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The Belgariad #2
袣褉邪谢懈褑邪 薪邪 屑邪谐懈懈褌械
袥械谐械薪写懈褌械 褉邪蟹泻邪蟹胁邪褌 泻邪泻 蟹谢懈褟褌 斜芯谐 孝芯褉邪泻 锌芯卸械谢邪谢 写邪 芯斜褋械斜懈 褋懈谢邪褌邪 薪邪 袣褗谢斜芯褌芯 薪邪 袗谢写褍褉, 邪谢邪 斜懈谢 锌芯斜械写械薪 胁 褉械褕懈褌械谢薪邪 斜懈褌泻邪.
袧芯 锌褉芯褉芯褔械褋褌胁芯褌芯 谐谢邪褋褟谢芯, 褔械 褌芯泄 褖械 褋械 褋褗斜褍写懈 懈 芯褌薪芯胁芯 褖械 锌芯卸械谢邪械 写邪 褍褋褌邪薪芯胁懈 谐芯褋锌芯写褋褌胁芯褌芯 褋懈 薪邪写 褑械谢懈褟 褋胁褟褌. 小械谐邪 袣褗谢斜芯褌芯 械 芯褌泻褉邪写薪邪褌芯 芯褌 卸褉械褑 薪邪 孝芯褉邪泻 懈 褋泻芯褉芯 褖械 薪邪褋褌褗锌懈 屑懈谐褗褌, 泻芯谐邪褌芯 蟹谢懈褟褌 袘芯谐 褖械 褋械 褋褗斜褍写懈.
袙械谢懈泻懈褟褌 屑邪谐褜芯褋薪懈泻 袘械谢谐邪褉邪褌 懈 写褗褖械褉褟 屑褍 袩芯褍谢谐邪褉邪 鈥� 薪邪泄-屑芯谐褗褖邪褌邪 胁褗谢褕械斜薪懈褑邪 薪邪 褋胁械褌邪, 胁褗褉胁褟褌 锌芯 褋谢械写懈褌械, 芯褋褌邪胁械薪懈 芯褌 泻褗谢斜芯褌芯. 笑械谢褌邪 懈屑 械 芯褌薪芯胁芯 写邪 褋懈 谐芯 胁褗蟹胁褗褉薪邪褌, 锌褉械写懈 写邪 褋械 械 褋谢褍褔懈谢芯 褋褌褉邪褕薪芯, 褋屑褗褉褌芯薪芯褋薪芯 斜械写褋褌胁懈械. 袩褉懈写褉褍卸邪胁邪 谐懈 屑芯屑褗泻褗褌 袚邪褉懈芯薪 鈥� 泻芯泄褌芯 褋邪屑芯 锌褉械写懈 屑械褋械褑懈 械 斜懈谢 芯斜懈泻薪芯胁械薪芯 屑芯屑褔械 胁 芯斜懈泻薪芯胁械薪邪 褋械谢褋泻邪 褎械褉屑邪, 邪谢邪 褋械谐邪 褌褗泻屑芯 褌芯泄 械 褑械薪褌褗褉褗褌 薪邪 褉邪蟹谐芯褉械褖械薪懈褌械 褋褗斜懈褌懈褟. 袦谢邪写械卸褗褌 薪懈泻芯谐邪 薪械 械 胁褟褉邪谢 胁 褋褗褖械褋褌胁褍胁邪薪械褌芯 薪邪 屑邪谐褜芯褋薪懈褑懈褌械. 袗谢邪 褋 胁褋褟泻邪 懈蟹屑懈薪邪褌邪 谢械胁谐邪 褍 薪械谐芯 薪邪褉邪褋褌胁邪 芯褋芯斜械薪邪 褋懈谢邪. 孝褟 谐芯 锌褉懈薪褍卸写邪胁邪 写邪 锌褉懈斜褟谐胁邪 写芯 屑邪谐懈懈, 泻芯懈褌芯 褍屑褗褌 屑褍 薪械 屑芯卸械 写邪 锌褉懈械屑械.
袧芯 锌褉芯褉芯褔械褋褌胁芯褌芯 谐谢邪褋褟谢芯, 褔械 褌芯泄 褖械 褋械 褋褗斜褍写懈 懈 芯褌薪芯胁芯 褖械 锌芯卸械谢邪械 写邪 褍褋褌邪薪芯胁懈 谐芯褋锌芯写褋褌胁芯褌芯 褋懈 薪邪写 褑械谢懈褟 褋胁褟褌. 小械谐邪 袣褗谢斜芯褌芯 械 芯褌泻褉邪写薪邪褌芯 芯褌 卸褉械褑 薪邪 孝芯褉邪泻 懈 褋泻芯褉芯 褖械 薪邪褋褌褗锌懈 屑懈谐褗褌, 泻芯谐邪褌芯 蟹谢懈褟褌 袘芯谐 褖械 褋械 褋褗斜褍写懈.
袙械谢懈泻懈褟褌 屑邪谐褜芯褋薪懈泻 袘械谢谐邪褉邪褌 懈 写褗褖械褉褟 屑褍 袩芯褍谢谐邪褉邪 鈥� 薪邪泄-屑芯谐褗褖邪褌邪 胁褗谢褕械斜薪懈褑邪 薪邪 褋胁械褌邪, 胁褗褉胁褟褌 锌芯 褋谢械写懈褌械, 芯褋褌邪胁械薪懈 芯褌 泻褗谢斜芯褌芯. 笑械谢褌邪 懈屑 械 芯褌薪芯胁芯 写邪 褋懈 谐芯 胁褗蟹胁褗褉薪邪褌, 锌褉械写懈 写邪 褋械 械 褋谢褍褔懈谢芯 褋褌褉邪褕薪芯, 褋屑褗褉褌芯薪芯褋薪芯 斜械写褋褌胁懈械. 袩褉懈写褉褍卸邪胁邪 谐懈 屑芯屑褗泻褗褌 袚邪褉懈芯薪 鈥� 泻芯泄褌芯 褋邪屑芯 锌褉械写懈 屑械褋械褑懈 械 斜懈谢 芯斜懈泻薪芯胁械薪芯 屑芯屑褔械 胁 芯斜懈泻薪芯胁械薪邪 褋械谢褋泻邪 褎械褉屑邪, 邪谢邪 褋械谐邪 褌褗泻屑芯 褌芯泄 械 褑械薪褌褗褉褗褌 薪邪 褉邪蟹谐芯褉械褖械薪懈褌械 褋褗斜懈褌懈褟. 袦谢邪写械卸褗褌 薪懈泻芯谐邪 薪械 械 胁褟褉邪谢 胁 褋褗褖械褋褌胁褍胁邪薪械褌芯 薪邪 屑邪谐褜芯褋薪懈褑懈褌械. 袗谢邪 褋 胁褋褟泻邪 懈蟹屑懈薪邪褌邪 谢械胁谐邪 褍 薪械谐芯 薪邪褉邪褋褌胁邪 芯褋芯斜械薪邪 褋懈谢邪. 孝褟 谐芯 锌褉懈薪褍卸写邪胁邪 写邪 锌褉懈斜褟谐胁邪 写芯 屑邪谐懈懈, 泻芯懈褌芯 褍屑褗褌 屑褍 薪械 屑芯卸械 写邪 锌褉懈械屑械.
320 pages, Paperback
First published October 12, 1982
1,091 people are currently reading
9,929 people want to read
About the author
David Eddings
368听books5,485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 1,524 reviews
October 2, 2021
I鈥檒l keep this short and spoiler free.
This is very enjoyable! Classic fantasy can either be a complete bore or manage to deliver a fun and gripping story. The plot in this book is rather simple, the company is still pursuing their mission from book 1 and so we follow their journey through several lands and cultures. The characters are well-developed and their interactions often made me smile. I love them. I understand that some people would struggle with the first half as the story did not progress much. I wouldn鈥檛 say it鈥檚 a 鈥渙ne sitting鈥� kind of read. Nonetheless, I finished it fairly quickly all things considered.
If you鈥檙e looking for a story full of mindblowing twists, this series isn鈥檛 for you. It has strong old school feels and the plot is not complex. I鈥檓 pretty sure some important revelations will come up but this one follows the traditional prophecy and a chosen one trope and the reader know from the start. I do not mind this trope at all, especially if done well. The story here is beautiful because of its simplicity and straight forwardness. Keep in mind that it isn鈥檛 original but I do not know the state of the fantasy genre is the 80s. My only complaint is that I wish we had more action sometimes.
This is very enjoyable! Classic fantasy can either be a complete bore or manage to deliver a fun and gripping story. The plot in this book is rather simple, the company is still pursuing their mission from book 1 and so we follow their journey through several lands and cultures. The characters are well-developed and their interactions often made me smile. I love them. I understand that some people would struggle with the first half as the story did not progress much. I wouldn鈥檛 say it鈥檚 a 鈥渙ne sitting鈥� kind of read. Nonetheless, I finished it fairly quickly all things considered.
