PG16- Polgara (v,slight x), "The Elenium" (slight x,v)
PG13- "The Belgariad" (v,slight x), "The Mallorean" (v,slight x)
Eddings is the creator of two epic fantasy worlds, as well as a couple of random books. The first cycle, "The Belgariad" (and sequels), is a classic good versus evil quest-epic in which the gods use human avatars to do their bidding. The essence of the battle is between two opposing destinies that meet at critical points in time to determine which destiny will reign supreme. Even the gods are only supporters of one destiny or another. The plots are mostly preordained, but it's the characters that really matter. Eddings has a flair for both main and secondary characters, painting them in a few bold strokes and bringing them to life through carefully chosen interactions with each other. Eddings' world-building talent is a little less strong: for all his wonderful variety in landscapes, he lacks some depth in this area. Nonetheless, his fans forgive him because he can still tell a rioting good story.
The world of "The Elenium" has several general similarities to the first one, especially in the overall concept behind it. Once again, good and evil are polarized and one hero is fated to fight for good. But this hero is Sparhawk, a man far less innocent than Gariad. This world has a more sarcastic edge to it, and seems more mature in both the character development and the world description. Not everything is black and white, nor is every character clearly on one side or the other. For those who have outgrown the elegant simplicity of "The Belgariad", this makes a good choice. The only drawback to this world is that it behaves more like an RPG than the earlier one, or does so to the same extent without equal justification. Try to guess who is the GM....
Overall, Eddings is a clear writer with relatively interesting but not overly complicated plotlines, and strong characters. He does not test all of his characters to the limit, but some of them do change throughout the stories, and there is usually a reasonable amount of variation between them. Both male and female characters are shown in various, if slightly stereotypical, roles, and neither gender should feel left out here. Unlike some fantasy, Eddings does not burden his reader with pages of unnecessary description, nor does he leave his world entirely up to the reader's imagination. His ability to make pithy remarks carries over from character conversations to narration, making even his lengthy books into reasonably fast reads. For every classic fantasy fan who can't get through Jordan's tomes, here is your alternative.
The Pawn of Prophecy begins with Garion, a simple farm boy. His first memories are of the kitchen, where his aunt Pol works. He spends his days playing normal children�s games: climbing trees, skating on the pond, falling out of trees. He believes that he will grow up and maybe marry the Zubrette, one of his playmates. Then one day, all that changes...
Garion has now discovered that his Aunt Pol is really Polgara, the Queen of Sorcery, and Mister Wolf is his grandfather, many times removed, Belgarath. They are on the trail of the Orb of Aldur. Someone stole it from the Hall of the Rivan King on the Isle of Winds, though no one seems to know how. Only an innocent can touch the Orb. An innocent, or the Rivan King, whose line was assasinated 500 years ago. Garion must learn to deal with the reality of what he has always thought of as fairy tales.
In The Magician�s Gambit, Garion and his comrades face the difficulty of crossing through Angarak territory on the trail of the Orb. Ctuchik, another disciple of Torak, stole the Orb from Zedar, as he crossed in Cthol Murgos. The travelers receive a summons from Aldur, the god Belgarath and Polgara follow, and leave the trail to answer it. Once again Garion must face changes, this time to himself, as he follows the path towards becoming a sorcerer.
The Orb is safe. Now all they must do is bring it back to the Isle of Winds, halfway across the world. In Castle of Wizardry, the many adventures on the way serve mostly to temper Belgarion (no longer the simple farm boy) into something even greater than what he is. He must learn that his life is not in his own hands, and that when one goes to meet with destiny, one should be prepared.
The Enchanter�s End Game follows Belgarion, once again halfway across the world, as he makes his journey towards his destiny. He has read the Mrin Codex, the book of Prophecy, which speaks of a time when the Rivan King and Torak, God of Angarak, would meet and that which was sundered would once again become whole.
While these books have a fairly predictable plot (young clueless boy is actually the king of the world), they are quick and enjoyable to read. The series should be read as a whole, since each book depends on previous knowledge to fully understand what happens. Eddings is very good at writing character driven plots. Yes, each person has a specific mission, but they accept those missions based on their own experience and personality, rather than, "I must accept because otherwise we would have no plot."
The world has returned to the way it should have always been. Torak is dead and the Angaraks are completely disorganized due to the death of their god. Belgarion, The Guardian of the West, has returned home and married Princess Ce�Nedra. After eight years, they have a son, Geran, which makes everyone breathe a little easier. Then one night, someone steals Geran from his crib. The only clue leads to the Bear Cult. But is that where the trail truly leads? The Prophecy tells Belgarion that Garen was stolen to complete the final meeting where everything would be finally made right. The two prophecies cannot exist together. One must be Chosen.
Hot on the trail of the kidnapper of Prince Geran, Belgarion, Ce�Nedra and their companions are drawn to Nyssia. There they confront the Queen of the Serpents yet again to discover that she did not have anything to do with the kidnapping. She dispatches the offending eunuch and the group departs, taking with them Sadi, the former Chief Eunuch to the queen. They cross into Cthol Murgos and after several mishaps, reach the palace of The King of the Murgos.
