setting up. We continue following Garion and his crew of ageless royals on their quest to gain the support of foreign nations, receive support from a slew of colorful allies and hopefully retrieve the Orb of Aldur from the clutches of their enemies before the Dark Lord Torak can return to full power. They encounter many dangerous threats while Garion slowly matures and comes to understand what he’s truly capable of.
I’m glad I decided to give this series another chance. On a surface level, it’s easy to write the Belgariad off as a tropey epic fantasy saga that brings nothing new to the table. Once you peel back its familiar exterior however, it’s rich with imaginative writing, great characters, genuinely funny and entertaining dialogue, and surprising moments of emotional growth for the protagonists. The romance, comedy, pacing and distinct personality of the core cast is done better than most other classic series that fall into the same style of vintage quest fantasy.
Queen of Sorcery does struggle a bit to find its footing in the first half of the book, as the characters are lost and trying desperately to figure out a plan of action before they get outdone by the enemy. The second half of this one is truly great though, developing the protagonists, their relationships, their supernatural abilities as well as building up the threat of their deadly adversaries. The action scenes are also much more gritty and gruesome. Lots more bodies dropping this time around.
Now I’m actually emotionally invested in the story and looking forward to the rest of the series.
My Rating: 4.2/5
***
Magician's Gambit
Garion and his crew finally uncover the culprit responsible for stealing the Orb of Aldur and spreading chaos all over the world. Ctuchik, an old acquaintance of Belgarath and a faithful servant of the evil lord Torak stands between Garion and the orb. Before they can hope to stand a fighting chance, Garion must master his control over sorcery in the Vale of Aldur, travel through the haunted lands of Maragor, deliver Princess Ce'Nedra to safety and trust in his companions to have his back in the face of disaster and war.
Magician's Gambit was a bit of a mixed bag compared to the first two books, but my feelings are more positive than negative. The first half of the book is the best the series has ever been so far. It has great character development. The mentor/student training between Garion and his grandfather is a nice balance between wholesome and hilarious. The romantic chemistry between Garion and Ce'Nedra, as well as the subtle feelings between Durnik and Pol were nicely implemented.
It has some of the most interesting worldbuilding and lore, delving into the gloomy family history of Garion's ancestors while visiting some truly haunted places like a city made of tortured wailing souls and ancient wizard towers with strange technology. I also like that we got to meet some of the god figures of the story which have been teased since the very beginning. The encounters with them were chilling. A religious zealot that spent his whole life in a cave also joins Garion's party, which offers some unique dynamics to the group.
The second half wasn't nearly as good in my opinion, but far from bad. It just broke away from all the great magic, worldbuilding and character development going on in exchange for a standard fantasy quest adventure where Garion and his party track down Ctuchik in a final standoff for the Orb of Aldur. The ending also wasn't quite as emotionally impactful as the last two books, but does a nice job of setting up the sequels.
My rating: 4.1/5
***
Pawn of Prophecy
Garion is a young orphaned farm boy believed to be the descendant of heroes, destined to confront the fallen Dark Lord Torak who betrayed the gods of the old age and threw the world into darkness. With Torak's wicked forces rising from the shadows to wreak havoc in search of an ancient orb that will allow their master to be resurrected, Garion sets out on an epic quest to gain the support of kings from around the world and claim the orb before it falls into the wrong hands. Accompanied by his fierce yet motherly Aunt Pol, the wise sorcerer Wolf, and a slew of colorful companions, Garion must face many challenges before he confronts his mortal enemy and discover the truth behind his lineage.
An engaging classic fantasy with fun characters and charming humor. The plot and characters are rather simplistic and cliche, but not necessarily in a bad way. All the characters are recognizable archetypes that have been done hundreds of times before. Garion is the orphaned farm boy turned hero of prophecy. Pol is the harsh yet lovable sorceress. Wolf is the wise old bearded wizard. Silk is the cunning sharp-tongued jester. Barak is the barbarian warrior with a heart of gold, etc. But the Belgariad manages to utilize these archetypes much better than most typical classic epic fantasy stories by making them far more human, realistic and relatable.
The story is as formulaic and by the numbers as fantasy can possibly be, but this was actually an intentional choice by the author. He wanted to prove that he could make a fun, engaging and entertaining series using all the familiar tropes often associated with classic fantasy. Where Eddings succeeds where many classic fantasy epics don’t is the great dialogue, stronger prose, tighter pacing, characters with bright personalities that pop out of the pages and consistently witty and humorous banter between the core cast.
Is it a monumental work of fantasy that redefines the genre? No. Is it highly entertaining with moments of brilliance here and there? Definitely.
Silk is my favorite character so far. He’s like Littlefinger from Game of Thrones, but if he were actually a decent guy that just likes gambling, debating and being a sassy little devil.
My rating: 3.8/5
***
Queen of Sorcery
Queen of Sorcery continues right where Pawn of Prophecy leaves off and expands upon everything the first book spent setting up. We continue following Garion and his crew of ageless royals on their quest to gain the support of foreign nations, receive support from a slew of colorful allies and hopefully retrieve the Orb of Aldur from the clutches of their enemies before the Dark Lord Torak can return to full power. They encounter many dangerous threats while Garion slowly matures and comes to understand what he’s truly capable of.
I’m glad I decided to give this series another chance. On a surface level, it’s easy to write the Belgariad off as a tropey epic fantasy saga that brings nothing new to the table. Once you peel back its familiar exterior however, it’s rich with imaginative writing, great characters, genuinely funny and entertaining dialogue, and surprising moments of emotional growth for the protagonists. The romance, comedy, pacing and distinct personality of the core cast is done better than most other classic series that fall into the same style of vintage quest fantasy.
Queen of Sorcery does struggle a bit to find its footing in the first half of the book, as the characters are lost and trying desperately to figure out a plan of action before they get outdone by the enemy. The second half of this one is truly great though, developing the protagonists, their relationships, their supernatural abilities as well as building up the threat of their deadly adversaries. The action scenes are also much more gritty and gruesome. Lots more bodies dropping this time around.
Now I’m actually emotionally invested in the story and looking forward to the rest of the series.
My Rating: 4.2/5
***
Magician's Gambit
Garion and his crew finally uncover the culprit responsible for stealing the Orb of Aldur and spreading chaos all over the world. Ctuchik, an old acquaintance of Belgarath and a faithful servant of the evil lord Torak stands between Garion and the orb. Before they can hope to stand a fighting chance, Garion must master his control over sorcery in the Vale of Aldur, travel through the haunted lands of Maragor, deliver Princess Ce'Nedra to safety and trust in his companions to have his back in the face of disaster and war.
