Customer Reviews

The Belgariad, Vol. 2 (Books 4 & 5): Castle of Wizardry, Enchanters' End Game

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I read The Belgariad over 10 years ago and has just finished reading the series the second time. I find myself enjoying it even more. The story maybe too familiar, good versus evil with a happy ending but I have a weakness for this kind of story. The strength of the series is the development of the wonderful characters, the smooth plot and of course the dry humour. The Belgariad is simply a timeless fantasy to be treasured.

The Belgarad is one of the, if not the, best work of fantasy out there today. I highly recomend it if you like High Fantasy. There are smiles and laughts around every page.

This series started it all for me. It was the first fantasy series I ever read, and I have to say, it's as good a read now, some 15 years later, as it was the first time I picked it up. Hard to believe it's been 20 years in print!!

I can't recommend this series (as well as the Malloreon, to follow) enough. Truly, IMHO it ranks second ONLY to the original Dragonlance Chronicles.

The story (beginning in Vol 1) is your classic good vs. evil. For those who have read the Belgaraid Vol 1. this is a must have. For those that are reading the review, but have not read Vol 1. (or the three books that it comprises) then stop, find it, and buy them both!

Why? Learn how a young immature boy, and a young spoiled girl grow up "the hard way" with conflicts, battles, and hard lessons learned. They grow up fast, and become very memorable characters. Eddings does an amazing job fleshing out the characters in the Novel. Everyone has a personality, everyone has a reason to be there. Even the story itself seems to speak to you as if it is a stand-alone character.

If you like fantasy novels like The Lord of the Rings (JRR), Icewind Dale (Salvatore), The Magician (Feist), etc. then you'll love these books.

The Belgariad is Eddings' first and best fantasy series. First published in the mid-1980s, the Belgariad differed from other fantasy fiction because: (1) it was not based on the elf-dwarf-human creature structure like Lord of the Rings and its various copycats (Terry Brooks, Weis/Hickman, Dennis McKeirnan, etc.); (2) it had mature and defined political systems (including a country that popularly elected its king), international relations and ethnic patterns, unlike even the more mature fantasy offerings of Donaldson (Thomas Covenant) and LeGuin (Earthsea); (3) it had a unique formulation of magic -- the will and the word; and (4) it inverted the purpose of the fantasy quest -- the EVIL ONE sleeps and the heroes seek to prevent his awakening BEFORE he begins his attempt to take over the world (again).

Eddings narrative is sly and occasionally slick -- the characters balance seriousness with humor and the dialogue is often very funny. His world is believable because the political and religious interactions make sense. The best feature of the Belgariad is its relative tonal change -- from reflecting the innocent wide-eyed view of young Garion (the hero, farmboy, of course) in Pawn of Prophecy, the next two books become darker and more serious as Garion begins to realize who he is and what is at stake, and he comes to grips with who his "Aunt Pol" and his "Grandfather" really are.

By the time book four, Castle of Wizardry, starts the hero is acting and thinking proactively instead of merely reacting to events or bobbing along with the tide (like in Queen of Sorcery, volume 2). He's grown independent and a good deal wiser. By the end of Book 5, his emotional range includes earned sympathy for his enemy -- a rare trait in the standard fantasy fare.

This volume includes the weakest entry in the series, Castle of Wizardry, where the heroes regroup after a successful end to part one of the quest. But from the second half of Castle onward, the conclusion is full of action.

Eddings' books are something of a quest story with a travelogue in the world he created -- in the Belgariad he leaves no country untouched in the western continent; in the Mallorean the characters go to every major district in "boundless Mallorea" and his other series (Tamuli, Elenium) are similar. Unfortunately, each of the countries' citizens tend toward a stereotype that Eddings establishes for each nation.

If the various Eddings series sound repetitive, that's because they are -- Eddings repeats the same formula with some variations in his other series and the various wisecracking and irreverent humor that is refreshing in the first Eddings series you read becomes tiresome and predictable thereafter.

That said, the Belgariad is the first, the most original and probably the best farmboy-saves-the-world quest of the genre.

The romance we see in the other books look like puppy love to these. The fighting we see in the others look like little skrimishes. These are the best book in the series. And in my opinion the best books in the world. It is brimming with amazing drama. There aren't words to describe it is so good. READ THESE BOOKS!!!!

I was sad when I finiashed reading this book. After loving the first volume with books 1,2, and 3, I loved even more, this volume, contain the final 2 books of the Belgariad series, and as great as the first 3 are, the final 2 are much better, no comparison. Obviously the book became much more exciting here. Garion learns who he is, the final battle and the final duel, and an interesting twist at the end. So I just finished reading one of if not the greatest fantasy series ever, so why was I sad...it was over.

I was introduced to this series a couple of years ago and I've been in love with it ever since. I can't believe I never came across it sooner. Of course now that I've read it I come across it in book stores all the time now. This series is a beautiful series for all readers. I wouldn't limit it to fantasy lovers because it is simply a terrific series. It has everything you can ever want to read in a book - humour, fear, action and satisfaction that good does indeed have a say in what goes on in the world. The characters come alive in your head without even trying, the storyline is addictive so it's best to either buy all the books in the series from the start or make plans to get it as soon as you can.

It was great to get these books in 4 books instead of 10. I still re-read this series and I've recently bought them as christmas presents. It's an excellant buy for any avid reader or even for those you might want to encourage to read. For all those who do buy this series, check out Belgarath and Polgara - the companion editions.

Eddings shows his writing prowress once again, in the conclusion of his series The Belgariad. The character interactions are as amusing as ever, as are his scenes, and Eddings does a grand job of entertaining his readers. With a touch of humor, powerful prose, and intersting happenings, Eddings once again creates a masterpiece. Many unanswered questions are answered in these two last books and some new ones added, as Eddings keeps the plot moving and twisting and delighting readers. For those who are sad to see the end of Garion's adventures, we are thankfuly blessed with The Mallorean, which continues Garion's adventures. Volume two is the amazing conlusion to the breathtaking Belgariad and I highly recommend it.

Why is 'volume 2' the only part of the series available on Kindle? What about part one and what about the sequel, 'the Mallorean'? We fans need to make sure they become available-on the regular amazon website there is an icon on the product page of every book that is not available on kindle: 'would you like to read this on Kindle?' Please visit Eddings' books and click on this link to show them how eager we are to read these books on our kindles!