If you鈥檙e looking for a story full of mindblowing twists, this series isn鈥檛 for you. It has strong old school feels and the plot is not complex. I鈥檓 pretty sure some important revelations will come up but this one follows the traditional prophecy and a chosen one trope and the reader know from the start. I do not mind this trope at all, especially if done well. The story here is beautiful because of its simplicity and straight forwardness. Keep in mind that it isn鈥檛 original but I do not know the state of the fantasy genre is the 80s. My only complaint is that I wish we had more action sometimes.
March 26, 2019
A solid second book in this classic epic high fantasy series.
This series is like sipping hot chocolate on a cold winter day. It's straightforward, simple, but the foreshadowing is excellent, and it managed to surprise me a few times. Of course, I should have seen it all coming, but I was so entranced by the story and the characters that I didn't.
It's a relaxing and pleasant read with familiar characters, and a fast-moving plot. Overall, I found it less entertaining than the first book, but I will continue with the series, and I've grown very fond of many characters.
This series is like sipping hot chocolate on a cold winter day. It's straightforward, simple, but the foreshadowing is excellent, and it managed to surprise me a few times. Of course, I should have seen it all coming, but I was so entranced by the story and the characters that I didn't.
It's a relaxing and pleasant read with familiar characters, and a fast-moving plot. Overall, I found it less entertaining than the first book, but I will continue with the series, and I've grown very fond of many characters.
July 7, 2021
This book is so good馃槏, like i'm obsessed now. I love Garion and pol, wolf, like all of them. Also the story itself is so interesting, the world is rich and the fantasy aspect is 馃憣.
4 猸愨瓙猸愨瓙
4 猸愨瓙猸愨瓙
August 30, 2011
For the first half of this book, I was slightly bored and felt that it was an echo of the first one ("they travel, run into enemies and Silk does business, get away, travel, run into enemies and Silk does business, get away..."). I wasn't sure that I would continue reading the series after this book because I thought the book was "just okay." However, something changed about halfway or more into the book and now I look forward to reading the next one. The routine pattern finally changed and the plot became more interesting as new information about Garion was revealed.
Although my interest in the book was increased greatly by the end, I have three remaining criticisms: (1) The main character, Garion, seems to have very little self-insight. The book is clearly from his perspective, but the lack of complex thought or emotion makes him seem one-dimensional, unintelligent, or both. (2) I know this is fantasy, but I really hate how all the people who belong to a certain race or country have the same personalities, tendencies, weaknesses, etc. Stereotyping is encouraged because the author made all members of a group essentially the same. (3) I hate "fate" and "prophecies." But that's just my own pet peeve. On a positive side, the dialogue is a definite strength of the book. Many authors are terrible at dialogue (or minimize it, perhaps because it's so difficult to do well).
Overall, I ended the book enjoying it and looking forward to the next one.
Although my interest in the book was increased greatly by the end, I have three remaining criticisms: (1) The main character, Garion, seems to have very little self-insight. The book is clearly from his perspective, but the lack of complex thought or emotion makes him seem one-dimensional, unintelligent, or both. (2) I know this is fantasy, but I really hate how all the people who belong to a certain race or country have the same personalities, tendencies, weaknesses, etc. Stereotyping is encouraged because the author made all members of a group essentially the same. (3) I hate "fate" and "prophecies." But that's just my own pet peeve. On a positive side, the dialogue is a definite strength of the book. Many authors are terrible at dialogue (or minimize it, perhaps because it's so difficult to do well).
Overall, I ended the book enjoying it and looking forward to the next one.
April 11, 2023
Queen of Sorcery continues the Belgariad of David Eddings with this volume, the second of the series. It picks where the first book, Pawn of Prophecy ended, with the group journeying to the southern kingdoms on the trail of the thief of the most important artifact of their world.
The cast here increases as the group travels more characters join them, apparently in fulfillment of the prophecy that is one of the themes of the Belgariad that spans the series. Eddings continues to develop his characters, adding depth to what has become an interesting cast. Time allotted to all of them, but with the three main leads, Garion, Polgara and Belgarath getting the lion鈥檚 share.
The cast is not neglected in its development, though it appears that the author favors the weasel faced spy Silk. Eddings gives him additional depth with the many references to his earlier adventures and his connections to the underworld espionage network which apparently is in every city in the western kingdoms. The Imperial Princess Ce鈥橬edra role grows as soon as she is introduced in this book. Being Garion鈥檚 age and with a very privileged upbringing, she definitely clashes with the former scullion. I see her role would only continue to grow as soon as their initial dislike grows into an attraction.
Despite that, I believe this is still Polgara鈥檚 showcase volume. Her development as a character here is obvious. Through the first two parts of the book, snippets of her hidden history are revealed which works to add depth to an already fascinating character. It would be best served if these snippets are explored further in the later books.
As much as the title refers to Polgara, it is applicable to her nemesis here as well. Salmissra, the queen of Nyissa interferes with Polgara for the last time and their conflicting agenda will come to a head, with one of them getting her heart鈥檚 desire at the end of the book.
The cast here increases as the group travels more characters join them, apparently in fulfillment of the prophecy that is one of the themes of the Belgariad that spans the series. Eddings continues to develop his characters, adding depth to what has become an interesting cast. Time allotted to all of them, but with the three main leads, Garion, Polgara and Belgarath getting the lion鈥檚 share.
The cast is not neglected in its development, though it appears that the author favors the weasel faced spy Silk. Eddings gives him additional depth with the many references to his earlier adventures and his connections to the underworld espionage network which apparently is in every city in the western kingdoms. The Imperial Princess Ce鈥橬edra role grows as soon as she is introduced in this book. Being Garion鈥檚 age and with a very privileged upbringing, she definitely clashes with the former scullion. I see her role would only continue to grow as soon as their initial dislike grows into an attraction.
Despite that, I believe this is still Polgara鈥檚 showcase volume. Her development as a character here is obvious. Through the first two parts of the book, snippets of her hidden history are revealed which works to add depth to an already fascinating character. It would be best served if these snippets are explored further in the later books.
As much as the title refers to Polgara, it is applicable to her nemesis here as well. Salmissra, the queen of Nyissa interferes with Polgara for the last time and their conflicting agenda will come to a head, with one of them getting her heart鈥檚 desire at the end of the book.
December 11, 2022
"Una vita in cui non rimanga spazio alcuno per il fantastico 猫 piatta e stantia"
"Perch茅 la gente 猫 tanto tetra? Hanno un dio severo ed esigente. E di quale dio si tratta? Del denaro"
"Ricchezza e rango talvolta hanno bisogno di sentirsi rassicurati dalla vicinanza della sede del potere. Mediante ostentazione e vicinanza al trono, uomini mediocri riescono ad evitare di affrontare la loro stessa pochezza"
Il viaggio continua verso i regni del sud e nuovi compagni si uniscono al gruppo del giovane Garion.
Si svelano alcuni misteri del suo retaggio e la sua innocenza verr脿 messa alla prova.
Zia Pol si conferma il personaggio migliore, imperdibili e divertenti i suoi duetti con il padre. Riesce a conciliare impacchi di erbe e rammendi alle calze con poteri e forza di volont脿 da eclissare un dio.
脠 evidente che questo romanzo e naturalmente l'intera saga 猫 nelle intenzioni dello scrittore un viaggio di crescita, una scuola di vita, un susseguirsi di eventi e situazioni sociali e personali che qualsiasi adolescente dovrebbe leggere e trarne insegnamento. Mi domando con rammarico se siano ancora attuali...
Un modo di raccontare genuino e pieno di valori positivi anche se in effetti continuano ad essere presenti i tanti limiti gi脿 notati nel primo romanzo che non mi consentono di andare oltre le tre stelle.
Fortunatamente ad una prima parte molto lenta si affaccia un finale spumeggiante e dal ritmo pi霉 serrato che fa sperare in bene per il continuo della storia.
"Perch茅 la gente 猫 tanto tetra? Hanno un dio severo ed esigente. E di quale dio si tratta? Del denaro"
"Ricchezza e rango talvolta hanno bisogno di sentirsi rassicurati dalla vicinanza della sede del potere. Mediante ostentazione e vicinanza al trono, uomini mediocri riescono ad evitare di affrontare la loro stessa pochezza"
Il viaggio continua verso i regni del sud e nuovi compagni si uniscono al gruppo del giovane Garion.
Si svelano alcuni misteri del suo retaggio e la sua innocenza verr脿 messa alla prova.
Zia Pol si conferma il personaggio migliore, imperdibili e divertenti i suoi duetti con il padre. Riesce a conciliare impacchi di erbe e rammendi alle calze con poteri e forza di volont脿 da eclissare un dio.
