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The Belgariad #1
袩褉芯褉芯褔械褋褌胁芯褌芯
袩褉械写懈 屑薪芯谐芯 谐芯写懈薪懈, 泻邪泻褌芯 褌胁褗褉写懈 褉邪蟹泻邪蟹胁邪褔褗褌, 蟹谢懈褟褌 斜芯谐 孝芯褉邪泻 锌芯卸械谢邪谢 写邪 褍褋褌邪薪芯胁懈 褋胁芯褟褌邪 胁谢邪褋褌 薪邪写 褋胁械褌邪 懈 蟹邪锌邪谢懈谢 芯谐褗薪褟 薪邪 胁芯泄薪邪褌邪 屑械卸写褍 斜芯谐芯胁械褌械 懈 褏芯褉邪褌邪. 袗谢邪 胁褗谢褕械斜薪懈泻褗褌 袘械谢谐邪褉邪褌 锌芯胁械谢 褏芯褉邪褌邪 写邪 褋懈 胁褗蟹胁褗褉薪邪褌 袣褗谢斜芯褌芯, 泻芯械褌芯 蟹邪泻褉懈谢褟谢芯 薪邪褉芯写懈褌械 薪邪 蟹邪锌邪写薪懈褌械 泻褉邪谢褋褌胁邪. 袛芯泻邪褌芯 褌芯 芯褋褌邪胁邪谢芯 胁 锌褉械写械谢懈褌械 薪邪 泻褉邪谢褋褌胁芯 袪懈胁邪, 褏芯褉邪褌邪 薪械 谐懈 谐褉芯蟹褟谢邪 薪懈泻邪泻胁邪 芯锌邪褋薪芯褋褌.
袧芯 褌芯胁邪 斜懈谢芯 褋邪屑芯 褉邪蟹泻邪蟹鈥�
袧芯 褌芯胁邪 斜懈谢芯 褋邪屑芯 褉邪蟹泻邪蟹鈥�
288 pages, Paperback
First published March 12, 1982
2066 people are currently reading
59333 people want to read
About the author
David Eddings
370听books5,487听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 4,083 reviews
August 19, 2010
At Gordon Ramsey's 笔茅迟谤耻蝉 restaurant (1 Kinnerton Street / Knightsbridge, London / SW1X 8EA...in case you're interested), I can get a "Roasted beef fillet with braised shin, baked celeriac and Barolo sauce" for the reasonable price of 拢65.00 pounds.
I haven't tried that dish yet (I probably never will), but it sounds fabulous. What I have tried, though, is my Mom's "Roast beef, mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables." I still make it whenever my kids are in the mood, and it costs me about $15.00 dollars Canadian for five people, and it's delicious. Yes, it's simple; yes, it is plain in comparison to Ramsey's feast; but it makes me feel good, tastes great and satiates my hunger.
Gladly running the risk of sounding like a boring guy, I think, in the big scheme of things, that I will always like my Mom's dish better than Ramsey's, even if I tried it in the company of say...Harrison Ford. I would always remember that "Roasted beef fillet with braised shin, baked celeriac and Barolo sauce" fondly, but I'd go back to my Mom's dish before I ever made it to 笔茅迟谤耻蝉 again.
I feel the same way about David Eddings .
There's nothing fancy about Eddings' tale of Garion, Belgarath and Polgara. We've all tasted the ingredients in a similar dish hundreds of times (at least we have if we're fantasy geeks). Some of those dishes have been tastier (think -- at least that's what I've heard), some have been more filling (think ), some are perfect aperitifs (think ), some are great appetizers (think ), and some are perfect desserts (almost anything by ), but it is always nice to have something familiar and tasty and simple. That's what is for me (now that I have finally read it).
I've started a few fantasy series lately, and they've slipped out of my memory as soon as I've put them down, but ten minutes after finishing I walked into a used bookstore and bought , and I plan to read it soon. You see, I need my Mom's Roast beef and mashed potatoes for dinner every couple of Sundays, so I'm not about to wait.
I'm going to let Eddings cook for me again soon.
Bram and Ryan were right to love this book as boys (lose the guilt Brer Ryan). It might not be mindblowingly inventive, but it is comfortable, and sometimes that is better than mindblowing -- or just as good.
I haven't tried that dish yet (I probably never will), but it sounds fabulous. What I have tried, though, is my Mom's "Roast beef, mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables." I still make it whenever my kids are in the mood, and it costs me about $15.00 dollars Canadian for five people, and it's delicious. Yes, it's simple; yes, it is plain in comparison to Ramsey's feast; but it makes me feel good, tastes great and satiates my hunger.
Gladly running the risk of sounding like a boring guy, I think, in the big scheme of things, that I will always like my Mom's dish better than Ramsey's, even if I tried it in the company of say...Harrison Ford. I would always remember that "Roasted beef fillet with braised shin, baked celeriac and Barolo sauce" fondly, but I'd go back to my Mom's dish before I ever made it to 笔茅迟谤耻蝉 again.
I feel the same way about David Eddings .
There's nothing fancy about Eddings' tale of Garion, Belgarath and Polgara. We've all tasted the ingredients in a similar dish hundreds of times (at least we have if we're fantasy geeks). Some of those dishes have been tastier (think -- at least that's what I've heard), some have been more filling (think ), some are perfect aperitifs (think ), some are great appetizers (think ), and some are perfect desserts (almost anything by ), but it is always nice to have something familiar and tasty and simple. That's what is for me (now that I have finally read it).
I've started a few fantasy series lately, and they've slipped out of my memory as soon as I've put them down, but ten minutes after finishing I walked into a used bookstore and bought , and I plan to read it soon. You see, I need my Mom's Roast beef and mashed potatoes for dinner every couple of Sundays, so I'm not about to wait.
I'm going to let Eddings cook for me again soon.
Bram and Ryan were right to love this book as boys (lose the guilt Brer Ryan). It might not be mindblowingly inventive, but it is comfortable, and sometimes that is better than mindblowing -- or just as good.
January 15, 2008
Eddings has really created a beloved series of books that can be recommended to young and old alike. It is not deep or etremely thought provoking, it's just an enjoyable combination of adventure, humor, and fun. Garion, a naive farm boy, finds out that he is not ordinary at all. As he discovers his powers, he grows to adulthood through the ten books that comprise the Belgariad and the Mallorean. Critics might find some elements a bit formulaic, but few can deny that it is a fun series to read. For me, it was my first introduction to fantasy after Tolkien, and it was very refreshing. It was written in the 1980's when there wasn't much new stuff around. We had Anne McCaffrey and her dragons, and Terry Brooks came along. I guess there was Ursula LeGuin and CS Lewis as well to fall back on, but Eddings really put together a compelling story with memorable dialogue that my wife and I frequently quote from.
I think many of the reviews of the Belgariad are too harsh. This is a book that you can hand to your kids without worrying what strange ideas they might pick up. Somebody reviewed the books as xenophobic. What rubbish! If you create a country like Cthol Murgos where the people have an evil ruler who promotes cruelty, or a country like Nyissa who are constantly in fear of being poisoned and have strange mannerisms that imitate their snake god is that xenophobic? No, it's doing what every author needs to do. They create a world that we can escape into and people that we can relate to. If you have to superimpose our world onto the canvas of the Belgariad you're looking too deeply. Eddings writings are not social commentary or overly symbolic. It's not CS Lewis or George Orwell. It's about having fun! Sorry for the tirade, but I get bugged by reviewers who are so full of themselves that they can't admit a book is a good read because someone might think of them as juvenile or unsophisticated!
I think many of the reviews of the Belgariad are too harsh. This is a book that you can hand to your kids without worrying what strange ideas they might pick up. Somebody reviewed the books as xenophobic. What rubbish! If you create a country like Cthol Murgos where the people have an evil ruler who promotes cruelty, or a country like Nyissa who are constantly in fear of being poisoned and have strange mannerisms that imitate their snake god is that xenophobic? No, it's doing what every author needs to do. They create a world that we can escape into and people that we can relate to. If you have to superimpose our world onto the canvas of the Belgariad you're looking too deeply. Eddings writings are not social commentary or overly symbolic. It's not CS Lewis or George Orwell. It's about having fun! Sorry for the tirade, but I get bugged by reviewers who are so full of themselves that they can't admit a book is a good read because someone might think of them as juvenile or unsophisticated!
November 9, 2014
Originally reviewed at
There is nothing I hate more than trying to review one of my all-time favorite books from my teenage years. We all know the reason: the book just never lives up to your memories of its perfection. A fact - which if we are honest with ourselves - is inevitable, because we personally have changed too much, the world has changed too much, and our tastes have changed too much since the initial reading. This is true to a certain extent with David Edding鈥檚 Pawn of Prophecy.
Back when I picked up this first novel of The Belgariad in 1984, I was a 13-year-old or a 14-year-old (I can鈥檛 remember which anymore) just getting over an addiction to Dungeon & Dragons and trying to transition away from my pre-teen persona into my young adult one. I had also just recently made the life altering discovery of J.R.R. Tolkien, whose books made me fall in love with fantasy and ruined my dreams of ever being considered a cool kid in high school. (It was hard to be cool when you were reading The Hobbit and making jokes about what exactly JRR was talking about when he wrote 鈥�...it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort鈥�, but I probably shouldn鈥檛 really mention that in this review.) So when Pawn of Prophecy found its way into my hands, it must have been fate, and I fell very hard for all things related to Belgarath, Polgara or Garion. A love which lasted into my early twenties and began from the very first page of this novel.
As a teen who adored the Council of Elrond chapter in The Fellowship of the Ring, the prologue to Pawn of Prophecy was like getting a fix of my favorite pharmaceutical product. Where else except for The Silmarillion could I get to read about ancient gods creating a world only to have its perfection marred by some horrible act and throw creation into a state of constant strife? Not too many places. So within minutes, I was addicted to this story of maimed Torak and his eternal conflict with his godly siblings over possession of the Orb of Aldur, and I had to have more. Honestly, it was just a great hook.
From this beginning, Mr. Eddings immediately thrust me into the story of a simple farm boy named Garion. I learned of his earliest memories, hiding under a table watching his Aunt Pol cook. I experienced him growing up with his childhood friends, playing games, and even saw his first romance between himself and a local girl Zubrette. I also read about - but payed little attention to - the introduction of a wandering storyteller named Mister Wolf, who seemed like the comic relief more than a major character. (Boy, was I wrong on that!) And like all good fantasy books, Mr. Eddings provided me with constant foreshadowing that there was some terrible evil lurking right around the corner, waiting to destroy all this normalcy. A feeling which he deftly stoked by scene after scene of Garion experiencing visions of an unknown antagonist stalking him.
Naturally, one day Garion鈥檚 quiet farm life did end and end suddenly. Mister Wolf arriving at the farm unexpectedly, bearing news that a mysterious object has been stolen by a thief whom no-one will name. This news shocks Aunt Pol, causing her to pack up her and Garion鈥檚 things and leave the farm with Mister Wolf, dragging our clueless teenager along against his will. From there the true adventures began, and what a tale it was!
A huge, colorful world inhabited by different cultures, grand characters, and even ancient gods opened up before Garion. All of it there for our young farm boy to see and experience and me tagging along behind. Mr. Eddings dazzled both of us with his constant unveiling of ancient mysteries, evil villains, grand conspiracies, divine prophecies, and wonderful history. And the whole time, I - a teenager myself - witnessed one more thing: Garion dealing with the normal teen angst of a simple boy ripped from his safe home and thrown into a larger, more dangerous world than he ever imagined. Every adventure, every heartbreak he experienced slowly turning him into a young man before my reading eyes. Something that I was also struggling with in my own life though in different ways.
It was a grand ride that Mr. Eddings took my teenage self on during those years, and I adored every one - even when I was 19 instead of a 13-year-old, because for a few hours I could go back 鈥渉ome鈥� and visit my teen heroes Garion, Belgarath, Aunt Pol, Silk, and all the rest. They felt like family to me. And it all started with this book.
Later in life I returned to Pawn of Prophecy to revisit my old 鈥渇riends.鈥� Like many times when you visit your childhood haunts, I found that things had changed - specifically me. I was older. No doubt about that. The mirror doesn鈥檛 lie after all. Plus, I was a father now. Responsibilities and all that other grown up stuff weighing me down. And I have to admit that I was now a bit jaded about life. Things were more gray now and a lot less black and white than back in my teen years. So Pawn of Prophecy鈥檚 straightforward fantasy about good guys defeating bad guys did not energize me as much as it once did. The best comparison I can give is going to your twentieth high school reunion excited to see your old girlfriend/boyfriend only to realize they aren鈥檛 sixteen anymore, have put on thirty pounds and gotten wrinkles just like you. How dare they change! That is how I felt as I sat there reading about my old friends Garion, Belgarath, and Polgara.
So why the five (5) star rating if I felt this way on my re-read you ask?
Simple: I try to rate my favorite, childhood books by what I thought of them when I read them the first time.
Maybe rating certain novels that way is wrong, but I cannot think of another way to be fair to a novel which I dearly loved at an earlier period of my life. It isn鈥檛 the books fault that I have gotten older after all. And the truth of the matter is that when I read Pawn of Prophecy - not once but numerous times in the 80s - I absolutely loved it! The simple plot and world spanning journeys of Garion bedazzled me, making me want more and more, and in my obviously biased opinion, it is still a great book for the right person - maybe another 13-year-old boy trying to grow up. Because I truly believe that even in its simplicity Pawn of Prophecy can still speak to that person and begin them on their journey into the world of fantasy novels. For that reason - and all my personal memories of it - Pawn of Prophecy will always remain a 5 star book and one of my all-time favorite fantasy novels.
