Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings
I read Pawn of Prophecy as an adult, a few years ago. I had heard great things about it, so I was disappointed after reading it. The plot is typical “orphan boy saves the world” fantasy, the description is weak, the dialogue is often silly (humor is a focus, and much of the dialogue is funny — but it’s not realistic). The pace is rapid, however, and I flew through the book in one day.
The Belgariad would be just right for a teenager (so I give it 3 stars), but not for an adult who’s looking for something deeper to savor.
~Kat Hooper
Here is Bill’s review of the entire BELGARIAD series:
Back before David Eddings became a shampoo-rinse-repeat sort of author, churning out the same old storylines and character types, there was the original BELGARIAD series, which remains by far his best work.
The premise is an old stand-by — farmboy discovers he’s not who he thought he was and, along with a band of helpers, goes on a quest to stop the world’s destruction/domination by the evil one. But Eddings manages to breathe a lot of life into the archetypical plot. His characters are gradually revealed throughout the series to have hidden layers of complexity, his main character, Garion, grows throughout the series, the tone darkens and deepens as one goes on, the world tour is detailed and interesting, the plot quick moving, and there is a great deal of humor laced throughout, often in the form of great character banter.
THE BELGARIAD remains one of the better series to have come out, and in fact the formula worked so well that Eddings basically decided to use it again and again and again. Personally I found the repetition in later series grew too tiresome to tolerate, but none of that diluted the first joy that came with reading THE BELGARIAD. It’s not as strong in its depth or literary creation as some others, but sometimes fun is enough.
~Bill Capossere
The Belgariad — (1982-1998) Young adult. Publisher: It all begins with the theft of the Orb that for so long protected the West from an evil god. As long as the Orb was at Riva, the prophecy went, its people would be safe from this corrupting power. Garion, a simple farm boy, is familiar with the legend of the Orb, but skeptical in matters of magic. Until, through a twist of fate, he learns not only that the story of the Orb is true, but that he must set out on a quest of unparalleled magic and danger to help recover it. For Garion is a child of destiny, and fate itself is leading him far from his home, sweeping him irrevocably toward a distant tower — and a cataclysmic confrontation with a master of the darkest magic.
I’m about to start the last book in The Belgariad series and your 3-star rating and comments are right on target. I’ve enjoyed the series, but it clearly has its weaknesses. This would probably be a great series for a teenager who is being introduced to the fantasy genre.
Finished the series and it’s a solid 3-star series. I enjoyed all of the books but they drag for brief periods. The ending is very good.
I don’t even remember the ending, it’s been so long. I should re-read and give it a proper review.
I grew up hooked on Eddings and see his books as a guilty pleasure now but I still get a nostalgic thrill from reading something the ‘rat-faced man’ said and the fantasyland geography.
I’m doing a reread right now; this series is comfort food, really. the banter is so much fun and the magic is actually very nicely handled (powerful and flexible with limits so it’s not always deus ex machina). There some weird racial stuff that makes you think Eddings was setting up the world to have nonhuman races and then changed his mind, and the gender roles are a bit antiquated, but it’s still a very enjoyable high fantasy series with memorable characters that rise above their archetypes.
Like Bill said, “sometimes fun is enough”!