Magician's Gambit was a bit of a mixed bag compared to the first two books, but my feelings are more positive than negative. The first half of the book is the best the series has ever been so far. It has great character development. The mentor/student training between Garion and his grandfather is a nice balance between wholesome and hilarious. The romantic chemistry between Garion and Ce'Nedra, as well as the subtle feelings between Durnik and Pol were nicely implemented.
It has some of the most interesting worldbuilding and lore, delving into the gloomy family history of Garion's ancestors while visiting some truly haunted places like a city made of tortured wailing souls and ancient wizard towers with strange technology. I also like that we got to meet some of the god figures of the story which have been teased since the very beginning. The encounters with them were chilling. A religious zealot that spent his whole life in a cave also joins Garion's party, which offers some unique dynamics to the group.
The second half wasn't nearly as good in my opinion, but far from bad. It just broke away from all the great magic, worldbuilding and character development going on in exchange for a standard fantasy quest adventure where Garion and his party track down Ctuchik in a final standoff for the Orb of Aldur. The ending also wasn't quite as emotionally impactful as the last two books, but does a nice job of setting up the sequels.
My rating: 4.1/5
May 21, 2017
This is the fourth time I'm reading the Belgariad series by Eddings and I will never stop loving it. The worst thing that could be said about these books is that they are a tad predictable, the characters somewhat stereotypical, and that it is rather "light" for a fantasy series; but I think that is why I enjoy it so much. It makes these books suitable for a wide range of ages. I first read it when I was in my early/middle teens and I noticed that I read it differently each time, noticing different and new things.
The story is your typical quest: Garion, a young farm boy, is basically dragged out of his safe and familiar environment one night by his Aunt Pol and an old storyteller, Mr Wolf, for - to him - unknown purposes. As their journey progresses and more companions join their small group, Garion slowly starts to learn more about the reason for their quest and eventually finds out that he has a part to play in it, too.
The books are written in a third-person narrative, but they are almost completely told from Garion's point of view; what Garion does not know, the reader also does not know (with the exception of the respective prologues of each separate book in this series, which serve to give the reader background information about the world and the history thereof). The world-building is amazing, in my opinion - very detailed, making it easy for the reader to imagine the world in his head, but it is not described so extensively that it becomes tiresome.
The characters are, despite sometimes following certain stereotypes (both with regard to races, such as "all Arends are stupid" and "all Tolnedrans are obsessed with money", and in the sense of familiar-seeming character types being included, such as the characters of the strong knight, the spoilt princess, the wise sorcerer, etc.), well-developed and generally likable. Some parts are very funny - I laughed out loud more than once whilst reading this book, even for the fourth time - whilst others keep you on the edge of your seat or even manage to evoke some emotional response.
All in all, I think these books are amazing and I would recommend them to every fan of fantasy and/or adventure stories.
The story is your typical quest: Garion, a young farm boy, is basically dragged out of his safe and familiar environment one night by his Aunt Pol and an old storyteller, Mr Wolf, for - to him - unknown purposes. As their journey progresses and more companions join their small group, Garion slowly starts to learn more about the reason for their quest and eventually finds out that he has a part to play in it, too.
The books are written in a third-person narrative, but they are almost completely told from Garion's point of view; what Garion does not know, the reader also does not know (with the exception of the respective prologues of each separate book in this series, which serve to give the reader background information about the world and the history thereof). The world-building is amazing, in my opinion - very detailed, making it easy for the reader to imagine the world in his head, but it is not described so extensively that it becomes tiresome.
The characters are, despite sometimes following certain stereotypes (both with regard to races, such as "all Arends are stupid" and "all Tolnedrans are obsessed with money", and in the sense of familiar-seeming character types being included, such as the characters of the strong knight, the spoilt princess, the wise sorcerer, etc.), well-developed and generally likable. Some parts are very funny - I laughed out loud more than once whilst reading this book, even for the fourth time - whilst others keep you on the edge of your seat or even manage to evoke some emotional response.
All in all, I think these books are amazing and I would recommend them to every fan of fantasy and/or adventure stories.
June 29, 2007
Get ready for the overuse of the word "sardonic" and characters who absolutely have to have the last word ("oh, really?" "yes, indeed!" "I thought you might feel that way." "I was born feeling this way.") I have to be loyal to a fellow Reedie, but Eddings takes the easy way out too often, merely stating situations when he could take more pains to show them ("The young boy took her hand with a mournful look in his eyes showing profound love, tinged with hope and fear and a midafternoon's hunger for a good meat pie.") I want to make it clear that I enjoyed the Belgariad and the Mallorean. I just don't really know if I would recommend them to anyone I know right now. Disclaimer: all quotes in this review may be highly inaccurate!
June 1, 2011
This is my review for both David Eddings series Belgariad and The Malloreon I know it is a little long but bear with me please. As a warning there will be spoilers.
The Belgariad and The Malloreon series has truly struck a cord whith me in a way that no series has been able to do since The Sword of Truth series and before that The Harry Potter series. Both of the authors of those series had a special power to take what they had written and bring it alive withing the pages. This is what David Eddings has done for me in his books. I know that early in my reading of this series I compared it to The Lord of the Rings series but after finishing it I have come to a new conculusion while some of it is in fact similer and I am sure that David Eddings like all other authors was influenced slightly by Tolkien's work but Eddings is vastly difforent where Tolkien spent most of his time developing his world Eddings dedicated his stories to developing his characters and he sure did. The characters in his novels are much more human much more relatable than some of Tolkein's seemingly invulnerable characters they have truly human flaws weaknesses and fears the characters in LOTR tend to not have much in the way of thoes normal realatable human characteristics. This is one of the main things that drew me to his story. David Eddings also manages to have many very strong very prominent female characters throughout his series this was one of the things that LOTR lacked more than any other it simply has almost no female characters and while this may work for some types of fiction it doesn't for fantasy. For what is fantasy with out some romance and love? Just a silly children's fairy tale. ( I must make it perfectly clear that I am not calling LOTR one such story the work that Tolkien put into is simply astonishing but it is lacking in some major areas. But it's okay because it worked for him and I did enjoy the books. ) I found I liked David Eddings work more than Tolkien's also because its just a fantastic story in and of itself while some parts may drag a bit and some werent givin as much time a we thought they deserved but this is true of all works of righting the author does there best to satasfy all of their readers and David Eddings lives up to that satisfaction. I will not be stoping after these two series I fully intend to read every book that David Eddings and his wife have written and I am sure that I will be much happier for it. I strongly recomend David Eddings work to all lovers of fantasy this series of his was able to keep me going for almost two weeks and I am sure that you all will be able to get at least some enjoyment out of them as well.