There is nothing I hate more than trying to review one of my all-time favorite books from my teenage years. We all know the reason: the book just never lives up to your memories of its perfection. A fact - which if we are honest with ourselves - is inevitable, because we personally have changed too much, the world has changed too much, and our tastes have changed too much since the initial reading. This is true to a certain extent with David Edding鈥檚 Pawn of Prophecy.
Back when I picked up this first novel of The Belgariad in 1984, I was a 13-year-old or a 14-year-old (I can鈥檛 remember which anymore) just getting over an addiction to Dungeon & Dragons and trying to transition away from my pre-teen persona into my young adult one. I had also just recently made the life altering discovery of J.R.R. Tolkien, whose books made me fall in love with fantasy and ruined my dreams of ever being considered a cool kid in high school. (It was hard to be cool when you were reading The Hobbit and making jokes about what exactly JRR was talking about when he wrote 鈥�...it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort鈥�, but I probably shouldn鈥檛 really mention that in this review.) So when Pawn of Prophecy found its way into my hands, it must have been fate, and I fell very hard for all things related to Belgarath, Polgara or Garion. A love which lasted into my early twenties and began from the very first page of this novel.
As a teen who adored the Council of Elrond chapter in The Fellowship of the Ring, the prologue to Pawn of Prophecy was like getting a fix of my favorite pharmaceutical product. Where else except for The Silmarillion could I get to read about ancient gods creating a world only to have its perfection marred by some horrible act and throw creation into a state of constant strife? Not too many places. So within minutes, I was addicted to this story of maimed Torak and his eternal conflict with his godly siblings over possession of the Orb of Aldur, and I had to have more. Honestly, it was just a great hook.
From this beginning, Mr. Eddings immediately thrust me into the story of a simple farm boy named Garion. I learned of his earliest memories, hiding under a table watching his Aunt Pol cook. I experienced him growing up with his childhood friends, playing games, and even saw his first romance between himself and a local girl Zubrette. I also read about - but payed little attention to - the introduction of a wandering storyteller named Mister Wolf, who seemed like the comic relief more than a major character. (Boy, was I wrong on that!) And like all good fantasy books, Mr. Eddings provided me with constant foreshadowing that there was some terrible evil lurking right around the corner, waiting to destroy all this normalcy. A feeling which he deftly stoked by scene after scene of Garion experiencing visions of an unknown antagonist stalking him.
Naturally, one day Garion鈥檚 quiet farm life did end and end suddenly. Mister Wolf arriving at the farm unexpectedly, bearing news that a mysterious object has been stolen by a thief whom no-one will name. This news shocks Aunt Pol, causing her to pack up her and Garion鈥檚 things and leave the farm with Mister Wolf, dragging our clueless teenager along against his will. From there the true adventures began, and what a tale it was!
A huge, colorful world inhabited by different cultures, grand characters, and even ancient gods opened up before Garion. All of it there for our young farm boy to see and experience and me tagging along behind. Mr. Eddings dazzled both of us with his constant unveiling of ancient mysteries, evil villains, grand conspiracies, divine prophecies, and wonderful history. And the whole time, I - a teenager myself - witnessed one more thing: Garion dealing with the normal teen angst of a simple boy ripped from his safe home and thrown into a larger, more dangerous world than he ever imagined. Every adventure, every heartbreak he experienced slowly turning him into a young man before my reading eyes. Something that I was also struggling with in my own life though in different ways.
It was a grand ride that Mr. Eddings took my teenage self on during those years, and I adored every one - even when I was 19 instead of a 13-year-old, because for a few hours I could go back 鈥渉ome鈥� and visit my teen heroes Garion, Belgarath, Aunt Pol, Silk, and all the rest. They felt like family to me. And it all started with this book.
Later in life I returned to Pawn of Prophecy to revisit my old 鈥渇riends.鈥� Like many times when you visit your childhood haunts, I found that things had changed - specifically me. I was older. No doubt about that. The mirror doesn鈥檛 lie after all. Plus, I was a father now. Responsibilities and all that other grown up stuff weighing me down. And I have to admit that I was now a bit jaded about life. Things were more gray now and a lot less black and white than back in my teen years. So Pawn of Prophecy鈥檚 straightforward fantasy about good guys defeating bad guys did not energize me as much as it once did. The best comparison I can give is going to your twentieth high school reunion excited to see your old girlfriend/boyfriend only to realize they aren鈥檛 sixteen anymore, have put on thirty pounds and gotten wrinkles just like you. How dare they change! That is how I felt as I sat there reading about my old friends Garion, Belgarath, and Polgara.
So why the five (5) star rating if I felt this way on my re-read you ask?
Simple: I try to rate my favorite, childhood books by what I thought of them when I read them the first time.
Maybe rating certain novels that way is wrong, but I cannot think of another way to be fair to a novel which I dearly loved at an earlier period of my life. It isn鈥檛 the books fault that I have gotten older after all. And the truth of the matter is that when I read Pawn of Prophecy - not once but numerous times in the 80s - I absolutely loved it! The simple plot and world spanning journeys of Garion bedazzled me, making me want more and more, and in my obviously biased opinion, it is still a great book for the right person - maybe another 13-year-old boy trying to grow up. Because I truly believe that even in its simplicity Pawn of Prophecy can still speak to that person and begin them on their journey into the world of fantasy novels. For that reason - and all my personal memories of it - Pawn of Prophecy will always remain a 5 star book and one of my all-time favorite fantasy novels.
June 15, 2021
3.5 stars
This was a fun classic fantasy. If you鈥檙e looking for something innovative, then this book isn't for you. It was published in 1982 so by today鈥檚 standards it is definitely a clich茅. However, of course, I personally won鈥檛 judge a book as a clich茅 if it鈥檚 almost 40 years old.
Even though it can be read to children, I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 for a particular age only (though the older you are the less you鈥檇 enjoy it I suppose.) Pawn of Prophecy wasn鈥檛 fast-paced but it was a very quick read. It is not memorably by any means but it was enjoyable and it鈥檚 a good 鈥揺ven if typical- story.
I might seem negative but only because I don鈥檛 want people judging it harshly. The characters were interesting and the main character was decent (however we never learn if he eventually learns to write, there are some minor plot holes). I'm rating it 3 stars instead of 4 because I did not witness enough development in Garion's character/skills.
I鈥檇 only recommend it if you鈥檙e looking for a good old fantasy. I'm looking forward to continuing this series, I've been dropping many lately so it's good to read a book and plan to read its sequel!
This was a fun classic fantasy. If you鈥檙e looking for something innovative, then this book isn't for you. It was published in 1982 so by today鈥檚 standards it is definitely a clich茅. However, of course, I personally won鈥檛 judge a book as a clich茅 if it鈥檚 almost 40 years old.
Even though it can be read to children, I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 for a particular age only (though the older you are the less you鈥檇 enjoy it I suppose.) Pawn of Prophecy wasn鈥檛 fast-paced but it was a very quick read. It is not memorably by any means but it was enjoyable and it鈥檚 a good 鈥揺ven if typical- story.
I might seem negative but only because I don鈥檛 want people judging it harshly. The characters were interesting and the main character was decent (however we never learn if he eventually learns to write, there are some minor plot holes). I'm rating it 3 stars instead of 4 because I did not witness enough development in Garion's character/skills.
I鈥檇 only recommend it if you鈥檙e looking for a good old fantasy. I'm looking forward to continuing this series, I've been dropping many lately so it's good to read a book and plan to read its sequel!
January 3, 2019
And there we go - after posponing and postponing I've finally kicked off the last of the old great fantasy series on my long term fantasy reading quest.
Pawn of Prophecy is everything everyone makes it out to be. That is, it is a book which at first seems like a derivative, annoying teenage farmboy fantasy with very few redeeming qualities. For those who stick with it, however, it contains so much more. By the end of the book, I just wanted more immediately.
After a painstakingly slow beginning, the book picks up pace, and by the end, it becomes a real page-turner. Most of the characters are significantly more enjoyable than their equivalents in many similar fantasy series, and while I understand that some people are annoyed that they're seemingly invincible and face few real challenges to their progress, I found it somewhat refreshing to not have to read through the kind of setback some authors use to create fake suspense.
While there are plenty of downsides, the world of the Belgariad becomes more and more enjoyable by each chapter.
Pawn of Prophecy is everything everyone makes it out to be. That is, it is a book which at first seems like a derivative, annoying teenage farmboy fantasy with very few redeeming qualities. For those who stick with it, however, it contains so much more. By the end of the book, I just wanted more immediately.
After a painstakingly slow beginning, the book picks up pace, and by the end, it becomes a real page-turner. Most of the characters are significantly more enjoyable than their equivalents in many similar fantasy series, and while I understand that some people are annoyed that they're seemingly invincible and face few real challenges to their progress, I found it somewhat refreshing to not have to read through the kind of setback some authors use to create fake suspense.
While there are plenty of downsides, the world of the Belgariad becomes more and more enjoyable by each chapter.
January 24, 2019
Classical Fantasy in its finest! Brought back some of my childhood and the first Sparks of Love for the genre! Yes, I am sure my feelings are tainted by nostalgia, but if I had kids, I would definitely be reading this to them, just as my dad used to read it to me... Yeah, totally worth it 馃槉馃馃挄!
April 5, 2012
Okay, I see all the glowing reviews and all the 4 and 5 star ratings... sigh. Here I go again.
While I don't actually dislike this book I'm pretty far from liking it either. Mostly I struggled to stay awake and keep my mind on it. It starts out slow meanders around trying to find a plot in the midst of it's standard epic fantasy stereotypes and finishes telling me I should get the next book.
Not for now, thanks.
The book wants very badly to be a standout epic. I mentioned elsewhere that it felt as though the book kept yelling "LOOK AT ME I'M AN EPIC FANTASY!" The novel begins by introing us to the deities of the book's mythology, telling us about the "evil one of them" and the "mythic event" that set things in motion. . We are told about and later meet Polgara, Belgarath and Garion. Garion is a boy growing up on large and prosperous farm or farm-stead being raised by "Aunt Pol".
I read one other David Eddings book some years ago and I've largely forgotten it. My only clear impression is that throughout the book we were always traveling. We're here and we need to go there. We get there and we find we need to go somewhere else. Once there another trip became necessary. I joked that I probably wore out shoes reading the book. The same starts out here...
Anyway, the book strives to build a portentous story but ends feeling mostly like an intro into a longer story. I know a lot of you like this book and I'm not taking shots at it, it just didn't draw me in. I kept finding that my mind had wandered off the story, so enjoy if it's for you.
This is I'd say a "try it yourself book". I didn't care for it and probably won't follow it up (at least not till someone convinces me that I "simply must" try the next one. LOL). See what you think, not one I really care for. And, frankly...I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be an "Eddings fan".
While I don't actually dislike this book I'm pretty far from liking it either. Mostly I struggled to stay awake and keep my mind on it. It starts out slow meanders around trying to find a plot in the midst of it's standard epic fantasy stereotypes and finishes telling me I should get the next book.
Not for now, thanks.
The book wants very badly to be a standout epic. I mentioned elsewhere that it felt as though the book kept yelling "LOOK AT ME I'M AN EPIC FANTASY!" The novel begins by introing us to the deities of the book's mythology, telling us about the "evil one of them" and the "mythic event" that set things in motion. . We are told about and later meet Polgara, Belgarath and Garion. Garion is a boy growing up on large and prosperous farm or farm-stead being raised by "Aunt Pol".
I read one other David Eddings book some years ago and I've largely forgotten it. My only clear impression is that throughout the book we were always traveling. We're here and we need to go there. We get there and we find we need to go somewhere else. Once there another trip became necessary. I joked that I probably wore out shoes reading the book. The same starts out here...
Anyway, the book strives to build a portentous story but ends feeling mostly like an intro into a longer story. I know a lot of you like this book and I'm not taking shots at it, it just didn't draw me in. I kept finding that my mind had wandered off the story, so enjoy if it's for you.
This is I'd say a "try it yourself book". I didn't care for it and probably won't follow it up (at least not till someone convinces me that I "simply must" try the next one. LOL). See what you think, not one I really care for. And, frankly...I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be an "Eddings fan".
October 12, 2017
The first volume in the five book Belgariad series, which I'll happily admit to reading and then rereading throughout my mid-teens. Farm boy Garion enjoys a peaceful childhood in the care of his loving and occasionally stern Aunt Pol until the arrival of assassins sees them both on the run and Garion increasingly aware that he's much more important than he could have imagined. This is where the classic 'chosen one' fantasy template gets going in earnest and it's rarely been done better. The scale and detail of Eddings' world is often staggering and the interplay between the characters a frequent delight. Some elements will seem overly familiar to modern fantasy readers, from the prolonged info-dump in the prologue to the 'boy with a great destiny' central protagonist. It should be remembered, however, that many of these elements became tropes because of Eddings' success. Genre history lessons aside, this series remains a hugely engaging read and the first volume is no exception.
January 28, 2019
3.5*.
A lovely story, very similar to Grandma's bedtime stories.
A lovely story, very similar to Grandma's bedtime stories.
September 27, 2022
I thought I'm too old. I thought this wouldn't be challenging enough. I thought I'd be bored.
