Belgarath the Sorcerer [Mass Market Paperback]

David Eddings (Author), Leigh Eddings (Author)

Book Description

Release date: June 1, 1996

Bestselling authors David and Leigh Eddings welcome readers back to the time before The Belgariad and The Malloreon series. Join them as they chronicle that fateful conflict between two mortally opposed Destinies, in a monumental war of men and kings and Gods.

When the world was young and Gods still walked among their mortal children, a headstrong orphan boy set out to explore the world. Thus began the extraordinary adventures that would mold that youthful vagabond into a man, and the man into the finely honed instrument of Prophecy known to all the world as Belgarath the Sorcerer.
Then came the dark day when the Dark God Torak split the world asunder, and the God Aldur and his disciples began their monumental labor to set Destiny aright. Foremost among their number was Belgarath. His ceaseless devotion was foredoomed to cost him that which he held most dear--even as his loyal service would extend through echoing centuries of loss, of struggle, and of ultimate triumph.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this epic fantasy, depicting thousands of years of sorcerous, noble and godly machinations, the Eddingses return to the world of their multivolume sagas, The Belgariad and The Malloreon. This prequel to the earlier books, presented as Belgarath's memoirs, offers an absorbing story line and some memorable characters as, once again, the authors touch all the right fantasy bases, with warring gods, political intrigues, supernatural creatures and appealingly human magicians involved in a titanic war over the course of seven millennia. Because of the vast scope, the sense of ages passing and of destiny unfolding is well conveyed; but that same scale confines the authors to handling some events and characters only briefly, and it mutes the story's emotional power. Nonetheless, Eddings fans will no doubt snatch this novel off the shelves, while readers new to the authors' world won't find a more appropriate place to beginning exploring it. 400,000 first printing; major ad/promo.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

While relating his event-filled life, the immortal sorcerer Belgarath weaves a compelling tale of two opposing Necessities that spans 7000 years and bears witness to the rise and fall of human hopes and destinies. The latest effort by the authors of The Belgariad (Ballantine, 1986) provides a new spin on material familiar to series followers. It illuminates the mysterious past of a world cracked apart in its infancy by the jealousy of its gods. The sometimes humorous, sometimes sharply rueful voice of the narrator provides a welcome anchor in this lavishly portrayed journey through time. A welcome addition to most fantasy collections, this title can be enjoyed apart from its predecessors.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 736 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; later printing edition (June 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345403959
• ISBN-13: 978-0345403957
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.5 x 7.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (184 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #70,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A warning to potential readers... July 18, 2004

By A Customer

Format:Mass Market Paperback

This book is a great addition to the saga; a real added bonus for those who already love Eddings' work. Its wry humour and great storytelling style make it a definite page-turner, despite a few qualms I had with Belgaraths' little 'asides' to the reader - amusing to begin with, but a few of his quips fell short with me. However, overall, an extremely enjoyable read.
However, I must add a word of warning to potential readers out there. A lot of reviewers have been recommending Belgarath the Sorcerer as a good way to start on the Belgariad and Mallorean series - it IS a nice summary of the world Eddings has created but some people might want to avoid it until they have read the other series as this book reveals many of the plot-twists which, for me, made the Belgariad and Mallorean so enjoyable. Eddings' device of starting and ending this book with episodes from Garions' current life, set after Seeress of Kell, is a good idea but it means that a new reader will quickly find out what happens to the gang in the end - if you're the kind of person who flicks to the ends of books anyway then that's alright, but if you want to save the surprises for later then don't read this book yet! A friend of mine picked up Belgarath the Sorcerer before reading the other books and was disappointed that she then knew what was going to happen to Garion and his friends. Also, the world-building which came quite gradually in the Belgariad and Mallorean is now crammed into one book here, and I think many of the references to events in the other novels would be lost on new readers here, especially towards the end of this book when emphasis is heavily on the background of characters such as Silk, Barak and Garion.
Overall, a great book, but you'll get more out of it if you've read Eddings' previous works already!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What is in it for you? :) October 17, 2005

By M. B. Alcat

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you are one of the many fans of "The Belgariad" and "The Malloreon", here is another treat for you. If you haven't had the pleasure of reading those wonderful epic fantasy series, make yourself a favour and read them before tackling "Belgarath the sorcerer". You can thank me later for introducing you to a wonderful new imaginary world and to likeable characters :)

"Belgarath the sorcerer" starts just where "The Malloreon" ended, that is the book "Seeress of Kell". And, strangely enough, it is nothing less than Belgarath's autobiography. As those who have read the series already know, Belgarath is a notoriously lazy sorcerer, probably the least likely person to feel the need to write his story. Unless someone compels him to do so, of course. But to know who or what could do that to an all-powerful sorcerer, you must read this book.

What is in it for you?. Well, lots of fun, and the opportunity to know how things really started, from the point of view of one of the main characters in the series. You get to accompany Belgarath from his birth in the small village of Gara, to the fateful day when he met Aldur and became first his pupil and then his disciple. In case you are as curious as me, you will also be grateful to know that this book will allow you to learn more about Belgarath's family, and to live wondrous adventures with him and his friends.

Personally, I found the opportunity of "living" the things I had merely read about in the previous books specially rewarding. The fact that Belgarath's memories span thousands of years gives the reader the opportunity of gaining a good perspective on all the things that happened, thus preparing him to read the previous books in the series in a different way. A warning is in order, though. If you haven't read the previously mentioned books, this book has big-time spoilers, so please don't risk ruining the surprises those series have for you. Do first things first, and read "The Belgariad" and "The Malloreon" before "Belgarath the sorcerer".

All in all, I loved reading this book, and I highly recommend it to those who aren't ready to leave the world of Belgarath and his friends. Enjoy it!

Belen Alcat

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars MORE OF THE SAME, BUT I LOVE IT. October 11, 2008

By D. Blankenship HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Belgarath The Sorcerer is more or less Belgarath's view and explanation of events which led up to the start of The Belgariad, which began with the book Pawn of Prophecy. The reader will find most of this story quite familiar in that Eddings has rehashed much of the information which was presented in the previously mentioned series. Granted, there are new twists and new detailed information, but the story is the same. Many of the characters in this new book are the very same characters we find with our original reading of the series. Now some have found this to be a bad thing. I personally rather enjoyed it. I make no bones about it, nor do I apologize for being a big fan of Eddings (and as we now know, Leigh Eddings, his wife). As I have mentioned in my previous reviews, these are comfort books for me. I read them for relaxation. The author has even used many of the tired old jokes, which are actually sort of funny, in this work as well as most of the settings and situations we have come to expect.

As mentioned before, with the first ten books I have been able to identify 233 errors the author made (hey, I even have my books cross referenced). With this work, I am able to add even more errors! While this may seem a bit compulsive/obsessive (which indeed, it probably is, well too bad...I enjoy it and plan to continue the hobby). We are not talking typos, punctuation and such; we are talking major errors in plot and facts. This is a wonderful game and I love it. For me it does not distract from the story one bit, and in fact makes it sort of charming.

This work, like the previous works from which it was taken, moves right along, and while quite predictable, for the most part, is still a very interesting read and great fun to just enjoy. The author can tell a good story and he does hold my interest. Again, this is not for every one. If you did not enjoy the first ten books of the series, then you will probably not enjoy this one. Actually, I cannot for the life of me figure out why someone who hated the previous books, forked out good money for more of the same...go figure.

If you are a fan of Belgarath and crew, then you will quite likely enjoy this read, if you are not...

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks