Pawn of Prophecy (Belgariad)

There's a lot to like about 'Pawn of Prophecy' - it's jam-packed with hooks and is a real page-turner kind of fantasy, with lots of humour and secrets woven into the plot. There are some pretty classic archetypes in the characters and it's very satisfying to see Garion grow across the book (and series).

The first Eddings novel I read, it's short enough that I imagine the publisher chopping up a trilogy into five books, but they're all good so I don't mind in the end, and it's still good upon re-read.

I've read this book, as well as the follow ups ( the Belgariad series followed by The Mallorean. 10 books total) about 5 times. I've enjoyed it each time. The series is fast paced, and the dialogue enjoyable. Even loaned it or recommended it to friends, and family, and even had to buy the Pawn of Prophecy twice (someone didn't return it). Of all the David Eddings books (I've read them all) these were my favorite. I wish someone would put them on the big screen. If I didn't still have hard copies of all the books, I'd buy the kindle editions.

The first pages of Pawn of Prophecy grabs you and won't let you go. I remember the first time I read Pawn of Prophecy. It's so riveting that you can't put it down. It takes you on a magical journey with many twists and turns. I love this series so much that I have read it at least half a dozen times and I catch myself reading it over and over again. There are times you are so caught up in the excitement that you forget you know how it ends. I love the ways you see Garion grow up and starting to realize that things aren't really as they seem. I also love the characters Aunt Pol, Durnik, the old storyteller, Silk and Barak. You get so involved with the books you want them to continue forever. I will probably read the series so many times that my books will get worn out. I think if you get Pawn of Prophecy you need to get the rest of the series so you can keep reading without having to wait to get the next book.

First of all, if you go into this book with a bunch of arrogant predispositions and an elitist literary critic attitude, you definitely won't enjoy it. Something like Martin's Song of Ice and Fire is for you. Really, if this is your attitude, you probably lead a pretty depressed life. Anyway, some people complain that he thinks he is original but only uses the same formula as is typical for fantasy. He quite openly admits to using a formula in The Rivan Codex (where you will find that he did, in fact, put a lot of work into the belgariad). Personally, I believe that it's not the initial framework that defines a good author, it's what he does with it. David Eddings does an excellent job with it.
Now some readers choose to complain that this series is not realistic enough. First of all, the name of this genre is Fantasy, not reality. Look it up. The author is much freer to do things with mythical creatures, magic, prophecies, et cetera, while remaining "in bounds." The author who chooses to minimize such things and focus on politics and other "realistic things" isn't as original as he thinks he is. He is either medieval, or shouldn't be trying to write under the fantasy title. Enough of that.
Should you choose to have an open mind, this book contains a lot of humor, despair, mystery, and some rather strange, but humorous romances. It is a great coming-of-age story and is not in the least bit confusing. The characters are all clearly defined, and many of them play off of each other very well. Anyway, this can be one of the best series you will ever read if you allow yourself to enjoy it. Whether you do or not is up to you.

The belgariad and Malorian series are easily my favorite series, with Belgarath, my favorite sci fi characture. It takes a few chapters before you realy get into it, but you can't get enough afterwards. This is the only series that I regreted comming to an end when I was in book 9 (or 4 of the malorian series), I felt like I was going to be saying goodby to my family, where as other series Im caught up in by different authers, I am well past being ready for them to end. If your like me, you'll want to read the book 'Belgarath the sorceror', and 'Polgara the sorcerous' books when you've finnished these 2 series, then when you finnished those 2 books, re-read the Belgariad and malorian series again. You'll realize a lot of different things you didn't notice the first time through. You'll probably notice some flaws as well (when belgarath is being chased by Torak and his grolems after he recovers his masters orb, the voice in his head tells him he can stop running as soon as he crosses the border because the grolems won't cross since they have absolutly no power outside their domain, yet in the Belgariad series we find grolems all over the west with their full power. But the flaws don't degrade the series in anyway.

I'm sure the Belgariad (of which this is the first book) is one of the best fantasy series ever written, together with the Mallorean and both the Elenium series by the same author. This series is fashioned in the traditional Medieval Romance structure: there's a quest (to defeat Torak -evil dragon god-) with many subquests included, a hero and heroine (though they don't seem to really fill the roles at first), a company, a prophecy that needs to be fulfilled, a wise sorcerer...the works; and it's really fun reading. I've already read the series thrice and will surely keep on reading it, as you always discover something new in it. In this first book, we meet Garion - raised as a farmer by his aunt Pol and Durnik. One night he and his aunt must leave the farm to begin a trek that will only end five books later. Garion meets those that will become his company and begins to learn what his destiny is.