Instead, I was deeply engrossed in this book, couldn't put it down. Didn't want to put it down.
This book is like sipping hot chocolate wrapped in a blanket while it snows outside. It's familiar, comforting, and it's fun.
Of course, it's neither deep nor complex, but it resulted in a wonderful, heartwarming Saturday afternoon, and I can't wait to continue the series.
Instead, I was deeply engrossed in this book, couldn't put it down. Didn't want to put it down.
This book is like sipping hot chocolate wrapped in a blanket while it snows outside. It's familiar, comforting, and it's fun.
Of course, it's neither deep nor complex, but it resulted in a wonderful, heartwarming Saturday afternoon, and I can't wait to continue the series.
April 9, 2023
This is the first of a series of books by David Eddings that comprises his epic Belgariad, the story of a young boy thrust into the eternal contest between two competing prophesies.
This is an important book if you follow Eddings鈥� work as he introduces themes here in this volume and the rest of the series that he continues and repeats in his other works. Eddings pens tales of Gods meddling in mortal lives and how the gods themselves are pawns in the greater scheme of the universe.
I found the book a light read but substantial enough, probably because I cut my teeth in fantasy with Tolkien and Robert Jordan鈥檚 The Wheel of Time. With those as my initial foray into sword and sorcery fantasy, I expected something heavy. I was pleasantly surprised as this was not the case. Tolkien often plodded in his narrative and Jordan鈥檚 later work in his books was a quagmire, so I felt the pace here was fast but not so fast as to neglect characterization.
The book is highly recommended for enthusiast of the sword and sorcery fantasy genre. This first book is something a young adult can enjoy and Eddings will only improve in the next books, growing along with his targeted audience and with the stories turning darker as well. I have already enjoyed multiple readings of this book.
This is an important book if you follow Eddings鈥� work as he introduces themes here in this volume and the rest of the series that he continues and repeats in his other works. Eddings pens tales of Gods meddling in mortal lives and how the gods themselves are pawns in the greater scheme of the universe.
I found the book a light read but substantial enough, probably because I cut my teeth in fantasy with Tolkien and Robert Jordan鈥檚 The Wheel of Time. With those as my initial foray into sword and sorcery fantasy, I expected something heavy. I was pleasantly surprised as this was not the case. Tolkien often plodded in his narrative and Jordan鈥檚 later work in his books was a quagmire, so I felt the pace here was fast but not so fast as to neglect characterization.
The book is highly recommended for enthusiast of the sword and sorcery fantasy genre. This first book is something a young adult can enjoy and Eddings will only improve in the next books, growing along with his targeted audience and with the stories turning darker as well. I have already enjoyed multiple readings of this book.
May 23, 2021
賲賳貙 丿乇 鬲賯乇蹖亘丕 鬲賲丕賲 賲丿鬲蹖 讴賴 讴鬲丕亘 乇賵 賲蹖鈥屫堎嗀�:
I MEAN, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?
亘亘蹖賳蹖丿 賲賳 讴鬲丕亘鈥屬囏й屰� 乇賵 讴賴 卮氐鬲丕丿 噩賱丿 賲賯丿賲賴鈥屭嗃屬嗃� 賲蹖鈥屸€屭┵嗁� 亘毓丿 賲蹖鈥屫辟� 爻乇丕睾 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丕氐賱蹖貙 丿賵爻鬲 賳丿丕乇賲. 賲孬賱 亘賱诏丕乇蹖丕丿. 丕夭 賯乇丕乇 賲毓賱賵賲 鬲丕 噩賱丿 爻賵賲 賯乇丕乇 賳蹖爻鬲 賵丕乇丿 賲丕噩乇丕賴丕蹖 丕氐賱蹖 亘卮蹖賲. :|||||| 亘丕亘丕 蹖毓賳蹖 趩蹖 丕蹖賳 讴丕乇責 賲賯丿賲賴鈥屭嗃屬嗃� 丕賵賳鈥屫堌必� 禺賵亘賴 讴賴 倬丕蹖賴鈥屫臂屫槽屬� 賵賯丕蹖毓 丌蹖賳丿賴 亘丕卮賴 賵 丿乇 毓蹖賳 丨丕賱 賲丕噩乇丕賴丕 賵 卮禺氐蹖鬲鈥屬矩必ж槽屸€屬囏й� 噩丕賱亘鈥屫堌� 丕乇丕卅賴 亘丿賴 賳賴 丕蹖賳鈥屭┵� 賲丕 趩賳丿 噩賱丿 乇丕賴 乇賮鬲賳鈥� 卮禺氐蹖鬲鈥屬囏� 乇賵 鬲丨賲賱 讴賳蹖賲 鬲丕 鬲丕夭賴 亘乇爻蹖賲 亘賴 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丕氐賱蹖! O_o
亘匕丕乇蹖賳 爻乇蹖丕賱 賲爻鬲乇 乇亘丕鬲 乇賵 賲孬丕賱 亘夭賳賲 趩賵賳 賮毓賱丕 賮賯胤 丕賵賳 亘賴 匕賴賳賲 賲蹖鈥屫必迟�. 丌睾丕夭 賲爻鬲乇 乇亘丕鬲 賲賯丿賲賴鈥屭嗃屬嗃屬�. 賴賳賵夭 亘蹖賳賳丿賴 丕夭 賵賯丕蹖毓 丌蹖賳丿賴 禺亘乇 賳丿丕乇賴 賵 丕诏賴 讴爻蹖 亘賴 丕賱蹖賵鬲賽 賯丿蹖賲蹖賽 丌睾丕夭 爻乇蹖丕賱 賳诏丕賴 讴賳賴貙 鬲賵蹖 丿賱卮 爻乇卮 丿丕丿 賲蹖鈥屫操嗁�:
Uh man you have NO IDEA!
丕賲丕 丕夭 賴賲賵賳 丕倬蹖夭賵丿 丕賵賱 亘賴 乇丕亘胤賴鈥屰� 卮禺氐蹖鬲 丕氐賱蹖貙 丕賱蹖賵鬲貙 亘丕 趩賳丿蹖賳 卮禺氐蹖鬲 賲賴賲 倬乇丿丕禺鬲賴 賲蹖鈥屫促�. 夭賳丿诏蹖 賵 賵囟毓蹖鬲 乇賵丨蹖卮 鬲賵囟蹖丨 丿丕丿賴 賲蹖鈥屫促�. 賲丕噩乇丕賴丕蹖蹖 讴賴 亘乇丕蹖 賵乇賵丿 丕賵賳 亘賴 賯氐賴鈥屰� 丕氐賱蹖 賱丕夭賲賴 丕鬲賮丕賯 亘蹖賮鬲賳貙 丕夭 賴賲賵賳 賯爻賲鬲 丕賵賱 丿乇 丨丕賱 乇禺 丿丕丿賳賳.
丿乇 毓蹖賳 丨丕賱 爻丕夭賳丿賴 亘乇丕蹖 倬丕蹖丕賳 賮氐賱 賵 趩賴 亘爻丕 賮氐賱鈥屬囏й� 丌蹖賳丿賴 讴丿 賵 爻乇賳禺 賲蹖鈥屫�. 賯爻賲鬲鈥屬囏й� 丌睾丕夭蹖賳 賲賯丿賲賴鈥屫з嗀� 丿乇爻鬲貙 丕賲丕 亘賴鈥屬囒屭嗏€屬堌� 賳賲蹖鈥屫促� 诏賮鬲 丕夭 丕倬蹖夭賵丿賴丕蹖 丌蹖賳丿賴 讴賲鈥屫� 賲賴賲鈥� 蹖丕 賴蹖噩丕賳鈥屫з嗂屫操嗀�.
丕蹖賳鈥屫堌臂� 禺賵亘賴.
賯賱賲 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴 乇賵 趩賳丿丕賳 丿賵爻鬲 賳丿丕卮鬲賲 趩賵賳:
郾- 倬乇 丕夭 丕爻賲 丌丿賲 賵 賲讴丕賳 亘賵丿.
鄄- 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴 趩蹖夭賴丕蹖蹖 丿乇 匕賴賳 丿丕乇賴 讴賴 丕賵賳丕 乇賵 乇賵蹖 讴丕睾匕 賳賲蹖鈥屫⒇辟�.
蹖讴蹖 丕夭 賯爻賲鬲鈥屬囏й� 讴鬲丕亘 乇賵 賲蹖鈥屬嗁堐屫迟� 讴賴 亘賮賴賲蹖丿 賲賳馗賵乇賲 趩蹖賴:
卮賵賱丕蹖 賲禺賲賱蹖 賵 丌亘蹖賽 爻蹖乇賽 毓賲賴鈥屫ж� 亘丕毓孬 卮丿賴 亘賵丿 趩賳丕賳 亘丕賵賯丕乇 賵 夭蹖亘丕 卮賵丿 讴賴 賵丕賯毓丕 夭亘丕賳卮 亘賳丿 丌賲丿.
亘毓丿 丕夭 丕蹖賳 噩賲賱賴貙 卮禺氐蹖鬲鈥屬囏� 鬲丕 氐賮丨賴鈥屰� 亘毓丿 丿丕乇賳丿 丕夭 夭蹖亘丕蹖蹖 倬賵賱蹖賳 鬲毓乇蹖賮 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁嗀�. :|
賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴鈥屰� 毓夭蹖夭: 丕诏賴 亘賴 賲賳 亘诏蹖 賮賱丕賳蹖 禺蹖賱蹖 夭蹖亘丕 亘賵丿貙 賳賲蹖鈥屫堎嗁� 夭蹖亘丕蹖蹖卮 乇賵 鬲氐賵乇 讴賳賲 讴賴. 丕蹖賳鈥屭┵� 亘匕丕乇蹖 亘毓丿卮 卮禺氐蹖鬲鈥屬囏� 賯乇亘賵賳 氐丿賯賴鈥屰� 夭蹖亘丕蹖蹖鈥屫й� 亘乇賳 讴賴 賲賳 賳賲蹖鈥屫堎嗁� 亘亘蹖賳賲貙 賮賯胤 毓氐亘蹖賲 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁�.
讴賱丕 丿丕乇賴 亘賴 氐賮鬲鈥屬囏� 賲蹖鈥屭�: 賱胤賮丕 讴丕乇賽 賲賳 乇賵 亘賴鈥屫з� 丕賳噩丕賲 亘丿蹖賳.
乇丕亘胤賴鈥屰� 卮禺氐蹖鬲 丕氐賱蹖 (賵丕賯毓丕 亘賴鈥屭┴ж� 亘乇丿賳 毓亘丕乇鬲 卮禺氐蹖鬲 丕氐賱蹖 賵丕爻賴鈥屫� 讴丕乇 禺賳丿賴鈥屫ж臂屬�! 鬲賳賴丕 賳卮賵賳賴鈥屰� 丨囟賵乇 蹖丕乇賵 鬲賵蹖 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丕蹖賳賴 讴賴 賴乇丕夭诏丕賴蹖 賮讴乇 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁� 賵丕蹖 賲賳 賳賲蹖鈥屫堎嗁� 趩賴 禺亘乇賴!) 亘丕 亘賯蹖賴鈥屰� 卮禺氐蹖鬲鈥屬囏� 亘爻蹖丕乇 爻賲蹖賴. 賲禺氐賵氐丕 毓賲賴鈥屫ж�. 乇丕亘胤賴鈥屰� 丕蹖賳 丿賵鬲丕 賲賳 乇賵 蹖丕丿 乇丕亘胤賴鈥屰� 讴賱丕乇讴 賵 賲丿蹖 鬲賵蹖 爻乇蹖丕賱 芦氐丿 賳賮乇禄 賲蹖鈥屬嗀ж操�. 讴賱丕乇讴貙 賲丕丿乇 賵丕賯毓蹖 賲丿蹖 賳蹖爻鬲 丕賲丕 丕賵賳 乇賵 亘趩賴鈥屰� 禺賵丿卮 賲蹖鈥屫堎嗁� 賵 亘丕 鬲賲丕賲 賵噩賵丿 丕夭卮 賲丨丕賮馗鬲 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁�. 賲卮讴賱 丕蹖賳噩丕爻鬲 讴賴 賲丿蹖 乇賵 噩夭亍 丕賲賵丕賱 禺賵丿卮 賲蹖鈥屫堎嗁囏� 賳賲蹖鈥屬佡囐呝� 賲丿蹖 禺賵丿卮 丌丿賲賴 賵 丨賯 丿丕乇賴 讴丕乇賴丕蹖蹖 乇賵 亘讴賳賴 賵 趩蹖夭賴丕蹖蹖 乇賵 亘丿賵賳賴.