The Belgariad and The Malloreon series has truly struck a cord whith me in a way that no series has been able to do since The Sword of Truth series and before that The Harry Potter series. Both of the authors of those series had a special power to take what they had written and bring it alive withing the pages. This is what David Eddings has done for me in his books. I know that early in my reading of this series I compared it to The Lord of the Rings series but after finishing it I have come to a new conculusion while some of it is in fact similer and I am sure that David Eddings like all other authors was influenced slightly by Tolkien's work but Eddings is vastly difforent where Tolkien spent most of his time developing his world Eddings dedicated his stories to developing his characters and he sure did. The characters in his novels are much more human much more relatable than some of Tolkein's seemingly invulnerable characters they have truly human flaws weaknesses and fears the characters in LOTR tend to not have much in the way of thoes normal realatable human characteristics. This is one of the main things that drew me to his story. David Eddings also manages to have many very strong very prominent female characters throughout his series this was one of the things that LOTR lacked more than any other it simply has almost no female characters and while this may work for some types of fiction it doesn't for fantasy. For what is fantasy with out some romance and love? Just a silly children's fairy tale. ( I must make it perfectly clear that I am not calling LOTR one such story the work that Tolkien put into is simply astonishing but it is lacking in some major areas. But it's okay because it worked for him and I did enjoy the books. ) I found I liked David Eddings work more than Tolkien's also because its just a fantastic story in and of itself while some parts may drag a bit and some werent givin as much time a we thought they deserved but this is true of all works of righting the author does there best to satasfy all of their readers and David Eddings lives up to that satisfaction. I will not be stoping after these two series I fully intend to read every book that David Eddings and his wife have written and I am sure that I will be much happier for it. I strongly recomend David Eddings work to all lovers of fantasy this series of his was able to keep me going for almost two weeks and I am sure that you all will be able to get at least some enjoyment out of them as well.
December 8, 2008
This Fantasy series is entertaining. Some of the dialogue is witty and sharp. Clearly there's ideas lifted from Tolkein - it's hard to find fantasy that can't be traced back to Tolkein. However, there's more character driven plots than JRR which makes for a fun read.
With some tweaking this could actually be adapted to film. Sometimes the characters bleed into one another. Unless you extremely like the writing and characters I strongly suggest skipping the Mallorean, the next five books. The author actually recycles the plot from this series as a plot device. This cop-out has been adopted by such notables as George Lucas in episodes 1-3 (even dialogue!) and to a lesser degree by Terry Brooks. Ok, personal style is personal style. I get it, but I also can tell when when I'm being resold the same old crap. I quote Keanu Reeves comment to Carrie-Ann Moss while filming the Matrix series: "You're doggin' it.' Even still I've read this five book series 3-4 times.
With some tweaking this could actually be adapted to film. Sometimes the characters bleed into one another. Unless you extremely like the writing and characters I strongly suggest skipping the Mallorean, the next five books. The author actually recycles the plot from this series as a plot device. This cop-out has been adopted by such notables as George Lucas in episodes 1-3 (even dialogue!) and to a lesser degree by Terry Brooks. Ok, personal style is personal style. I get it, but I also can tell when when I'm being resold the same old crap. I quote Keanu Reeves comment to Carrie-Ann Moss while filming the Matrix series: "You're doggin' it.' Even still I've read this five book series 3-4 times.
December 31, 2007
This series has been recommended to me more times than I can count. I finally got around to reading it and I gotta say... not sure what all the fuss is about. I mean, it was good, but it wasn't any better in my opinion than any of those other series out there that tell the same tale- good vs. evil, magic vs. non-magic, follow the prophecy road... you get the idea. This book fits the formula to a T. I could tell you everything that was going to happen in this series by the second chapter. What I couldn't tell you were the characters' reactions. What made this book a four star one was (as with most books of this formula) the supporting cast. I just loved the characters who surround our hero, though I'm fairly lukewarm on the hero himself.
September 22, 2017
This was a fun read and, of course, is much more lighthearted thanmost the epic fantasy that's out there now-a-days, or at least more than what I read. It fit the mood I was in when I started it and is definitely a product of its time.
For me it was a little too much to read these books an an omnibus format, cause by the middle of the Magician's Gambit, I was way ready to be done with it. So I'm not sure I'll ever get back to the remaining books in this series or not.
For me it was a little too much to read these books an an omnibus format, cause by the middle of the Magician's Gambit, I was way ready to be done with it. So I'm not sure I'll ever get back to the remaining books in this series or not.
December 14, 2025
I think I've done a full reread of this series every two years or so since I read it when I was twelve.
It just keeps getting better and better and better.
And yes, I realize there are parts that are super ~problematic, but I'm not going to let that spoil something that I've loved so completely for so long. It's old. It's a little bit racist. The ladies are few and screech a lot. It's too hetero to stand sometimes. But it's also that sort of classic truly Epic fantasy that you don't find so much anymore. The ladies are powerful and strong despite their circumstances. There's a happy ending. They travel the entire world and save it and it's optimistic and humorous and there's not a trace of the obnoxious grim-darkness that's taken over contemporary fantasy.
It's comfort food for me, and that's never going to change. Garion will always be my favorite sunshine boy and Polgara will always be his startlingly powerful Aunt and Belgarath will always be the grumpy grandpa I love too much and Silk will always be the snarky garbage thief I accidentally fell in love with and there is nothing that will ever make me dislike this series. It is forever my favorite and I love it with all my heart.
Even on the fifteenth reread.
It just keeps getting better and better and better.
And yes, I realize there are parts that are super ~problematic, but I'm not going to let that spoil something that I've loved so completely for so long. It's old. It's a little bit racist. The ladies are few and screech a lot. It's too hetero to stand sometimes. But it's also that sort of classic truly Epic fantasy that you don't find so much anymore. The ladies are powerful and strong despite their circumstances. There's a happy ending. They travel the entire world and save it and it's optimistic and humorous and there's not a trace of the obnoxious grim-darkness that's taken over contemporary fantasy.
