Pawn of Prophecy

Rating:
Summary: Who brought this guy?
Review: Is there supposed to be a plot in this book? Eddings does have SOME talent, but maybe he should try harder next time. I think I'll go back to reading Jordan's Wheel of Time from now on. Now THAT'S quality.

Rating:
Summary: I buy them in hardback so I'll have them forever!!
Review: If you're looking for something to occupy your complete attention for a couple of weeks, start reading Eddings' Belgariad and Mallorean. I read all ten books in less than 2 weeks while going to school full time. This one starts out a little slow but before long you'll be hooked!

Rating:
Summary: Don't let this one discourage you from reading the rest.
Review: When I finished reading "Pawn" I was so angry that one of my co-workers had suggested it to me. It was slow, and I didn't care about what happened to any of the characters at the end of the book. However, my friend assurred me that the following books in the "Belgariad" built upon this first book, and that I wouldn't regret reading this book once I was done with the series. He was absolutely correct. Once I had finished the first five books, I couldn't wait to read more. Now, I read anything I can find by Eddings

Rating:
Summary: TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE
Review: If you like Fantasy literature, Tolkien or if you simply want to know what this is all about: Read It! Magic, riddles, adventure... Fantasy at its best

Rating:
Summary: Good, but...
Review: I found the first half of this book slow. I felt as though I was reading a preface and not a novel. Still, it was worth reading, and, even if it is one of David's weaker books, I would still recomend it to anybody who enjoys fantasy

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful legend!
Review: I was 9 when I first read the Belgariad and the Mallorean, and I've experienced all ten books twice since then. David Eddings retells the classic legend of the war between good and evil masterfully with this entire world of characters--complete with international politics and prejudices-- and manages to keep his tale magical yet not too fantastical by giving each of these characters a believable depth and personality. In fact, it incorporates a very typical, modern day ordeal in with all this fiction: growing up. The books' main character Garion is only fourteen when his blissful childhood is shattered, and he goes through all of the tribulations of adolescence--struggling with the realization that life is not as simple as he thinks-- as he tags along on an epic quest which he hardly understands, only to discover that he has a vital role in it. As a youth I am attracted to Garion's point of view --and of course to fairy tales-- but the I'm sure "Pawn of Prophecy"'s beautiful text and underlying themes would appeal to any adult as well

Rating:
Summary: David Eddings is one of the best author's this century!
Review: I have read this book and all of the others in this series a hundred times or maybe more, Edding has a unique writing style that I have not found with any other writer, he is able to create characters that seem more real than you or I, the story includes adventure, romance, murder, battles and sorcery joined with his subtle sense of humour, Edding makes a most remarkable read. Definately a can't-put-down book, I give it a hearty thumbs up

Rating:
Summary: Kewl
Review: This book did start a bit slowly but it drew me right into it and never let me go. I liked the funny parts in the end, like Garion's encounter with Maidee, and the way he ended up stuck above the throne room. This book changed me a lot - that one line where they were scoffing Islena "She fancies herself a sorceress." I used to have the disgusting habit of imagining myself lots of things I wasn't - really powerfully psychic (I still belive I may be a little, though), slender, pretty, a good gymnast, a fast skater, none of which I am. Now I am careful, thanks to Islena, to not let my ego get away with me. I am much more critical of myself, rather than bragging only. Breathe deep seek peace, Tin

Rating:
Summary: The usual subjects
Review: The Belgariad was my first venture into the world of fantasy literature - except Tolkien, and I never even tried to find something to match that. So for a beginner in fantasy there is much that David Eddings has to offer that readers will find appealing: socerers, epic battles, bantering among characters as they journey to unknown lands...in other words, all the usual fantasy stuff that are fun while they last. In terms of strikingly original ideas the Belgariad has little to offer, but if you want to curl up on a summer day with a book that won`t exactly wrack your brain, but then again won`t insult your intelligence either, this is the series for you. David Eddings never attempts to go beyond the limits of what is 'done', and certainly does not possess the depth and breadth of vision like writers such as Robert Jordan or Tad Williams; rather his books make for a comfortable, entertaining read, without dark or unsettling overtones anywhere. The thing that really gets to me, though, is Eddings` concept of immortality. He doesn`t seem to have one. We are blithely informed in the course of the story that Belgarath is 7000 years old, Polgara a mere 4000. Our world is only a little over 5750 years old, and the changes that occurred between year 1 and now were - well, everyone knows what they were - so how is Belgarath, who`s lived so long, managed to spend all his time in alehouses, doing the same things for 7000 years, without changing a whit? And does this mean that Pol's kids are going to be immortal - what`s more, that Garion is immortal, and Ce`nedra (because she`s a dryad) and their kids....you see how it goes? Now imagine the overcrowding in a world like that

Rating:
Summary: This was a good book but had it's slow moments.
Review: This was a very good book kicking off the start of the best series that I've read. It had it's slow moments and that's what stopped me from reading it for a while. IT was really slow getting started, but once they met Barak and Silk in the woods then it started moving a bit faster. I read this book again after I finished the Belgariad, the Mallorian and Belgarath the Sorceror and it was a lot better. But the only problem with that was I got most of Polgara and Belgarion's history and I could pick out mistakes that were either made in the Pawn of Prophecy or Belgarath the Sorceror. It definately had it's funny parts though