毓賲賴 倬賵賱蹖賳 賴賲 賴賲蹖賳胤賵乇賴. 賳賳賴鈥屰� 诏丕賱蹖賵賳 賳蹖爻鬲 丕賲丕 亘蹖卮鬲乇 丕夭 賵丕賱丿蹖賳 丕蹖乇丕賳蹖 賲丨丿賵丿卮 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁�. 賳賲蹖鈥屫柏ж辟� 賴賵蹖鬲 丿丕卮鬲賴 亘丕卮賴. 蹖賴 噩丕 禺蹖賱蹖 亘丿賲 丕賵賲丿 讴賴 诏丕賱蹖賵賳 诏賮鬲 賲蹖鈥屫堌ж� 亘乇賴 卮讴丕乇 賵 蹖讴蹖 诏賮鬲: 芦鬲賵賱賴鈥屫ж� 丿丕乇丿 丿賳丿丕賳 丿乇賲蹖鈥岋拷锟劫堌必� 倬賵賱蹖賳.禄 馃槓
賴乇亘丕乇 讴賴 诏丕賱蹖賵賳 亘蹖鈥屬嗁堌� 丿賴賳 亘丕夭 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁� 丨乇賮蹖 亘夭賳賴貙 倬賵賱蹖賳 蹖讴蹖 丕夭 芦丕賵賳 賳诏丕賴鈥屬囏� 讴賴 賴蹖趩鈥屬堎傌� 賴賲 賳賮賴賲蹖丿賲 趩賴 賳诏丕賴鈥屬囏й屰� 賴爻鬲賳 亘賴卮 賲蹖鈥屬嗀ж操� 賵 诏丕賱蹖賵賳 丿賴賳卮 乇賵 賲蹖鈥屫ㄙ嗀�. 丕夭 丌睾丕夭 鬲丕 倬丕蹖丕賳 讴鬲丕亘 丿乇诏蹖乇蹖 诏丕賱蹖賵賳 亘丕 賲丕噩乇丕賴丕 丿乇 丕蹖賳 丨丿賴 讴賴:
诏丕賱蹖賵賳: 趩賴 禺亘乇賴責
賴賲賴: 丕夭 毓賲賴鈥屫ж� 亘倬乇爻.
毓賲賴: 亘賴 鬲賵 趩賴 乇亘胤蹖 丿丕乇賴 讴賴 丕夭 夭丕丿诏丕賴 賵 丿賵爻鬲丕賳鬲 丿賵乇鬲 讴乇丿蹖賲貙 卮賴乇 亘賴 卮賴乇 賲蹖鈥屭必堎嗃屬呚� 賲丿丕賲 丿乇 丨丕賱 爻乇賵讴賱賴 夭丿賳 亘丕 丌丿賲鈥屬囏й� 禺胤乇賳丕讴蹖賲貙 賲噩亘賵乇鬲 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗃屬� 倬丕丿賵蹖蹖 讴賳蹖貙 爻乇 賴賭賭賭賭乇 讴丕乇蹖 爻乇夭賳卮鬲 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗃屬呚� 賴蹖趩蹖 賴賲 亘賴鬲 賳賲蹖鈥屭屬呚� 丨丿鬲 乇賵 亘丿賵賳!
诏丕賱蹖賵賳: 丌賴.
讴鬲丕亘 乇賵 亘丕 鬲乇噩賲賴鈥屰� 丌賯丕蹖 卮賴乇丕亘蹖 禺賵賳丿賲 讴賴 亘爻蹖丕乇 鬲乇噩賲賴鈥屰� 禺賵亘蹖 亘賵丿 賵 丿爻鬲鈥屫促堎� 丿乇丿 賳讴賳賴. 毓丕賱蹖 賵 卮蹖賵丕. 賮賯胤貙 丌賲貙 賲賳 鬲賳賴丕賲 蹖丕 卮賲丕 賴賲 丨爻 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗃屬� 丕毓乇丕亘鈥屭柏ж臂� 夭蹖丕丿賴 丕夭 丨丿賴責 丌禺賴 賲賳賽 禺賵丕賳賳丿賴 丕賵賱 賵 丿賵賲 丿亘爻鬲丕賳蹖 讴賴 賳蹖爻鬲賲貙 胤乇夭 鬲賱賮馗 讴賱賲丕鬲 乇賵 亘賱丿賲 丿蹖诏賴.馃憖
丕夭 丕賵賳鈥屫й屰� 讴賴 賲丨锟斤拷賵亘蹖鬲 丕蹖賳 噩賱丿 丿乇 诏賵丿乇蹖丿夭 丕夭 亘賯蹖賴鈥屰� 賲噩賲賵毓賴 亘丕賱丕鬲乇賴 诏賲賵賳 賳讴賳賲 卮丕賳爻蹖 亘賴 亘賯蹖賴鈥屰� 噩賱丿賴丕 亘丿賲. 賵賱蹖 丕诏賴 鬲賵丕賳丕蹖蹖 禺乇蹖丿 亘賯蹖賴鈥屰� 噩賱丿賴丕 乇賵 丿丕卮鬲賴 亘丕卮賲 蹖丨鬲賲賱 賳馗乇賲 乇賵 毓賵囟 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁� 賵 賲蹖鈥屫ㄛ屬嗁� 趩蹖 賲蹖鈥屫促�.
丌禺乇 爻乇 賴賲 亘诏賲 讴賴 乇蹖賵蹖賵賲 乇賵 趩賳丿丕賳 噩丿蹖 賳诏蹖乇蹖丿.馃槀 賮賯胤 賲蹖鈥屫堌ж池� 睾乇 亘夭賳賲 賵 亘蹖鈥屫蹿� 夭蹖丕丿 賲亘丕賱睾賴 讴乇丿賲. 賮丕賳鬲夭蹖鈥屬矩迟嗀囏� 賲賲讴賳賴 禺賵卮鈥屫促堎� 亘蹖丕丿.
賲賵賮賯 亘丕卮蹖丿
I MEAN, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?
亘亘蹖賳蹖丿 賲賳 讴鬲丕亘鈥屬囏й屰� 乇賵 讴賴 卮氐鬲丕丿 噩賱丿 賲賯丿賲賴鈥屭嗃屬嗃� 賲蹖鈥屸€屭┵嗁� 亘毓丿 賲蹖鈥屫辟� 爻乇丕睾 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丕氐賱蹖貙 丿賵爻鬲 賳丿丕乇賲. 賲孬賱 亘賱诏丕乇蹖丕丿. 丕夭 賯乇丕乇 賲毓賱賵賲 鬲丕 噩賱丿 爻賵賲 賯乇丕乇 賳蹖爻鬲 賵丕乇丿 賲丕噩乇丕賴丕蹖 丕氐賱蹖 亘卮蹖賲. :|||||| 亘丕亘丕 蹖毓賳蹖 趩蹖 丕蹖賳 讴丕乇責 賲賯丿賲賴鈥屭嗃屬嗃� 丕賵賳鈥屫堌必� 禺賵亘賴 讴賴 倬丕蹖賴鈥屫臂屫槽屬� 賵賯丕蹖毓 丌蹖賳丿賴 亘丕卮賴 賵 丿乇 毓蹖賳 丨丕賱 賲丕噩乇丕賴丕 賵 卮禺氐蹖鬲鈥屬矩必ж槽屸€屬囏й� 噩丕賱亘鈥屫堌� 丕乇丕卅賴 亘丿賴 賳賴 丕蹖賳鈥屭┵� 賲丕 趩賳丿 噩賱丿 乇丕賴 乇賮鬲賳鈥� 卮禺氐蹖鬲鈥屬囏� 乇賵 鬲丨賲賱 讴賳蹖賲 鬲丕 鬲丕夭賴 亘乇爻蹖賲 亘賴 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丕氐賱蹖! O_o
亘匕丕乇蹖賳 爻乇蹖丕賱 賲爻鬲乇 乇亘丕鬲 乇賵 賲孬丕賱 亘夭賳賲 趩賵賳 賮毓賱丕 賮賯胤 丕賵賳 亘賴 匕賴賳賲 賲蹖鈥屫必迟�. 丌睾丕夭 賲爻鬲乇 乇亘丕鬲 賲賯丿賲賴鈥屭嗃屬嗃屬�. 賴賳賵夭 亘蹖賳賳丿賴 丕夭 賵賯丕蹖毓 丌蹖賳丿賴 禺亘乇 賳丿丕乇賴 賵 丕诏賴 讴爻蹖 亘賴 丕賱蹖賵鬲賽 賯丿蹖賲蹖賽 丌睾丕夭 爻乇蹖丕賱 賳诏丕賴 讴賳賴貙 鬲賵蹖 丿賱卮 爻乇卮 丿丕丿 賲蹖鈥屫操嗁�:
Uh man you have NO IDEA!
丕賲丕 丕夭 賴賲賵賳 丕倬蹖夭賵丿 丕賵賱 亘賴 乇丕亘胤賴鈥屰� 卮禺氐蹖鬲 丕氐賱蹖貙 丕賱蹖賵鬲貙 亘丕 趩賳丿蹖賳 卮禺氐蹖鬲 賲賴賲 倬乇丿丕禺鬲賴 賲蹖鈥屫促�. 夭賳丿诏蹖 賵 賵囟毓蹖鬲 乇賵丨蹖卮 鬲賵囟蹖丨 丿丕丿賴 賲蹖鈥屫促�. 賲丕噩乇丕賴丕蹖蹖 讴賴 亘乇丕蹖 賵乇賵丿 丕賵賳 亘賴 賯氐賴鈥屰� 丕氐賱蹖 賱丕夭賲賴 丕鬲賮丕賯 亘蹖賮鬲賳貙 丕夭 賴賲賵賳 賯爻賲鬲 丕賵賱 丿乇 丨丕賱 乇禺 丿丕丿賳賳.
丿乇 毓蹖賳 丨丕賱 爻丕夭賳丿賴 亘乇丕蹖 倬丕蹖丕賳 賮氐賱 賵 趩賴 亘爻丕 賮氐賱鈥屬囏й� 丌蹖賳丿賴 讴丿 賵 爻乇賳禺 賲蹖鈥屫�. 賯爻賲鬲鈥屬囏й� 丌睾丕夭蹖賳 賲賯丿賲賴鈥屫з嗀� 丿乇爻鬲貙 丕賲丕 亘賴鈥屬囒屭嗏€屬堌� 賳賲蹖鈥屫促� 诏賮鬲 丕夭 丕倬蹖夭賵丿賴丕蹖 丌蹖賳丿賴 讴賲鈥屫� 賲賴賲鈥� 蹖丕 賴蹖噩丕賳鈥屫з嗂屫操嗀�.
丕蹖賳鈥屫堌臂� 禺賵亘賴.
賯賱賲 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴 乇賵 趩賳丿丕賳 丿賵爻鬲 賳丿丕卮鬲賲 趩賵賳:
郾- 倬乇 丕夭 丕爻賲 丌丿賲 賵 賲讴丕賳 亘賵丿.
鄄- 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴 趩蹖夭賴丕蹖蹖 丿乇 匕賴賳 丿丕乇賴 讴賴 丕賵賳丕 乇賵 乇賵蹖 讴丕睾匕 賳賲蹖鈥屫⒇辟�.
蹖讴蹖 丕夭 賯爻賲鬲鈥屬囏й� 讴鬲丕亘 乇賵 賲蹖鈥屬嗁堐屫迟� 讴賴 亘賮賴賲蹖丿 賲賳馗賵乇賲 趩蹖賴:
卮賵賱丕蹖 賲禺賲賱蹖 賵 丌亘蹖賽 爻蹖乇賽 毓賲賴鈥屫ж� 亘丕毓孬 卮丿賴 亘賵丿 趩賳丕賳 亘丕賵賯丕乇 賵 夭蹖亘丕 卮賵丿 讴賴 賵丕賯毓丕 夭亘丕賳卮 亘賳丿 丌賲丿.
亘毓丿 丕夭 丕蹖賳 噩賲賱賴貙 卮禺氐蹖鬲鈥屬囏� 鬲丕 氐賮丨賴鈥屰� 亘毓丿 丿丕乇賳丿 丕夭 夭蹖亘丕蹖蹖 倬賵賱蹖賳 鬲毓乇蹖賮 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁嗀�. :|
賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴鈥屰� 毓夭蹖夭: 丕诏賴 亘賴 賲賳 亘诏蹖 賮賱丕賳蹖 禺蹖賱蹖 夭蹖亘丕 亘賵丿貙 賳賲蹖鈥屫堎嗁� 夭蹖亘丕蹖蹖卮 乇賵 鬲氐賵乇 讴賳賲 讴賴. 丕蹖賳鈥屭┵� 亘匕丕乇蹖 亘毓丿卮 卮禺氐蹖鬲鈥屬囏� 賯乇亘賵賳 氐丿賯賴鈥屰� 夭蹖亘丕蹖蹖鈥屫й� 亘乇賳 讴賴 賲賳 賳賲蹖鈥屫堎嗁� 亘亘蹖賳賲貙 賮賯胤 毓氐亘蹖賲 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁�.
讴賱丕 丿丕乇賴 亘賴 氐賮鬲鈥屬囏� 賲蹖鈥屭�: 賱胤賮丕 讴丕乇賽 賲賳 乇賵 亘賴鈥屫з� 丕賳噩丕賲 亘丿蹖賳.