This the beginning of one of my favorite fantasy series ever. I have all of the paperbacks, which are now old friends. The story starts out fairly simple, in part because Garion is a young boy. But if you stick with this series, you get to see him grow up. I am so glad to see it is now available in ebook form. Eddings wrote wonderful characters and excellent dialogue. So many fantasies bog down in world building, but these books strike the right balance between characters, dialogue, world building and adventure. And, for those of you who care about such stuff, there are strong female characters. I highly recommend. FYI, the Belgariad is the first series involving these characters. The second series is the Mallorean, which occurs later but involves the same characters.

This book begins the Belgariad and continues into the Mallorean. I received this book (and the four that follow) as a gift when I was in high school and fell in love with this series. The characters, as others have mentioned, are predictable. However, you can't help but fall in love with them. Eddings writes with a dry humor throughout the book and several times I found myself laughing out loud in public places while I was reading. Eddings doesn't have the political depth of Tolkien and he doesn't paint images quite like Brooks, but his characters and stories are memorable and emotionally rich. I am not the kind of person to read books more than once, but I have re-read these books numerous times, always looking forward to meeting up with old friends. This remains my favorite series (I count the Belgariad and Mallorean as a single entity) and I highly recommend these to anyone who enjoys fantasy.

It's summer, I have a habit of keeping books forever, and thus it is time to take a retrospective ramble through some of my favorite books. Like many people, pawn of prophecy was my introduction to David Eddings and I became fascinated with what first appears to be a coming of age story of Garion, a young boy in an old world, who grows up on a farm only to discover that there was quite a bit more to him than he expected. This volume only drops vague hints about Garion's personal history, so I'm going to keep a bit mum about it. Suffice it to say that, if he is important enough to have the two oldest sorcerers in the world watching over him, then he is very important indeed.

The sorcerers in question are Belgarath and his daughter Polgara. Both are fiercely determined and wield sarcasm even better than they do spells. Danger threatens and a priceless artifact is stolen. They take Garion on the road with them and the boy of 14 going on fifteen gets a whirlwind tour of his world as Belgarath and Polgara first chase the artifact and then confront the council of the Alorn kings. While this is hardly children's fiction it spends the time to visit Garion's all too human confusion and fears. His guardians are slow to explain things to him and like any adolescent of that age; Garion deeply resents being treated like a child and craves more attention than anyone has time to give him. But he copes, and we gradually will come to understand that he is more than just a frustrated whiner.

Eddings' strength is his talent for character building and sharp dialog. The basic plot isn't all that original, but the characters make everything come to life. You won't find extended paroxysms of ornate prose here. Eddings' people are irascible with the whole slew of human foibles and good points. The writer dotes on them, and despite the complex plot. There are long periods of small gestures and political nuance.

This particular series, the Belgariad, is probably the best of Eddings' work. As time goes on he does recycle bits and character types. But any writer who counts 20 large volumes as output will do this, and I've seen far worse work done with much more fanfare. If you like pointed dialog and narrative in a book that frequently forgets to take itself seriously you will find this series will quickly steal both your interest and your heart. David Eddings may not be the next Tolkien, but is the next David Eddings, and that's quite good enough.

Being such a fan of Fantasy it's odd that it's taken me this long to get around to reading the Belgariad series. I quite liked the book and at only about 250 pages it was a quick and refreshing read. The first few chapters are packed with what are now such standard Fantasy cliches (mysterious black rider watching from a distance, parents dead, and on and on) I had to remind myself constantly that this book was written before they had become so hackneyed. That aside, I enjoyed reading the book. I have a minor quibble with the names Eddings chooses, they don't feel perfectly natural to me, but thats not really a big deal. Certain Fantasy authors have made us expect to spend 800+ pages before anything of note happens. Perhaps thats why I felt there was a slight lack of detail that I enjoy, but again, only a minor quibble. The real test is how bady I wanted to read the next volume when I finished this one. I went directly to the bookstore and picked up volume 2.

I was recommended the Belgariad series, and jumped right in, reading the first four books one right after the other. I have to say that they don't seem to be getting any better. I kept reading, waiting for something spectacular to happen, but nothing seems to.

*** Spoiler Warning ***

First off, the characters are not realistic at all. Garion, the young farmboy and main character of the story constantly has situations like, "I'm sorry Aunt Pol, I should have told you that this dark-hooded figure has been following me around since I was a toddler. Should I have said something?". There are other times where I kept saying, "Jeez if this was me, and they kept telling me to stop asking why we keep killing people." I'd have threatened to leave, or just run away. But no, Garion is not like a real human being. No real teenager would watch his Aunt (who was a cook at the manor house) perform feats of incredible magic, and not ask a bunch of questions, or let it drop when she says, "Not now dear, go to bed." Hello, McFly (knocks on forehead), is anybody home?