脠 evidente che questo romanzo e naturalmente l'intera saga 猫 nelle intenzioni dello scrittore un viaggio di crescita, una scuola di vita, un susseguirsi di eventi e situazioni sociali e personali che qualsiasi adolescente dovrebbe leggere e trarne insegnamento. Mi domando con rammarico se siano ancora attuali...
Un modo di raccontare genuino e pieno di valori positivi anche se in effetti continuano ad essere presenti i tanti limiti gi脿 notati nel primo romanzo che non mi consentono di andare oltre le tre stelle.
Fortunatamente ad una prima parte molto lenta si affaccia un finale spumeggiante e dal ritmo pi霉 serrato che fa sperare in bene per il continuo della storia.
January 3, 2019
Queen of Sorcery, after another somewhat slow opening, is even more interesting than its predecessor Pawn of Prophecy. The world keeps revealing new and interesting elements, the characters actually develop in realistic and natural ways, and the story keeps maintaining suspense.
Particularly the parts about the succession crisis in the Imperial Court of Tolnedra and the darker conspiracies of the snake-ridden swamp kingdom of Nyissa were fascinating. I am thoroughly impressed by how much Eddings can squeeze into a mere three hundred pages per book. The only strange thing, perhaps, is how the storyline seemingly has to take the reader on a journey through every single country there is. I feel like I am on a tour alongside the characters. But in the end, that does not hinder any enjoyment.
My academic interest also grows in the characters of Belgarath and Polgara (arguably my favourites so far), as they seem strongly inspired by well-known character archetypes deriving from the Old Norse world that I love to research. I might ponder more about this in future reviews if the trend continues.
Overall, I am tremendously excited to keep going. The Belgariad has so far been positively surprising and has challenged my preconceptions and expectations.
Particularly the parts about the succession crisis in the Imperial Court of Tolnedra and the darker conspiracies of the snake-ridden swamp kingdom of Nyissa were fascinating. I am thoroughly impressed by how much Eddings can squeeze into a mere three hundred pages per book. The only strange thing, perhaps, is how the storyline seemingly has to take the reader on a journey through every single country there is. I feel like I am on a tour alongside the characters. But in the end, that does not hinder any enjoyment.
My academic interest also grows in the characters of Belgarath and Polgara (arguably my favourites so far), as they seem strongly inspired by well-known character archetypes deriving from the Old Norse world that I love to research. I might ponder more about this in future reviews if the trend continues.
Overall, I am tremendously excited to keep going. The Belgariad has so far been positively surprising and has challenged my preconceptions and expectations.
October 21, 2021
Queen of Sorcery is the second book in The Belgariad by David Eddings. I enjoyed this a little more than the first book and I'm giving it a full 4 stars instead of 3.5 stars rounded up. It still had some of the same aspects I complained about in the first book, but my investment in the story and the characters continued to grow so that I wasn鈥檛 as bothered by the more irritating aspects. No doubt part of it is that I鈥檝e gotten more used to the style.
The main character, Garion, still seems immature for his age and Aunt Pol and 鈥淲olf鈥� still hold back information in situations where it doesn鈥檛 make sense. For example, . There鈥檚 also the weird tendency to give groups of people from the same region the same personality characteristics. Some of the main characters will say, 鈥減eople from Region X all do Y鈥�, and then any characters we meet from Region X are portrayed as described with very little nuance.
It鈥檚 easier for me to explain specific issues that I find to complain about though, and harder to explain why I鈥檓 still enjoying the story enough to rate it highly. I really like the characters, including the new ones introduced in this book, and I like their interactions with each other. I鈥檓 also enjoying the story, even though I wish it were a little more complex, and I look forward to seeing what happens in the next book.
The main character, Garion, still seems immature for his age and Aunt Pol and 鈥淲olf鈥� still hold back information in situations where it doesn鈥檛 make sense. For example, . There鈥檚 also the weird tendency to give groups of people from the same region the same personality characteristics. Some of the main characters will say, 鈥減eople from Region X all do Y鈥�, and then any characters we meet from Region X are portrayed as described with very little nuance.
It鈥檚 easier for me to explain specific issues that I find to complain about though, and harder to explain why I鈥檓 still enjoying the story enough to rate it highly. I really like the characters, including the new ones introduced in this book, and I like their interactions with each other. I鈥檓 also enjoying the story, even though I wish it were a little more complex, and I look forward to seeing what happens in the next book.
February 5, 2019
This is still such a great story. It has been over 20 years since I had initially read this series. To pick it up again and relive it has been so enjoyable. It is such a masterpiece; so well written with fantastic characters and an epic story.
This picks up right where book one ends. The characters are so great. It's like being a part of this group; immersed into their party as they are on their epic journey. I love learning more about each one of them and how they fit into the story. There are questions that are touched on but yet still unanswered. They do not catch up with the orb they are after, but more is learned of it and who they are after. New characters are brought in and it is so fun to see how everyone interacts and what part they play in the story.
I love this series.. it is as good if not better the second time around. I am older and probably just appreciate it more. Eddings was an amazing writer and The Belgariad is an epic tale with amazing character development. The story is outstanding and the world that he creates is so in depth that I can easily immerse myself into it.
This picks up right where book one ends. The characters are so great. It's like being a part of this group; immersed into their party as they are on their epic journey. I love learning more about each one of them and how they fit into the story. There are questions that are touched on but yet still unanswered. They do not catch up with the orb they are after, but more is learned of it and who they are after. New characters are brought in and it is so fun to see how everyone interacts and what part they play in the story.
I love this series.. it is as good if not better the second time around. I am older and probably just appreciate it more. Eddings was an amazing writer and The Belgariad is an epic tale with amazing character development. The story is outstanding and the world that he creates is so in depth that I can easily immerse myself into it.
August 5, 2011
I really really like the David Eddings books, and they were where I properly started out reading in the fantasy genre, back when I was thirteen or so. I adore them and have read them time and again. However, Queen of Sorcery is far from the strongest entry in the Belgariad, and this time during my re-read it was very hard to prevent myself seeing the many faults. I still love the whole series, but struggle with this particular book.
One problem I have is the character of Garion. With all the (many, many, many) clues that are dropped we know already that he is destined for greatness. Even if it wasn't prophesied, the fact that he is distantly related to Polgara and Belgarath should mean that he is something out of the ordinary. And yet this clever boy (it is pointed out a number of times in the text that he has a great deal of intelligence) is completely oblivious to what might be coming to pass. I really struggle to comprehend how this could be.
Sticking with Garion for now, Eddings (in this book) employs the tactic of "tell, don't show". We are told that Garion is seeking vengeance for the murder of his parents. And then the matter is dropped entirely until he meets said murderer and then Eddings reminds us that Garion is mightily annoyed at this person. That sense of hatred should have been carried through the novel in a better manner and shown through Garion's actions.
Other than Garion, the other characters irritated me more than pleased me in this outing. Barak and Silk are very interesting and entertaining characters. Silk, in particular, is a complicated little fellow - and I could have stood to see much more character development, and motivations for their following Belgarath (apart from being told to!) Instead we are introduced to yet more characters who seem to have absolutely no reason to be on-page at all, such as Lelldorin. He turns up, he shoots a few arrows, he tells Garion about a plot to kill the king, and then he is left behind with a near-fatal injury. Why? And the trip across Arendia seemed futile, including a scene in the Arendish throne-room that felt incredibly repetitive after a *very* similar scene in book one of the series, in the Cherek throne-room.
Speaking of Arendia and Cherek - isn't it useful for the reader that you can completely recognise where a character is from by their appearances and foibles? Chereks all have bristling beards, drink ale and hold grudges (dwarves, anyone?), while the Algar are all brilliant horsemen, with flowing scalp locks. And so it continues across every race of man. This just seemed far too lazy on the part of the world-builder - it makes a novel far more interesting when race is not so heavily defined.
The story itself suffers somewhat from middle book syndrome - we are still gathering characters together, and discovering the overall arc of the plot. There is a lot of travelogue-style fiction - namely, wandering around from place to place and having episodic adventures.
And we have the PROPHECY and the VOICE. Neither of these plot points were in Pawn of Prophecy at all (despite the title) and it feels as though Eddings felt they would be good additions to the overall story. I know this isn't so, thanks to reading The Rivan Codex, a novel where Eddings describes how long it took him to develop the world and story, but it reads as such. Suddenly we hear about the prophecy about Torak rising again, and the Tolnedran princess who will marry the returned Rivan King.
As a personal preference I find prophecy to be a very tired device (maybe it wasn't when the Belgariad was written, but it just creates such innate plot problems). It takes away all freewill from the characters and is essentially one big deus ex machina if the author gets into any problems - "oh, that happened because the prophecy said it needed to..." Add to this the 'dry voice' that speaks in Garion's mind - "don't mind me, I've always been here, I can show you how to use the magic you never knew you had etc etc." Again, a very cliched manner of moving the plot along - need to explain to a dense boy what is going on? Use the mysterious internal voice that is never adequately explained....
