Customer Reviews

Pawn of Prophecy

5 star:		(228)
4 star:		(74)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(23)
1 star:		(29)

 

 

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.

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.

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?*

I hate to go against the grain here, but if I had not been raised on J. R. R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Ring Trilogy," and if I had not read tales of faeries and mythology omnivorously as a child, I would be kinder when reviewing David Edding's "Pawn of Prophecy." Tolkien, however, and superb folk and fairy stories are difficult acts to follow. I think it is important to mention, if it is not obvious with my first sentence, that I came to this book, and series, as an adult. Children and adolescents should take to it much more enthusiastically than I. I also have little patience with cliches. And David Eddings begins Volume I, Book I of the Belgariad with a biggie - the battle between Good and Evil, fought by the most obvious of opponents. There are few shades of gray; one is either a supporter of one destiny or another.

The Prologue provides the reader with the mythology of the Gods, and the history of the tremendous war amongst them which triggers major changes in the face of the earth, all its Kingdoms, its peoples and their alliances. There is a Great Lord of Evil, Torek One-Eye, who steals a most powerful Artifact through which one can wield mighty power. The Lords/Gods of Good, must regain possession of the Orb or the Dark Power will reign supreme. Humans are used as avatars to do the Gods' bidding. A company of humans, heroes all, must go on a dangerous quest to wrest the precious jewel back from the Dark One's clutches. Sound familiar? And there is a young boy, (a "child of destiny" ), who leads them - an orphan -a seemingly normal child, who is being raised in the hinterlands as a household servant by his aunt, the cook. The boy, Garion, is the heir to the most noble of lines, and has a great purpose in this series. Substitute Tolkien's Ring, or Arthur's Sword for the Orb, and Gandalf or Merlin for Aunt Pol and one basically has the storyline. Now, I never expected author Eddings to reinvent the wheel, but he could have made his plot more subtle, more of a challenge. I was a third of the way through Book One when I had things pretty much figured out.

I will say, in spite of overdoing the tried and true, the book has definite merit. I enjoyed many of the Belgariad characters. It is difficult not to like Garion, or be at once fascinated and delighted by Aunt Pol. Eddings has a definite flair for creating vivid characters, so alive they come right off the page. However, none of them are quite tested to their limits. Again, I think the novel, and the series, lack edge. The humor is terrific at times, as is the dialogue. The "evil ones," however, are not anywhere near as scary as they could be, and as a veteran of some rather frightening books peopled by some terrifying beings, this was a disappointment. Again, this "flaw" turns into a plus for a younger audience.

Overall, "Pawn of Prophecy" is well written and moves along at a good pace. I would definitely recommend this for teens interested in fantasy, and I think reading this aloud to a child would be a fun experience.

JANA

One former reviewer of this book made mention of the fact that they had come to this series from reading Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. I have read (and loved) both of these series but here's a tip: If you have just read Martin and you are looking for a fantasy series that lives up to that masterpiece.. look elsewhere. DO NOT PICK UP EDDINGS. I will explain why: David Eddings is a great writer (not a Great writer with a captial G mind you) but he is not and will never be in a league with Martin. Period.

To understand Eddings it is perhaps useful to use some comparisons to other genres. If Eddings were a classic rocker he'd be Foreigner. If he was an 80's metal act he'd be Dokken (Or perhaps Motley Crue). If he were a movie he'd be the Harry Potter movies (Not the books). In other words, he creates paletable, slightly above-average Fantasy for the masses. Just for the record, some people might think that's an insult but I think that's a perfectly fine goal.

Many fans have chastised Eddings for recycling elements from book to book and series to series. To some extent this is true and I used to feel that way. But that was before I realized that what the Belgariad/Malloreon series most resembles is a Fantasy based Sitcom in book form. People crack jokes and get into funny situations while in serious situations and take other funny situations way to seriously. There is a liberal use of deadpan humor and in some cases downright slapstick. Once this sitcom idea is understood then you can think back and realize that every sitcom recycles elements (Three's Company was the worst about this) but it's the characters' reactions that keep us interested.

And speaking of the characters: This is where Eddings shines. By the end of this first book you will love at LEAST one character enough to make you want to continue on with the story and if you don't.. there will be one in the next book (I guarentee it). It is worth noting here that if you are unfortunate enough to be searching for characters with the depth of a Tyrion Lannister or Eddard Stark you are not going to find them. Eddings writes damn lovable characters but they are much more of the hallmark variety (In comparison)

One other criticism of this book that I'd like to answer is that this first book is too slow. Again, while there is some truth to this there is a reason for it. There is a disease that many fantasy (and sci-fi) novels have which is known sarcastically as "Name-itus". This is where you pick up a fantasy novel expecting a good read and instead are forced to commit about 2 gazillion names of places, People, things and the various alternate names of said places, people and things to memory. This book is slow so as to allow you to SLOWLY soak in at least some of the names and the stories that go with them before you actually NEED to know them. This is especially true of place names. By the time the story starts movie properly you will find that you have gained a coherant understanding of the world you are reading in without having to continually look back to find out the name of this or that thing.

Lastly, I'd like to address the people (Like me) who read The Elennium first and are wondering whether the Belgariad is worth it. The answer is an emphatic yes. I have one main reason for this. By the time we meet our main hero in The Elennium, he is already set in his beliefs, he's world weary and he enters the story in the middle (As do we the reader). The Belgariad by contrast starts it's narrative with the main character's first memeories and shows his development from boy to man so that you understand him that much better.