The idea of the story is good, but the characters and execution of it leave it at three stars for me.

Pawn of Prophecy is probably one of the best beginnings to one of the finest series ever written. Each character has a unique personality. They can make you laugh, cry, or jump with surprise just when you least expect it.
Some books are so good you want to reread them right when you finish. This book, and the other books in the series are so special that the magic stays with you a long time after you finish, and even though you don't want it to end, you also don't want to read it again the second you turn the last page. You just want to sit and enjoy the feeling.
This may seem strange, but the characters in this series feel like my friends. I can talk to them when I want to and I don't have to hesitate or feel embarassed.
I quickly dove into this book and really loved it and I'm sure you will too!

I'd place the Belgariad series in the top three or four fantasy series ever. You gotta go, TWOT by Robert Jordan, Dark Tower series by Stephen King, this one and the Mallorean followed by Terry Goodkind's series (name escapes me.. wizards rules and stuff!).
The best thing about the David Eddings is his uncanny ability to make you burst out laughing at any time of the book. Not only that, but you feel differently for each character. It's not 14 different characters that are mostly alike with a few differences.. it's 14 different characters. Hell, Silk himself is 3 or 4 different people.
I think this is a terrific beginning for the Belgariad. He does a good job of writing Garion's frustration of not knowing his parents, and discovering the truth about his Aunt, not to mention his finding out he's a sorceror too.

Ever seen a movie or read a book that you just can't tear your mind off? This is one of THOSE books- Although not one of the best he's written in the series - I can't believe I wrote that - It sets the story for the rest of the Mind Boggling, Stupendously written series that only Eddings could produce, and if you haven't read the rest of the Belgariad and the Mallorean, what are you waiting for? Its only the best Story of ALL-TIME! Go and get it, I've read the series 4 times (yeh I know, but it is good, and for those of you who are just like me, tell me how many times you've read the series) and if your still not impressed, read the next one, then the next one, and the one after that, see if you can't get sucked in by Belgarath's quick wit, Silk's little wittisisms And Polgara's sharp tounge, See if you can't feel close to Garion. Go on, I DARE 'YE

The Belgariad is truly a wonderful book. I am not a very outspoken person, but I was very upset at how many bad reviews this book had gotten, so, naturally, I decided to write a review myself. Who could not be amazed at Edding's wonderful world of fantacy and his superb characters? I agree that this was certainly not the hardest book I've ever read, but I don't know about you, but I read for enjoyment, not to try to stumble through some book full of huge uncomprehendable words. However, if you really are that worried about how much you'll like the book, there are such things as libraries. My suggestion is, check out the book, read it, and if you like it you can buy it. The book does start off a bit slowly, so I suggest you read the whole 1st book before deciding whether it's good or not, but once you get throught the beginning you really get pulled into the story. The Belgariad really is a fabulous book.

This book is worth reading for one thing only: It is the start of the rest of the series, and provides the background for it.
The book itself ... don't you just hate it when the plot depends on such artificial devices like "Oh I am so noble I won't kill this man, even though he is obviously (for the rest of the book and then some) going to go out of his way to make life miserable for me and my friends, and preferrably kill us if he can." and "Gee, I think I'll take the long way round, since some people's feelings will get hurt if I take the shortcut, even though the fate of the universe depends on me getting to my destination in time."
Also, and this unfortunately applies to the later and far better books in this series as well, Eddings is so deep into "properness" like gender stereotypes, parental authority and kinging and queening that it gets downright annoying at times.
On the good side, Eddings has a fluent prose which makes the books an easy read, and he has the occasional deep observation made through Garion. But these benefits really don't get to the fore until the later books in the series.

Pawn of Prophecy is an amazing start to an amazing series. In the Belgariad, you end up reading about things you normally would never even immagine.

Pawn of Prophecy is book one in the Belgariad, and it is the perfect start. It introduces the characters in a good way that is not overly descriptive. The characters are all realistic, they grow, they change, but they always keep their indevidual personality.

The story line introduces what they have to do in a new way, nice and refreshing. Most books introduce that you have to go there and do that, but in Pawn of Prophecy, the characters don't know where they are going. Some of them have a rough idea, but the end surprises some of them still, especially Garion, in the center of this from the very beginning.

Garion is a nice character, who behaves like you would expect a real character to. He has depth of thought, as well as curiosity, good habits, bad habits, skills, and things that he is a complete failure at. The other characters are also like that. Of course the characters have there problems, like I think Polgara was a bit overdone, but all in all, I would definately congratulate David Eddings on the characters he has created.