It's comfort food for me, and that's never going to change. Garion will always be my favorite sunshine boy and Polgara will always be his startlingly powerful Aunt and Belgarath will always be the grumpy grandpa I love too much and Silk will always be the snarky garbage thief I accidentally fell in love with and there is nothing that will ever make me dislike this series. It is forever my favorite and I love it with all my heart.
Even on the fifteenth reread.
October 6, 2019
Either I'm getting old or I've read this series too many times, but the first half at least didn't give me the comforting warm and fuzzies I was expecting from this re-read.
I mean, they were still there: the characters and passages I remember cherishing as a kid. They seemed changed somehow, though, emptier than before. I found myself bored in the interim.
The women, of course, get little to do in these first three books. Belgarath disparages Garion for not listening to Polgara after showing example of never listening to her himself.
What I will grant is that Eddings does make his world come to life, simplistic though it might be. It's kind of like a toy box, neatly arranged. You can't help but be charmed, though you're never once fooled into thinking the toy soldiers might be real.
I mean, they were still there: the characters and passages I remember cherishing as a kid. They seemed changed somehow, though, emptier than before. I found myself bored in the interim.
The women, of course, get little to do in these first three books. Belgarath disparages Garion for not listening to Polgara after showing example of never listening to her himself.
What I will grant is that Eddings does make his world come to life, simplistic though it might be. It's kind of like a toy box, neatly arranged. You can't help but be charmed, though you're never once fooled into thinking the toy soldiers might be real.
January 1, 2021
This was really exciting to re-read, because this is the first series of novels I remember reading independently as a kid. I don't remember all of the details anymore, but when I was pretty young, my mom picked up the first book in this series (Pawn of Prophecy), and I read it cover-to-cover and loved it. Mom kept going to the book store and picking up the next book in the series until I had read all of The Belgariad, then all of The Mallorean, and then all of the standalone books like the ones about Belgarath and Polgara, and the Rivan Codex. And then all of a sudden, I was out of books, so Mom dutifully went back to the book store and asked for help, and what did they introduce us to? The Lord of the Rings. Yeah, life got real good around this time.
Anyway, I really haven't read much fantasy in my life, aside from David Eddings and JRR Tolkien. But for years, I've always daydreamed about going back and re-reading The Belgariad series, part out of nostalgia, and part out of curiosity about what it would be like to re-read these books as an adult -- would they hold up? Would they be too childish?
I started re-reading the first book in the series, Pawn of Prophecy, on my old, yellowed trade paperback version that I had as a kid. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find the other 4 books in The Belgariad from my original collection, so I went out and picked up this new omnibus volume which they call The Belgariad, Vol. 1, which contains the first 3 books from the series, and Vol. 2 contains the last two books in the series. It was nice reading in a larger format than the trade paperback (and nice having those clean white pages), but one downside was that the hand-drawn maps were poorly scanned from the originals and were quite blurry. (Also, very minor, this omnibus collection features "a new foreword from the author", which was 1 light page of someone essentially saying "oh hey glad this was popular, haroomph").
So, my conclusions after finishing Vol. 1: It was super enjoyable re-reading these as an adult. The weren't childish at all -- I'm guessing I didn't fully understand everything as a kid, but it goes to show that kids and adults can read the same books and still get something good from them. I remembered several things quite vividly, but overall, I had forgotten most of the details of the story, so it was fun going on the journey again with a fresh mind. I can't objectively rate this book from a story and quality of writing perspective, because there's too much nostalgic noise in the way, but I enjoyed reading it and I'm going to start Vol 2. very soon. And realistically, I'll probably keep reading all of the follow-up books as well.
And then maybe I'll finally get around to re-reading The Redemption of Althalus, which was my so-called favorite book as a kid...
Anyway, I really haven't read much fantasy in my life, aside from David Eddings and JRR Tolkien. But for years, I've always daydreamed about going back and re-reading The Belgariad series, part out of nostalgia, and part out of curiosity about what it would be like to re-read these books as an adult -- would they hold up? Would they be too childish?
I started re-reading the first book in the series, Pawn of Prophecy, on my old, yellowed trade paperback version that I had as a kid. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find the other 4 books in The Belgariad from my original collection, so I went out and picked up this new omnibus volume which they call The Belgariad, Vol. 1, which contains the first 3 books from the series, and Vol. 2 contains the last two books in the series. It was nice reading in a larger format than the trade paperback (and nice having those clean white pages), but one downside was that the hand-drawn maps were poorly scanned from the originals and were quite blurry. (Also, very minor, this omnibus collection features "a new foreword from the author", which was 1 light page of someone essentially saying "oh hey glad this was popular, haroomph").
So, my conclusions after finishing Vol. 1: It was super enjoyable re-reading these as an adult. The weren't childish at all -- I'm guessing I didn't fully understand everything as a kid, but it goes to show that kids and adults can read the same books and still get something good from them. I remembered several things quite vividly, but overall, I had forgotten most of the details of the story, so it was fun going on the journey again with a fresh mind. I can't objectively rate this book from a story and quality of writing perspective, because there's too much nostalgic noise in the way, but I enjoyed reading it and I'm going to start Vol 2. very soon. And realistically, I'll probably keep reading all of the follow-up books as well.
And then maybe I'll finally get around to re-reading The Redemption of Althalus, which was my so-called favorite book as a kid...
November 12, 2021
So I’m walking down the street with my aunty, chatting about books (of course) when she say’s to me: “Have you read the Belegariad series? I think you’ll like it” I had not heard of such series, but as she explained the different countires, the gods, the mythical creatures I became intrigued, and then in love with this series.
Honestly David Eddings does not get enough credit, at all! A fantasy of epic proportions, published in the 80s, and yet still can be read today as if they were just published. His world-building abilities sit beneath Tolkien; fully developed and detailed, and don’t even get me started on the fight scenes! The best part of the whole series and where Eddings really shines is with his characters. It has a cast of characters that we can affiliate with that are also varying in ages as well as cultures. Throughout the quest barriers are brought down between characters and their different origins, making them a motley, snarky, supportive and powerful group that become a big family.