There is one serious flaw in this book as I see it: Polgara. Most male fantasy authors write women horribly (Jordan.. and Jordan again) but Polgara is extremly unlikable. The moment that did it for me was when Garion (after weeks of being in the dark about why his life has been uprooted asks some question about their circumstances. Polgara responds by ordering him off to do some menial task. In my eyes this makes Polgara the worst kind of slime. Asking questions is sign of an intelligent mind and punishing one for asking questions obviously means that She has no interest in the intelligence of her ward (Which is marked by her constant berrating of him even when everyone else sees the good in his action) Someone who acts like that drags down the entire human race. I never could quite get out from under the bad feelings this character gave me for the rest of the series.

All in all this book is highly recommended but it should be noted that the story picks WAY up in the next book.

Reading a fantasy series for the purpose of evaluating its contribution to the growth of the genre will greatly reduce the enjoyment that you should get from ANY series. This series wasn't written to be the next Lord of the Rings. It was written to be enjoyable reading, and that's how it should be taken. Eddings succeeds overwhelmingly in making the Belgariad, and later the Mallorean, an enjoyable read. Sure, much of the story is predictable at times. So what? If you approach reading without a literary critic's hat on, you'll love this series. If you can't read for enjoyment, you won't like it at all, and you have my deepest sympathies.

This series of books are literally the best fantasy novels I have ever read. No kidding! The main characters are very well developed and it is so easy to follow along with them in the story, root for them, worry with them, laugh with them, love them. The use of magic and descriptions of the powers and limitations of magic make it seem all more plausible and real. You will want to read the rest of the books in the Belgariad series and then read the Mallorean, which is a sequel series to this series. My only criticism is that the overall plot of the Mallorean stems from the reoping of something that seemed to have been concluded in the first series, the Belgariad. However, this is a small flaw and can easily be forgiven after experiencing the true joy of spending time with these characters. Pay particular attention to the relationship between Aunt Pol, Garion and the story teller at the beginning of the series. Be sure to look at the maps included with the books. Be familiar with the layout of the countries and land masses. They all come into play as Garion travels around the world in the series. This is definitely a series to purchase. The characters make this series worth reading over and over. I've read both series twice, and plan to continue to read them every couple of years for a long time. Even if you are not that interested in fantasy you will be when you are finished with "The Pawn of Prophecy." A HIGHLY recommended series. Happy reading!

I don't know how anyone could dislike this series. The Belgariad (and Malloreon) are pretty much the classic fantasy epic: a small group of heroes opposing a much larger group of the "bad guys", with some destiny and preordinance thrown in. Is it predictable? Sure. Is it predictable that the Bulls will win the NBA as long as Jordan plays? Sure. Do people still watch the NBA? Sure. Is there any reason you should read the Belgariad? Absolutely. It's one of the best fantasy series of all time. Someone before mentioned the vocabulary range was bad; I beg to differ...the books read very easily, and the dialogues between the characters are snappy, sarcastic, and many times, funny. A reviewer was annoyed that a character called people "dear" all the time. That reviewer should go meet my aunt; people talk like that ALL the time, which is why this series is good: when you read it, it reads realistically (as much as a fantasy series with magic and swords can, ! anyway).

On a side note, lovers of Star Wars should read this and catch all the similarities (many of them VERY precise) between this series and the Star Wars saga. Heroes from the Belgariad and Star Wars coincide, as do some of the ways things work (magic in the books is similar to the Force). If you like Star Wars and haven't read this, keep an eye out! If you have read it, go re-read it and take a look. I was surprised, but it only made me read it even more (as the title says, I'm up to 12 times reading the entire 10-book series). The dialogue between characters is also SW-reminiscent: very quick, sarcastic, and sharp. There's a lot of one-liners in there, and I've found quite a few webpages that have voting areas for your best oneliners. ("I wonder how he'd like it if I threw him in the dungeon! Do I have a dungeon?" "We'll improvise.")

In summary: Eddings doesn't bore you with 3-page-long sentences like Andre Norton, doesn't bore you with 10-page-l! ong sentences like Tolkien, doesn't entice you to burn the ! book with shoddy storytelling like any TSR book lately, and doesn't intimidate you with 1000-page books like Robert Jordan. These intimidating books are roughly 400 pages average and yes, there's many...but once you read one, you'll be hooked and you'd be in the frame of mind where if the 2nd book were 2500 pages and could rival the unabridged dictionary, you'd read it.

My advice: order this book, Queen of Sorcery, The Magician's Gambit, Castle of Wizardry, and Enchanter's Endgame, all at once. If you don't, you'll be constantly wanting to get the next one, so make it easy on yourself at the start and get them all.

(incidentally, no offense to the authors above; the comments are based on my opinions and talks with other people who read them. I actually like them, they just weren't as enjoyable or easy to read)

By reading the other reviews you can find out what this and the subsequent books in the series are about. But I want to tell you what it felt like to read this book.

I first read the series about eight years ago (I was 15) and I still remember the sheer joy in reading that I discovered with these books. I remember more than one night that I picked up one of these books and just couldn't put them down. Not just one either. Those nights I failed to notice the clock tick past midnight, one, and two. I couldn't help picking up the next book "just to read the first few pages." At the same time though, I desperately wanted to slow down, to drag out the feeling, but I couldn't help but read a little more. Reaching the end was a truly painful experience.

Since then I've read the series several more times, and every time I rediscover that joy. I hope others are as gifted by these books as I have been.

This book is just that: a story but that doesn't mean that it isn't good. Eddings has likeable characters and this series is one of the classics of the genre. It has all the components of a workable fantasy and was written with humour and verve. If you are looking for a book which will challenge you then don't read this book unless you want to post a snotty review lamenting the decline of the genre. However if you want a bit of escapism then go ahead. Eddings is just as valid as Tolkien and much more readable.