In the story itself, Garion, his Aunt Pol, Mister Wolf, and Durnik leave for a journey in the middle of the night. The journey took them to meating Silk and Barak. Aunt Pol and Mister Wolf already knew them, but Garion and Durnik were just meating them for the first time. The journey ends up taking Garion to the last places he would ever expect, and he ends up meating people he never thought he would. He ends up learning about Asharak, and some other people.

By the end of this book, David Eddings was my favourite author. This book may not be his best book, but it is still absoutely amazing. You may not like it if you like super fantasy books, but you still might like it. I don't know. But if you like a book with magic, but not overdone, I would definately suggest this book.

I read this series and the follow up series (The Mallorean) years ago and have since reread them at least twice. I have, over the years, lost my old and very worn paperbacks and wanted to replace with kindle versions. However, after grabbing the first book, I don't see any of the others available for the kindle and I wonder if this is likely to change anytime soon. In fact, the first book is no longer available in kindle form either.

Not being a fan of fantasy, I was little weary of this book. The only other fantasy books I read were The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. I was surprised at how well this book came out. It's not just monsters and dragons, but a story about a world and a little farm boy named Garion.
This book is humorous, action-filled, playful, and suspenseful. It's a great read, and Eddings has great fluidity. The book starts out on a farm, with one boy and his aunt. Throughout the book, tiny bits of information eventually lead this boy and a group to an epic adventure.
The characters are great, each with its unique part to play. The plot is wonderfully done, as the story unfolds itself slowly, adding to the mystery surrounding the boy.
Because of this, I vowed to read every other book in this five part series. I would recommend this book to anyone.

The Belgariad, and specifically Pawn of Prophecy, were solely responsible for turning me on to fantasy.

A friend of mine recommended this series to me when I worked at a book store with him. I was able to procure the first book, and finished it in one night! The plot is the foundation for many fantasy series that followed, just different variations on the theme.

Eddings created a very rich world for his characters to wander through, with colorful characters that the reader can really care about and get to know. Sure they may seem simple now, but at the time, I was enthralled.

If you have even a passing interest in the fantasy world, I whole-heartedly recommend this book and the many that follow. Maybe it will change your life like it did mine!

By reading the other reviews you can find out what this and the subsequent books in the series are about. But I want to tell you what it felt like to read this book.
I first read the series about eight years ago (I was 15) and I still remember the sheer joy in reading that I discovered with these books. I remember more than one night that I picked up one of these books and just couldn't put them down. Not just one either. Those nights I failed to notice the clock tick past midnight, one, and two. I couldn't help picking up the next book "just to read the first few pages." At the same time though, I desperately wanted to slow down, to drag out the feeling, but I couldn't help but read a little more. Reaching the end was a truly painful experience.
Since then I've read the series several more times, and every time I rediscover that joy. I hope others are as gifted by these books as I have been.

This is pretty standard fantasy fare, including archetypal characters and the ever-present mid-book cross-kingdom journey. The opening chapters are delightful in their straightforward, entertaining presentation of characters, but it's disappointing that the characters never grow much beyond themselves over the course of the book. The protagonist's constantly frustrated attempts to get his fellow travelers to explain even simple (and, one would thing, necessary-to-his-survival) questions grows old. Overall, I was disappointed that a book that started out with such promise didn't end up being just a little bit smarter.

If you are a fantasy fan, this is an awesome book and series. Eddings has written some excellent books, this was his first series and should be your starting point. Kind of like the star wars trilogy - there are some books Eddings wrote later about periods earlier in time, but if you read those first you will ruin the suspense in this series.
Eddings really develops his characters and there are some excellent ones in this book which reappear throughout the series. Wizards, thiefs, knights, elves, magical creatures - you name it, this book has it. The plot is the typical good vs. evil and the journeys along the way are very entertaining. The plots in the follow on series in my opinion are not as good - seem added on after the fact and re-hash the same stuff - kind of like when they make a II and III movie after first one is succesful. They are good, but just dont measure up to the original.
I read these books when I was 14 or 15, but they are good for anyone who likes fantasy books from age 10-100. You wont want to put them down once you start.
If you like these, cheak out other fantasy authors with good series that I liked are: Tolkien (the orginal), Raymond Feist and his Magician series (again start with Magician series - first ones he wrote but not first in time).

I don't know if it's the rave reviews for David Eddings, but as for this first installment, I have to say that I'm on the fence. Though I definitely enjoyed the banter among some of the lead characters and the strong hints of stories-within-a-story (like Barak's and Silk's), I've yet to experience that gripping sense of suspense and drama. I was expecting quite a bit more show of magic/sorcery [even if just a teaser] or even one paragraph of heart-pounding adrenaline chase and skirmish (weren't they supposed to be trailed by the enemy?), since other fantasy epics have quite a lot going on even on the first book. It felt like all the "feeling" in the book was invested on the Prologue...

