45 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"We're all foolish at one time or another.", June 14, 2005
It's summer, I have a habit of keeping books forever, and thus it is time to take a retrospective ramble through some of my favorite books. Like many people, pawn of prophecy was my introduction to David Eddings and I became fascinated with what first appears to be a coming of age story of Garion, a young boy in an old world, who grows up on a farm only to discover that there was quite a bit more to him than he expected. This volume only drops vague hints about Garion's personal history, so I'm going to keep a bit mum about it. Suffice it to say that, if he is important enough to have the two oldest sorcerers in the world watching over him, then he is very important indeed.
The sorcerers in question are Belgarath and his daughter Polgara. Both are fiercely determined and wield sarcasm even better than they do spells. Danger threatens and a priceless artifact is stolen. They take Garion on the road with them and the boy of 14 going on fifteen gets a whirlwind tour of his world as Belgarath and Polgara first chase the artifact and then confront the council of the Alorn kings. While this is hardly children's fiction it spends the time to visit Garion's all too human confusion and fears. His guardians are slow to explain things to him and like any adolescent of that age; Garion deeply resents being treated like a child and craves more attention than anyone has time to give him. But he copes, and we gradually will come to understand that he is more than just a frustrated whiner.
Eddings' strength is his talent for character building and sharp dialog. The basic plot isn't all that original, but the characters make everything come to life. You won't find extended paroxysms of ornate prose here. Eddings' people are irascible with the whole slew of human foibles and good points. The writer dotes on them, and despite the complex plot. There are long periods of small gestures and political nuance.
This particular series, the Belgariad, is probably the best of Eddings' work. As time goes on he does recycle bits and character types. But any writer who counts 20 large volumes as output will do this, and I've seen far worse work done with much more fanfare. If you like pointed dialog and narrative in a book that frequently forgets to take itself seriously you will find this series will quickly steal both your interest and your heart. David Eddings may not be the next Tolkien, but is the next David Eddings, and that's quite good enough.
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29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Fun, July 28, 2000
Let me first say that I only give five stars for books that, to me, are the very best of the genre. My 4 star rating is not intended to slight this series at all.
I have seen several previous reviewers complain about the predictable storyline and lack of intricacy in the plot. And hey, I agree. These books are NOT written to be complex; they are written to be FUN. I have read the Belgariad and Mallorean more times than I can count, and they are both extremely enjoyable, and at times, touching. Eddings has a flair for writing dialogue that brings his characters to life. On the downside, those characters are mostly static, and rarely change - their personality types are set in stone, and their interactions are almost always the same. Occasionally, however, Eddings will surprise us and reveal a facet of a character's personality that we have not previously seen.
This particular book is actually a bit slow, and not really all that much Cool Stuff (TM) happens. In the second book and onwards, Eddings describes the magic and lands of his world, and I must say that they are both extremely interesting.
If you are looking for a deep, intricately woven plot that has turns within turns, I would suggest picking up Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy or George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. If, however, you are looking for a rollicking, fun adventure then I can wholeheartedly suggest the Belgariad, starting with Pawn of Prophecy.
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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Surprising Book, November 22, 2002
I have to say, I was certainly surprised by this book.
I bought it, thinking that when I just want some
cheap, easy reading book, I'd have something to read.
As I began it, I was very scepticle about the whole
thing. The writing, I must say, wasn't the best I'd
seen in my life, and the setting remained constantly
in the backround, never a key element of the book, and
not well described. So, in the beginning, I was
getting exactly what I expected. Then, about 50 pages
in, it suddenly became interesting. I got caught up in
the plot so fully that, when I didn't really feel like
reading, I found the book in my hands and I was
rushing through the pages.
The plot comes close to making up for the quality of the
writing. The plot is the perfect example of why I
started reading fantasy books in the first place. It
starts out with focussing on a young boy called
Garion, who lives on a very successful farm owned by a
man called Farmer Faldor. Garion was orphaned as a
child, so he remains in the care of his only known
relative Aunt Pol, the chief cook of the farm. One
day, an old, wandering storyteller shows up at
Faldor's Farm. It turns out that Aunt Pol and the old
man knew each other from long ago, and the old man
takes her and Garion along with him on some mysterious
quest which Garion is left in the dark about for most
of the book. They left, joining up with several
companions, then went off in search of an unknown
person who has stolen an unknown object of importance
which must be recovered at all costs....
Really, this wouldn't be held together by itself; the plot was helped out greatly by the characters. I think that the characters were simply amazing. They were all so realistic, though sometimes maybe a bit too perfect, and all of them developed naturally as the story progressed. The characters combined with the plot just about make up for the writing and setting.
I would recommend this book to anybody who likes fantasy books. It's an easy book, so even younger people could read it and enjoy it.
*please give me feedback: helpful, or not?*
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