Customer Reviews

The Malloreon, Vol. 2 (Books 4 & 5): Sorceress of Darshiva, The Seeress of Kell

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This is of course a combination of the first three books which make up "The Melloreon," which is the continuation of the five books that made up "The Belgariad." In this one volume you get Gardians fo the West, King of the Murgos and Demon Lord of Karanda. This is actually a pretty good deal as it does save some space. On the other hand, the print in this edition is smaller than normal and if your eyes are getting as old as mine, then this is something to consider. That is really the only gripe I have about this particular book.

As has been pointed out by many, many reviewers, these books are not "high literature," and in fact are completely filled with errors from the first book to the last. That is not a problem though. As I have pointed out in other reviews on this series, these books are simply fun to read. The plot is simple and to be honest, The Melloreon is just another version of The Belgariad, only told just a bit differently. Again, this is okay, they are still fun. I read these books purely for the relaxation. I know the characters as I have read the books several times, could care less about the plot, and don't rally have to give any deep thought to the reading process. Now don't get me wrong, it would be horrible to have an absolute steady diet of this stuff, but to read these books between heavier works sort of acts as a cleaning agent.

For a light read that is purely for entertainment, you cannot go wrong. You must start though with the first book in The Belagriad which is the Pawn of Prophecy, and read all the books in order our you will never know what is going on. After reading the first book in the two series, and if you find you do not like it, then drop them and don't waste your time as you get about ten books of the same.

Personally, I love this entire series and plan to keep reading them even as I wear copy after copy out.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

I read the two books that are contained in this single volume when they were originally released. It was difficult waiting the 12-18 months between volumes. Each book is well-written, fast-paced, resolves things for the reader -- and then creates another dilemma which leaves the reader hanging -- until the next book hit the bookstores.

The Malloreon Epic Series is the sequel to the equally gripping trilogy, The Belgariad. Eddings creates a mythical world -- the kingdoms of the West and the Angaraks and populates it with noble people you will come to love -- and villains you will justly despise. Good is represented by Garion, farm boy turned warrior king, Belagarath, the 7,000 year old immortal sorcerer, and Belgarath's daughter, the Sorceress Polgara.

Garion becomes King of Riva after slaying the evil God Torak. You will admire his sense of justice and right and wrong as the series evolves. Garion and his wife, Queen CeNedra have an infant son who is kidnapped by Zandramas, the Child of Dark. If he cannot be rescued the boy will be used in a ritual that will make Dark Destiny supreme forever.

In these final two volumes Garion and his companions must reach The Place Which is No More to rescue Garion's son and prevent the Dark Prophecy from being fulfilled. The Seeress of Kell is the only one who can reveal the location, but first Garion and Polgara must fulfill an ancient prophecy.

And the more that Garion and his party learn and accomplish in order to defeat Zandramas, save the world, and rescue the Garion's son, the more they are at risk of having Zandrama's dark magic extract what the group has learned by entering the mind of one of them.

Once again Eddings has continues to spin story lines that keep you reading past the time when you'd promised yourself you would stop. And because the series is now complete you don't have to ration yourself because it will be a long wait for the next installment -- read on, the next and final installment is in the back of the volume.

I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves to see good triumph over evil and sacrifice justly rewarded.

Armchair Interviews says: These are novels that won't disappoint you.

this is the conclusion to the mallorean and to the whole series that began with the belgariad. as in previous reviews, this is my all-time favorite fantasy series. eddings' best work.

I read it 20 years ago and I think I enjoyed it more this time.

For people who enjoy reading for the purpose of getting into the story. The books written by David Eddings' are for people who get attached to characters and love to immerse themselves in reading. To me his books are like coming home for a visit.

If you want to read simply to get to the finish line---Eddings is not for you.

While Eddings Books are not Shakespeare, Hemmingway, Faulkner or Tolkien they are enjoyable reading and a lot of fun. You will find yourself engrossed in his world. There is a lot of humor and from time to time you will find yourself chuckling out loud.

These books are definitely worth the money

This is a wonderful book to read. You should read the first 8 books in this series to completely understand it. Once you starting reading these books you just can't stop.

The Malloreon took a little getting used to - new characters, and most of the ones from the Bellgariad weren't allowed on this trip. All in all a good read that made me have to purchase the Belgarath and Polgara books to prolong the wonder the Eddings created.

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.

I read these books about every four or so years, and I am thrilled that they were re-issued as a bound set.