Of course it's very likely that this need to know more is exactly what drives readers to the next installment. Definitely I'm more than willing to do that myself, I'm just hoping that by the second Book, I would find myself rooting hotly for Belgariad. *cross fingers*

This series of books are literally the best fantasy novels I have ever read. No kidding! The main characters are very well developed and it is so easy to follow along with them in the story, root for them, worry with them, laugh with them, love them. The use of magic and descriptions of the powers and limitations of magic make it seem all more plausible and real. You will want to read the rest of the books in the Belgariad series and then read the Mallorean, which is a sequel series to this series. My only criticism is that the overall plot of the Mallorean stems from the reoping of something that seemed to have been concluded in the first series, the Belgariad. However, this is a small flaw and can easily be forgiven after experiencing the true joy of spending time with these characters. Pay particular attention to the relationship between Aunt Pol, Garion and the story teller at the beginning of the series. Be sure to look at the maps included with the books. Be familiar with the layout of the countries and land masses. They all come into play as Garion travels around the world in the series. This is definitely a series to purchase. The characters make this series worth reading over and over. I've read both series twice, and plan to continue to read them every couple of years for a long time. Even if you are not that interested in fantasy you will be when you are finished with "The Pawn of Prophecy." A HIGHLY recommended series. Happy reading!

The first of David Eddings' Belgariad series, Pawn of Prophey introduces the characters we will know and love in an interesting manner. The main character, Garion, is just a typical boy (seemingly), who gets thrown into fantastic events. His closest companions are his "aunt", Pol, and "grandfather", Mister Wolf. We, as the readers, know who those two people really are, but Garion doesn't.
Not too many wild things happen in this book as does the next few books in this series, but it's worth your time before you start the other books.
Though at first I wanted Pawn of Prophecy to be over quickly since it was boring at parts, near the end, it picks up and ends at an unsatisfactory place that left me wanting more.

The main thing that bothered me about Pawn of Prophecy is that it is not a self-contained book at all. Granted it is somewhat short, but the book just abruptly stops at the end, without tying anything together. I assume it will be continued directly in the sequel which I have not yet read. I know a lot of writers plan on writing many sequels (Jordan, Goodkind, etc.) but at least there is some kind of resolution of at least some of the characters problems at the end of each book. Eddings does write a solid fantasy, however, and is very good at immersing the reader in the environment of the novel. It is a little slower-paced than most of the fantasy novels I have read, but still it is very good. I look forward to reading the sequel.

If one likes to read "The Lord of the Rings" series by J.R.R. Tolkien, you may not enjoy this series. However, if you find the "LOTR" as dry and boring as I did, you will fall in love with this series of books and thumb its pages for the rest of your life.

David Eddings follows the main tenet of fantasy books- something very powerful is stolen and good and evil must battle before it can be attained again.

Eddings' sense of humor is entwined in everything he writes. Unlike Tolkien's books of boredom, there is a fresh and enjoyable sense of levity that one can read over and over and never get tired of it.

An excellent read. Though I am writing about Eddings' "Pawn of Prophecy," I mean the entire series. Once finished with all five books of the Belgariad, please move on to the next series entitled the Malloreon. Read them- you won't be disappointed.

This book is the beginning of a long line of books by Eddings, and as such will most definately draw you into it. In The Pawn of Prophecy, Garion is a simple boy on a farm until a vagabond storyteller comes alongs and spirits him out of there along with his Aunt Pol and a smith named Durnik. Soon Garion finds out that his friends are no longer what they appear to be and many more join into their strange little band as they go along.
As a beginning novel, this book is excellent because it has to introduce all the charecters, places and history of this new world, so most beginners, unlike this one, are a little boring and hard to keep up with because you are in a giant game of memory, however, in this one it's easy to follow and like all the others causes palpable pain when you close its pages.
If you have a lot of free time get this book because if you don't have it you will be MAKING free time just to read it and the ones that follow it.

Pawn of Prophecy is book one of the Belgariad, it is a 6 book series set in a wolrd created by David Eddings. I am having a rather difficult time reviewing this book for a couple reasons.

First, after finishing this book I tried to reflect on what actually happened in the story - and quite honestly, not much really happened. Pawn of Prophecy is a starter novel in this series and as such it needed to set the stage and establish the characters for the other books in this series. Number two, I came to this book after reading extensively in the fantasy genre and noticed right away that this book was filled with clichés involving the fantasy genre. If done correctly and differently this shouldn't be a problem, but quite honestly there is not much new in this book than what can be found in other books. Lastly, the plot is so straight forward that you can pretty much predict what is going to happen.