乇丕亘胤賴鈥屰� 卮禺氐蹖鬲 丕氐賱蹖 (賵丕賯毓丕 亘賴鈥屭┴ж� 亘乇丿賳 毓亘丕乇鬲 卮禺氐蹖鬲 丕氐賱蹖 賵丕爻賴鈥屫� 讴丕乇 禺賳丿賴鈥屫ж臂屬�! 鬲賳賴丕 賳卮賵賳賴鈥屰� 丨囟賵乇 蹖丕乇賵 鬲賵蹖 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丕蹖賳賴 讴賴 賴乇丕夭诏丕賴蹖 賮讴乇 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁� 賵丕蹖 賲賳 賳賲蹖鈥屫堎嗁� 趩賴 禺亘乇賴!) 亘丕 亘賯蹖賴鈥屰� 卮禺氐蹖鬲鈥屬囏� 亘爻蹖丕乇 爻賲蹖賴. 賲禺氐賵氐丕 毓賲賴鈥屫ж�. 乇丕亘胤賴鈥屰� 丕蹖賳 丿賵鬲丕 賲賳 乇賵 蹖丕丿 乇丕亘胤賴鈥屰� 讴賱丕乇讴 賵 賲丿蹖 鬲賵蹖 爻乇蹖丕賱 芦氐丿 賳賮乇禄 賲蹖鈥屬嗀ж操�. 讴賱丕乇讴貙 賲丕丿乇 賵丕賯毓蹖 賲丿蹖 賳蹖爻鬲 丕賲丕 丕賵賳 乇賵 亘趩賴鈥屰� 禺賵丿卮 賲蹖鈥屫堎嗁� 賵 亘丕 鬲賲丕賲 賵噩賵丿 丕夭卮 賲丨丕賮馗鬲 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁�. 賲卮讴賱 丕蹖賳噩丕爻鬲 讴賴 賲丿蹖 乇賵 噩夭亍 丕賲賵丕賱 禺賵丿卮 賲蹖鈥屫堎嗁囏� 賳賲蹖鈥屬佡囐呝� 賲丿蹖 禺賵丿卮 丌丿賲賴 賵 丨賯 丿丕乇賴 讴丕乇賴丕蹖蹖 乇賵 亘讴賳賴 賵 趩蹖夭賴丕蹖蹖 乇賵 亘丿賵賳賴.
毓賲賴 倬賵賱蹖賳 賴賲 賴賲蹖賳胤賵乇賴. 賳賳賴鈥屰� 诏丕賱蹖賵賳 賳蹖爻鬲 丕賲丕 亘蹖卮鬲乇 丕夭 賵丕賱丿蹖賳 丕蹖乇丕賳蹖 賲丨丿賵丿卮 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁�. 賳賲蹖鈥屫柏ж辟� 賴賵蹖鬲 丿丕卮鬲賴 亘丕卮賴. 蹖賴 噩丕 禺蹖賱蹖 亘丿賲 丕賵賲丿 讴賴 诏丕賱蹖賵賳 诏賮鬲 賲蹖鈥屫堌ж� 亘乇賴 卮讴丕乇 賵 蹖讴蹖 诏賮鬲: 芦鬲賵賱賴鈥屫ж� 丿丕乇丿 丿賳丿丕賳 丿乇賲蹖鈥岋拷锟劫堌必� 倬賵賱蹖賳.禄 馃槓
賴乇亘丕乇 讴賴 诏丕賱蹖賵賳 亘蹖鈥屬嗁堌� 丿賴賳 亘丕夭 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁� 丨乇賮蹖 亘夭賳賴貙 倬賵賱蹖賳 蹖讴蹖 丕夭 芦丕賵賳 賳诏丕賴鈥屬囏� 讴賴 賴蹖趩鈥屬堎傌� 賴賲 賳賮賴賲蹖丿賲 趩賴 賳诏丕賴鈥屬囏й屰� 賴爻鬲賳 亘賴卮 賲蹖鈥屬嗀ж操� 賵 诏丕賱蹖賵賳 丿賴賳卮 乇賵 賲蹖鈥屫ㄙ嗀�. 丕夭 丌睾丕夭 鬲丕 倬丕蹖丕賳 讴鬲丕亘 丿乇诏蹖乇蹖 诏丕賱蹖賵賳 亘丕 賲丕噩乇丕賴丕 丿乇 丕蹖賳 丨丿賴 讴賴:
诏丕賱蹖賵賳: 趩賴 禺亘乇賴責
賴賲賴: 丕夭 毓賲賴鈥屫ж� 亘倬乇爻.
毓賲賴: 亘賴 鬲賵 趩賴 乇亘胤蹖 丿丕乇賴 讴賴 丕夭 夭丕丿诏丕賴 賵 丿賵爻鬲丕賳鬲 丿賵乇鬲 讴乇丿蹖賲貙 卮賴乇 亘賴 卮賴乇 賲蹖鈥屭必堎嗃屬呚� 賲丿丕賲 丿乇 丨丕賱 爻乇賵讴賱賴 夭丿賳 亘丕 丌丿賲鈥屬囏й� 禺胤乇賳丕讴蹖賲貙 賲噩亘賵乇鬲 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗃屬� 倬丕丿賵蹖蹖 讴賳蹖貙 爻乇 賴賭賭賭賭乇 讴丕乇蹖 爻乇夭賳卮鬲 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗃屬呚� 賴蹖趩蹖 賴賲 亘賴鬲 賳賲蹖鈥屭屬呚� 丨丿鬲 乇賵 亘丿賵賳!
诏丕賱蹖賵賳: 丌賴.
讴鬲丕亘 乇賵 亘丕 鬲乇噩賲賴鈥屰� 丌賯丕蹖 卮賴乇丕亘蹖 禺賵賳丿賲 讴賴 亘爻蹖丕乇 鬲乇噩賲賴鈥屰� 禺賵亘蹖 亘賵丿 賵 丿爻鬲鈥屫促堎� 丿乇丿 賳讴賳賴. 毓丕賱蹖 賵 卮蹖賵丕. 賮賯胤貙 丌賲貙 賲賳 鬲賳賴丕賲 蹖丕 卮賲丕 賴賲 丨爻 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗃屬� 丕毓乇丕亘鈥屭柏ж臂� 夭蹖丕丿賴 丕夭 丨丿賴責 丌禺賴 賲賳賽 禺賵丕賳賳丿賴 丕賵賱 賵 丿賵賲 丿亘爻鬲丕賳蹖 讴賴 賳蹖爻鬲賲貙 胤乇夭 鬲賱賮馗 讴賱賲丕鬲 乇賵 亘賱丿賲 丿蹖诏賴.馃憖
丕夭 丕賵賳鈥屫й屰� 讴賴 賲丨锟斤拷賵亘蹖鬲 丕蹖賳 噩賱丿 丿乇 诏賵丿乇蹖丿夭 丕夭 亘賯蹖賴鈥屰� 賲噩賲賵毓賴 亘丕賱丕鬲乇賴 诏賲賵賳 賳讴賳賲 卮丕賳爻蹖 亘賴 亘賯蹖賴鈥屰� 噩賱丿賴丕 亘丿賲. 賵賱蹖 丕诏賴 鬲賵丕賳丕蹖蹖 禺乇蹖丿 亘賯蹖賴鈥屰� 噩賱丿賴丕 乇賵 丿丕卮鬲賴 亘丕卮賲 蹖丨鬲賲賱 賳馗乇賲 乇賵 毓賵囟 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁� 賵 賲蹖鈥屫ㄛ屬嗁� 趩蹖 賲蹖鈥屫促�.
丌禺乇 爻乇 賴賲 亘诏賲 讴賴 乇蹖賵蹖賵賲 乇賵 趩賳丿丕賳 噩丿蹖 賳诏蹖乇蹖丿.馃槀 賮賯胤 賲蹖鈥屫堌ж池� 睾乇 亘夭賳賲 賵 亘蹖鈥屫蹿� 夭蹖丕丿 賲亘丕賱睾賴 讴乇丿賲. 賮丕賳鬲夭蹖鈥屬矩迟嗀囏� 賲賲讴賳賴 禺賵卮鈥屫促堎� 亘蹖丕丿.
賲賵賮賯 亘丕卮蹖丿
Read
August 20, 2007Review here for the entire Belgariad.
I noticed that most of the reviewers give this a nostalgic loved-this-when-I-was-young rating. And they're right to do so. This is the perfect series of books for a young reader: clever enough to hold its own, exciting without being too graphic, and the youth don't notice just how bad the prose is.
I mean, it's hilariously bad. It's not that the Eddings machine can't write for beans; it's that the writing does all the hackneyed nasty cliched things that you're supposed to get out of your system sometime shortly after high school. (For an effective drinking game, swig every time Eddings writes a Tom Swifty - ("I can't swallow this peach," Garion choked.) Or just sip; it happens on every page so you'll drink your share either way)
On rereading, though, two things struck me other than the bad prose. The first is, the characteriations are really swift, moving directly and smoothly from "yes you care about this person" to "this is what's happening to this person", usually in a couple paragraphs. Drawing parallels for me to the adventure novels of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The brevity of the characetrizations are a real strength. The second thing I noticed was that there was something else going on here; glimpses of a cosmology of wonder and fascination beyond the play of the story itself. It was as though, every once in a while, the bottom dropped out of the floor and you realized you were in the midst of the ambitious project of an undiscovered author, the one thing he cares about more than anything else, and you have a front-row seat to teh story he wants to tell, yes, but more importantly you can see him constructing the stage props by hand in the wings, scrambling for everything he can get his hands on, and by some happy accident conjuring a genie that grants his greatest wish.
I noticed that most of the reviewers give this a nostalgic loved-this-when-I-was-young rating. And they're right to do so. This is the perfect series of books for a young reader: clever enough to hold its own, exciting without being too graphic, and the youth don't notice just how bad the prose is.
I mean, it's hilariously bad. It's not that the Eddings machine can't write for beans; it's that the writing does all the hackneyed nasty cliched things that you're supposed to get out of your system sometime shortly after high school. (For an effective drinking game, swig every time Eddings writes a Tom Swifty - ("I can't swallow this peach," Garion choked.) Or just sip; it happens on every page so you'll drink your share either way)
On rereading, though, two things struck me other than the bad prose. The first is, the characteriations are really swift, moving directly and smoothly from "yes you care about this person" to "this is what's happening to this person", usually in a couple paragraphs. Drawing parallels for me to the adventure novels of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The brevity of the characetrizations are a real strength. The second thing I noticed was that there was something else going on here; glimpses of a cosmology of wonder and fascination beyond the play of the story itself. It was as though, every once in a while, the bottom dropped out of the floor and you realized you were in the midst of the ambitious project of an undiscovered author, the one thing he cares about more than anything else, and you have a front-row seat to teh story he wants to tell, yes, but more importantly you can see him constructing the stage props by hand in the wings, scrambling for everything he can get his hands on, and by some happy accident conjuring a genie that grants his greatest wish.
February 17, 2022
It鈥檚 difficult to rate this book objectively in light of learning about the terrible abuse David Eddings and his uncredited coauthor wife Leigh perpetrated against their two young adopted children.
It started out promisingly enough, with the promise being a simple, easy, enjoyably tropey old school fantasy. But as the story wore on, the overt racial essentialism in the world the Eddings created became more and more apparent, and there were an increasing number of cringey moments between husbands and their wives, with the women inevitably being put in their place.
This series has a reputation of having been formative for many younger readers, a gateway drug of sorts, but it hasn鈥檛 aged well, either on its own terms or in light of the revelations about its creators鈥� misdeeds.
I won鈥檛 be continuing. I almost didn鈥檛 want to finish this, but I hate abandoning books I鈥檝e started.
It started out promisingly enough, with the promise being a simple, easy, enjoyably tropey old school fantasy. But as the story wore on, the overt racial essentialism in the world the Eddings created became more and more apparent, and there were an increasing number of cringey moments between husbands and their wives, with the women inevitably being put in their place.
This series has a reputation of having been formative for many younger readers, a gateway drug of sorts, but it hasn鈥檛 aged well, either on its own terms or in light of the revelations about its creators鈥� misdeeds.
I won鈥檛 be continuing. I almost didn鈥檛 want to finish this, but I hate abandoning books I鈥檝e started.
September 28, 2009
When we're all looking for a good book to read, we usually look to our favourite authors and our best friends and trust their recommnendations as to what we should try next. Such as it was for me.
The Belgariad was suggested to me by just about everyone I knew who enjoyed fantasy, and a number of my favourite authors. Imagine my surprise when I start reading and keep waiting for the story's plot to begin, and it begins to dawn on me that no such relief will be arriving.
The problems I have with the Belgariad are simple: The 'story' is so cliche (An orphen boy who finds himself the subject of a prophecy to save the world, say it isn't so!), The characters are bland and the world seems impervious to logic.
Garion, the protagonist of the story, grows up an orphaned child with only his annoyingly mysterious Aunt Pol to take care of him. Despite the fact that he is at an age where he is approaching maturity, Garion demonstrates momentous stupidity several times throughout the series, and particularly in the first book. His entire childhood has been haunted by the prescence of a 'ringwraith' archetype character, a mysterious shrouded black horseman who stalks him, yet he has never once mentioned the terrifying figure to his Aunt Pol, and nor has she, who it becomes known is a powerful sorceress bordering on godly power, ever detected this figure despite being Garion's caretaker and vigilant protector.
Over the course of the story, Garion travels alongside a group of companions, every single one of whom is either Royalty, powerful Nobility or an individual regarded as an equal among Kings and Emperors. Bit odd of an adventuring party eh?
On top of all of this, the action is horribly bland and Garion's growth into the prophetic saviour is infuriatingly poor, one minute he's a lackwit child and the next he's striding along blasting enemies with torrents of magic without training and out-witting his counselors and advisors despite the fact he's never really had a proper education in statecraft.
The dialogue is similarly poor, and often cliche.
The romance between Garion and the princess of a neighboring Empire was just plain embarrassing.
In summary, I was regretful I had ever picked up the series, and was and still am confused as to how the series ever gathered the acclaim it has.
The Belgariad was suggested to me by just about everyone I knew who enjoyed fantasy, and a number of my favourite authors. Imagine my surprise when I start reading and keep waiting for the story's plot to begin, and it begins to dawn on me that no such relief will be arriving.