So, rather scathing all round. The thing is, this book is essential reading in the quintology that makes up The Belgariad. You can't really skip it, unless you've read these books before. And, well, it's Eddings - the prose is still smooth and very readable, the dialogue is still amusing and sometimes very touching. I LOVE Eddings. But this one, I'm afraid, was a wee bit of a struggle.
One problem I have is the character of Garion. With all the (many, many, many) clues that are dropped we know already that he is destined for greatness. Even if it wasn't prophesied, the fact that he is distantly related to Polgara and Belgarath should mean that he is something out of the ordinary. And yet this clever boy (it is pointed out a number of times in the text that he has a great deal of intelligence) is completely oblivious to what might be coming to pass. I really struggle to comprehend how this could be.
Sticking with Garion for now, Eddings (in this book) employs the tactic of "tell, don't show". We are told that Garion is seeking vengeance for the murder of his parents. And then the matter is dropped entirely until he meets said murderer and then Eddings reminds us that Garion is mightily annoyed at this person. That sense of hatred should have been carried through the novel in a better manner and shown through Garion's actions.
Other than Garion, the other characters irritated me more than pleased me in this outing. Barak and Silk are very interesting and entertaining characters. Silk, in particular, is a complicated little fellow - and I could have stood to see much more character development, and motivations for their following Belgarath (apart from being told to!) Instead we are introduced to yet more characters who seem to have absolutely no reason to be on-page at all, such as Lelldorin. He turns up, he shoots a few arrows, he tells Garion about a plot to kill the king, and then he is left behind with a near-fatal injury. Why? And the trip across Arendia seemed futile, including a scene in the Arendish throne-room that felt incredibly repetitive after a *very* similar scene in book one of the series, in the Cherek throne-room.
Speaking of Arendia and Cherek - isn't it useful for the reader that you can completely recognise where a character is from by their appearances and foibles? Chereks all have bristling beards, drink ale and hold grudges (dwarves, anyone?), while the Algar are all brilliant horsemen, with flowing scalp locks. And so it continues across every race of man. This just seemed far too lazy on the part of the world-builder - it makes a novel far more interesting when race is not so heavily defined.
The story itself suffers somewhat from middle book syndrome - we are still gathering characters together, and discovering the overall arc of the plot. There is a lot of travelogue-style fiction - namely, wandering around from place to place and having episodic adventures.
And we have the PROPHECY and the VOICE. Neither of these plot points were in Pawn of Prophecy at all (despite the title) and it feels as though Eddings felt they would be good additions to the overall story. I know this isn't so, thanks to reading The Rivan Codex, a novel where Eddings describes how long it took him to develop the world and story, but it reads as such. Suddenly we hear about the prophecy about Torak rising again, and the Tolnedran princess who will marry the returned Rivan King.
As a personal preference I find prophecy to be a very tired device (maybe it wasn't when the Belgariad was written, but it just creates such innate plot problems). It takes away all freewill from the characters and is essentially one big deus ex machina if the author gets into any problems - "oh, that happened because the prophecy said it needed to..." Add to this the 'dry voice' that speaks in Garion's mind - "don't mind me, I've always been here, I can show you how to use the magic you never knew you had etc etc." Again, a very cliched manner of moving the plot along - need to explain to a dense boy what is going on? Use the mysterious internal voice that is never adequately explained....
So, rather scathing all round. The thing is, this book is essential reading in the quintology that makes up The Belgariad. You can't really skip it, unless you've read these books before. And, well, it's Eddings - the prose is still smooth and very readable, the dialogue is still amusing and sometimes very touching. I LOVE Eddings. But this one, I'm afraid, was a wee bit of a struggle.
March 11, 2021
La Reina de la Hechicer铆a es el segundo tomo de las Cr贸nicas de Belgarath. En esta historia continuamos recorriendo con nuestros/as protagonistas distintos reinos, nos adentramos en las diferencias culturales y pol铆ticas entre sus habitantes y podemos ir dilucidando con qui茅nes se podr谩n realizar alianzas en caso de que la cosa se complique.
Aqu铆 la trama nos permite observar c贸mo evolucionan algunas personalidades, nos divertimos con ciertos personajes que permanecen inalterables y nos percatamos de que otras/os tienen m谩s poder del que cre铆amos. Un detalle interesante de este libro es que a煤n siguiendo el formato cl谩sico de la fantas铆a, tiene elementos que le dan originalidad y lo corren de ese lugar tan pr铆stino. Por ejemplo, los personajes femeninos distan bastante de ser aquellas damiselas en apuro o aquellas figuras que aparecen fugazmente cuando el relato lo amerita o el autor se acuerda de ellas. Por el contrario, aqu铆 son parte fundamental de la historia y no se caracterizan por la sumisi贸n precisamente.
Otro elemento a destacar es la existencia de cierta moralidad un tanto gris谩cea en algunos miembros de la comitiva encargada de buscar el objeto robado. Me gusta el matiz de personalidades que Eddings ha sabido otorgar a ciertos caracteres porque los quita del pedestal de h茅roes puros. Ese tipo de humanizaci贸n me gusta mucho en esta literatura.
En relaci贸n a los villanos, a煤n no sabemos bien c贸mo juega cada actor. Si bien nos reencontramos con personajes que ya tuvieron un rol fundamental en el primer tomo, aqu铆 se producen ciertos desenlaces bastante abruptos que mueven nuevamente las piezas y cambian el tablero. Tenemos que seguir avanzando para entender mejor cu谩l es la amenaza a la que realmente se enfrentan nuestros/as personajes.
En definitiva, es un libro entretenido, que tiene breves pero excelentes descripciones de reinos, costumbres y culturas y esto nos permite ir conociendo en profundidad la estructura de esta tierra atravesada por la hechicer铆a, la magia y las persecuciones.
Aqu铆 la trama nos permite observar c贸mo evolucionan algunas personalidades, nos divertimos con ciertos personajes que permanecen inalterables y nos percatamos de que otras/os tienen m谩s poder del que cre铆amos. Un detalle interesante de este libro es que a煤n siguiendo el formato cl谩sico de la fantas铆a, tiene elementos que le dan originalidad y lo corren de ese lugar tan pr铆stino. Por ejemplo, los personajes femeninos distan bastante de ser aquellas damiselas en apuro o aquellas figuras que aparecen fugazmente cuando el relato lo amerita o el autor se acuerda de ellas. Por el contrario, aqu铆 son parte fundamental de la historia y no se caracterizan por la sumisi贸n precisamente.
Otro elemento a destacar es la existencia de cierta moralidad un tanto gris谩cea en algunos miembros de la comitiva encargada de buscar el objeto robado. Me gusta el matiz de personalidades que Eddings ha sabido otorgar a ciertos caracteres porque los quita del pedestal de h茅roes puros. Ese tipo de humanizaci贸n me gusta mucho en esta literatura.
En relaci贸n a los villanos, a煤n no sabemos bien c贸mo juega cada actor. Si bien nos reencontramos con personajes que ya tuvieron un rol fundamental en el primer tomo, aqu铆 se producen ciertos desenlaces bastante abruptos que mueven nuevamente las piezas y cambian el tablero. Tenemos que seguir avanzando para entender mejor cu谩l es la amenaza a la que realmente se enfrentan nuestros/as personajes.
En definitiva, es un libro entretenido, que tiene breves pero excelentes descripciones de reinos, costumbres y culturas y esto nos permite ir conociendo en profundidad la estructura de esta tierra atravesada por la hechicer铆a, la magia y las persecuciones.
July 18, 2016
I really enjoyed this reread. Wonderfully fun story that expands the characters of the first book in a masterful way. They're caricatures, but good ones & Eddings doesn't take them too seriously. There's a ragged old sorcerer who gives orders to the drunken king through a pirate, money-grubbing spies, & knights so noble & brainless that they kill each other in droves for reasons they can't recall. I like the humor & the tragedies. This is a simple epic story. No high falutin language or imagery, just a simple boy & his friends on an epic quest.
If I have any complaint about this series it's that it resembles eating potato chips. It's awfully difficult to stop until all the books in the arc are read. On to !
If I have any complaint about this series it's that it resembles eating potato chips. It's awfully difficult to stop until all the books in the arc are read. On to !
October 16, 2022
"-驴T煤 tambi茅n tienes miedo, Seda?
-S铆, pero podemos comportarnos como si no lo tuvi茅ramos, 驴verdad?
-Supongo que podemos intentarlo."
Segunda parte de las cr贸nicas de Belgarath. La verdad es que deber铆a haber esperado un poco m谩s para leer este libro, pero bueno cre铆 que fue el momento necesario y me equivoqu茅. Nadie es perfecto.
鈥�-Pero 驴Qu茅 pasar谩 la pr贸xima? Ahora que el miedo conoce el camino hasta mi alma, 驴Qui茅n me garantiza que no va a volver? 驴Y si en un momento de desesperaci贸n, cuando el 茅xito de nuestra misi贸n est茅 en juego, ese odioso temor apoyara su mano helada y me privara del valor? Estoy sumamente avergonzado de mi cobard铆a y de mi debilidad.
