Pawn of Prophecy (The Belgariad, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

by David Eddings (Author) "THE FIRST THING the boy Garion remembered was the kitchen at Faldor's farm..." (more)
Key Phrases: old storyteller, green cloak, hooded man, Aunt Pol, Mister Wolf, King Anheg (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Absorbing. Touches all the right Fantasy bases. Warring gods, political intrigues, supernatural creatures, and appealingly human magicians." -- Publishers Weekly

"Fabulous! Eddings has a marvelous storyteller style. Exceedingly well portrayed." -- Anne McCaffrey

Exactly the kind of fantasy I like. It has magic, adventure, humor, mystery, and a certain delightful human insight." -- Piers Anthony --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Description
"Eddings' BELGARIAD is exactly the kind of fantasy I like. It has magic, adventure, humor, mystery, and a certain delightful human insight."
Piers Anthony
Long ago, the Storyteller claimed, in this first book of THE BELGARIAD, the evil god Torak drove men and Gods to war. But Belgarath the Sorcerer led men to reclaim the Orb that protected men of the West. So long as it lay at Riva, the prophecy went, men would be safe.
But Garion did not believe in such stories. Brought up on a quiet farm by his Aunt Pol, how could he know that the Apostate planned to wake dread Torak, or that he would be led on a quest of unparalleled magic and danger by those he loved--but did not know...?


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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (January 13, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345335511
• ISBN-13: 978-0345335517
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (361 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #224,715 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 1 in The Belgariad Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "We're all foolish at one time or another.", June 14, 2005

By	Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

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.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Fun, July 28, 2000

By	William Briggs (Burlington, VT) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

32 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Book/Series For Adolescents & Kids., December 27, 2004

By	Jana L. Perskie "ceruleana" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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