The characters in this book are likeable enough. Well Eddings tries to have a lot of subtle intrigue in this book, it is more akin to getting hit in the head by a brick than tickled by a feather. It's not subtle at all and the things he tries to `fool' the reader with are very obvious as to almost produce groans when they are first presented. With that said the characters do have some clout to being interesting Mister Wolf is by far the most memorable... but he's not the main character. Silk is also a very good character... but he's not the main character. Barak is also an interesting character.. but again he is not the main character, see a theme here. The main character a 14 year old boy is not all that interesting. Maybe this will improve in the following novel; I hope so as I will continue reading just to see what happens in the story.

As I mentioned before the plot in this book is so straight forward it isn't even funny. It screams Tolkien, but doesn't have the degree of depth that Tolkien has. Eddings does add some elements of his own, but the crux of the story has been told before. It's a simple battle between good and evil and a missing artifact that is all powerful. Heard it before? Yeah, so have I. It also needs to be said that at times the dialog in this book is horrid and repetitive. The main character says "That is rather involved" no less than 5 times within about 30 pages. Change it up a little, get a thesaurus... anything, but give me something different once and awhile.

Now, with all that said, if you're still reading, this IS a decent book if you are looking for a light read with not a lot of reader involvement. I liken this book to spoon feeding a child. You say here it is and give it to them. Where as other authors, Salvatore, Erikson, Kemp, Golden etc, make you work a little to get he story. I think this would be an excellent book for someone under 15 or so. That's not to say adults shouldn't read it, but just don't expect an epic world shattering book with this one.

I think if I was to recommend this book it would be to the above mentioned audience and just making sure people know what to expect if they read this one. Are there better books on the shelf right now, probably, but I think if you are looking for something to read in a day or two for a nice light tale, this isn't a bad choice.

I'm giving this four stars only because I can't give it three and half. But I don't want to give it three because that would look more negative than I intend. I read this just after reading The Sword of Shannara. (I'm on some old-school fantasy exploration, I guess.) I like this a lot more, although I don't think it's up to the standards of the best of contemporary YA fantasy.

What I liked about it at the start was the mythology Eddings lays out. It's heavy-handed, yes, but it has an archaic quality that makes if feel authentic. The God Torak and Belgarath the Sorcerer should feel like heroic types, because their exploits are the stuff of legends. I liked this sequence much more than the opening of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, for instance.

The other thing I liked about this is that while the story fits that tried and true template of an orphaned peasant boy who discovers he's actually royalty in hiding, Eddings handles it well. He doesn't ask his readers to be surprised by this. Really, he gives us glimpses into the adult side of the world that Garion does not yet have. In a way we know things that he doesn't. I liked that because it respects the reader's intelligence.

I don't think I'll pick up the next one anytime soon, or maybe at all. But that's just because there's lots of other good stuff to read out there. I do think that Eddings is maybe a bit better than many people give him credit for, though, and I certainly think this could appeal to younger readers.

Let me first say that I only give five stars for books that, to me, are the very best of the genre. My 4 star rating is not intended to slight this series at all.
I have seen several previous reviewers complain about the predictable storyline and lack of intricacy in the plot. And hey, I agree. These books are NOT written to be complex; they are written to be FUN. I have read the Belgariad and Mallorean more times than I can count, and they are both extremely enjoyable, and at times, touching. Eddings has a flair for writing dialogue that brings his characters to life. On the downside, those characters are mostly static, and rarely change - their personality types are set in stone, and their interactions are almost always the same. Occasionally, however, Eddings will surprise us and reveal a facet of a character's personality that we have not previously seen.
This particular book is actually a bit slow, and not really all that much Cool Stuff (TM) happens. In the second book and onwards, Eddings describes the magic and lands of his world, and I must say that they are both extremely interesting.
If you are looking for a deep, intricately woven plot that has turns within turns, I would suggest picking up Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy or George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. If, however, you are looking for a rollicking, fun adventure then I can wholeheartedly suggest the Belgariad, starting with Pawn of Prophecy.

This book was my entry drug into the beautiful and addicting world of Fantasy. With memorable characters, great humor, and fun action, I would recommend this book to anyone. When I began building my Kindle library, I knew these books would need to be the first in it.

Recommendation for best fantasy series ever? The Belgariad has to be on the short list...and probably at the top! With this book I was hooked and have gone on to read every one since without a disappointment. The characters are engaging and real. The writing outstanding. I own every one in paperback...and once the whole series is in I will own it in kindle as well. (Too disappointing to start to reread on kindle and then have to wait.)