-驴Avergonzado? 驴Por actuar como un ser humano? Eres demasiado duro contigo mismo.鈥�
No deja de ser fantas铆a cl谩sica, los personajes me siguen gustando y much铆simo, sobre todo Polgara, Seda y Barak, por no hablar de Hettar el susurrador de caballos. Este 煤ltimo, lo siento, me hace much铆sima gracia, para que mentir.
鈥淓stoy acostumbrado a que me malinterpreten, pero mientras yo sepa que mis motivos son justos, no me preocupan las opiniones de los dem谩s鈥�.
En cuanto al argumento se me ha hecho un poco m谩s denso que el primero, pero, como he dicho antes creo que es mi percepci贸n porque no me encontraba en el mejor momento para leerlo. Adem谩s, algunos de los nuevos personajes no me han ca铆do muy bien de primeras. Aun as铆, tengo que ganas de leer el tercero. Voy a tomarme un par de libros de descanso porque sino no creo que lo disfrute para nada. Esto me pasa por tonta y venirme arriba.
鈥淣o dejes que la amistad te haga olvidar tu sentido com煤n鈥�.
-S铆, pero podemos comportarnos como si no lo tuvi茅ramos, 驴verdad?
-Supongo que podemos intentarlo."
Segunda parte de las cr贸nicas de Belgarath. La verdad es que deber铆a haber esperado un poco m谩s para leer este libro, pero bueno cre铆 que fue el momento necesario y me equivoqu茅. Nadie es perfecto.
鈥�-Pero 驴Qu茅 pasar谩 la pr贸xima? Ahora que el miedo conoce el camino hasta mi alma, 驴Qui茅n me garantiza que no va a volver? 驴Y si en un momento de desesperaci贸n, cuando el 茅xito de nuestra misi贸n est茅 en juego, ese odioso temor apoyara su mano helada y me privara del valor? Estoy sumamente avergonzado de mi cobard铆a y de mi debilidad.
-驴Avergonzado? 驴Por actuar como un ser humano? Eres demasiado duro contigo mismo.鈥�
No deja de ser fantas铆a cl谩sica, los personajes me siguen gustando y much铆simo, sobre todo Polgara, Seda y Barak, por no hablar de Hettar el susurrador de caballos. Este 煤ltimo, lo siento, me hace much铆sima gracia, para que mentir.
鈥淓stoy acostumbrado a que me malinterpreten, pero mientras yo sepa que mis motivos son justos, no me preocupan las opiniones de los dem谩s鈥�.
En cuanto al argumento se me ha hecho un poco m谩s denso que el primero, pero, como he dicho antes creo que es mi percepci贸n porque no me encontraba en el mejor momento para leerlo. Adem谩s, algunos de los nuevos personajes no me han ca铆do muy bien de primeras. Aun as铆, tengo que ganas de leer el tercero. Voy a tomarme un par de libros de descanso porque sino no creo que lo disfrute para nada. Esto me pasa por tonta y venirme arriba.
鈥淣o dejes que la amistad te haga olvidar tu sentido com煤n鈥�.
November 3, 2016
Books 1 and 2 really should have been published as one volume. This is the one where their companions are almost complete and we get a lot more info about what exactly is going on. I've always loved the characters in this series :)
September 19, 2024
Good continuation of the series, and a good way to spend a couple evenings.
Garion continues on a classic hero's journey with notable character growth. Of course he is still subject to adolescent angst and rebellion, but that makes him more relatable. The supporting characters have only a little growth, mostly confined to learning more backstory on his aunt and grandfather.
The world-building is wonderful, showing two new countries with their respective cultural stereotypes. But also just enough people going against each stereotype to keep it from being trite. We learn some more about magic in this world as well.
Garion continues on a classic hero's journey with notable character growth. Of course he is still subject to adolescent angst and rebellion, but that makes him more relatable. The supporting characters have only a little growth, mostly confined to learning more backstory on his aunt and grandfather.
The world-building is wonderful, showing two new countries with their respective cultural stereotypes. But also just enough people going against each stereotype to keep it from being trite. We learn some more about magic in this world as well.
April 6, 2017
This was my "gateway" fantasy series, and while I have happily read hundreds of fantasy books since, the Belgariad will always have a special place in my heart.
July 9, 2022
La trama inizia a movimentarsi! Un deciso miglioramento rispetto al primo volume della saga. C'猫 molta pi霉 azione e non mancano i colpi di scena. Manca un p貌 di complessit脿 nella trama e lo sviluppo della storia 猫 sempre molto lineare: ogni imprevisto 猫 sempre risolto nel giro di qualche pagina. Comunque non ci si annoia, anche perch猫 i vari personaggi sono ben delineati ed integrati nel racconto. 40 anni si sentono se confrontati con libri pi霉 recenti, ma sicuramente non sfigura!
December 7, 2018
鈥淎s long as I know that my motives are good, however, I鈥檓 seldom very concerned with the opinions of others.鈥�
Queen of Sorcery is the second book in The Belgariad series, preceded by Pawn of Prophecy. I began my Belgariad journey almost three years ago and dug it a lot! I didn鈥檛 intend to just drop the series for years before continuing on, but alas.. here we are!
Epic fantasy is like climbing under a comfort blanket for me. I have such a soft spot for (good) old-school SFF! I was craving something lighter to go with my current mindset, so I turned to The Belgariad.
I ended up devouring it in a day!
Turns out, I needed the distraction.
鈥淒espite the promise of the brief sunset, the next day dawned cold and murky with a chill drizzle that wreathed down among the trees and made the entire forest sodden and gloomy. They left the inn early and soon entered a part of the wood that seemed more darkly foreboding than even the ominous stretches through which they had previously passed. The trees here were enormous, and many vast, gnarled oaks lifted their bare limbs among the dark firs and spruces. The forest floor was covered with a kind of gray moss that looked diseased and unwholesome.鈥�
Queen of Sorcery picks up after Pawn of Prophecy. It鈥檚 essentially a coming-of-age story about Garion, the 鈥淟uke Skywalker鈥� farm boy character. His journey through various countries to track down the stolen Orb of Aldur, his growing powers and the people who join him along the way.
This was such a fun sword and sorcery adventure!
I love the sarcasm, banter and comradery throughout. Silk is funny as fuck and POLGARA IS QUEEN! With this sequel, Eddings focused more on the sprawling cast of characters and expanding the world. Things start to pick up in pace, plus it鈥檚 more violent than the first book. Which is clearly right up my alley! Is it perfect? Hell no. There are a few issues with gender and race, unfortunately entirely too common for older SFF. But it鈥檚听a series that I hope will just keep getting better. I am looking forward to continuing with the collection at some point. This is one that I feel like I could easily dip in and out of. However, let鈥檚 hope it won鈥檛 take me another three years to pick up the next installment!
Queen of Sorcery is the second book in The Belgariad series, preceded by Pawn of Prophecy. I began my Belgariad journey almost three years ago and dug it a lot! I didn鈥檛 intend to just drop the series for years before continuing on, but alas.. here we are!
Epic fantasy is like climbing under a comfort blanket for me. I have such a soft spot for (good) old-school SFF! I was craving something lighter to go with my current mindset, so I turned to The Belgariad.
I ended up devouring it in a day!
Turns out, I needed the distraction.
鈥淒espite the promise of the brief sunset, the next day dawned cold and murky with a chill drizzle that wreathed down among the trees and made the entire forest sodden and gloomy. They left the inn early and soon entered a part of the wood that seemed more darkly foreboding than even the ominous stretches through which they had previously passed. The trees here were enormous, and many vast, gnarled oaks lifted their bare limbs among the dark firs and spruces. The forest floor was covered with a kind of gray moss that looked diseased and unwholesome.鈥�
Queen of Sorcery picks up after Pawn of Prophecy. It鈥檚 essentially a coming-of-age story about Garion, the 鈥淟uke Skywalker鈥� farm boy character. His journey through various countries to track down the stolen Orb of Aldur, his growing powers and the people who join him along the way.
This was such a fun sword and sorcery adventure!
I love the sarcasm, banter and comradery throughout. Silk is funny as fuck and POLGARA IS QUEEN! With this sequel, Eddings focused more on the sprawling cast of characters and expanding the world. Things start to pick up in pace, plus it鈥檚 more violent than the first book. Which is clearly right up my alley! Is it perfect? Hell no. There are a few issues with gender and race, unfortunately entirely too common for older SFF. But it鈥檚听a series that I hope will just keep getting better. I am looking forward to continuing with the collection at some point. This is one that I feel like I could easily dip in and out of. However, let鈥檚 hope it won鈥檛 take me another three years to pick up the next installment!
