Pawn of Prophecy

Rating:
Summary: Needs a Thesaurus, but a good read
Review: When I first read Pawn of Prophecy, I couldn't put it down. The next day, I bought the next one, untill I had the whole series. Now, you might think I'm loony, but I REALLY enjoyed it! Sure, the story is old, and the rang of vocabulary irritating, but it has strong characters devoplment. You care about Aunt Pol and Garion (even though he is rather stupid and whinny), and the rest of the gang. I laughed every time Beldin opened his mouth, and the same with the air-head knight, Mandorallen. My only major complant is that Garion is sooo immature in the Belgarid. (He's about 14 in the begining) I read these at age 11 (1996) and figured out the whole thing way before he did (one book vs. four whole books). But to get to the point, if you want an entertaining, easy read with few flaws, then what's stopping you?

Rating:
Summary: Redefined the fantasy genre.
Review: I can't believe there are bad reviews of this book on here. I have read the Belgariad and Malloeran 5 times since highschool (8 years ago). Although the themes are not as complex as the Elenium / Tamuli... the story is rich, the characters are detailed, and the fantasy is magical... highly recommended!!!

Rating:
Summary: Substandard fantasy that's 4 books too long
Review: I had heard so much about Eddings over the internet, and since I loved fantasy so much I decided to check him out. Without knowing which book to start with, I picked "Gaurdians of the West", and I admit I enjoyed it. Learning that it all began in "Pawn of Prophecy" I immediately purchased it. And lemme tell ya, I was quite disappointed. To be fair, I read the entire series, only to become even more disappointed. Yes, it had a cliched and predictable story...but that is not my complaint. Yes, it had not just stereotyped but one-dimensional and irritating characters (reading Aunt Pol call everyone dear was too painful after 10 pages)...but that is not my complaint. My true complaint is the blathering "story" written to fill up 5 books. I mean, come on, talk about ego. Are you telling me he couldn't have told that tale in one 500-600 page novel? No, of course not. It took 5 books to produce the contrived situations and lame villains Eddings felt were necessary.

If you're looking for a good read, check out David Gemmmell's "Drenai" series. Leave the "Belgariad" on the shelf.

Rating:
Summary: An old story well-told
Review: It is always good to read a story well-told, with characters that grab your attention and that you can relate to. Of course it is not Shakespeare and neither is the story line new or original, but you just want to know what happens next. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series.

Rating:
Summary: A thoroghly enjoyable read.
Review: I have just read the Belgariad volumes right through for the third time, and I still enjoy them all just as much. Pawn of Prophecy sets the tone for the following volumes, all with a nice dash of humour thrown in. Some people might call the characters stereotyped, but I find them comfortingly familiar. I thoroughly recommend Pawn of Prophecy.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent read, read this and you will read the next nine.
Review: A good start to a good series. Well developed characters and a story line, that while mildly predictable, still keeps you interested.

Rating:
Summary: A great book you want to read over and over again
Review: This is the first book of a series of five books. The story centers around a small boy named Garion. He lives with his Aunt Pol on a small farm. What he does not know is there is a big adventure instore for him. David Eddings also give simple hints about what will happen in the future of this series. and makes the story even better when you read it for a second time.

Rating:
Summary: Notice most of the good reviews on this are by children
Review: I too would have liked this series if I never heard of or ready any fantasy before. If Eddings ran his main characters into any more opposition, they might break a fingernail. I have not read a more cliche and montonous series as this one. I need to get his address so I can send him a dollar to get creative enough to think up a new plot next time. Every book in this series is the same damn book the last. There is no beginning, there is only a long, long, long, long, extended, drawn out ending. Eddings' characters are far too infallable to be believeable. Run them into something that they can struggle against for a change. "OH NO! THE BAD GUYS ARE COMING." "No problem," Yed replies. "We'll do the same damn thing that we did in the last 4 books, they always fall for it." The lead character travels with kings and gods as his escorts. What opposition is there to throw at him? At least Eddings learned with the Sparhawk series to make an enjoyable personality for his lead character, rather than a dry, pompous, bloated little snot-nosed punk that was smothered by the companions that rode with him in order to wipe his nose when he couldn't. (Most of the damn series.) Trust me, Eddings writes better stuff in the Sparhawk series. You're better off with other books, because this series, while mildly entertaining, just doesn't cut it due to the amount of time it takes to slog through this series, and frankly it's re-hash of already done fantasy. Look to the masters of fantasy like Glen Cook and Steven Brust if you want decent fantasy.

Rating:
Summary: You just can't stop reading!
Review: When I first started to read Pawn, it was pretty slow. I put it down and stopped reading it for good. One day I was bored and started reading it again. Within a matter of days I was hooked to it. Although it starts out slow it picks up its pace and snatches your eyes. The more your read the more interested you get in the characters. Silk is my favorite, he seems to be so indepth and complicated, yet so simple! Most of the plot is easy to understand and it gives you the yearning feeling to shout out to the characters what they need to know! This is my first Eddings book and I'd like to say that I plan to read them all! If you plan to start this book. . .You better intend to finish it!

Rating:
Summary: Eddings writes real characters in a fantasy setting.
Review: David Eddings has the wonderful ability to take the reader to a well thought out and exicting fantasy realm, and still give his characters real feelings and personalities. One of the major problems with the Fantast jounrah is that characters often get lost in the setting of mythical animals and magical events. This, however, is not the case in Eddings' seires. His characters are very real and easy to realate to. I love the fact that Garion, the books young hero, often displays flaws and genral confusion, after all, that seems to be the human condition.