The journey is long but the constant banter, dysfunctional relationships, colourful characters, make it an enjoyable magical adventure to re-read over and over again. It’s a light read considered against other epic fantasies but nothing short of full-on action, adventures, and dramas.
If you love a good questing adventure with a team of motley characters (which includes sorcerers, shapeshifters, knights, princesses, and thieves) then jump on this series!
IG Post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CWEeEh7Bj...
Honestly David Eddings does not get enough credit, at all! A fantasy of epic proportions, published in the 80s, and yet still can be read today as if they were just published. His world-building abilities sit beneath Tolkien; fully developed and detailed, and don’t even get me started on the fight scenes! The best part of the whole series and where Eddings really shines is with his characters. It has a cast of characters that we can affiliate with that are also varying in ages as well as cultures. Throughout the quest barriers are brought down between characters and their different origins, making them a motley, snarky, supportive and powerful group that become a big family.
The journey is long but the constant banter, dysfunctional relationships, colourful characters, make it an enjoyable magical adventure to re-read over and over again. It’s a light read considered against other epic fantasies but nothing short of full-on action, adventures, and dramas.
If you love a good questing adventure with a team of motley characters (which includes sorcerers, shapeshifters, knights, princesses, and thieves) then jump on this series!
IG Post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CWEeEh7Bj...
August 9, 2009
The flippant dialogue is at first charming, then predictable, and ultimately mind-numbing and/or entirely inappropriate given the situation. The plot is an interminable travelogue of new places and characters, only briefly developed, in service to Eddings' fleshing out the maps he drew before writing this series (see Eddings' Preface in this volume). Worse, the plot is furthered in no small way simply by characters not telling each other what is obviously important information (not just to the reader, but also to them as characters within their more limited perceptions)--a cheap and easy device not worthy of Eddings' talents in other respects, even though he does a better job of grounding it rationally than most who take this "easy out."
Still, I wasn't ready to throw this compendium down until I was three-quarters done (2 and 1/3 books, roughly), so I finished it. Eddings has a strong eye for interesting detail and much of these novels is well written, despite their overall insufficiencies. Too, the interplay between mythology and real-time is intriguing.
Bottom line, they are financially motivated, hack-work at its best--which is higher praise than it sounds like. If you are new to fantasy or need a diverting beach read, by all means check it out of the library. Don't buy it though--you won't ever reread it like you might Hobbs or Martin for their characters or Bishop or Zelazny for their unique worlds.
Still, I wasn't ready to throw this compendium down until I was three-quarters done (2 and 1/3 books, roughly), so I finished it. Eddings has a strong eye for interesting detail and much of these novels is well written, despite their overall insufficiencies. Too, the interplay between mythology and real-time is intriguing.
Bottom line, they are financially motivated, hack-work at its best--which is higher praise than it sounds like. If you are new to fantasy or need a diverting beach read, by all means check it out of the library. Don't buy it though--you won't ever reread it like you might Hobbs or Martin for their characters or Bishop or Zelazny for their unique worlds.
December 9, 2015
I'll offer the same review for both volumes of this book. I didn't read the individual novels as they were published; my first encounter with Eddings took place via the collected series.
Short version: a funny, scary, adventurous, deep story, told well.
Long version: if you've only read a few fantasy series, as I have, it's hard to pigeonhole this. It's not as horrific as Terry Goodkind's novels, but still much more graphic than Tolkien's. I find myself comparing it to the LOTR trilogy, and coming up with this.
It's built on the same reluctant-hero-on-a-quest-to-save-the-world-from-unimaginable-evil-via-ancient-artifact blueprint. There's the same kind of merging of myth and history, unified in heroic legends, although it's not nearly as deep or detailed as Tolkien (and that's probably a good thing for the casual reader). This is an altogether lighter read than any of the LOTR books, and it doesn't build to the same kind of dread. But it is perhaps more personal, with the relationships and personality quirks front and center at all times. The characters are lively, and their banter revealing.
I consider this a good starter series for the fantasy novice. For five books you get about as much reading as Tolkien's three. There's about the same amount of exposition before things truly get underway; right about the time you start to wonder when something is going to happen, something happens, and keeps on happening.
Short version: a funny, scary, adventurous, deep story, told well.
Long version: if you've only read a few fantasy series, as I have, it's hard to pigeonhole this. It's not as horrific as Terry Goodkind's novels, but still much more graphic than Tolkien's. I find myself comparing it to the LOTR trilogy, and coming up with this.
It's built on the same reluctant-hero-on-a-quest-to-save-the-world-from-unimaginable-evil-via-ancient-artifact blueprint. There's the same kind of merging of myth and history, unified in heroic legends, although it's not nearly as deep or detailed as Tolkien (and that's probably a good thing for the casual reader). This is an altogether lighter read than any of the LOTR books, and it doesn't build to the same kind of dread. But it is perhaps more personal, with the relationships and personality quirks front and center at all times. The characters are lively, and their banter revealing.
I consider this a good starter series for the fantasy novice. For five books you get about as much reading as Tolkien's three. There's about the same amount of exposition before things truly get underway; right about the time you start to wonder when something is going to happen, something happens, and keeps on happening.
December 28, 2015
This first volume of the Belgariad is a decently engaging story, but not one I would recommend to others. The story is practically built of cliches, from the Secret King to the Gruff But Wise Wizard, right down to the villain who says "We're very much alike. Under different circumstances, we might even have been friends." There's also some fairly distasteful racist undercurrents. In the end, there is the obligatory fleeing from the villain's lair which collapses into ruin as soon as he is defeated for completely arbitrary reasons. Still, I can think of worse ways to waste a few hours.
March 12, 2018
*there are some extremely minor spoilers as to when certain things are revealed to the main character in the books in this review, these things are, however, are revealed in the prologue, so EXTREMELY minor*
I'm enjoying this book immensely. I'm not even done with it, and yet I'm here to let you know that. I've just finished book two, and I felt the need to come and write this.
I was conflicted on starting this because the reviews are so disparate. So I wanted to write a review to sort some things out.
I have loved this book. It has some flaws, some of them very painful, but if you have the fortitude and the understanding, I think you'll like this.