April 24, 2017
Note: This is one of my favorite series. I read this series, it's sequel The Mallorean, and Belgarath the Sorcerer yearly.
Queen of Sorcery is the second book in The Belgariad series by David Eddings. In comparison to the first book, Queen of Sorcery gives the reader a lot more information and a greater incentive to continue the series. One of the things I liked the most about this book is that the reader starts to get to know the side characters a lot better - and a lot of the things left unexplained in book one are cleared up in book two. Eddings is not one for a lot of loose ends, which I greatly appreciate.
Queen of Sorcery starts the same way does - with an info dump prologue - and then it proceeds into another info dump. The prologue tells of a famous battle that happened centuries in the past and the second info dump gives the reader a rehash of Pawn of Prophecy. It also reminds the reader that Garion is anguished and that the adults are keeping secrets from him.
Unlike Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery tells the questing group (and the reader) the exact nature of their quest at the beginning of the book: The Orb of Aldur has been stolen by Zedar the Apostate. They have to retrieve the Orb before Zedar can deliver it to the evil god Torak, waking Torak from an ensorcelled sleep to take over the world.
Queen of Sorcery also gives the reader a better sense of Eddings' world. Each country is populated by a different racial stock and each racial stock is a stereotype. Thus far we have met the Sendars (who are sensible) and the Chereks (who are rowdy, drunks and war-like). Queen of Sorcery introduces us to the Arends (who are "not very bright but very brave" and who's nobles engage in almost casual warfare while severely mistreating their serfs), the Tolnedrans (materialistic and obsessed with stature) and the Nyissans who emulate the snake. The Nyissans are also drug users and dealers, they sell poisons, are untrustworthy and are also slavers. Got all that? Good.
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August 3, 2023
Last read several years ago. The journey to recover the stolen orb continues. This series has some of the most memorable characters in fantasy fiction. Off the book 3.
April 7, 2020
April 2020 Reread: Continuing on my Belgariad reread is such a treat. No matter what else is going on in the world, this series can absolutely take me away from it all. It's a relaxing and pleasant read even as I cringe at how much of a brat Garion is in this one! Review from 2012 below.
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Zedar the Apostate has stolen the Orb of Aldur in hopes of awakening the evil god Torak. Belgarath and Polgara are determined to take back the Orb before this god can be awakened and hope to avert a war. Along the way the party is joined by Hettar of Algaria, a man who can speak with horses, Sir Mandorallen, a Mibrate knight, Ce'Nedra, Imperial Princess of Tolnedra, and for a short while Lelldorin, an Asturian archer.
Queen of Sorcery is the second book of The Belgariad and picks up a couple of weeks after the end of Pawn of Prophecy. The cast of characters begins to grow and each is given a bit of background and small characterization. Ce'Nedra is easily the most fleshed out of the new additions and adds quite a bit of drama to the group, as a teenage girl might. We also get to see three new areas of the world and are given a broader idea of its people.
The pacing on this book is better than the first and the story becomes more cohesive for me. It is also the first time we see a character start to arc: Garion must face the truth of his heritage and accept the powers that control the party's fate.
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Zedar the Apostate has stolen the Orb of Aldur in hopes of awakening the evil god Torak. Belgarath and Polgara are determined to take back the Orb before this god can be awakened and hope to avert a war. Along the way the party is joined by Hettar of Algaria, a man who can speak with horses, Sir Mandorallen, a Mibrate knight, Ce'Nedra, Imperial Princess of Tolnedra, and for a short while Lelldorin, an Asturian archer.
Queen of Sorcery is the second book of The Belgariad and picks up a couple of weeks after the end of Pawn of Prophecy. The cast of characters begins to grow and each is given a bit of background and small characterization. Ce'Nedra is easily the most fleshed out of the new additions and adds quite a bit of drama to the group, as a teenage girl might. We also get to see three new areas of the world and are given a broader idea of its people.
The pacing on this book is better than the first and the story becomes more cohesive for me. It is also the first time we see a character start to arc: Garion must face the truth of his heritage and accept the powers that control the party's fate.
January 5, 2018
5 stars Audiobook - Garrion what did you do? Notting aunt Pol, realy.- whe follow Old Wolf, slik, Barak and the others as they want to get de orbe back from Zeldar. Garrion gets older and gets to know more and more about he hole story also conserning him. The only one who sees him still as a little boy would be aunt Pol. But she is also the one how raised him. So in my oppion that is quit normal. Again draws Eddings a beautiful world where you can step in and enjoy the story. I would say like a 3 D film. I can but I still have a great fantasy say my childeren. These characters by David Eddings where my introduction to fantasy. Then I did read the dutch versions. Now I did listen to the English Audiobook. Both have their charmes for me. 馃榾馃嵎鉂わ笍
February 11, 2017
Going to review the whole series as one...
August 24, 2022
亘賴 讴乇賾丕鬲 卮丿賴 亘賵丿 讴賴 亘賴鈥屫ж坟� 禺賵丿 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 亘賴 鬲乇噩賲賴鈥屫й� 讴賴 蹖賴 爻鬲丕乇賴 亘蹖卮鬲乇 賱蹖丕賯鬲卮 賳亘賵丿貙 爻賴 爻鬲丕乇賴 亘丿賲. 賴蹖趩賵賯鬲 賮讴乇 賳賲蹖鈥屭┴必� 鬲乇噩賲賴 丕賳賯丿乇 禺賵亘 賵 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丕賳賯丿乇 讴爻賱鈥屭┵嗁嗀� (賵 卮禺氐蹖鬲鈥屬矩必ж槽� 丕賳賯丿乇 囟毓蹖賮) 亘丕卮賴 讴賴 亘賴鈥屫ж坟� 鬲乇噩賲賴 亘賴鈥屫й� 丿賵 爻鬲丕乇賴貙 爻賴 爻鬲丕乇賴 亘丿賲. 亘賴鈥屬嗀肛辟� 亘蹖丕蹖丿 賴賲诏蹖 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賵 卮禺氐蹖鬲鈥屬囏� 乇賵 賵賱 讴賳蹖賲 賵 亘賴 鬲乇噩賲賴 亘倬乇丿丕夭蹖賲 賮賯胤.
June 25, 2010
4.0 stars. Good sequel to . I find myself liking the supporting cast more than the main character, but this is still a fun read.
August 1, 2012
These sets of books are my best friends. I have been reading them since I was 15 years old and when I want some comfort I can loose myself in another world, following the adventures and the discoveries that Reveal who Garion truly is.
March 1, 2021
Me le铆 este libro en dos d铆as gracias a dos factores: lo adictivo que era y el hecho de que se hab铆a cortado la luz en mi casa.
Esta historia continua corto tiempo despu茅s del primer libro. Los protagonistas son los mismos, a excepci贸n de uno que se suma al grupo m谩s o menos a la mitad. Poseen la misma edad, las mismas caracter铆sticas y ese mismo humor que los hace tan queribles.
El libro sigue enfoc谩ndose en la parte de aventura, en el camino que todos est谩n recorriendo para poder encontrar y detener eso que descubrimos en el primer libro. Las profec铆as se vuelven m谩s fuertes en esta segunda entrega y aparecen muchas m谩s pistas que demuestran la obviedad del asunto referente a uno de los protagonista.
Con respecto a Garion, tuve sentimientos encontrados. Hab铆a momentos en que lo notaba sumamente maduro y mucho m谩s sabio que en el libro anterior, cuando no ocurrieron muchas cosas o mucho tiempo que justificara esto. Sin embargo, hab铆a otros momentos en los que volv铆a a ser un ni帽o hist茅rico y me daban ganas de golpearlo.
Lo que m谩s me molest贸 fueron los inc贸modos "no quiero hablar" de Garion o los "luego hablaremos"/"a煤n no tienes edad para comprenderlo" de Pol. Todas excusas forzadas por el autor para no revelar cierta informaci贸n o explicar cosas como aquellas relacionadas con la magia, el pasado del ni帽o o de Pol y viejo Lobo. Para mantener el misterio, por as铆 decirlo. Me pareci贸 un recurso bastante vago.
Me encantaron los nuevos lugares, los nuevos desaf铆os y los nuevos personajes que aparecen. Tal como en el primer libro, me gust贸 mucho no encontrar esa clara diferenciaci贸n que hab铆a en los libros de fantas铆a de los 60-80: los hombres como h茅roes o villanos y las mujeres como doncellas; las sociedades todas iguales como un calco de la 茅poca medieval con caballeros valerosos y nada m谩s. Con cada lugar que conocemos tambi茅n descubrimos una sociedad diferente y diferentes formas de vivir. Algunas de estas creencias y costumbres hacen que los protagonistas choquen de a momentos, lo que me pareci贸 de lo m谩s interesante. Me alucin贸 todas las formas que el autor invent贸 para los t铆tulos nobiliarios: adem谩s de que cada reino tiene su cultura, su sociedad y su forma de vivir, tambi茅n tienen diferentes formas para referirse a la nobleza. Demuestra una gran riqueza en el worldbuilding, que me dej贸 pensando un mont贸n.
