Customer Reviews

Demon Lord of Karanda (Book Three of The Malloreon)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

David Eddings, along with J.K. Rowling, is the best author i have ever read. His characters are funny and realistic, but not inhuman and stupid. The third book of the Mallorean Demon Lord of Karanda once again demonstrates his skill.Garion and company are captured by an emperor. when a plague breaks out in the city they are being held in, they must escape.They are pursuing Zandramas, a sorceress who has captured Garion's son.Vivid details add to this story as they journey after Zandramas in this exciting and suspensful book. Everyone should read the Belgariad and the Mallorean because they are so good.

David Edding is a wonderful fantasy/advnture writer. The depth of his characters and his intertwined plots makes all of his books hard to put down. This series of books was one of the best yet from David Eddings. I am looking forward to see where he can lead us to next.

David Eddings is one of the best around in creating beleivable characters in an interesting environment. Never before have I read such an enthralling book, which seems to focus more on dialogue than description. Each of the great characters (Garion, Polgara, Belgarath, Silk, Velvet, Sadi, Toth, Eriond etc) sets out on another part of the Mallorean adventure, running into several snags and twists on the way. The book begins with the adventures taken by force to the palace of Kal Zakath. On there way to the palace, they learn of Mengha, a Grolim priest who has summoned a demon lord. A guest appearance by Bendin saves the day, and the band continues on their quest to find the Sardion for the fabled meeting of the Child of Light and the Child of Dark. This book (and series of books for that matter) offers every reader a great opportunity to get lost in the world of fantasy. Even if you have not read the other books in this series, or if you are not even a 'fantasy' reader, this book has great characters with noble qualities you are sure to enjoy. It might even be said that David Eddings has managed to transcend the genre, by providing brilliantly alive characters whose thoughts and feelings make this story come to life.

You know, after reading these series of David Eddings, i have to ask myself....What was the reason for all this anyway? If youw ant great Sci Fi read David Gerrold's War on the Chorter series

Many people think David Eddings is overly formulaic which he is a bit but since I enjoy the tale he tells I do not mind reading it over again. His characters always have great humor at their core and you can't beat a good epic tale for entertainment value. This particular book is one of my favorites by him.

This is the third book in the Malloreon (after Guardians of the West and King of the Murgos, and berfore Sorceress of Darshiva and Seeress of Kell).

The first half of the book takes place in the immense Mallorean capital Mal Zeth, where Garion, Ce'Nedra, Belgarath and Polgara, Durnik, Toth, Silk and Velvet, Sadi and Eriond are spending spring as reluctant guests in the imperial palace, trying to convince Kal Zakath to let them leave again on their quest.

In the second half, after finally managing to escape with the help of Silk's associate Yarblek, the Nadrak merchant, Vella and a voluble juggler named Feldegast, our heroes make for Ashaba where, according to Cyradis the seeress, they might catch up with Zandramas.

What I enjoyed the most in this volume was discovering, alongside Garion, Kal Zakath's complex and as it turned out, even friendly personality. In the same vein as with Urgit, the Murgo king, I liked finding out that there was more to him than met the eye. I hope to see more of them both before the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters, while not as complex as I would have wanted, are fun. By this point (after reading Belgariad and the first 2 books of the Mallorean)you know all the characters well and can sit back and enjoy the dialogue. That, to me, is what this is all about. The characters don't get very much closer to the end of their epic fantasy quest, but who cares? This book is not so much plot-driven as character driven. I love the character of (Kal) Zakath, and have always liked Belgarath, Polgara, Silk, and especially Beldin. As another reviewer said, reading this is like spending time with friends. You enjoy the wit, and don't really worry about exactly what is going on.