The problems I have with the Belgariad are simple: The 'story' is so cliche (An orphen boy who finds himself the subject of a prophecy to save the world, say it isn't so!), The characters are bland and the world seems impervious to logic.
Garion, the protagonist of the story, grows up an orphaned child with only his annoyingly mysterious Aunt Pol to take care of him. Despite the fact that he is at an age where he is approaching maturity, Garion demonstrates momentous stupidity several times throughout the series, and particularly in the first book. His entire childhood has been haunted by the prescence of a 'ringwraith' archetype character, a mysterious shrouded black horseman who stalks him, yet he has never once mentioned the terrifying figure to his Aunt Pol, and nor has she, who it becomes known is a powerful sorceress bordering on godly power, ever detected this figure despite being Garion's caretaker and vigilant protector.
Over the course of the story, Garion travels alongside a group of companions, every single one of whom is either Royalty, powerful Nobility or an individual regarded as an equal among Kings and Emperors. Bit odd of an adventuring party eh?
On top of all of this, the action is horribly bland and Garion's growth into the prophetic saviour is infuriatingly poor, one minute he's a lackwit child and the next he's striding along blasting enemies with torrents of magic without training and out-witting his counselors and advisors despite the fact he's never really had a proper education in statecraft.
The dialogue is similarly poor, and often cliche.
The romance between Garion and the princess of a neighboring Empire was just plain embarrassing.
In summary, I was regretful I had ever picked up the series, and was and still am confused as to how the series ever gathered the acclaim it has.
November 27, 2019
I was chugging along through Pawn of Prophecy just to get through it and viola! Saved by the ending! The prologue, including Eddings' world creation myth, had me really hopeful, but then this one got mired in the typical bratty-kid-is-the-key-to-everything-and-doesn't-know-it epic fantasy trope. That was disappointing. It's just not my jam. I'd heard good things about The Belgariad series. After the slow first two-thirds, things got interesting. I'm intrigued by the story now and one day I'll read the next book.
February 27, 2017
This is the book and series that essentially sparked my interest in the fantasy genre. Now as they are slowly (and I emphasize the word slowly) being released in electronic format, I have begun to start reading them again on my Kindle. Let's be clear: Pawn of Prophecy is not Game of Thrones. It's not The Name of the Wind. Heck, it's not even Assassin's Apprentice. But what it is is an entertaining quest fantasy filled with characters who you feel you know personally by the time you finish the book. The theme is pretty standard farm boy growing up not knowing that he is part of a lineage of a magical family. Evil lord does something bad, the unwitting boy then discovers who he really is and must undertake a quest to vanquish blah blah blah, you get the picture. Despite the formulaic storyline though, David Eddings and his wife Leigh Eddings manage to overcome that by crafting a heartwarming tale that is a pleasure to revisit time and time again. We hear the term comfort-read thrown around quite often, and The Belgariad is that to me in spades. I simply adore the five books that comprise this series and they will always hold a special place in my heart. Like I said, don't expect anything earth-shattering and complex. But do expect a really fun and exciting fantasy with characters who you connect with and who jump off the page.
October 14, 2022
+3
鈥淓l Destino no siempre significa la muerte. Ojal谩 el m铆o lo fuera. Un Destino es algo terrible que le sucede fatalmente a un hombre, y la muerte no es lo peor que puede pasarle鈥�.
Yo ven铆a en busca de fantas铆a cl谩sica y voil脿 la encontr茅 sin lugar a dudas. Necesitaba este tipo de lectura, un libro que no fuese ni muy denso ni muy ligero, sino intermedio. Sent铆a que si segu铆a en libros ligeros que devoro a la velocidad del rayo habr铆a acabado con las pocas neuronas decentes que me quedan.
鈥淐uando uno hace algo que disgusta a otros, 茅stos tienden a odiarlo. Este odio se acumula con los a帽os hasta que se convierte en algo parecido a una religi贸n. No s贸lo te odian a ti y a los tuyos, sino que detestan cualquier cosa que tenga relaci贸n contigo鈥�.
Este libro que es el comienzo de las Cronicas de Belgarath no deja de ser sino una introducci贸n a una larga saga de fantas铆a cl谩sica: con fantasia cl谩sica me refiero a que une los componentes de: un viaje, un elegido, una profec铆a, un grupo, magia, aventuras, amistad y enemigos entre otros elementos t铆picos de este tipo de literatura.
鈥淓stamos viviendo momentos trascendentales, Garion. Los acontecimientos de un millar de a帽os o m谩s se han concentrado en estos d铆as presentes. El mundo, seg煤n me han dicho, es as铆. Transcurren siglos sin que suceda nada y luego, en unos pocos a帽os, tienen lugar sucesos de tan tremenda importancia que el mundo no vuelve a ser el mismo.
-Creo que, si pudiera escoger preferir铆a uno de esos siglos de tranquilidad.
- 隆Oh no! 脡ste es el momento de estar vivo para ver c贸mo sucede todo, para participar en ello. Eso hacer correr la sangre en las venas y cada respiraci贸n es una aventura鈥�.
Me ha gustado mucho, siento que puede ser una saga que me va a gustar, aunque este libro no deja de ser introductorio. Los personajes me parecen muy carism谩ticos y la historia interesante. El 煤nico problema que encuentro es que nombran tantas razas o pueblos y sus formas de ser que me pierdo un poco. Sin embargo, creo que con el paso de las novelas ir茅 cogiendo el hilo.
鈥溌縌ui茅n puede saber que es fantas铆a y que es verdad disfrazada de cuento?鈥�
鈥淓l Destino no siempre significa la muerte. Ojal谩 el m铆o lo fuera. Un Destino es algo terrible que le sucede fatalmente a un hombre, y la muerte no es lo peor que puede pasarle鈥�.
Yo ven铆a en busca de fantas铆a cl谩sica y voil脿 la encontr茅 sin lugar a dudas. Necesitaba este tipo de lectura, un libro que no fuese ni muy denso ni muy ligero, sino intermedio. Sent铆a que si segu铆a en libros ligeros que devoro a la velocidad del rayo habr铆a acabado con las pocas neuronas decentes que me quedan.
鈥淐uando uno hace algo que disgusta a otros, 茅stos tienden a odiarlo. Este odio se acumula con los a帽os hasta que se convierte en algo parecido a una religi贸n. No s贸lo te odian a ti y a los tuyos, sino que detestan cualquier cosa que tenga relaci贸n contigo鈥�.
Este libro que es el comienzo de las Cronicas de Belgarath no deja de ser sino una introducci贸n a una larga saga de fantas铆a cl谩sica: con fantasia cl谩sica me refiero a que une los componentes de: un viaje, un elegido, una profec铆a, un grupo, magia, aventuras, amistad y enemigos entre otros elementos t铆picos de este tipo de literatura.
鈥淓stamos viviendo momentos trascendentales, Garion. Los acontecimientos de un millar de a帽os o m谩s se han concentrado en estos d铆as presentes. El mundo, seg煤n me han dicho, es as铆. Transcurren siglos sin que suceda nada y luego, en unos pocos a帽os, tienen lugar sucesos de tan tremenda importancia que el mundo no vuelve a ser el mismo.
-Creo que, si pudiera escoger preferir铆a uno de esos siglos de tranquilidad.
- 隆Oh no! 脡ste es el momento de estar vivo para ver c贸mo sucede todo, para participar en ello. Eso hacer correr la sangre en las venas y cada respiraci贸n es una aventura鈥�.
Me ha gustado mucho, siento que puede ser una saga que me va a gustar, aunque este libro no deja de ser introductorio. Los personajes me parecen muy carism谩ticos y la historia interesante. El 煤nico problema que encuentro es que nombran tantas razas o pueblos y sus formas de ser que me pierdo un poco. Sin embargo, creo que con el paso de las novelas ir茅 cogiendo el hilo.
鈥溌縌ui茅n puede saber que es fantas铆a y que es verdad disfrazada de cuento?鈥�
March 11, 2022
"No existen palabras m谩gicas. Alguna gente cree que s铆, pero se equivoca. Los grolims utilizan palabras extra帽as pero, en realidad, no son necesarias. Cualquier palabra surte efecto. Lo importante es la voluntad, no la palabra. La palabra es un medio para la voluntad".
Este es el primer libro de las Cr贸nicas de Belgarath, fantas铆a de la cl谩sica, como para volver a enraizarse en los or铆genes del g茅nero.
Cada tanto me gusta volver a estos relatos de estructura sencilla, donde los personajes principales se embarcan en un viaje que los llevar谩 a encontrarse con diferentes problemas y enemigos a los que sortear y vencer.
Tenemos tambi茅n secretos que no llegan a develarse del todo porque Eddings va construyendo una gran introducci贸n para lo que vendr谩 despu茅s. En este libro vemos solamente atisbos de la historia general, no hay tampoco mucha acci贸n, pero s铆 bastantes hilos del relato que se abren y van enrosc谩ndose a la trama principal.
听Me gusta mucho c贸mo los personajes mutan, se transforman levemente, paso a paso, a medida que se enfrentan a nuevas experiencias. Tambi茅n me parece muy interesante que a煤n no exista un Enemigo con may煤sculas, encarnado, al que enfrentarse. Por el contrario, aparece alguien a quien no se nombra y algunos seres llamados murgos, que no sabemos exactamente todo lo que pueden hacer.听No es que no sepamos qui茅n es el malo de la historia, sino que por el momento no es relevante.
Otra cosa que me ha encantado es la personalidad de una de las mujeres de la historia, la t铆a Pol: avasalladora, no se detiene ante nadie y su personalidad mantiene a raya a cualquiera.听
El Viejo narrador de historias es uno de mis favoritos, a quien no puedo dejar de vincular con un personaje muy querido por la mayor铆a de quienes disfrutamos de la fantas铆a cl谩sica.
En fin, puedo decir que La senda de la Profec铆a es un viento fresco en medio de un verano caluroso. Para disfrutar tranquilamente sin tener que sumergirse en universos demasiado enrevesados y complejos.
Este es el primer libro de las Cr贸nicas de Belgarath, fantas铆a de la cl谩sica, como para volver a enraizarse en los or铆genes del g茅nero.
Cada tanto me gusta volver a estos relatos de estructura sencilla, donde los personajes principales se embarcan en un viaje que los llevar谩 a encontrarse con diferentes problemas y enemigos a los que sortear y vencer.
Tenemos tambi茅n secretos que no llegan a develarse del todo porque Eddings va construyendo una gran introducci贸n para lo que vendr谩 despu茅s. En este libro vemos solamente atisbos de la historia general, no hay tampoco mucha acci贸n, pero s铆 bastantes hilos del relato que se abren y van enrosc谩ndose a la trama principal.
听Me gusta mucho c贸mo los personajes mutan, se transforman levemente, paso a paso, a medida que se enfrentan a nuevas experiencias. Tambi茅n me parece muy interesante que a煤n no exista un Enemigo con may煤sculas, encarnado, al que enfrentarse. Por el contrario, aparece alguien a quien no se nombra y algunos seres llamados murgos, que no sabemos exactamente todo lo que pueden hacer.听No es que no sepamos qui茅n es el malo de la historia, sino que por el momento no es relevante.
Otra cosa que me ha encantado es la personalidad de una de las mujeres de la historia, la t铆a Pol: avasalladora, no se detiene ante nadie y su personalidad mantiene a raya a cualquiera.听
El Viejo narrador de historias es uno de mis favoritos, a quien no puedo dejar de vincular con un personaje muy querido por la mayor铆a de quienes disfrutamos de la fantas铆a cl谩sica.
En fin, puedo decir que La senda de la Profec铆a es un viento fresco en medio de un verano caluroso. Para disfrutar tranquilamente sin tener que sumergirse en universos demasiado enrevesados y complejos.
July 4, 2021
This book is amazing. I realy love the genre fantasy and this book reminded me of that馃グ馃槅馃憣
5猸愨瓙猸愨瓙猸�
5猸愨瓙猸愨瓙猸�
December 11, 2022
"Quando si scende al nocciolo delle cose, nulla...o almeno quasi nulla... 猫 davvero impossibile."
Erano anni che desideravo leggere ed avere in libreria la saga dei Belgariad, osannata e alla ribalta negli anni 80 e considerata una tappa quasi obbligata per ogni amante del fantasy classico e non.
Ebbene devo ammettere che questo primo romanzo 猫 in effetti ben scritto e piacevole da leggere ma non esente da ingenuit脿.
Il viaggio che il giovane eroe Garion, ignaro del proprio retaggio e futuro destino, intraprende accompagnato da fedeli e potenti compagni in un mondo pieno di popoli e nazioni diverse, permette al lettore di rimanere coinvolto nell'avventura insieme a lui.
Peccato che a parte il girovagare da un villaggio ad una citt脿 e da una citt脿 ad un villaggio succede ben poco altro per quasi tutta la prima met脿 del romanzo.
Garion ha un innato talento nel trovarsi sempre nel posto giusto al momento giusto forzando un po' troppo gli eventi.
Le donne, a parte la zia Pol, sono messe da parte ma spero sia solo una caratteristica del regno barbarico del nord. Il nemico sembra avere mille possibilit脿 di risolvere la situazione ma stranamente non lo fa e rimane a guardare.
Un fantasy di altri tempi, dove valori, costumi e aspettative del pubblico erano leggermente diversi e si rispecchiano nelle sue pagine. Inutile a parer mio criticare queste differenze, che seppur appaiono evidenti oggi, non lo erano allora.