Adem谩s de eso, se plantean bastantes cuestiones como la de la servidumbre, la del poder, de la responsabilidad y otras cosas para reflexionar.
Este libro me dej贸 tan encantada con la saga como el primero.
Esta historia continua corto tiempo despu茅s del primer libro. Los protagonistas son los mismos, a excepci贸n de uno que se suma al grupo m谩s o menos a la mitad. Poseen la misma edad, las mismas caracter铆sticas y ese mismo humor que los hace tan queribles.
El libro sigue enfoc谩ndose en la parte de aventura, en el camino que todos est谩n recorriendo para poder encontrar y detener eso que descubrimos en el primer libro. Las profec铆as se vuelven m谩s fuertes en esta segunda entrega y aparecen muchas m谩s pistas que demuestran la obviedad del asunto referente a uno de los protagonista.
Con respecto a Garion, tuve sentimientos encontrados. Hab铆a momentos en que lo notaba sumamente maduro y mucho m谩s sabio que en el libro anterior, cuando no ocurrieron muchas cosas o mucho tiempo que justificara esto. Sin embargo, hab铆a otros momentos en los que volv铆a a ser un ni帽o hist茅rico y me daban ganas de golpearlo.
Lo que m谩s me molest贸 fueron los inc贸modos "no quiero hablar" de Garion o los "luego hablaremos"/"a煤n no tienes edad para comprenderlo" de Pol. Todas excusas forzadas por el autor para no revelar cierta informaci贸n o explicar cosas como aquellas relacionadas con la magia, el pasado del ni帽o o de Pol y viejo Lobo. Para mantener el misterio, por as铆 decirlo. Me pareci贸 un recurso bastante vago.
Me encantaron los nuevos lugares, los nuevos desaf铆os y los nuevos personajes que aparecen. Tal como en el primer libro, me gust贸 mucho no encontrar esa clara diferenciaci贸n que hab铆a en los libros de fantas铆a de los 60-80: los hombres como h茅roes o villanos y las mujeres como doncellas; las sociedades todas iguales como un calco de la 茅poca medieval con caballeros valerosos y nada m谩s. Con cada lugar que conocemos tambi茅n descubrimos una sociedad diferente y diferentes formas de vivir. Algunas de estas creencias y costumbres hacen que los protagonistas choquen de a momentos, lo que me pareci贸 de lo m谩s interesante. Me alucin贸 todas las formas que el autor invent贸 para los t铆tulos nobiliarios: adem谩s de que cada reino tiene su cultura, su sociedad y su forma de vivir, tambi茅n tienen diferentes formas para referirse a la nobleza. Demuestra una gran riqueza en el worldbuilding, que me dej贸 pensando un mont贸n.
Adem谩s de eso, se plantean bastantes cuestiones como la de la servidumbre, la del poder, de la responsabilidad y otras cosas para reflexionar.
Este libro me dej贸 tan encantada con la saga como el primero.
February 19, 2022
Der erste Band hatte mir ja gut gefallen, auch wenn die Handlung etwas z盲hfl眉ssig vorangegangen ist - aber f眉r den Auftakt einer Reihe war es f眉r mich okay und ich war sehr gespannt, wie es mit den Gef盲hrten weitergeht.
Leider konnte mich die Fortsetzung nicht mehr wirklich fesseln. Zwar ist der G枚tterkrieg interessant, der im Prolog wieder weitererz盲hlt wird und Hintergrundinformationen liefert, aber die Handlung selber zieht sich sehr dahin.
Garion, der Sch眉tzling der Gemeinschaft, wird st盲ndig im Dunkeln gelassen, was Magie, die Prophezeiung oder 眉berhaupt die Verwicklungen der Unruhen betrifft, die einen baldigen Krieg heraufbeschw枚ren k枚nnten. Das ist wirklich sehr erm眉dend, wenn man selbst schon so viel ahnt, aber die Hauptfigur so v枚llig ahnungslos "mitl盲uft" und alle "Erwachsenen" es immer besser wissen und ihn auf sp盲ter vertr枚sten - obwohl sie ja schon mittendrin im Umbruch sind.
Ein wichtiges Artefakt wurde gestohlen und die Gef盲hrten reisen dem Dieb hinterher. Das ist eigentlich grob die Zusammenfassung was hier passiert. Sie treffen zwar hie und da wichtige K枚nige, bei denen Informationen ausgetauscht werden, und es gibt kleine 脺berf盲lle und Scharm眉tzel, aber nichts, was mich jetzt besonders gefangen h盲tte.
Was mir gut gef盲llt sind die Charaktere. Diese gemischte Gruppe an Pers枚nlichkeiten ist interessant, vor allem auch die Interaktionen untereinander.
Hier flechtet der Autor auch immer wieder die typischen Schemata ein, wie das karge, menschenunw眉rdige Leben von Leigeigenen, der Willk眉r von K枚nigen, den Hass zwischen verschiedenen V枚lkern, Vorurteile, Misstrauen etc., was ja eigentlich immer in High Fantasy Geschichten eine Rolle spielt. Das gelingt ihm ganz gut, auch wenn es mir manchmal etwas zu offensichtlich oder "gek眉nstelt" wirkt.
Garion selbst ist ein guter Junge. Wobei er mit seinen 16 Jahren hier eigentlich schon zu den Erwachsenen z盲hlen k枚nnte. Er hat sehr idealistische Vorstellungen, was ihn sehr sympathisch macht, aber er bleibt etwas naiv und kindlich, einfach weil ihn auch niemand so wirklich ernst zu nehmen scheint.
Witzig waren viele kleine Details, die mich an die Herr der Ringe Trilogie erinnert haben. Das "Auge", die "Gef盲hrten", die den Helden begleiten, ein Typ aus einem Volk, das einen Schlangengott anbetet und der einem altersschwachen K枚nig L眉gen einfl眉stert (Schlangenzunge :D ) und noch einige kleine Deetails mehr. Das fand ich aber nicht schlimm, sondern eher belebend.
Jedenfalls habe ich gemerkt, dass mich diese Reihe nicht so wirklich anspricht und ich werde deshalb auch nicht die Fortsetzungen lesen - auch wenn ich davon ausgehe, dass dann vielleicht mehr Spannung aufkommt, war mir dieser Band einfach zu langweilig...
Leider konnte mich die Fortsetzung nicht mehr wirklich fesseln. Zwar ist der G枚tterkrieg interessant, der im Prolog wieder weitererz盲hlt wird und Hintergrundinformationen liefert, aber die Handlung selber zieht sich sehr dahin.
Garion, der Sch眉tzling der Gemeinschaft, wird st盲ndig im Dunkeln gelassen, was Magie, die Prophezeiung oder 眉berhaupt die Verwicklungen der Unruhen betrifft, die einen baldigen Krieg heraufbeschw枚ren k枚nnten. Das ist wirklich sehr erm眉dend, wenn man selbst schon so viel ahnt, aber die Hauptfigur so v枚llig ahnungslos "mitl盲uft" und alle "Erwachsenen" es immer besser wissen und ihn auf sp盲ter vertr枚sten - obwohl sie ja schon mittendrin im Umbruch sind.
Ein wichtiges Artefakt wurde gestohlen und die Gef盲hrten reisen dem Dieb hinterher. Das ist eigentlich grob die Zusammenfassung was hier passiert. Sie treffen zwar hie und da wichtige K枚nige, bei denen Informationen ausgetauscht werden, und es gibt kleine 脺berf盲lle und Scharm眉tzel, aber nichts, was mich jetzt besonders gefangen h盲tte.
Was mir gut gef盲llt sind die Charaktere. Diese gemischte Gruppe an Pers枚nlichkeiten ist interessant, vor allem auch die Interaktionen untereinander.
Hier flechtet der Autor auch immer wieder die typischen Schemata ein, wie das karge, menschenunw眉rdige Leben von Leigeigenen, der Willk眉r von K枚nigen, den Hass zwischen verschiedenen V枚lkern, Vorurteile, Misstrauen etc., was ja eigentlich immer in High Fantasy Geschichten eine Rolle spielt. Das gelingt ihm ganz gut, auch wenn es mir manchmal etwas zu offensichtlich oder "gek眉nstelt" wirkt.
Garion selbst ist ein guter Junge. Wobei er mit seinen 16 Jahren hier eigentlich schon zu den Erwachsenen z盲hlen k枚nnte. Er hat sehr idealistische Vorstellungen, was ihn sehr sympathisch macht, aber er bleibt etwas naiv und kindlich, einfach weil ihn auch niemand so wirklich ernst zu nehmen scheint.
