Customer Reviews

Sorceress of Darshiva

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Book 4 of the Mallorean

Have you heard the expression "The more things change, the more they stay the same"? That expression is perhaps a good analogy for Eddings' Mallorean. Belgarion, Polgara, Belgarath and company are hot on the heels of Zandramas, the sorceress who kidnapped Belgarion's infant son way back in Book 1 "Guardians of the West". Now the group is only a couple of days behind, but more than just finding Zandramas they have to follow the prophecy which is gearing up between a final (truly final) meeting between the Child of Light and the Child of Dark. This story takes place on the continent of Mallorea, and another character is added to Belgarion's group as they follow the clues laid out by prophecy. While it may feel at times that the story will never end and that Belgarion is not truly getting closer to finding his son, this novel does give the sense that there is a true resolution that is going to happen if we just wait for it.

Neither this review nor this book is capable of changing your mind about whether or not you like David Eddings or his work. If you like Eddings, the "Belgariad" or the first three books in this series, then you will certainly like this one. It is more of the same. If you don't like Eddings...you won't like this one because it is still more of the same. Every character is witty and makes jokes at the others expense, but in a good natured way because they all like each other. They are the same jokes and side comments that have run through 8 previous novels set in this world. On one hand the jokes are amusing, but on the other hand, we've been reading the same jokes and comments for eight novels. This series (along with "The Belgariad") is one which hooked me on the fantasy genre when I was a young teenager, so I will always have a certain fondness for the series. In terms of overall quality, it is not one of the best you will read but it has always been enjoyable to read.

[wry smile] By this point you are either an Eddings fan or you aren't. I like him because of the things that often irritate other readers. He doesn't create continuous flows of action, but uses a picaresque style that leads the reader back and forth across a continent on a quest that is going to take exactly as long as it is supposed to, no matter how you feel about it. Edding's solution to writing a series that covers a nine month effort is to make it feel like it has been nine months. If you don't like a perpetual stream of distractions you aren't going to like this book.

This time the questers are following Zandramas through Melcena. With and without Zakath, harried by demons and grolim, and generally perplexed by the mystery of finding a place that 'is no more.' This book rises and falls on the banter between the characters as they alternatively criticize themselves and the people around them. There are plenty of moments of humor and a few plot twists, but, like the third volume of the Belgariad, this is where the story bogs down.

My theory is that Eddings always overwrites by one full volume. He loves quests and he wrings every detail out of them. It is only when he realizes that his characters have begun to parody themselves that he changes pace and finally heads for a conclusion. This is an admitted flaw in a writer whose imagination I generally appreciate. Parts of what he has done have extended the epic genre, and his decision to use approachable and even weak characters has made fantasy more appealing to those of use who are put off by flowery language.

If you've gotten here, you have read eight full volumes of the author's work. You are considering to reading the ninth, and I promise you that nothing much is going to change. If you like Eddings you will have fun reading that, if not, you won't. But if you don't read it, you will miss Ziss's pregnancy and Vella's teasing.

David Eddings is the master of fantasy. I have read the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I have read so many fiction books that sometimes i confuse fantasy and reality but I know a great book when i read it and David Eddings books are just that. They have all the elements of fiction Magic, Sorcery, Intiuge, Creatures that exist nowhere else, and a world with a past and present so finely detailed that you swear its almost real... if you could only find the door. Some claim his books are predictable that good always wins but if some thing wasnt just a little bit predictable we would all probly take to our beds to frightened to go on.

We all belive Belgarion and the Orb will win and good will once again prevail but again and agian our minds fill with doubt as Eddings tests that belief. If we all wernt so fascinated with the series and the doubts it gives us we would have stopped reading long ago.

But we havent stopped .That alone speaks for it self.

I am surprised that there are still so many complaints about repetition and and slow plot by the fourth book, if you dislike this kind of writing you might have stopped at the second or third.
Eddings makes it very clear in the beginning exactly how long the quest is going to be, how many characters will die, and even whether or not the heroes will succeed (at least in reaching their destination). I've never seen another author manage to do that and still keep a grip on his readers.
There is definitely a sense of humour in how he lets things happen over and over again in opportune moments. Even those who complain about the repetition probably haven't noticed half the things in the book that ties back and forth and even across to other series. Noting some of these is really quite fun.
Thirdly, this is obviously not a book about gory battles of demons and clashing armies. All of us enjoy those books at times, but we also need something to read under lamplight just before sleep. Eddings usually keeps me awake for hours.
If there is one complaint I have to make, it is that Eddings needs to work on his olde English, it's not very convincing.

