Demon Lord of Karanda [Hardcover]

David Eddings (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Del Rey (1987)
• ASIN: B000MW6OGK
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,132,224 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Eddings was born in Washington State in 1931 and grew up near Seattle. He graduated from the University of Washington and went on to serve in the US Army. Subsequently, he worked as a buyer for the Boeing Aircraft Company and taught college-level English. His career as a fantasy writer, with his wife Leigh, has been spectacular.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Here an Emperor, there a Demon, July 9, 2005

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Demon Lord of Karanda (The Malloreon, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

One thing you can depend on David Eddings about is that the plot always thickens. He takes a great deal of pleasure in bringing odd mixes of people together and then letting the interactions take unexpected turns. This volume starts out with Belgarion the unwilling guest of Zakath, Emperor of Mallorea. For nine volumes Zakath has been Belgarion's opponent in one fashion or another, and now we discover that, while he may be headstrong and ruthless, he has positive qualities as well.

Quite a few of them, for that matter, and Belgarion finds himself liking the Emperor in spite of himself. As the reader will see in later volumes this is an important turn of events. For now though Zakath is still a stumbling block - unwilling to let the Child of Light and his friends continue on their quest. Prophecies have a knack for making sure things happen in Eddings world, and so it isn't all that long (well, two thirds of a volume) before the story moves forward again - right into even further crises.

At this point Eddings introduces what I feel as an unnecessary embellishment - demons and demon lords. It seems that several of the Grolim hierarchs, each desperate to gain control of the Sardion, have taken to conjuring up powers that are really beyond their abilities to control. Since they are immortal and unbeatable (and utterly evil, of course) they operate like dei ex machine, dropped like bombs on the plot to create an excuse for more writing. But the truth is, they aren't all that interesting as plot devices. I prefer my bad guys to have more personality. Heck, the prophecy has more personality than the demons.

But unlike the Belgariad, the Malloreon shows no signs of bogging down in the middle. Eddings has matured, than this series has moved past the coming of age themes of the original story. The characters are adults, although they often don't behave that way. The problems are more complicated as are the characters themselves. So one can forgive the few missteps that Eddings does make. Or perhaps not - opinions remain split about the Malloreon, although I have never quite figured out why. I find it better written, but less grandiose emotionally.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars the same old story, but enjoyable characters, January 6, 2004

By 

Joe Sherry (Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Demon Lord of Karanda (The Malloreon, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

Book 3 of the Mallorean

This book continues the quest of King Belgarion to rescue his kidnapped son from the hands of Zandramas. Picking up right where "King of the Murgos" left off, Garion and company (Belgarath, Polgara, Sadi. C'Nedra, Silk, etc) head off to the continent/Empire of Mallorea under the power of the Emperor Zakath. This seems to be a side trip as they are trying to get to The House of Torak at Ashaba, but the group keeps getting sidetracked. However, as Belgarath says in the book, even with all the distractions, they keep gaining ground and time on Zandramas. That fact is no different in this novel.

While in the capital city of MaL Zeth, reports start coming in about a sorcerer who is raising a legion of demons. While the quest for Garion's son is important, a legion of demons threatens all and must be addressed. Add to this a touch of plague to the city, and Zakath's refusal to let Garion leave, and you have the makings of this novel. Like the other books of this series, it is a familiar story that mirrors that of The Belgariad (the first series involving these characters).

I would consider this to be light fantasy, but because of how well Eddings writes his characters, they feel like old friends from the start, and it is easy to get wrapped up in the story. This is also the 8th book featuring these characters, however, and we are getting the same story over and over again, so that there is really nothing new here. Silk acts like he always does, and says the same things, and Polgara responds the same way. If this is your first time through the series, and you have enjoyed it thus far, you will continue to enjoy it. After reading it multiple times, it begins to grow a little tiresome because of how similar everything David Eddings writes is to each other. This is a fun little series that I greatly enjoyed years ago, and less so today.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Keep on keepin on..., October 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Demon Lord of Karanda (The Malloreon, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

While true, the story of the Belgariad could have been told in less than five books, I enjoyed stretching out the time with the characters. It's like family members, you don't necessarily need to be doing something all the time. Simply spending time with them is what you really enjoy. While the plot of Demon Lord of Karanda may not have been more than a sidetrack to lenghten Edding's contract to 5 books, those who enjoy the characters could have read through five more with great joy. At least there isn't just one plot within the story of Garion, just as there isn't just one plot in anyone's lives at any given time. The entire series is simply a joy to read.