BOOK 2 OF THE BELGARIAD, the worldwide bestselling fantasy series by master storyteller David Eddings. Discover the epic story that inspired thousands – from Raymond Feist’s The Riftwar Cycle series to George R. R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones. The Accursed One is not dead… He only sleeps… The evil God Torak covets dominion over all men. If the stolen Orb of Aldur reaches him, he will surely … If the stolen Orb of Aldur reaches him, he will surely gain what he desires.
Garion travels through strange lands with master sorcerers Belgarath and Polgara in frantic pursuit of the Orb. But as his own powers grow, Garion starts to realize that he too may have a part to play – a part he is not sure he wants…
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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.
This series takes a lot of crap and I’ve never understood why. I love the Belgariad, the Mallorean, the Talmudi and practically anything Eddings ever wrote with the exception of the Younger Gods books. Those were…disappointing. But these books, the Belgariad are just wonderful and deserve to be read over and over.
As with most multi-book series, the middle few books tend to do more than their fair share of escalating the stakes as they approach a much bigger problem, without actually facing that problem head-on. Queen of Sorcery is a fun romp through all the many lands that make up Garion’s world as they come closer to recovering the legendary orb. If you missed the review of book one, click here.
The Story
Garion is no longer a naive teenager. Yay. He’s now a somewhat naive young man with a lot to prove, and not a lot of experience to draw on. So, it makes total sense for him to kick off the story in a duel and then go on to try to break up an assassination attempt of neighboring duchy’s king.
They go on to travel all sorts of places following more clues to find the orb and end up in the middle of political intrigue after political intrigue. During one of these intrigues, Princess Ce’Nedra disguises herself and joins their party.
Throughout the story, Garion is starting to learn how to use the Will and the Word, the magic system of the universe shared by Belgarath, Polgara, and the other sorcerers. Like I said before, he’s still a bit naive, and when he tries to use this magic it only causes more problems.
They encounter dryads, snake people, and a man who can change into a bear.
My Review
There are certain expectations when it comes to fantasy titles, and for Queen of Sorcery, it feels like Eddings is going through a checklist to see if he can get them all. Magic, check. People who transform into animals, check. Kings and political intrigues, check. Lands and kingdoms with wholly unique qualities to themselves, check. A stolen princess in disguise, check. A large wandering party composed of people all with varying unique skills, check. Lots of tavern meetings, check. Swords, check.
That said, it’s still a very enjoyable book. The characters are entertaining, especially Ce’Nedra, who has always been a favorite of mine. There’s a whole boob armor scene somewhere in the series where she complains about her armor not being flattering enough and wanting it to show that she indeed is a woman.
Eddings doesn’t pull back from making life hard for Garion either. The poor kid really can’t catch a break.
Recommendations
These books are perfect for young adult fantasy readers. There’s adventure, danger, humor, and magic to keep things entertaining and nothing I would consider objectionable.
I give Queen of Sorcery 4/5 for not giving us a strong villain to contend with directly.
Wonderful book, fantastic series! David Eddings wrote a truly masterful fantasy series. Each book flowing into the next with epic scenes and wit.
As Garion’s powers of sorcery grow, he struggles with his identity and his relationship with his aunt Polgara.
The world Eddings creates is vast and vivid. The characters are real and entertaining and I just love the humour!
This story will keep you enthralled from the misty forests of Arendia all the way through to the steamy jungles of Nyissa!
The wonderful second entry into David Edding’s “Belgariad” fantasy series with fun characters, magic, battles, adventure, and of course, Aunt Pol, the most amazing sorceress ever.