Review of the fantasy series The Belgariad. Written by David Eddings, the series consists of a total of five novels (see below).
The novels are a nice read but they are definitely not ground-breaking in my opinion. The overall story is quite straightforward and the characters are not very complex. Simplicity is not always a bad thing but it is one of the reasons why The Belgariad is not a series I will read for a second time.
On the other hand, many people have read the series and like it, making The Belgariad one of the most influential fantasy series.
Story
The young orphan Garion finds out he is a descendant of a powerful sorcerer and goes on a quest to find and protect an orb that has the power to rule the world.
Over the course of the series Garion finds out he too as special powers but still needs the help of his family and friends to fulfill the ancient prophecy. Garion has to battle the followers of the evil god Torak and even will even have to face the god himself.
Themes & Setting
The Belgariad is classical high fantasy. Set in a completely imaginary world, magic comes in many forms in The Belgariad, with a lot of characters who have supernatural abilities.
There are gods with almost supreme power, sorcerer who can teleport and create things with nothing more than their imagination and wizards who can summon demons. Interesting enough, no one has the power to undo/ unmake things.
The different races and characters are clearly different, each with their unique trademarks, specialties and weaknesses.
Books
1. Pawn of Prophecy (1982)
2. Queen of Sorcery (1982)
3. Magician’s Gambit (1983)
4. Castle of Wizardry (1984)
5. Enchanters’ End Game (1984)
A five book sequel called The Malloreon was also written by David Eddings.
Tags: David Eddings, Fantasy Series, The Belgariad
June 4th, 2012 at 20:58
If you love this…read Eddings’ series the Elenium. I’ve read all of Eddings’ series and I liked this series as much or even more than the Belgariad.
February 16th, 2011 at 18:05
I read the series after having been well introduced to the fantasy genre, perhaps that is why I think Belgariad is all right but not great.
February 16th, 2011 at 12:57
For whatever reason (probably because they were among the first fantasy novels I was exposed to) I LOVE these books. I have lost count of the number of times I have re-read these novels.
February 14th, 2011 at 14:13
This is one of my early reads when I was a teen. Eddings’ fantasy is not particularly complex but it is well imagined and very well written, a great introduction to fantasy reading.
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