So first, the bad. There are a certain caste of books I refer to as the "second & third generation" fantasy books. Those writing just after Tolkien and Lewis. Second and Third Generation fantasy writers tend to introduce their concepts much slower. To us this is an issue, but I always keep in mind that, at the time, their audience was not as fluent in magic systems and fantasy races, etc, etc, and that these concepts were more unique and new. So I take that slowness with a grain of salt. Eddings has this understanding going for him, and yet it STILL bothers me. Why? Because Eddings takes TWO BOOKS. ALMOST TWO ENTIRE BOOKS to get to Garion's powers AT ALL. That's too much guys. Even considering the time period he was writing it. And he's late third generation. And whats worse, he told you exactly who Garion was IN THE PROLOGUE OF THE FIRST BOOK. There were two solutions to this. Either don't tell us, thus removing the sense of tension we get waiting on what we already know to be revealed to Garion, or reveal his powers to him before the end of the first book. But Eddings waited until the end of the second book to show him anything, and here the reader is waiting for soooo long that the excitement has spoiled. It just becomes annoying. You don't cheer when Garion uses his power for the first time, you say "Finally. Goodness gracious".
So why, then, I hear you ask, have you given this book a five star rating? Because this book is like a stone that I've kept in my pocket for many years. When I picked it up it was because I was sick of many of the modern grimdark fantasy books I had tried of late and just wanted something that was completely, honestly just the hero story I longed for. And that is where Eddings excels. If you are looking for something off the wall and new, don't buy this book. But if you're looking for a sturdy fantasy that can take the weight of needing to be everything you want in a fantasy book, BUY IT. There's magic, eternal sorcerers, gods, rogues, barbarians, swamps and snake people, heck, there's in entire country that's just full of Arthurian stereotypes. Like that stone, this story is by no means new. All the edges have been worn off by the love people have shown to it through imitation over the years but that gives it this magical smooth feeling that just makes me happy when I read it.
So, in conclusion here some reasons you SHOULDN'T buy this book.
1. If you are looking for something that is going to blow your mind with new ideas and concepts.
2. If you want the characters to struggle REALLY hard.
3. If you can't survive two books without a full explanation of the magic system.
4. If you want something that is the slightest bit gritty.
Here are some reasons you SHOULD buy this book.
1. If you are looking for a true blue fantasy.
2. If you are looking for fun characters and fun settings and plots.
3. If you want an interesting take on sorcerers and the exact opposite of every "wise wizard" in your general fantasy literature. Belgarath CAN be an idiot, and I kind of dig it.
4. If you're sick and tired of looking for a good fantasy, and just want something you can rely on to be a ton of fun.
I'm enjoying this book immensely. I'm not even done with it, and yet I'm here to let you know that. I've just finished book two, and I felt the need to come and write this.
I was conflicted on starting this because the reviews are so disparate. So I wanted to write a review to sort some things out.
I have loved this book. It has some flaws, some of them very painful, but if you have the fortitude and the understanding, I think you'll like this.
So first, the bad. There are a certain caste of books I refer to as the "second & third generation" fantasy books. Those writing just after Tolkien and Lewis. Second and Third Generation fantasy writers tend to introduce their concepts much slower. To us this is an issue, but I always keep in mind that, at the time, their audience was not as fluent in magic systems and fantasy races, etc, etc, and that these concepts were more unique and new. So I take that slowness with a grain of salt. Eddings has this understanding going for him, and yet it STILL bothers me. Why? Because Eddings takes TWO BOOKS. ALMOST TWO ENTIRE BOOKS to get to Garion's powers AT ALL. That's too much guys. Even considering the time period he was writing it. And he's late third generation. And whats worse, he told you exactly who Garion was IN THE PROLOGUE OF THE FIRST BOOK. There were two solutions to this. Either don't tell us, thus removing the sense of tension we get waiting on what we already know to be revealed to Garion, or reveal his powers to him before the end of the first book. But Eddings waited until the end of the second book to show him anything, and here the reader is waiting for soooo long that the excitement has spoiled. It just becomes annoying. You don't cheer when Garion uses his power for the first time, you say "Finally. Goodness gracious".
So why, then, I hear you ask, have you given this book a five star rating? Because this book is like a stone that I've kept in my pocket for many years. When I picked it up it was because I was sick of many of the modern grimdark fantasy books I had tried of late and just wanted something that was completely, honestly just the hero story I longed for. And that is where Eddings excels. If you are looking for something off the wall and new, don't buy this book. But if you're looking for a sturdy fantasy that can take the weight of needing to be everything you want in a fantasy book, BUY IT. There's magic, eternal sorcerers, gods, rogues, barbarians, swamps and snake people, heck, there's in entire country that's just full of Arthurian stereotypes. Like that stone, this story is by no means new. All the edges have been worn off by the love people have shown to it through imitation over the years but that gives it this magical smooth feeling that just makes me happy when I read it.
So, in conclusion here some reasons you SHOULDN'T buy this book.
1. If you are looking for something that is going to blow your mind with new ideas and concepts.
2. If you want the characters to struggle REALLY hard.
3. If you can't survive two books without a full explanation of the magic system.
4. If you want something that is the slightest bit gritty.
Here are some reasons you SHOULD buy this book.
1. If you are looking for a true blue fantasy.
2. If you are looking for fun characters and fun settings and plots.
3. If you want an interesting take on sorcerers and the exact opposite of every "wise wizard" in your general fantasy literature. Belgarath CAN be an idiot, and I kind of dig it.
4. If you're sick and tired of looking for a good fantasy, and just want something you can rely on to be a ton of fun.
September 25, 2014
I really want to like this book. It was very pleasant to read. The author is good at description without getting bogged down in it, and the plot moves quickly without being confusing. The book, however, is extremely flawed and highly unoriginal. If you're looking for a unique take on the "Ordinary Farm Boy is the Chosen One to Save the World" story, you'll have to look elsewhere, because this follows the template completely unironically.
The characters were likable, but somewhat flat. Everyone has only one or two personality characteristics that drive everything they do. Worse, every race in the world is driven by one or two characteristics, and the characters we meet are just cardboard cutouts of their race's templates. It was very dull and borderline offensive to continually read about how "This race is stupid," and "This race is evil." Also the good guys -- the *good guys* -- were openly advocating genocide of the "evil" race, and one character gleefully tries to kill every one he meets. They don't even attempt to justify the violence and stereotyping by saying "These are dwarves" and "These are orcs;" no, these are all races of humans.
Perhaps even more frustrating is the world. Two of the characters are revealed to be five thousand years old. In those five thousand years, magic has waxed and waned, cities have risen and fallen, but the overall technological level of the world has remained the same. For reference, in five thousand years humans on Earth went from the ancient Babylonian civilization to present day. Are we really expected to believe that the humans on this world maintained a Generic Medieval European setting for this amount of time?