Witzig waren viele kleine Details, die mich an die Herr der Ringe Trilogie erinnert haben. Das "Auge", die "Gef盲hrten", die den Helden begleiten, ein Typ aus einem Volk, das einen Schlangengott anbetet und der einem altersschwachen K枚nig L眉gen einfl眉stert (Schlangenzunge :D ) und noch einige kleine Deetails mehr. Das fand ich aber nicht schlimm, sondern eher belebend.
Jedenfalls habe ich gemerkt, dass mich diese Reihe nicht so wirklich anspricht und ich werde deshalb auch nicht die Fortsetzungen lesen - auch wenn ich davon ausgehe, dass dann vielleicht mehr Spannung aufkommt, war mir dieser Band einfach zu langweilig...
September 23, 2015
I can think of much better prophecies
22 June 2012
Maybe I should have discussed idea of prophecy under Pawn of Prophecy because the title of that book seems to be more conducive to that discussion than this book, however I wanted my review of the Pawn of Prophecy to be a bit of an introduction to the series as a whole rather than focusing on something specific. I note that the first review here indicates that the first part of the book seems to be a series of 'meet the enemy, escape, Silk does some business' and that is pretty much it. I personally do not remember that part of it, but as mentioned previously it seems to be a continuation of the tour around Edding's world.
The series is about a young man named 'Garion' who is the Pawn of Prophecy that is the title of the first book. He grows up on a farm with his Aunt Pol pretty much watching his every move, however unbeknowst to him he is actually prophesied to become the High King and then go and beat up the evil god and his armies and thus usher in a new era of peace and prosperity to the land. In a sense his life has already been prophesied which in effect means he pretty much has no choice in the matter.
When I first read the book I really related to Garion (who would not want to be the prophesied one who will save the world) but when I look back upon it I once again simply see how unoriginal it was. The idea of a farm boy going of and saving the world is nothing new: Tolkien did it, as have numerous other writers. However, the difference with Tolkien is that Frodo isn't a part of any prophecy, he is just a little person with a very big task, and the reason he is performing the task is because he first of all was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and secondly he pretty much has a heart of gold. Even then, when standing at the top of Mount Doom, not even he could bring himself to destroy the ring.
The idea that a prophesied one would come and save the world is nothing new either. That concept was pretty much stolen from the Bible, and in many cases the Bible did it much better than any author could ever dream of doing. In books like this that rely on a prophecy it is usually only a small poem that spells out this hero's life. In the Bible the entire Old Testament is the prophecy that herald's Christ's coming. In fact some have suggested that there were over 2000 prophecies in the Old Testament that point to Christ and the argument is that he fulfilled every single one of them. It is also noticeable that half of the prophecies he could fulfil by his conscious actions (such as riding into Jerusalem on a donkey) while the other half he had absolutely no control over (such as being born in Bethlehem).
The other thing that I notice is that in many of the books we see that the main character is either reluctant to take up this role and has to be pushed into fufilling it by his mentor, and that they are very vulnerable, particularly when young, and his mentors must protect him and groom him. However this was never the case with Christ (depending on your interpretation of the scriptures that is, but this is my interpretation). First of all he was aware of the prophecies and who he was and he willingly went about performing what needed to be done, which included going to his death. Secondly, he did have a protector, but it was God. He never needed to rely upon human beings and his parents never took the role of mentor and guide. He was the 'Son of God' and in effect no grooming was needed. Instead he spent his time on Earth preaching and teaching about God the Father, and then dying on the cross as propitiation for humanity's sins.
22 June 2012
Maybe I should have discussed idea of prophecy under Pawn of Prophecy because the title of that book seems to be more conducive to that discussion than this book, however I wanted my review of the Pawn of Prophecy to be a bit of an introduction to the series as a whole rather than focusing on something specific. I note that the first review here indicates that the first part of the book seems to be a series of 'meet the enemy, escape, Silk does some business' and that is pretty much it. I personally do not remember that part of it, but as mentioned previously it seems to be a continuation of the tour around Edding's world.
The series is about a young man named 'Garion' who is the Pawn of Prophecy that is the title of the first book. He grows up on a farm with his Aunt Pol pretty much watching his every move, however unbeknowst to him he is actually prophesied to become the High King and then go and beat up the evil god and his armies and thus usher in a new era of peace and prosperity to the land. In a sense his life has already been prophesied which in effect means he pretty much has no choice in the matter.
When I first read the book I really related to Garion (who would not want to be the prophesied one who will save the world) but when I look back upon it I once again simply see how unoriginal it was. The idea of a farm boy going of and saving the world is nothing new: Tolkien did it, as have numerous other writers. However, the difference with Tolkien is that Frodo isn't a part of any prophecy, he is just a little person with a very big task, and the reason he is performing the task is because he first of all was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and secondly he pretty much has a heart of gold. Even then, when standing at the top of Mount Doom, not even he could bring himself to destroy the ring.
The idea that a prophesied one would come and save the world is nothing new either. That concept was pretty much stolen from the Bible, and in many cases the Bible did it much better than any author could ever dream of doing. In books like this that rely on a prophecy it is usually only a small poem that spells out this hero's life. In the Bible the entire Old Testament is the prophecy that herald's Christ's coming. In fact some have suggested that there were over 2000 prophecies in the Old Testament that point to Christ and the argument is that he fulfilled every single one of them. It is also noticeable that half of the prophecies he could fulfil by his conscious actions (such as riding into Jerusalem on a donkey) while the other half he had absolutely no control over (such as being born in Bethlehem).
The other thing that I notice is that in many of the books we see that the main character is either reluctant to take up this role and has to be pushed into fufilling it by his mentor, and that they are very vulnerable, particularly when young, and his mentors must protect him and groom him. However this was never the case with Christ (depending on your interpretation of the scriptures that is, but this is my interpretation). First of all he was aware of the prophecies and who he was and he willingly went about performing what needed to be done, which included going to his death. Secondly, he did have a protector, but it was God. He never needed to rely upon human beings and his parents never took the role of mentor and guide. He was the 'Son of God' and in effect no grooming was needed. Instead he spent his time on Earth preaching and teaching about God the Father, and then dying on the cross as propitiation for humanity's sins.
February 5, 2017
Queen of Sorcery is a step up from Pawn of Prophecy in The Belgariad but the story is more concerned about telling each individual kingdom's story more than telling a compelling overall narrative. As much as I like fantasy that requires a band of adventurers to travel to different places, the group in The Belgariad seems to keep getting side tracked on the way. Their goal is to stop a thief with a powerful stone from reaching his home territory but the group of adventurers keeps finding themselves embroiled and preoccupied with local politics. I found that a lot of the kingdoms they visited were rather similar and even after finishing the book, I couldn't tell you one from the other very well. I wanted more danger dealing with the overall quest and less side kingdoms.
The writing has matured somewhat from the previous book and it does get a bit detailed when the politics of the kingdom they are currently in comes into play. However, I couldn't help but want more development within the story being told and the characters that are involved. I do like the addition of a few characters to the overall party. I thought that Mandorallan and Ce'Nedra are interesting characters in their own way that added to the story.
I was hoping the antagonists would be a little bit more epic and nasty in this series than they are. For the most part, they don't do a whole lot that really threatens the group. The guy that I thought was going to be one of the main adversaries towards Garion just didn't do a whole lot in this book. I would also like there to be more tension between our group of heroes, maybe some disagreements, and characters splitting up. I think that keeping them mostly together has been rather dull and doesn't allow for deeper character development.
Regardless of the 2* scores for both of the first books in this series, I am still going to keep reading them, and finish up the series. They aren't unenjoyable to the point where I hate reading them. I still would only suggest reading this series if you are new to fantasy(a young teen) or you just want to put this series on your "fantasy mantel" as a series you finished.
2/5
10/25 Possible Score
2 - Plot
3 - Characters
2 - World Building
2 - Writing Style
1 - Heart & Mind Aspect
The writing has matured somewhat from the previous book and it does get a bit detailed when the politics of the kingdom they are currently in comes into play. However, I couldn't help but want more development within the story being told and the characters that are involved. I do like the addition of a few characters to the overall party. I thought that Mandorallan and Ce'Nedra are interesting characters in their own way that added to the story.
I was hoping the antagonists would be a little bit more epic and nasty in this series than they are. For the most part, they don't do a whole lot that really threatens the group. The guy that I thought was going to be one of the main adversaries towards Garion just didn't do a whole lot in this book. I would also like there to be more tension between our group of heroes, maybe some disagreements, and characters splitting up. I think that keeping them mostly together has been rather dull and doesn't allow for deeper character development.
Regardless of the 2* scores for both of the first books in this series, I am still going to keep reading them, and finish up the series. They aren't unenjoyable to the point where I hate reading them. I still would only suggest reading this series if you are new to fantasy(a young teen) or you just want to put this series on your "fantasy mantel" as a series you finished.
2/5
10/25 Possible Score
2 - Plot
3 - Characters
2 - World Building
2 - Writing Style
1 - Heart & Mind Aspect
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