A fierce dispute among the Gods and the theft of a powerful Orb leaves the World divided into five kingdoms. Young Garion, with his “Aunt Pol” and an elderly man calling himself Wolf –a father and daughter granted near-immortality by one of the Gods — set out on a complex mission. In the process, as Garion grows into his early teens, he learns to defend himself, grapples with a wild boar, … uncovers spies at a king’s palace, learns about sorceryand starts to gain a sense of what his own destiny may be.
“Fabulous . . . Eddings has a marvelous storyteller style . . . exceedingly well portrayed and complex people.”
– Anne McCaffrey
“Eddings’ BELGARIAD is exactly the kind of fantasy I like. It has magic, adventure, humor, mystery, and a certain delightful human insight.”
– Piers Anthony on PAWN OF PROPHECY
“Absorbing. Touches all the right Fantasy bases. Warring gods, political intrigues, supernatural creatures, and appealingly human magicians.”
-Publishers Weekly on QUEEN OF SORCERY
“A graceful, fluid style of storytelling rare in fantasy writing.”
– Publishers Weekly
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My favriote book. Inspired me to start writing.
David and Leigh Eddings are true masters of fantasy. Unmarred by the ubiquitous Tolkenian influences that make all modern fantasy read the same, they are amongst the few authors who can plunge into the collective consciousness of prophecies, defeated evil gods, dangerous artifacts, and legendary heroes and come across fresh.
(There’s absolutely nothing wrong with Tolkien, mind you. I love The Lord of the Rings as much as the next person. I’m referring to the pretenders and imitators, to the sea of rehashed Tolkien-esque fantasy epics that clutter the bookstore.)
«Pawn of Prophecy» begins with a digest of the creation of the world by the gods, the first peoples, the usual fallen god/angel who wants everything to themselves and who are defeated by a powerful artifact. The world is torn asunder, water comes in, seas and kingdoms are created, and the stage is ready for the adventurous tale itself. Then we get in the narrative proper.
We follow Garion, a child (later a teenager) and his bucolic life at Faldor’s Farm, an otherwise normal life that nevertheless has a constant hint of… something more. Grand, yet sinister. He channels some great hero of old in a game of pretend swordplay with another boy, sees a knight clad in black that casts no shadow as he almost drowns in a pond, and can feel echoes of a distant past whenever he touches Aunt Pol’s lock of white hair (Pol is his keeper and the cook at Faldor’s Farm). His first foray into the world at large is a visit to a nearby village with a lovely old wandering storyteller he calls Mister Wolf to buy spices for Aunt Pol; there, he discovers the world is way more dangerous than his secluded and protected life at the farm had ever hinted. Eventually Garion, Pol, Wolf, the blacksmith Durnik, and a pair of very competent adventurers (friends of Wolf’s) depart in search of a stolen, and very mysterious, object that has something to do with Garion, even if everybody refuses to tell him why or how.
The Eddings use a very clever mechanism to move the rich, engaging story of «Pawn of Prophecy» forward while keeping the reader “in the know” and without using an omnipresent narrator: as a normal-looking boy, Garion is often ignored by those around him, allowing him to overhear important plot information, witness events that inform the narrative, and move about undetected, helping his party in important moments. He’s also very perceptive, which helps him (and the narrative) immensely. The few times an important element of the world’s past or an event at large needs to be conveyed, it’s done through a tale told by a character, either to our protagonist or to another character while Garion is around.
I couldn’t help but jump straight into the second book in the Belgariad, «Queen of Sorcery», after finishing «Pawn of Prophecy». I doubt you’ll be able to stop with the first book either. The Eddings are the best.
David and Leigh Eddings wrote the Belgariad and Mallorean together as a husband and wife team, although most are credited to David until his revelation.
This series is first rate. One of my favorites which begins with Pawn of Prophecy. The story has elements heroic fantasy, humor, sword and sorcery, teenage angst, prophecy, mythology, wizardry, world building and really foremost is great storytelling. One could throw in pertinent and practical life lessons along the way as well.
The characters are memorable. I’ve read both series plus accompanying books about Polgara and Belgarth at least 20 times over the years. Each time I meet Polgara, Belgarath, Silk, Cenedra, Hettar, Garion, and the other supporting cast it’s like meeting old friends. One gains new insights and details each time the story is reread. And are the characters squeaky clean, no. That’s what makes the stories so entertaining and fun. Sometimes one laughs out loud while reading their exploits and adventures.
The monsters, gods, new races, and animals are original and so detailed your mind has no problem drawing pictures of how they’d look.
One could compare the books to Tolkien and Martin, and they compare well. The Eddings world is full of wonders, humor, history, and life. One can tell the Eddings read many fantasy adventure books and wanted to put their own contributions into the mix.
Tolkien is much more serious and the characters noble and upright at all times.
In comparison to Martin, the world building is as strong or stronger, but lacks the explicit sex and detailed violence. The Eddings are a little predictable in competiodon.
Would I wish to see the books adapted and produced by Hiollywood? No. While it would be fun for sure, Hollywood could never get the characters right. The storytelling would be lost in the need for CGI and shock value. While entertaining I’m not a big fan of the Game of Thrones or LoTR adaptions either.
So now you know!
Over the years and introduced many friends, family, and students to the world the Eddings have built.
My prophecy: once you read “Pawn of Prophecy” you’ll be hooked and will read the rest.
Shame on Nook for not having the entire 10 books for sale!!!
Edding’s Belgariad and Mallorean series are favorites of mine, and who could possibly pick their favorite character? The first time I read Pawn of Prophecy, I was swept along with Garion on an adventure like I had never experienced before. And each trip back to his world is just as satisfying as the first wonderous time.