Ottima la resa delle varie popolazioni presentate con le loro peculiarit脿 sociali, mentre mi aspettavo qualcosa di pi霉 approfondito sulle dinamiche di gruppo e sui personaggi stessi a volte meri spettatori.
Un primo romanzo di preparazione, con una prosa invidiabile e che promette grandi cose a venire.
Erano anni che desideravo leggere ed avere in libreria la saga dei Belgariad, osannata e alla ribalta negli anni 80 e considerata una tappa quasi obbligata per ogni amante del fantasy classico e non.
Ebbene devo ammettere che questo primo romanzo 猫 in effetti ben scritto e piacevole da leggere ma non esente da ingenuit脿.
Il viaggio che il giovane eroe Garion, ignaro del proprio retaggio e futuro destino, intraprende accompagnato da fedeli e potenti compagni in un mondo pieno di popoli e nazioni diverse, permette al lettore di rimanere coinvolto nell'avventura insieme a lui.
Peccato che a parte il girovagare da un villaggio ad una citt脿 e da una citt脿 ad un villaggio succede ben poco altro per quasi tutta la prima met脿 del romanzo.
Garion ha un innato talento nel trovarsi sempre nel posto giusto al momento giusto forzando un po' troppo gli eventi.
Le donne, a parte la zia Pol, sono messe da parte ma spero sia solo una caratteristica del regno barbarico del nord. Il nemico sembra avere mille possibilit脿 di risolvere la situazione ma stranamente non lo fa e rimane a guardare.
Un fantasy di altri tempi, dove valori, costumi e aspettative del pubblico erano leggermente diversi e si rispecchiano nelle sue pagine. Inutile a parer mio criticare queste differenze, che seppur appaiono evidenti oggi, non lo erano allora.
Ottima la resa delle varie popolazioni presentate con le loro peculiarit脿 sociali, mentre mi aspettavo qualcosa di pi霉 approfondito sulle dinamiche di gruppo e sui personaggi stessi a volte meri spettatori.
Un primo romanzo di preparazione, con una prosa invidiabile e che promette grandi cose a venire.
November 19, 2017
脟谋lg谋n Tanr谋lar D眉nyas谋na Ho艧 Geldiniz
David Eddings'in isimlerini santra莽 hamlelerinden ilham ald谋臒谋 ve epik- fantastik edebiyat 枚臒eleriyle birle艧tirdi臒i Belgariad Serisinin ilk kitab谋 Kehanetin Oyunca臒谋.
D眉nyan谋n olu艧umundan sorumlu 7 tanr谋dan Aldur'un 莽ocuk kalbi b眉y眉kl眉臒眉nde bir k眉re yarat谋p, ba艧谋bo艧 bir halde dola艧an Belgarath ad谋nda bir 莽ocu臒u m眉ridi olarak yan谋na almas谋 yeti艧tirmesi ve ard谋ndan karde艧lerinden olan Torak'谋n bu ta艧谋 莽almas谋 ve mutlu mesut ya艧ayan insanlar谋n ve tanr谋lar谋n halklara b枚l眉nmesiyle ortaya 莽谋kan sava艧lar谋n 枚n bilgilendirmesiyle ba艧l谋yor her 艧ey en basit haliyle. Hikayenin geli艧imi ise ana karakter olan yetim Garion'un deyimlerinden ilerliyor.
Eddings Anlat谋m谋 ve Karakterler
Eddings harika bir masal anlat谋c谋s谋 ve buna ra臒men Eddings'in bu serisinin hakk谋n谋n yenildi臒ini d眉艧眉n眉yorum. Eddings, anlat谋m olarak sade, tek boyutlu, e臒lenceli ve bu basit olu艧um i莽inde sindire sindire katmanla艧t谋rd谋臒谋 bir okumaya maruz b谋rak谋yor okuyucuyu. Olu艧turdu臒u d眉nya, fantastik 枚臒elere yakla艧谋m谋 d枚nemsel olarak d眉艧眉n眉ld眉臒眉nde kendine m眉nhas谋r.
Bunun yan谋nda Eddings i莽in 艧unu belirtmeliyim ki kesinlike bir Tolkien taklit莽isi de臒il. Benzerlikler muhakkak mevcut. (Belgarath/Gandalf) Eddings seriyi tarihsel olgular谋n 眉st眉ne oturtup daha 莽ok harita 眉st眉nden bir FRP etkisi meydana getirirken, Tolkien sadece bir orta d眉nya yaratmay谋p ve ayn谋 zamanda 谋rklara 枚zg眉 dil yarat谋yor
Karakterlere gelince, a莽谋kcas谋 her karakteri kendi i莽inde 莽ok sevdim . Garion'un 莽ocukluktan ba艧layarak 莽iftlikte teyzesi Pol kendini, do臒u艧tan gelen bir i莽sesini ke艧fi inan谋lmaz derece i莽ten bir anlat谋md谋. Bunun yan谋nda di臒er yan ana karakterler, Pol Teyze, Bay Kurt, 陌pek ve Barak hikayeye dahil olmas谋 ve 枚ns枚zde yer alan tarihsel geli艧imi tekrardan farkl谋 a莽谋lardan sunmalar谋 da keyifli.
厂辞苍耻莽.
陌lk olarak, 莽abucak okunan bir kitap. Fakat,kitab谋n fantastik edebiyat 枚臒eleri a莽谋s谋ndan g眉n眉m眉zdeki 莽e艧itlili臒i a莽谋s谋ndan bak谋ld谋臒谋nda eksik, problemli, vahim bulunabilece臒i kesin. Betimler yetersiz. Her 艧eye ra臒men bakt谋臒谋mda kendime iyi ki ba艧lam谋艧谋m diyorum.
Fantastik edebiyata giri艧 yapmad谋ysan谋z daha 枚nceden kesinlikle en do臒ru serilerden biri The Belgariad serisi. Bunun yan谋nda bir gen莽 yeti艧ki serisi olarak da d眉艧眉n眉ld眉臒眉nde de g枚n眉l rahatl谋臒谋yla 莽ocuklara okutulabilecek bir seri.
陌yi okumalar!
10/8
"B眉y眉l眉 s枚z diye bir 艧ey yoktur.Baz谋 insanlar var zanneder ama...Her s枚z olur. 脰nemli olan 陌radedir, S枚z de臒il. S枚z iradenin yoludur sadece.."
David Eddings'in isimlerini santra莽 hamlelerinden ilham ald谋臒谋 ve epik- fantastik edebiyat 枚臒eleriyle birle艧tirdi臒i Belgariad Serisinin ilk kitab谋 Kehanetin Oyunca臒谋.
D眉nyan谋n olu艧umundan sorumlu 7 tanr谋dan Aldur'un 莽ocuk kalbi b眉y眉kl眉臒眉nde bir k眉re yarat谋p, ba艧谋bo艧 bir halde dola艧an Belgarath ad谋nda bir 莽ocu臒u m眉ridi olarak yan谋na almas谋 yeti艧tirmesi ve ard谋ndan karde艧lerinden olan Torak'谋n bu ta艧谋 莽almas谋 ve mutlu mesut ya艧ayan insanlar谋n ve tanr谋lar谋n halklara b枚l眉nmesiyle ortaya 莽谋kan sava艧lar谋n 枚n bilgilendirmesiyle ba艧l谋yor her 艧ey en basit haliyle. Hikayenin geli艧imi ise ana karakter olan yetim Garion'un deyimlerinden ilerliyor.
Eddings Anlat谋m谋 ve Karakterler
Eddings harika bir masal anlat谋c谋s谋 ve buna ra臒men Eddings'in bu serisinin hakk谋n谋n yenildi臒ini d眉艧眉n眉yorum. Eddings, anlat谋m olarak sade, tek boyutlu, e臒lenceli ve bu basit olu艧um i莽inde sindire sindire katmanla艧t谋rd谋臒谋 bir okumaya maruz b谋rak谋yor okuyucuyu. Olu艧turdu臒u d眉nya, fantastik 枚臒elere yakla艧谋m谋 d枚nemsel olarak d眉艧眉n眉ld眉臒眉nde kendine m眉nhas谋r.
Bunun yan谋nda Eddings i莽in 艧unu belirtmeliyim ki kesinlike bir Tolkien taklit莽isi de臒il. Benzerlikler muhakkak mevcut. (Belgarath/Gandalf) Eddings seriyi tarihsel olgular谋n 眉st眉ne oturtup daha 莽ok harita 眉st眉nden bir FRP etkisi meydana getirirken, Tolkien sadece bir orta d眉nya yaratmay谋p ve ayn谋 zamanda 谋rklara 枚zg眉 dil yarat谋yor
Karakterlere gelince, a莽谋kcas谋 her karakteri kendi i莽inde 莽ok sevdim . Garion'un 莽ocukluktan ba艧layarak 莽iftlikte teyzesi Pol kendini, do臒u艧tan gelen bir i莽sesini ke艧fi inan谋lmaz derece i莽ten bir anlat谋md谋. Bunun yan谋nda di臒er yan ana karakterler, Pol Teyze, Bay Kurt, 陌pek ve Barak hikayeye dahil olmas谋 ve 枚ns枚zde yer alan tarihsel geli艧imi tekrardan farkl谋 a莽谋lardan sunmalar谋 da keyifli.
厂辞苍耻莽.
陌lk olarak, 莽abucak okunan bir kitap. Fakat,kitab谋n fantastik edebiyat 枚臒eleri a莽谋s谋ndan g眉n眉m眉zdeki 莽e艧itlili臒i a莽谋s谋ndan bak谋ld谋臒谋nda eksik, problemli, vahim bulunabilece臒i kesin. Betimler yetersiz. Her 艧eye ra臒men bakt谋臒谋mda kendime iyi ki ba艧lam谋艧谋m diyorum.
Fantastik edebiyata giri艧 yapmad谋ysan谋z daha 枚nceden kesinlikle en do臒ru serilerden biri The Belgariad serisi. Bunun yan谋nda bir gen莽 yeti艧ki serisi olarak da d眉艧眉n眉ld眉臒眉nde de g枚n眉l rahatl谋臒谋yla 莽ocuklara okutulabilecek bir seri.
陌yi okumalar!
10/8
"B眉y眉l眉 s枚z diye bir 艧ey yoktur.Baz谋 insanlar var zanneder ama...Her s枚z olur. 脰nemli olan 陌radedir, S枚z de臒il. S枚z iradenin yoludur sadece.."
April 3, 2008
This is a review of The Belgariad, a fantasy series that includes the books: Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, Magician's Gambit, Castle of Wizardry, and Enchanter's End Game.
Are the cares of life getting you down? Sky rocketing gas prices, financial and housing markets in ruins, high unemployment, an unending war sucking dry the country's coffers and recession looming on the horizon. Rather than resort to drink or despair, get away with some escapist fantasy! I read The Belgariad series when I was in high school and recently revisited it to see if they were as good as I had thought when I was a mere lass. Lo and behold, the books were a pleasant surprise upon re-reading. The plot includes all the key plot points for a hugely satisfying fantasy story -- no spoilers but there is an epic fight between good and evil, battling prophecies for both, a young good-hearted boy who discovers in time his true destiny, a band of heroes on a quest to seek a powerful talisman, and adventures galore with monsters, gods, fierce warriors, great battles, and magic. These books are not rocket science, and there are no ethical nor even any thoughtful questions posed as sometimes happens with fantasy/sci fi books. But the story moves along briskly with some surprising twists, the characters are fierce and funny. I almost felt sorry for Evil since who could withstand such a powerful band of heroes? Recommended for when you need to escape reality, with no hangovers afterwards.
Are the cares of life getting you down? Sky rocketing gas prices, financial and housing markets in ruins, high unemployment, an unending war sucking dry the country's coffers and recession looming on the horizon. Rather than resort to drink or despair, get away with some escapist fantasy! I read The Belgariad series when I was in high school and recently revisited it to see if they were as good as I had thought when I was a mere lass. Lo and behold, the books were a pleasant surprise upon re-reading. The plot includes all the key plot points for a hugely satisfying fantasy story -- no spoilers but there is an epic fight between good and evil, battling prophecies for both, a young good-hearted boy who discovers in time his true destiny, a band of heroes on a quest to seek a powerful talisman, and adventures galore with monsters, gods, fierce warriors, great battles, and magic. These books are not rocket science, and there are no ethical nor even any thoughtful questions posed as sometimes happens with fantasy/sci fi books. But the story moves along briskly with some surprising twists, the characters are fierce and funny. I almost felt sorry for Evil since who could withstand such a powerful band of heroes? Recommended for when you need to escape reality, with no hangovers afterwards.
July 14, 2016
My old review from 2008 still holds. This is the beginning of a fun, 5 book series. There is another 5 book series, the Mallorean, that comes after plus several additional books, "Polgara", 'Belgarath' & the 'Mrin Codex'. If you stick with the first 5 & maybe the second 5, you'll be happy. Unless this world totally captivates you, reading the 3 additional books is kind of a waste. While there are some tidbits you can pick up, mostly they're a rehash from different POV's of the other 10 books.
That said, the world captivated me. My wife & I originally started reading this series just after the second book came out. We the proceeded to read one book a year - FOREVER! - well, it seemed like forever. Of course, we'd have to re-read or at least skim the earlier books again, so I don't know how many times we read them. Two of my kids have read them at least once each, as well.
