Elbereth
Ranger
~The light of Il?vatar lives still in her face.~
Posts: 190
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Post by Elbereth on Jun 14, 2005 12:30:42 GMT -5
Right - using the new boards...  But has anyone read David Edding's The Belgariad? It's a series of about five books (most of his writing is...) and another type of fantasy writing. I'm just starting to pick it up by recommendation from a friend and was wondering if anyone else had read it and who enjoyed it.  ~ Elbereth |
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Post by Mithwen Delbaeth on Jul 6, 2005 14:44:42 GMT -5
What is it about? If it's fantisy I'd probably like it.
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Post by Lady Elwen on Jul 6, 2005 18:05:34 GMT -5
Well, the summary version is that there is a particular Orb that protects the West and has been kept at a place called Riva: as long as it's there, the people that inhabit the land are free from the power of an evil god. The problem is that it's been stolen. So you have a farmer's son, Garion, who, as is typical, really doesn't believe in magic and is the one destined to go and recover it. So he has to go to some tower or other (what else is new...  ) And then the usual - personal secrets and discoveries, etc., and then there's more trouble as they start nearing the end - "assassins" on one's tail are never particularly entertaining... And then at the same time, they have to face this evil god, so it's an interesting read. If you like fantasy, then yes, you'll like it. ~ Elwen |
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Post by Mithwen Delbaeth on Jul 11, 2005 17:10:07 GMT -5
Sounds kind of interesting. I might read it at some point.
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Post by Lady Elwen on Jul 24, 2005 14:55:29 GMT -5
Yeah, you should; my summary doesn't do it justice in the slightest. In the version I have, the print is small and the pages are huge, but it's a really, really fast read. I think I got through about 2 or 3 hundred pages in under two hours.
~ Elwen
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Elbereth
Ranger
~The light of Il?vatar lives still in her face.~
Posts: 190
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Post by Elbereth on Jul 30, 2005 19:31:12 GMT -5
Fully agreed. I finished it recently and am looking at its sequel, the Malloreon. They're incredibly good books that read extremely quickly, despite their size. Good plotline, and while I can discern some of the Tolkien elements, some of which are subtle, and others that scream out at you, it's still a solid plot of its own, without the overpowering magicians. ~ Elbereth |
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Lady Adara
Dwarf
.:~:. Adara's Rose .:~:.
Posts: 71
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Post by Lady Adara on Aug 1, 2005 22:05:55 GMT -5
Ah, I love you people for starting this thread... Now... *evil grin* David Edding's work in general has a really good voice to it - there's none of the stuffy tone some fantasy authors can acquire. It flows naturally, and despite the magic-directed setting, they speak much as we would, aside from an occasional difference in topic... Or at least, I certainly hope most people don't go around discussing Murgos and sorcerors and Prophecies... I certainly don't... He has a good voice and sense of dry wit that I adore - almost like Douglas Adams, in a way, but with less of the tongue-in-cheek sense that Adams is so famous for. Now....... *~*~*~*~*~*MAJOR SPOILERS*~*~*~*~* The way he develops the characters here are really good - the fact that you can guess who Aunt Pol and Old Wolf are but don't actually know until later is typical, but well done. Polgara and Belgarath, though sorcerers and powerful, alre realistic and mostly believable - there's weakness and pain and so on, without the invincibility that one typically sees. I especially love Polgara's explosion after Begarath, Garion, and Silk leave... Garion, destiny or no, has an excellent part as the developing hero. He begins as a peasant who has no understanding or belief in magic and sorcery and the like and is forced to accept it. As he does, you can see the change that comes about within him, and watching him with Ce'Nedra... *shakes head* She's so amusing. Part of me wants to stuff her in a hole somewhere and the other part of me just adores her. *grins* Her rallying that army - "I think the gentleman has forgotten his manners!" ;D Ah, and Adara and Hettar - I love Adara; her humour is so much like mine. That dry sarcasm that you can't identify - so much like Cho-Hag in that Murgo-division discussion with Korodullin; terribly amusing - and then Hettar as she gets struck with the arrow. *laughs* I love her sort of declaration of love - and then "dash it all; I'm not dying! Okay, I'll just never see you again." All the characters change and watching them is a pleasure. Errand is something special - that kind of innocence, to never comprehend evil and a bad deed... What kind of life must that be? So... peaceful, in a sense. And Polgara and Durnik make the funniest couple - the last note about Polgara not losing her magic and Belgarath's comment about her "noble self-sacrifice" is just too funny. I almost died when I though Polgara had lost her power, and then that had me falling off the chair. *rereads post* Okay, I do believe I will shut up now... ~ Adara |
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Elbereth
Ranger
~The light of Il?vatar lives still in her face.~
Posts: 190
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Post by Elbereth on Aug 8, 2005 0:56:45 GMT -5
Haha I knew I'd find you here sooner or later, Adara... ;D
But yes, Eddings and his wife are good at what they do, beyond any and all doubt. Some of it's a bit vague, but it's done on purpose, so who can complain? He does a lot of follow-up work to his writing that easily clears the questions up and the sense of humour here is absolutely hilarious. I bookmark pages with post-its when I find good catch phrases and I have flags all over the books. They're really amazing and I recommend them to anyone who likes fantasy - and even to anyone who doesn't.
And as I said, despite some of the clear Tolkien influences (there's a conversation in the course of it that is almost blueprint for the "I wish this had never happened to me..." "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide), it doesn't detract from the quality here. Parts of such influences are things that could be applied anywhere and have relevance to all situations... It's refreshing and a good read...
~ Elbereth
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Post by Mithwen Delbaeth on Aug 9, 2005 19:20:32 GMT -5
Sounds good, maybe I should read it to take a break from The Wheel of Time.
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Post by Lady Elwen on Nov 9, 2005 20:20:53 GMT -5
Oh, you should read these - they're so much fun. I love these books - they're so wonderfully written and absolutely hilarious. ~ Elwen |
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Nathron
Hobbit
~*~A Weaver of Darkness and Light~*~
Posts: 12
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Post by Nathron on Mar 14, 2006 20:45:38 GMT -5
I just finished reading his Belgariad, Malloreon, and the two supplementary books on Polgara and Belgarath... Similarities though there may be, I am absolutely in love!! Silk has to be one of my favourites by far--his sudden terror of rocks and caves is positively hilarious. Garion... Developed, good character, but starts out rather dry. I admit to being entranced by Polgara--she reminds me a bit of myself in some ways, obviously sans the Will, and Ce'Nedra simply irritates me. She's necessary and I do like her, but oh sometimes I wish she could just disappear... David and Leigh Eddings do a fantastic job with creating this universe--the similarities in both style, format, and voice are so perfectly fit to their characters--phrases like the "I thought I noticed you noticing" don't even become irritating, the way one might expect... Their humour is wonderful; I have so many pages bookmarked in here with little catch phrases that have me falling over laughing. Wonderful writing, good humour, all interspersed with a dark realisation that could end the world... How cheerful... ~ Nath |
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) And then the usual - personal secrets and discoveries, etc., and then there's more trouble as they start nearing the end - "assassins" on one's tail are never particularly entertaining... And then at the same time, they have to face this evil god, so it's an interesting read. If you like fantasy, then yes, you'll like it. 