The characters were likable, but somewhat flat. Everyone has only one or two personality characteristics that drive everything they do. Worse, every race in the world is driven by one or two characteristics, and the characters we meet are just cardboard cutouts of their race's templates. It was very dull and borderline offensive to continually read about how "This race is stupid," and "This race is evil." Also the good guys -- the *good guys* -- were openly advocating genocide of the "evil" race, and one character gleefully tries to kill every one he meets. They don't even attempt to justify the violence and stereotyping by saying "These are dwarves" and "These are orcs;" no, these are all races of humans.
Perhaps even more frustrating is the world. Two of the characters are revealed to be five thousand years old. In those five thousand years, magic has waxed and waned, cities have risen and fallen, but the overall technological level of the world has remained the same. For reference, in five thousand years humans on Earth went from the ancient Babylonian civilization to present day. Are we really expected to believe that the humans on this world maintained a Generic Medieval European setting for this amount of time?
February 6, 2013
This book is like an adventure.... With out the horrible uncomfortableness. It is the same type of book as LOTR, not as well written but still, which is *fan fare* an adventure in a book!!! I love this type of genre, and this was my first 100+ page book in this genre. How can I forget my first time? I digress, i digress, i love this book dearly and all of it's characters close to may heart. The written is splendid, though some beg to differ, the hero was believable and had faults, the enemy was amazing!!! One eye and everything!!! The Sorcerers, awesome! The concept that differs is awesome!!!
As you can see by my use of three exclamation marks, i really do love this book! You probably will too, so get to your library and read it today!!!!
As you can see by my use of three exclamation marks, i really do love this book! You probably will too, so get to your library and read it today!!!!
August 23, 2013
This is one of my favorite fantasy series that has been printed. With the complexity and fascinating social and magical structure as most lengthy high fantasy series without the tediousness of lengthy political interactions (at least for me, I find really lengthy politics in my fantasy sort of....hard to muddle through sometimes).
This series has some of my favorite characters every written on page and I love going back and reading it again and again. The religious and social aspects are fascinatingly woven together and a joy to read.
This series has some of my favorite characters every written on page and I love going back and reading it again and again. The religious and social aspects are fascinatingly woven together and a joy to read.
August 25, 2015
These were my favorite books growing up. And by favorite I mean I read these more times than Harry Potter-- I know, you're shocked right?
There are plenty of things wrong with this series, that if I had read them as an adult I would probably have ripped it to pieces. But after years of not reading it and finally picking it up again, it gave me a warm fuzzy feeling of being young, in my own bed with a cat and not having any real responsibilities. I loved reading about my beloved characters again--like old friends!
A great beginers fantasy series!
There are plenty of things wrong with this series, that if I had read them as an adult I would probably have ripped it to pieces. But after years of not reading it and finally picking it up again, it gave me a warm fuzzy feeling of being young, in my own bed with a cat and not having any real responsibilities. I loved reading about my beloved characters again--like old friends!
A great beginers fantasy series!
September 29, 2007
David Eddings begins each book with a piece of history pretaining to the land. We focus on the journey of a young boy by the name of Garion as he is forced to flee his home along with his aunt Pol and travel on a long journey to retrieve a stolen object of great importance. As they journey across multiple countries in pursuit of the object, we see Garion develop his latent powers and we end the third book with the return to where everything began.
September 21, 2007
Average fantasy with a few flourishes. Reading it now, it reads almost like an adaptation of a Japanese Fantasy RPG where the minute you see a map, you know the characters will have to go to every named point on it, and once they have, the series is over. It's pleasantly written, and the writing style moves pretty briskly. Fun fantasy fluff that goes on a bit too long.
April 24, 2021
It is known that a young hero-to-be must first live to see puberty. Training he must have, at the right times and in the right techniques. And grow he must, healthy of body and mind, without taint of knowing his potential for absolute power that corrupts so absolutely. And thus, oh motherless child of destiny, you shall be granted an auntie. Counterintuitive as may be, it is always of help to the omnipotent forces that wind the web of the universe to put an Aunt Pol on the case. A worthy auntie, charged to make your protection her sacred duty. A wise woman who shall suffer no fools, your Aunt Pol. Lo, as you will eventually be shook to learn, your Aunt Pol has awesome powers beyond your imagining. Powers that enable her to cure the blind at a word, or take the form of an owl at her will. But, never you worry. As good women will, she shall hide her (magic) light beneath a bushel basket (of potatoes), all to protect you, golden boy. Rather than statecraft or leadership roles, your auntie will deploy her considerable might in delicious cooking and devoted childcare. Do not think for a moment, oh male child, that mischief-making gambits will defeat your auntie's watchful eye. No matter how many pots she has on the boil, Aunt Pol will prevail, as prevail she must for the fate of our very existence. Aunt Pol will forgo lofty station, her very sleep or comfort, and of course, any thought of romantic companionship. Yea shall she serve as single mother unto you, and you alone. Her satisfactions shall be simple: keeping you safe, teaching you humility, and never faltering in her dedication to the cause. This renowned beauty will rebuff all suitors, just as she has done for more than three hundred years, awaiting your very birth. Though it will be (annoyingly) notable how much she enjoys bathing, dressing up, and being complimented on her beauty by really any man at all. But tut, tut, no matter and no more. You must know NOTHING 'til your adventure begins. And once it (eventually) begins, never fear. Aunt Pol, though revealed as the legendary Sorceress Polgara, will STILL ensure that you, and everyone in your traveling party, get fed. And I do mean every single day, in all weathers, over various campfires or what-have-you. She will STILL tend to any and all aches or pains or sword cuts or boo boos you may bring her, as the lot of you traipse all over the map for (inscrutable) reasons that shall remain (frustratingly) unclear. Yes, she may begin bathing a bunch and wearing more finery, and will sometimes turn into an owl in the night. Yes, she will be forever backtalking her dad — yes, yes, I shouldn't be telling you this, but he's your sorcerer (great, great, etc.) grandpa — per his centuries of boozing and womanizing and ridiculously flawed, plot-gear-grinding plans. But whatever else happens, have no fear, my boy. She'll still be your good old, protective-to-over-controlling, steely-eyed yet stereotypically feminine, probably (secretly) quite horny, gender-rolled and easy to take for granted, Aunt Pol.
