|
Title | Guardians of the West
|
Author | David Eddings
|
Cover Art | Kathleen M. Lynch
|
Publisher | Del Rey - 2005
|
First Printing | 1987
|
|
|
Title | King of the Murgos
|
Author | David Eddings
|
Cover Art | Kathleen M. Lynch
|
Publisher | Del Rey - 2005
|
First Printing | 1988
|
|
|
Title | Demon Lord of Karanda
|
Author | David Eddings
|
Cover Art | Kathleen M. Lynch
|
Publisher | Del Rey - 2005
|
First Printing | 1988
|
|
|
Title | Sorceress of Darshiva
|
Author | David Eddings
|
Cover Art | Kathleen M. Lynch
|
Publisher | Del Rey - 2005
|
First Printing | 1989
|
|
|
Title | The Seeress of Kell
|
Author | David Eddings
|
Cover Art | Kathleen M. Lynch
|
Publisher | Del Rey - 2005
|
First Printing | 1991
|
| |
Category | Epic Fantasy
|
Warnings | None
|
Main Characters | Garion, Belgarath, Polgara, Silk/Keldar, Velvet, Durnik, Ce'Nedra, Sadi, 'Zakath, Zandramas, Errand
|
Main Elements | Wizards, gods
|
Website | ---
|
|
Books 1-3
Discover the magic of The Mallorean - David Edding's acclaimed series, the sequel to his bestselling The Belgariad. Now the first three Mallorean books appear in a single volume, taking us on an epic quest across strange lands among gods, kings, sorcerers, and ordinary men. It is a gripping tale of two ancient warring destinies fighting a battle of good against evil.
Garion has slain the evil God Torak and is now the King of Riva. The prophecy has been fulfilled - or so it seems. For there is a dire warning, as a great evil brews in the East. Now Garion once again finds himself with the fate of the world resting on his shoulders. When Garion's infant son is kidnapped by Zandramas, the Child of Dark, a great quest begins to rescue the boy. Among those on the dangerous mission are Garion and his wife, Queen Ce'Nedra, and the immortal Belgarath the Sorcerer and his daughter, Polgara. They must make their way through the foul swamps of Nyissa, then ito the lands of the Murgos. Along the way, they will face grave dangers - captivity, a horde of demons, a fatal plague - while Zandramas plots to use Garion's son in a chilling ritual that will make the Dark Destiny supreme.
Books 4-5
Here is the epic conclusion of David Edding's enthralling series The Mallorean - two magnificent novels in one volume. This monumental fantasy follows the story of two age-old opposing destinies locked in a seven-thousand-year war for control of the world, its gods, and its men. Indeed, the victor will determine nothing less than the fate of all creation.
Troubles mount as King Garion, Belgarath, and Polgara pursue Zandramas, the Child of Dark, across the known world. The wicked creature has abducted the King's infant son for sinister purposes. If Garion and his companions cannot reach the Place Which Is No More, as the Seeress of Kell has warned, then Zandramas will use Garion's son in a rite that will raise the Dark Prophecy to eternal dominion over the univers. Only the Seeress of Kell can reveal the mysterious locale, but first Garion and Polgara must fulfill an ancient prophecy in the mountain fastness of the Seers. Although Kell is closed to Zandramas, her dark magic can forcefully extract the intelligence she needs from one of Garion's party. Setting traps and dispatching her foul minions, she is determined to claim the world for the Dark God. But Garion will let nothing stand between himself and his son...
For what it's worth, the premise was ridiculous. In The Belgariad, Garion completes his destiny and the prophecy is fulfilled...oh wait, you mean it isn't? Oh, so it wasn't enough to kill a god to set things right, there's still more to do? Will it ever end? In truth, if you don't want more, The Belgariad wraps up fine, you don't have to keep going if you don't want to.
That said, I didn't mind returning to this world and the characters that inhabit it. Especially as some of my favorites return (Silk) and ones only briefly seen but deserving of more page space (Sadi). Also, we find that the world we knew from the Belgariad was just a small portion of the lands, on the other side of the sea there's Mallorea, and it's huge! It's maybe what Lord of the Rings could be if you continued on past Mordor, there's a whole bunch of land out that way, and the readers never learn anything about it except that every now and then a bunch of evil men come pouring out of it. Wouldn't it have been interesting to follow the two blue wizards out there? In The Mallorean you can do the equivalent in this world.
The overall plot is very similar to the first five books, get a group of heroes together and run from one end of the land to the other, but since everything is pre-ordained it's questionable if they are even able to mess things up until one gets to the final event. In fact it was so similar to the first five books that even Garion noticies the repetition of certain types of events in certain locations and Belgarath confirms it's because the timeline is kind of stuck until the prophecies resolve themselves and things can go forward. Not sure if that was some handwaving to have to avoid thinking up new stuff, or it was intentionally built into the story.
But you don't necessarily read these books for the plot but for the characters. Sure, they are kind of walking sterotypes and charicatures, but they're fun, and pretty much everyone is snarky. Garion at least isn't wandering about wondering why all this is happening to him, he's finally grown up (well mostly, anyway). All the bads guys generally turn out not so bad when you sit down and talk with them, or if they continue to be unreasonable, it's probably because they are a pawn of the events and can't help themselves.
While these books aren't exactly deep, though all those stereotypes I think actually for Garion/the reader to think not just of the negatives but also the positives to be found in various people (Mimbrates are dumb but loyal, Chereks are drunks but brave, etc) and there are a few moments when one needs to work through some ethical questions.
Overall, fun, relaxing, sometimes laugh out loud read. It's the silliness that make these books what they are, not the serious bits. So sit back and just enjoy! And remember, you're not done yet, there's still three more standalone books to go.
|