The Rivan Codex: Ancient Texts of THE BELGARIAD and THE MALLOREON. [Hardcover]

Leigh Eddings (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0345424026 | ISBN-13: 978-0345424020 | Publication Date: September 14, 1998 | Edition: First Edition

Ancient Texts of The Belgariad and The Malloreon

When David Eddings sketched a strange map one morning before work, he took the first step in an extraordinary imaginative journey that would last for years and result in a majestic saga of Gods, Kings, and Sorcerers--one loved by millions of readers the world over. Now David and Leigh Eddings take us on a fascinating behind-the-scenes tour of the extensive background materials they compiled before beginning the masterpiece of epic fantasy unforgettably set down in The Belgariad and The Malloreon and their two companion volumes, Belgarath the Sorcerer and Polgara the Sorceress.

Our tour stretches from the wealthy Empire of Tolnedra to the remote Isle of the Winds, from the mysterious mountains of Ulgoland to the forbidding reaches of darkest Mallorea. We will visit the time before Time when two opposing Destinies began the cataclysmic struggle for supremacy that would involve Gods and men alike, crack a world asunder, and threaten to unravel the fabric of the universe itself. We will see the origin of the Orb of Aldur and glimpse the final act upon the Sardion Stone.

Along the way, we will stop to greet old friends: Belgarath, the Old Wolf, disciple of the god Aldur; Polgara, his enigmatic daughter; brave Belgarion, the Rivan King; and his beautiful Queen, Ce'Nedra. Old enemies will be waiting, too: the maimed god Torak, evil incarnate; Zandramas, fearsome Child of the Dark; and the tragically corrupted traitor, Belzedar.

Rare volumes will be opened to your eyes. Sacred holy books in which you may read the secrets of the Gods themselves and of their prophets. Scholarly histories of the rise and fall of empires from the Imperial Library at Tol Honeth. The profound mysteries of the Malloreon Gospels.

Brimming with the adventure, romance, and excitement readers have come to expect from David and Leigh Eddings--including invaluable advice for aspiring writers on how and how not to create their own fantasy worlds--The Rivan Codex will enrich your understanding of all that has gone before . . . and whet your appetite for all that is yet to come.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

So you want to write a multivolume, bestselling epic fantasy? Here's the book to help you. The Rivan Codex was published to answer the many letters David and Leigh Eddings have received from students, teachers, and aspiring writers. It's a companion to the 12-book fantasy series comprised of The Belgariad (five books), The Malloreon (five books), Belgarath the Sorcerer and Polgara the Sorceress. In David Eddings's words, The Rivan Codex "may give the student of our genre some insights into the creative process--something on the order of 'connect wire A to wire B. Warning! Do not connect wire A to wire C, because that will cause the whole thing to blow up in your face." This is a collection of the groundwork David and Leigh Eddings laid for the Belgariad and Malloreon series. On this firm foundation they imagined and built their world in book after book.

There's a fascinating introduction, a personal history of Belgarath the sorcerer, Holy Books, Gospels, Histories, King Anheg's diary, and an afterword. Footnotes tell how the authors used and changed these materials in writing the books. And of course, there are plenty of maps (the starting point for all epic fantasies). --Nona Vero

From Publishers Weekly

Though full of treasures, this farewell to the world of the authors' bestselling Belgariad and Mallorean sagas is rather a mixed bag. The book contains an autobiographical foreword, explaining the roots of the double saga in David Eddings's reading of medieval epics, the editorial influence of the late Lester del Rey, the longstanding but only recently acknowledged role of the author's wife as "unindicted collaborator" and the perils of writing high fantasy in general. The volume then presents a variety of well-crafted pseudobiblia, such as Belgarath's autobiography and many of the Holy Books. It goes on to the historical, economic and ethnographic background of the major nations of the sagas. There are many other pieces that reflect well on the Eddingses' world-building skillsAas if the novels themselves had not already demonstrated their craft. This book may be unintelligible to those who are not Eddings fans, but it will be irresistible to those who are. It is also of some scholarly interest in revealing the roots of one of the founding megasagas in modern English-language fantasy. Science Fiction Book Club alternate selection.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 394 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; First Edition edition (September 14, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345424026
• ISBN-13: 978-0345424020
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #624,400 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this book, IF..., June 16, 2000

By 

Kevin P. Costello (Riverside, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rivan Codex: Ancient Texts of THE BELGARIAD and THE MALLOREON (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a great book, so long as you have already read the earlier books in the series.

I repeat, THIS BOOK IS LIKELY ONLY WORTHWHILE IF YOU HAVE ALREADY READ AT LEAST THE BELGARIAD (and preferably other books in the series as well).

There, now that that's out of the way, this is actually a really interesting book! If you're looking for a plotline, or new stories of Garion and Polgara, sorry. Not here. What this book does contain, however, is the fascinating history of the work BEHIND the 12 books written thus far set in the lands of the Belgariad. It opens with a short introduction by Eddings, giving some of the history behind the series and some of his reccomendations for the budding fantasy writing. The remainder of the book was actually written before any of the other books of the series. It consists of the histories and texts Eddings designed to give himself an idea of what his world would be like. As I said, no plotline whatsoever. What it does give, however, is a rewarding look in the mind of Eddings. What's more, it made the next time I read the series itself even more rewarding than the last (or the first, for that matter). If you haven't already read the series, it won't make much sense. If you have, however, this is a must-read if simply for the appreciation of the work Eddings put into everything.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good book for patient people, August 4, 2001

By 

S. Hameed "shire-reader" (Berkshire, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rivan Codex: Ancient Texts of THE BELGARIAD and THE MALLOREON (Mass Market Paperback)

The Rivan Codex is not actually part of the series of either the mallorean or the belgariad. Its also quite different from the Belgarathe and Polgara books. If you were expecting a continuation of the Garion storie, your going to be disappointed. But, if you want to know stuff like how the other books were written, or if you want to know more about the individual civilizations of the series then this is the book for you. It starts with a foreword by David Eddings, describing his own adventures while writing the book. After this mini-autobiography, is a series of chapters including all the books, eg. the Book of Torak, the book of Ulgo, etc. Most of this is given at the beggining of the belgariad and mallorean books, but its here altogether. Then comes the part I liked best, which is an analysis of the different cultures, i.e, stuff like what currency each race uses, what they dress like and other interesting stuff. Then to top off the book there's King Anhegs diary, which is the closest youll come to another Garion story. It gives a very small account of what happens after the mallorean. I bought it in the hope of another Garion story, and was a little disappointed at first, but in the end I enjoyed quite a bit.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars If you Loved the first 12, then read this one too., November 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Rivan Codex: Ancient Texts of THE BELGARIAD and THE MALLOREON. (Hardcover)

I did Love the first 12 books, so you other avid Eddings' fans can relate to my delight when I seen this tome on the shelf. However, for those of you who haven't yet bought it ... wait for the paperback. This novel does provide some interesting information about Belgarion's world, and a great bonus is when we are treated to something that readers rarely get in hearing about the inside thought processes of the authors. However, there is simply too much in here that any observant reader should have picked up in the wonderful first 12 novels (which would all get 5 stars from me), and even worse is the almost bitter, resentful feeling that Eddings relays in his sporadic diatribes to the reader. It's almost as if he felt forced, not by the readers, but by his publisher to produce this book. I, though, remain glad that he did write this novel and look forward to some NEW adventures.