August 3, 2021
Surprisingly, I finished this book after looking at it sitting on my shelf for so many years!
The prologues were admittedly a snore and so long as I didn’t hold myself accountable to having to fully pay attention to the history of the gods, and, for that matter, so many of the other made-up races and regions throughout the book, I found that I was able to just follow along without questioning as I normally would.
I guess I wasn’t overly invested in the first book of this volume—it was just setting the stage for the darker bits ahead. The first story was quaint and mostly folksy farm life that would later contrast with the sorcery and harrowing encounters ahead. I really just enjoyed the relationship between Aunt Pol and Garion being explored, that of her role to him as a Mother Figure. I did have to overlook MANY moments of redundancy across the volume, particularly in the first book. Travel, travel, spy, danger!, enemy, inform local dignitary, travel, travel some more, new town, enemy!, inform new local dignitary, repeat….
Closer toward the middle of the second book, maybe once the traveling party made it to the swampy region of Nyissa, my interest in the story grew much more strongly. I actively began liking more characters, too. The dialogue was enjoyable for me and so, too, did I come to enjoy the author’s practical descriptions of ordinary happenings throughout the journey. Little things, like gathering firewood, the birth of the foal, addressing quicksand and navigating other various types of terrain, handling armor, food, and, you know, melting into rocks….like you do.
Silk / Prince Kheldar was my favorite character of them all. He’s got all the wise cracks and perfect solutions. I have so much faith in his abilities to save the party from any bind!
Ce’Nedra, by design and as intended, I’m sure, thoroughly vexed me. I found her to be an insufferable character, but I realize she may likely become much more important and perhaps even likable in the next volume.
I really appreciated the contrast of the scenarios at the end of the book with the quaint, quiet beginnings of the book. I felt the pace pick up considerably.
Sure, I’ll give the second volume a go. But I’m going to tackle some other books on my “to read” list first.
The prologues were admittedly a snore and so long as I didn’t hold myself accountable to having to fully pay attention to the history of the gods, and, for that matter, so many of the other made-up races and regions throughout the book, I found that I was able to just follow along without questioning as I normally would.
I guess I wasn’t overly invested in the first book of this volume—it was just setting the stage for the darker bits ahead. The first story was quaint and mostly folksy farm life that would later contrast with the sorcery and harrowing encounters ahead. I really just enjoyed the relationship between Aunt Pol and Garion being explored, that of her role to him as a Mother Figure. I did have to overlook MANY moments of redundancy across the volume, particularly in the first book. Travel, travel, spy, danger!, enemy, inform local dignitary, travel, travel some more, new town, enemy!, inform new local dignitary, repeat….
Closer toward the middle of the second book, maybe once the traveling party made it to the swampy region of Nyissa, my interest in the story grew much more strongly. I actively began liking more characters, too. The dialogue was enjoyable for me and so, too, did I come to enjoy the author’s practical descriptions of ordinary happenings throughout the journey. Little things, like gathering firewood, the birth of the foal, addressing quicksand and navigating other various types of terrain, handling armor, food, and, you know, melting into rocks….like you do.
Silk / Prince Kheldar was my favorite character of them all. He’s got all the wise cracks and perfect solutions. I have so much faith in his abilities to save the party from any bind!
Ce’Nedra, by design and as intended, I’m sure, thoroughly vexed me. I found her to be an insufferable character, but I realize she may likely become much more important and perhaps even likable in the next volume.
I really appreciated the contrast of the scenarios at the end of the book with the quaint, quiet beginnings of the book. I felt the pace pick up considerably.
Sure, I’ll give the second volume a go. But I’m going to tackle some other books on my “to read” list first.
August 24, 2011
The first book in "The Belgariad" series begins the tale of Garion a boy raised in the kingdom of Saldaria by his Aunt Pol who is protecting him from a past he may not want to know of. Eddings spins a tale across both this kingdom & Cherek as we learn piece-by-piece the details of our characters lives as he introduces us to a world of magic & mystery. Throughout it as characters are slowly introduced the story keeps moving at a pace that is easy enough for the reader to enjoy & also to follow without getting bogged down in details. It also helps that in the places where the plot needs to advance Eddings does so in a way that keeps the reader involved. The first half of the book sets the majority of the background work for the moving of the story the Cherek where the second half of the story picks up. It's there that we learn more or less the details of essentially who our cast of characters are & also more about the forces of evil at work in this kingdom. For a first book in a fantasy series this is one of the easier ones I've read in a while & hopefully the trend will continue throughout.
June 9, 2012
This seems like the beginning of a truly epic fantasy series. I'm tempted to give it 5 stars, but I think that I might need to keep reading the series to see if it really ends up deserving that. The book is a classic fantasy story with a LOT borrowed from Tolkien. I guess that isn't really a bad thing since most fantasy is rooted in him, but some of it is a bit too obvious.
Regardless, Eddings does an awesome job with character development and world building. He gives a very straightforward mythology to start with and also includes plenty of maps. It's clear that a lot of thought went into the world creation and it shows. The story is maybe a bit slow to start and it focuses on Garion (the main character) at a young age a first. Once he starts to grow up the second part of the book really steps up the action.
It's also nice to have a fantasy story that isn't 900 so pages long. This first book was only 262 pages, which makes for a nice little read.
Regardless, Eddings does an awesome job with character development and world building. He gives a very straightforward mythology to start with and also includes plenty of maps. It's clear that a lot of thought went into the world creation and it shows. The story is maybe a bit slow to start and it focuses on Garion (the main character) at a young age a first. Once he starts to grow up the second part of the book really steps up the action.
It's also nice to have a fantasy story that isn't 900 so pages long. This first book was only 262 pages, which makes for a nice little read.
August 20, 2014
I read the first three books in succession. All I can say is, what a refreshing story. Eddings does an excellent job of carrying the story. Every time I put the book down I couldn't wait until the next time I picked it up. The story involves the typical fantasy characters such as sorcerers, elves, dwarves and the like, but it also includes some rare ones that I've not seen in any stories I've read. Many involve names of made up creatures I cannot remember, but Dryads are one set of creatures that I do recall. I thought this was going to be a Lord of the Rings clone but surprisingly, Eddings has created a tale that is very much unlike LOTR, which is great. I cannot wait to read the last two books in the installment, and from there I will see what else Eddings has in store for me to read.
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