It's a sword & sorcery world with a nifty take on it. The characters are engaging, larger than life & just a lot of fun. No sex or gore, it's appropriate for ten or so & up, coming-of-age story. This first book follows Garion from his early memories to about 14. His world starts to turn upside down about 1/4 of the way through as he (& the reader) slowly begin to figure out what's going on.
That said, the world captivated me. My wife & I originally started reading this series just after the second book came out. We the proceeded to read one book a year - FOREVER! - well, it seemed like forever. Of course, we'd have to re-read or at least skim the earlier books again, so I don't know how many times we read them. Two of my kids have read them at least once each, as well.
It's a sword & sorcery world with a nifty take on it. The characters are engaging, larger than life & just a lot of fun. No sex or gore, it's appropriate for ten or so & up, coming-of-age story. This first book follows Garion from his early memories to about 14. His world starts to turn upside down about 1/4 of the way through as he (& the reader) slowly begin to figure out what's going on.
October 30, 2024
One of the first adult fantasy series that absolutely obsessed me through my teenage years and beyond. I have read this over 20 times I'm sure. I've worn out more than a few books. It all started here. A tale of Garion as he joins others in a fantastic quest that will change his world forever as gods strive against each other, countries war, and two destinies race towards each other in an epic clash.
August 30, 2024
Pawn of Prophecy and the remaining four books that make up The Belgariad series are for me pure comfort reading, something that always manages to put a smile on my face and entertains me throughout.
Like many others I cut my fantasy teeth on David Eddings' Belgariad and Mallorean series, once in my early teens and then again in my early twenties. And it was during last week and in between books that I heard the siren song of Eddings once more and knew that I had to heed the call.
I have read other readers reviews on 欧宝娱乐 that label this series as being simple, too formulaic, Eddings was secretly a xenophobe and that in comparison to other much well read fantasy series just childish in comparison. Well to them I say phooey! ;)
Formulaic? Most fantasy series begin with similar tropes so I reject that argument? Xenophobic? You're reading too much into it and obviously have way too much time on your hands. Childish? Well it's definitely a lighter read than say Donaldson, Erikson or Abercrombie but again I don't care. This book is pure entertainment, populated by fantastic characters that you really come to know and love. Silk, Belgarath, Garion, Polgara, Anheg, Barak, Porenn and even the Earl of Seline, all bloody well written and you just can't help but like them.
Overall, I loved this book to death the first time I read it and age and time haven't diminished my love for it now. Let's all raise a glass to the beauty of nostalgia :)
Always 5 stars for me.
Like many others I cut my fantasy teeth on David Eddings' Belgariad and Mallorean series, once in my early teens and then again in my early twenties. And it was during last week and in between books that I heard the siren song of Eddings once more and knew that I had to heed the call.
I have read other readers reviews on 欧宝娱乐 that label this series as being simple, too formulaic, Eddings was secretly a xenophobe and that in comparison to other much well read fantasy series just childish in comparison. Well to them I say phooey! ;)
Formulaic? Most fantasy series begin with similar tropes so I reject that argument? Xenophobic? You're reading too much into it and obviously have way too much time on your hands. Childish? Well it's definitely a lighter read than say Donaldson, Erikson or Abercrombie but again I don't care. This book is pure entertainment, populated by fantastic characters that you really come to know and love. Silk, Belgarath, Garion, Polgara, Anheg, Barak, Porenn and even the Earl of Seline, all bloody well written and you just can't help but like them.
Overall, I loved this book to death the first time I read it and age and time haven't diminished my love for it now. Let's all raise a glass to the beauty of nostalgia :)
Always 5 stars for me.
April 27, 2019
By his own admission, Eddings (much like Terry Brooks) was a struggling writer until he saw how Tolkien was selling like hot cakes and decided to churn out simple, easily digestible, highly formulaic fantasy novels. There isn't necessarily anything wrong with that (I actually like Brooks' work while admiring the balls it took to blatantly re-write The Lord of the Rings and just changing the names a little). Let's see what Eddings gave us:
A mentally handicapped young man who doesn't understand the history or society of his world, or generally anything that is happening around him at any given time, has to constantly ask everyone around him to explain absolutely everything to him. People then go about giving him HUGE info dumps. The tiny amount of action that happens always involves the mentally handicapped boy wandering blindly into danger without a safety helmet or reflective vest, thus requiring a responsible adult to come and save him. Repeat for 300 pages. The End. If this is supposed to be the chosen one, the world would be better off by dumping him down a well and hoping for the best.
On a side note: since this book basically serves as no more than an almanac for his fantasy setting, it would have been much better had Eddings created a more compelling world.
A mentally handicapped young man who doesn't understand the history or society of his world, or generally anything that is happening around him at any given time, has to constantly ask everyone around him to explain absolutely everything to him. People then go about giving him HUGE info dumps. The tiny amount of action that happens always involves the mentally handicapped boy wandering blindly into danger without a safety helmet or reflective vest, thus requiring a responsible adult to come and save him. Repeat for 300 pages. The End. If this is supposed to be the chosen one, the world would be better off by dumping him down a well and hoping for the best.
On a side note: since this book basically serves as no more than an almanac for his fantasy setting, it would have been much better had Eddings created a more compelling world.
August 25, 2007
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SOME THINGS YOU MAY CONSIDER AS SPOILERS, though, I think they are just nuances because I'm not telling huge chunks of the story.
I like this book because I like Harry Potter, and they are very similar, but I鈥檒l get to that later.
This is the first book in a series of five called The Belgariad, which chronicles the quest of a boy who learns he is a sorcerer. His parents were killed when he was a baby, and he lives with his aunt. Sound familiar? This book was published in 1982.
What I liked most about 鈥淧awn of Prophecy鈥� is that the characters are quite human, and quite funny and smart-assed. I鈥檝e laughed aloud a few times, and the author allows the characters to make fun of themselves and the antiquated language they sometimes employ. It鈥檚 also rather exciting and it鈥檚 an entire new world to learn a la Tolkein.
I feel secure in saying that I would like this book and perhaps this series had I never read Harry Potter; however, I am a huge HP fan and there is such a great number of parallels between 鈥淧awn of Prophecy鈥� and HP:
1) Garion, the boy who finds out he is a sorcerer, lives with his aunt. His parents were murdered when he was a baby, and he has sworn to avenge their deaths.
2) His aunt can turn into an animal. What animal? A great snowy owl, of course!
3) There is an important scene where Aunt Pol tells Garion he 鈥渕ust not say the name鈥� of the evil god that, unbeknownst to him, he is to face in later books. This was prophesied before he was even born.
4) Also, 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a good idea to speak his name. He has certain powers which might make it possible for him to know our every move if we alert him to our location, and he can hear his name spoken a thousand leagues away.鈥�
5) The peoples in the Belgariad are separated by the gods, each choosing his own people to represent and each peoples having certain personality traits, much like the four houses of Hogwarts.
6) The author makes a deal about a cut on Garion鈥檚 forehead early on and I wonder if it has remained as a scar.
7) The old sorcerer, Garion鈥檚 grandfather, has this said about his eyes: 鈥淗is eyes were a deep and merry blue, forever young and forever full of mischief.鈥� Of course, this old sorcerer, Belgarath, has long white hair and a white beard etc. etc.
8) Garion has a 鈥渕ark鈥� upon his person that has been there as long as he can remember.
9) One of the men on Garion鈥檚 quest is regularly mistaken for a giant, as he is a big, hairy man.
10) Garion goes through this thing of where everyone keeps referring to him as 鈥渢he boy鈥� [who lived?] and he has problems with that.
11) Said of the Murgos: 鈥淭here are some among them who can reach out and pick the thoughts right out of your mind.鈥� Hmm, occlumency circa 1982?
I like this book because I like Harry Potter, and they are very similar, but I鈥檒l get to that later.
This is the first book in a series of five called The Belgariad, which chronicles the quest of a boy who learns he is a sorcerer. His parents were killed when he was a baby, and he lives with his aunt. Sound familiar? This book was published in 1982.
What I liked most about 鈥淧awn of Prophecy鈥� is that the characters are quite human, and quite funny and smart-assed. I鈥檝e laughed aloud a few times, and the author allows the characters to make fun of themselves and the antiquated language they sometimes employ. It鈥檚 also rather exciting and it鈥檚 an entire new world to learn a la Tolkein.
I feel secure in saying that I would like this book and perhaps this series had I never read Harry Potter; however, I am a huge HP fan and there is such a great number of parallels between 鈥淧awn of Prophecy鈥� and HP:
1) Garion, the boy who finds out he is a sorcerer, lives with his aunt. His parents were murdered when he was a baby, and he has sworn to avenge their deaths.
2) His aunt can turn into an animal. What animal? A great snowy owl, of course!
3) There is an important scene where Aunt Pol tells Garion he 鈥渕ust not say the name鈥� of the evil god that, unbeknownst to him, he is to face in later books. This was prophesied before he was even born.
4) Also, 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a good idea to speak his name. He has certain powers which might make it possible for him to know our every move if we alert him to our location, and he can hear his name spoken a thousand leagues away.鈥�
5) The peoples in the Belgariad are separated by the gods, each choosing his own people to represent and each peoples having certain personality traits, much like the four houses of Hogwarts.
6) The author makes a deal about a cut on Garion鈥檚 forehead early on and I wonder if it has remained as a scar.
7) The old sorcerer, Garion鈥檚 grandfather, has this said about his eyes: 鈥淗is eyes were a deep and merry blue, forever young and forever full of mischief.鈥� Of course, this old sorcerer, Belgarath, has long white hair and a white beard etc. etc.
8) Garion has a 鈥渕ark鈥� upon his person that has been there as long as he can remember.
9) One of the men on Garion鈥檚 quest is regularly mistaken for a giant, as he is a big, hairy man.
10) Garion goes through this thing of where everyone keeps referring to him as 鈥渢he boy鈥� [who lived?] and he has problems with that.
11) Said of the Murgos: 鈥淭here are some among them who can reach out and pick the thoughts right out of your mind.鈥� Hmm, occlumency circa 1982?
July 30, 2016
I realized I still hadn't reviewed this book since I rated it in 2008 (when I joined 欧宝娱乐) and read it some time before then.
The Belgariad is great starter-fantasy. it will always have a special place in my heart and thus the admittedly inflated rating. Does it break new ground? Not at all. Is it fun and filled with great characters? Yes and no. It's definitely great fun, but the characters are pretty much cardboard cutouts. If the author made them surly (I'm looking at you Belgarath) then they will be that throughout the entire series no matter what. Always surly. And people will always comment about how surly said character is.
But I loved the adventures when I was just entering fantasy and I'll keep the stars and reserve a reallocation of star-age upon reread (whenever I have time for that).
The Belgariad is great starter-fantasy. it will always have a special place in my heart and thus the admittedly inflated rating. Does it break new ground? Not at all. Is it fun and filled with great characters? Yes and no. It's definitely great fun, but the characters are pretty much cardboard cutouts. If the author made them surly (I'm looking at you Belgarath) then they will be that throughout the entire series no matter what. Always surly. And people will always comment about how surly said character is.
But I loved the adventures when I was just entering fantasy and I'll keep the stars and reserve a reallocation of star-age upon reread (whenever I have time for that).
September 9, 2015
Bullet Review:
Give the girl a medal! She finished it!
What a fun ride - but gorrammit did Eddings HAVE to end it THAT WAY? We got some answers (thank Bilbo for that!) but dayum, it took awhile! And now, in order to get more answers and closure, I gotta find book 2!
Slightly Updated Bullet Review (More Coffee, Less Snoozes):
I had a LOT of fun reading this. It's pretty much your classic Hero's Journey story - a young boy with a MYSTERIOUS past sees all these crazy things going on. He joins his aunt-figure and a wizened old man on a journey to find something - what, he doesn't know. As he journeys, he meets new peoples (Barak and Silk), learns new skills (basically sign language) and starts to learn the truth about himself and those he thought he knew best.
I'm not going to bother writing a proper review because I was too damn slow to read this book, and it's not fair. But I will say: this may have all those cliches we gripe and moan about, but in a way that's just so much FUN. Sometimes it's nice to watch something not so gorram serious (I'm looking at you, DC!), and just go along for the ride.
The only problem? This book does NOT have an ending! We get a couple of answers...and then, BOOM, it's the end! Which means I absolutely HAVE to get my hands on book 2 one of these days and attempt to read this slightly faster than I read it this time around!
Give the girl a medal! She finished it!
What a fun ride - but gorrammit did Eddings HAVE to end it THAT WAY? We got some answers (thank Bilbo for that!) but dayum, it took awhile! And now, in order to get more answers and closure, I gotta find book 2!
Slightly Updated Bullet Review (More Coffee, Less Snoozes):
I had a LOT of fun reading this. It's pretty much your classic Hero's Journey story - a young boy with a MYSTERIOUS past sees all these crazy things going on. He joins his aunt-figure and a wizened old man on a journey to find something - what, he doesn't know. As he journeys, he meets new peoples (Barak and Silk), learns new skills (basically sign language) and starts to learn the truth about himself and those he thought he knew best.
I'm not going to bother writing a proper review because I was too damn slow to read this book, and it's not fair. But I will say: this may have all those cliches we gripe and moan about, but in a way that's just so much FUN. Sometimes it's nice to watch something not so gorram serious (I'm looking at you, DC!), and just go along for the ride.
The only problem? This book does NOT have an ending! We get a couple of answers...and then, BOOM, it's the end! Which means I absolutely HAVE to get my hands on book 2 one of these days and attempt to read this slightly faster than I read it this time around!
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