You love Lord of the Rings? Kingdom of Thorn and Bone? Read these...then prepare for a wonderful year as you read the rest of the Eddings books!

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

Need to funnel some fun into your life? Then I really recommend Pawn of Prophecy and the rest of its series. I've read other reviews and they say that Eddings has a childish sense of writing. I Disagree, in fact, your imagination makes it childish.
1) You have an amazing imagination, (if I say, `I'm here in my room, writing a review on this book' and you can picture it in your head) This book was made for you.
2) The characters feel like they are real, it is easy to relate yourself to them. You can even think of them as your second family.
3) You love fantasy novels, but you don't like to much detail, like, (*coughlordoftheringscough*) then once again this book was made for you. There are rarely any boring parts, Eddings goes straight for the action.
I give Pawn of Prophecy a 5 star because it was my first real fantasy novel (after I read Lord of the Rings) and it was just that much better.
Bad Points:
1) If you're looking forward to reading the french translation... Beware! It is a mockery of Eddings talent.
2) Don't get too disappointed if you find it repetitive, because the fifth book I would give a 3 star because it just got boring.
Overall, just grab the damn book and start reading. If you don't like it, read no more and think, 'NoeFox40 is just a stupid french guy who doesn't know what he's talking about'
Hehe :) Enjoy!!

I read this based on many recommendations. I read all 10 books straight through and was impressed. the story held together very well. However, there was a lot that bothered me. First, the lead characters of C'Nedra and Garion are terrible. She is a spoiled, rotten mean witch. He gets to be a tiresome braggart after the third book. These are people we are supposed to care about for all 10 books. I wanted them to die by the end of the first series. Everyone else is terrific. Silk, Polgara, Belgarath, Barak and Durnik are some of the best fantasy characters I've ever "met." It's too bad they have to live with that witch and the snotty kid.
My second pet peeve is the horrible realization that the 2nd series is a virtual duplicate of the first in story, style and outcome. This put me off wanting to read it again. I was so disappointed. By the time I finished, I really didn't care about the babies. (I won't spoil this)
My wife has read all 12 books every year since they were published. She is on the other end, being a big fan of the books. I'm sure she would give them all 5 stars. The real truth lies somewhere between mine and hers.
Tolkien is still the best, followed by Piers Anthony and C. S. Lewis.

This was my first David Eddings book. While I found it "slow" in its pace, it was very easy to read and I enjoyed "meeting" the characters. In fact, I read the book in two days. The characters are well developed and the story line is interesting. The mystery and intrigue in the book are also a big plus. While I would wholeheartedly recommend this book, it would be with the caveat not to expect a lot of action--some but not a lot. But the potential for Garion to grow and become a strong "force" in the book is clearly evident. From the other reviews on this board, I expect the rest of this series to be better, and I can't wait to start on them.

I have loved this book and all those that follow for the last thirty years. I have read all of them nearly every summer since I graduated high school and have enjoyed every minute. Each time I find something new and yet it is like going home to old friends. Definitely on the right list of must reads!!

The concept for this story was good, if not the most original ever, and Eddings put a tremendous amount of work into his world-building. I have a great respect for a well-built world that is entirely separate from my opinions of the stories, and it is for the world-building that I award two stars. For the story and characters, none.
When I read anything at all, especially fantasy, I like a story to keep me guessing. When I figure something out before the characters, I like for it to at least feel like I accomplished something by doing so. My main criticism of this book is that there was none of that feeling in it. The 'secrets' were either so painfully obvious only an idiot wouldn't have figured them out (ie. the true identities of Aunt Pol and the storyteller), or else completely abrupt, with no clues that give the reader a chance to either figure it out in advance, or at least to kick themself and say, 'oh, of course!' when the truth finally comes out.
My only other major criticism is that the storytelling is jerky. The time gaps, in particular, are frustrating. One event happens, and then, years later, the story continues... I can't help thinking that the opening chapter would have worked better in flashback.
The exposition, both of the (fabulously built) world, and the characters, is weak. The prologue, though interesting, takes all the mystery and feeling of discovery out of the first half of the book. The characters are flat, with thoughts and feelings that seem somehow detached. Honestly, how many young teen-aged boys look back on their lost innocence with regret, in so many words? Good character writing is usually a little more subtle than that.
The idea had potential, but the book bored me so much that I'm unwilling to subject myself to the sequels. Maybe it does get better. Maybe the other cycles are better. I've heard a lot of good things about them, but I don't know. I heard a lot of good things about this one, too. All I can say for sure is that this book did *not* make me want to read the others.