Belgarion and his companion�s are captured by Kal Zakath�s troops. Zakath is the Emperor of Mallorea and is determined to destroy all of Cthol Murgos, in revenge for a deed done years and years ago. Belgarion befriends the lonely man, even though he is technically a prisoner. Zakath brings them back to Mallorea where they escape him to continue on the trail of Zandramas, the woman who stole Garen. The trail leads them to Ashaba, a place where Torak once lived. They discover that Nahaz, The Demon Lord of Karanda, has taken control of Urvon, the last disciple of Torak. They drive the demon off and again set off on the trail of Zandramas.
Zandramas, The Sorceress of Darshiva, has eluded them at every turn, and now she heads back towards her power base, stopping at an island to pick up a nobleman, for unknown reasons. Belgarion is now searching for an untouched copy of a book which will tell him what he needs to bring to this final meeting. Then there is only one thing left. Where will the meeting take place?
In The Seeress of Kell, the party travels to Kell, the home of the famous seers. There they discover the name of the place they need to find, the Place Which Is No More. Having discovered the name, they need to find where the place is now, since it no longer exists as it was. Cyradis, the Seeress who will make the final choice, joins the group as it travels, though she will give no help that cannot be easily found elsewhere. The time draws near, and the group prepares for the final meeting which will shape the world to come.
The Mallorean should be read after The Belgariad, since the plot follows in almost identical footsteps. I find it amusing that the characters mention this from time to time. Don�t think that it�s exactly the same. There are numerous plot twists which change the tone and setting of each step along the way. It is similar to the idea of retelling stories. The plot is similar and you know how the end happens, but the direction you take and the path you follow get there in a different fashion. I certainly enjoy reading all ten of these books for the differences between them all.
In counterpoint to Belgarath the Sorcerer is Polgara the Sorceress, describing the life and times of the mysterious guardian-protectress of the Belgariad. The story expands and shrinks, spending chapters on a single year and a page on a few centuries, but the overall effect is one of seeing Polgara's life through her own eyes. For female readers especially, this may be a pleasant change of pace from the male points of view in the earlier series. Leigh Eddings provides excellent realism for the female aspects of the story- Polgara is not just a younger version of Belgarath, for all her admissions of how much she resembles her father. For anyone who has wondered about the gaps in Belgarath's retelling or his reliability as a narrator, here is your answer. The history behind many events in the Belgariad are disclosed, yet this book does not, as many prequels do, feel so predetermined that it cannot form a life of its own. Polgara is humorously defiant of her father and heartbreakingly attached to the mortals in her care. This is not a book for those upset by the deaths of important secondary characters, the inevitable result of living for 3,000 years. This is also not a book for those who haven't read "The Belgariad" yet.
The Diamond Throne - Having spent the last ten years as a different man, with a different name, Sparhawk returns from exile to find his native land in turmoil. His king dead, and the daughter who succeded him dying from an unknown illness. A pandion knight, Sparhawk is not only pledged to serve the church, but he is also the Queen's Champion, having helped raise her from a young age.
After uncovering a number of plots, and narrowly escaping with his life a few times, Sparhawk and his fellow knights realise that it is in everyone's best interest to restore Ehlana to her throne. To do this, they must discover what is wrong with her, and find a cure. All within the span of twelve moons, as that is as long as the block of crystal in which the queen is magically entombed can keep her alive. A well written book, full of intruige and mystery. An excellent plot which grows more complex as the book proceeds, but does not get so complex that it becomes hard to follow. A usual quest style story with the hero setting out to save his liege, but ends up having to try and save the world.
The Ruby Knight - The second book in the Elenium series, The Ruby Knight continues the journey of Sparhawk on his quest to discover a cure for a rare poison which is killing his queen. A knight of the church and champion of the queen, Sparhawk has been joined by the champions of the other orders within the church, as well as a number of other companions.
They discoverer that the only cure is to use an object infused by the power of the Gods. Consequently Sparhawk sets out to find the Bhelliom, a jewel which has been lost for thousands of years unknowing that he is the only one who holds the keys in his hand.
The action varies between being fast paced, and slightly plodding, however, the descriptions are apt and well written, and the storyline keeps you interested. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
The Sapphire Rose - Having unearthed the Bhelliom and saved his queen, Sparhawk endevours to put an end to the problems that have been plaguing his country. His long time enemy, Martel, seems to be behind most of the plots which Sparhawk has discovered so far, but behind him, is an even more deadly power. One which is definately not happy with the fact the Sparhawk has control of the Bhelliom.
Leaving his queen in the hands of a pair of thieves, Sparhawk and his friends set out to stop the traitorous Primate of Cimmura, Annias, from gaining power over the church. Having achieved this end, but before anyone has a chance to consolidate their power, war is declared, and Sparhawk must prepare himself to face his most difficult challenge yet. He must face, and defeat, the evil god Azash.
The third and final book in the series, the action is a lot faster, with one crisis leading to another. A couple of good twists which keep the storyline from getting boring. A good finish to a good series.
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