I love all of David Eddings's books. This was a really good series. The only thing was that I got a little tired of Ce'Nedra's hysterics, and I would have liked to know more about what happened with Silk and Velvet. But otherwise it was a wonderful book(and series)

Who is Zandramas? Well this book is a lot about her and where she comes from. Garion must hurry to meet her at the correct time and place to stop her from becoming a new Torak. Can he do it. This book only took me two days to read it which says a lot because I am a very busy person. I think you will finish it just as fast.

David Eddings makes me wanna puke, i can't think of a higher compliment. But i must say one thing about the people who think they are fantasy experts and that eddings sucks, may be the problem all you people who give eddings' books one star, maybe the problem is YOU suck, ever think of that? i have never read books as intriguing as eddings', they are simply wonderful.

i've been reading paperbacks (adventures, sci-fi, police stories, etc) for years now. but when i came across david edding's book 3 of the tamuli (the hidden city), i can hardly wait to locate our local bookstores for tamuli's book 1 and 2. when at long last i had them and read them, i hungered for more of david eddings. so i made sure i have the complete books of the elenium (diamond throne, ruby knight, sapphire rose). as i encountered the reader's comments on the belgariad and the malloreon, i think i still have so much to get from eddings (therefore saving a lot of money to buy the 10 sets! uggh). anyway, where else can you find the most wondrous of stories, the whims, the humors, written in the most easily understood words? I am so engrossed and influenced by the books that i borrowed the name of one of his characters in the elenium and tamuli--the mightiest name and the god of all gods--bhelliom. thank you mr. eddings, for giving us stories like those of yours, which we could pass onto our future children and grandchildren. Congratulations!!! Your works are more than a five-sta

As you can readily see by the reviews posted here, there are two camps; those that absolutely cannot stand Eddings and this series, and those that love it. Now I am one of those that love this series, but possibly for different reasons than some. Yes, I admit that I have read literally hundreds upon hundreds of books in this genre and, others that, that were and are much better. No doubt about it. These are not literary masterpieces. That being said, I have to admit to having read them over and over again. For me, these books are what I call my "comfort" books. I can mindlessly read them, enjoy them, and almost always have one in the process being read constantly. I read a lot of history, biographies, etc. Some of these books are a pain and a strain to get through, even though I love reading them. I am one of those individuals that have anywhere from five to ten books going at any given time. These books by Eddings give me a break, clear my mind, and to be quite frank, tickle me.

Now if you have gotten this far in the series, you only have one book to go after this one, so you might as well suck it up and finish them off. This entire fantasy epic started with Book One: Pawn of Prophecy and went through five books in The Belgriad. You think you are finished at this point, but no....now you have The Malloreon to read through, another five books (this book being reviewed is the next to the last in The Malloreon). There are ten in all. Again, to be honest, other than the very first book of The Belgariad, none of these books has the ability to stand alone. It is almost impossible to understand the story unless you start from the beginning. That is the nature of selling a book series and making some money out of them (reference the Wheel of Time series.)

This particular work, Sorceress of Darshiva, takes our band characters (somewhat reduced from the first series) on their continuing quest to find the Place Which Is No More and their ultimate battle with the Child of Dark, Zandramas. To be honest, this book is absolutely no different than the previous books. It is quite predictable, same characters appear and reappear and the same banter takes place between the various members of the quest. I will say that this particular book, the one being reviewed here, the second series, as a whole, certainly has it's share of "fillers." This book ends, and.....well, I will let you read that for yourself.

Do not short change David Eddings and his wife, who was actually the coauthor of this and previous works, though. The author has done a pretty good job of creating a complete different world, based of course, on past civilizations in our own world. The society they build and world they create is full of Gods, Wizards, monsters and truly strange folks. There is plenty of magic, plenty of mild action (nothing too descriptive or bloody) and the story moves along quite nicely. (Sorry folks, no sex in these books although there is plenty of flirting). Eddings was one of the first in this genre to actually give women a leading role and made many of these women quite powerful. He also made most of his characters dumb as a fence posts at times, including all the leading characters. This is sort of refreshing. My wife, children and grandsons tease me about one of my habits which I indulge in while reading this series. I check it for errors. Not just nuts and bolts errors such as typos, but errors in plot, contradictions, impossibilities in the story line, etc. I actually cross reference these errors in my "about to fall apart" set of books. So far I have identified 233 of these errors and have conscientiously noted them and cross referenced them. This is a fun game within itself. No, I don't need a life, it is no worse than working a cross word or other such game. Sort of compulsive behavior disorder working here,I admit, but hey, we all have our little problems.

Recommend you read the first book in the series. If you like it, push on. If you don't like it, dump it and go on to something different as there are just too many good books out there and life is far too short to read something you do not like and enjoy.

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.

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