This book was my entry drug into the beautiful and addicting world of Fantasy. With memorable characters, great humor, and fun action, I would recommend this book to anyone. When I began building my Kindle library, I knew these books would need to be the first in it.

Recommendation for best fantasy series ever? The Belgariad has to be on the short list...and probably at the top! With this book I was hooked and have gone on to read every one since without a disappointment. The characters are engaging and real. The writing outstanding. I own every one in paperback...and once the whole series is in I will own it in kindle as well. (Too disappointing to start to reread on kindle and then have to wait.)

You love Lord of the Rings? Kingdom of Thorn and Bone? Read these...then prepare for a wonderful year as you read the rest of the Eddings books!

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

Need to funnel some fun into your life? Then I really recommend Pawn of Prophecy and the rest of its series. I've read other reviews and they say that Eddings has a childish sense of writing. I Disagree, in fact, your imagination makes it childish.
1) You have an amazing imagination, (if I say, `I'm here in my room, writing a review on this book' and you can picture it in your head) This book was made for you.
2) The characters feel like they are real, it is easy to relate yourself to them. You can even think of them as your second family.
3) You love fantasy novels, but you don't like to much detail, like, (*coughlordoftheringscough*) then once again this book was made for you. There are rarely any boring parts, Eddings goes straight for the action.
I give Pawn of Prophecy a 5 star because it was my first real fantasy novel (after I read Lord of the Rings) and it was just that much better.
Bad Points:
1) If you're looking forward to reading the french translation... Beware! It is a mockery of Eddings talent.
2) Don't get too disappointed if you find it repetitive, because the fifth book I would give a 3 star because it just got boring.
Overall, just grab the damn book and start reading. If you don't like it, read no more and think, 'NoeFox40 is just a stupid french guy who doesn't know what he's talking about'
Hehe :) Enjoy!!

I read this based on many recommendations. I read all 10 books straight through and was impressed. the story held together very well. However, there was a lot that bothered me. First, the lead characters of C'Nedra and Garion are terrible. She is a spoiled, rotten mean witch. He gets to be a tiresome braggart after the third book. These are people we are supposed to care about for all 10 books. I wanted them to die by the end of the first series. Everyone else is terrific. Silk, Polgara, Belgarath, Barak and Durnik are some of the best fantasy characters I've ever "met." It's too bad they have to live with that witch and the snotty kid.
My second pet peeve is the horrible realization that the 2nd series is a virtual duplicate of the first in story, style and outcome. This put me off wanting to read it again. I was so disappointed. By the time I finished, I really didn't care about the babies. (I won't spoil this)
My wife has read all 12 books every year since they were published. She is on the other end, being a big fan of the books. I'm sure she would give them all 5 stars. The real truth lies somewhere between mine and hers.
Tolkien is still the best, followed by Piers Anthony and C. S. Lewis.

This was my first David Eddings book. While I found it "slow" in its pace, it was very easy to read and I enjoyed "meeting" the characters. In fact, I read the book in two days. The characters are well developed and the story line is interesting. The mystery and intrigue in the book are also a big plus. While I would wholeheartedly recommend this book, it would be with the caveat not to expect a lot of action--some but not a lot. But the potential for Garion to grow and become a strong "force" in the book is clearly evident. From the other reviews on this board, I expect the rest of this series to be better, and I can't wait to start on them.

I have loved this book and all those that follow for the last thirty years. I have read all of them nearly every summer since I graduated high school and have enjoyed every minute. Each time I find something new and yet it is like going home to old friends. Definitely on the right list of must reads!!

The concept for this story was good, if not the most original ever, and Eddings put a tremendous amount of work into his world-building. I have a great respect for a well-built world that is entirely separate from my opinions of the stories, and it is for the world-building that I award two stars. For the story and characters, none.
When I read anything at all, especially fantasy, I like a story to keep me guessing. When I figure something out before the characters, I like for it to at least feel like I accomplished something by doing so. My main criticism of this book is that there was none of that feeling in it. The 'secrets' were either so painfully obvious only an idiot wouldn't have figured them out (ie. the true identities of Aunt Pol and the storyteller), or else completely abrupt, with no clues that give the reader a chance to either figure it out in advance, or at least to kick themself and say, 'oh, of course!' when the truth finally comes out.
My only other major criticism is that the storytelling is jerky. The time gaps, in particular, are frustrating. One event happens, and then, years later, the story continues... I can't help thinking that the opening chapter would have worked better in flashback.
The exposition, both of the (fabulously built) world, and the characters, is weak. The prologue, though interesting, takes all the mystery and feeling of discovery out of the first half of the book. The characters are flat, with thoughts and feelings that seem somehow detached. Honestly, how many young teen-aged boys look back on their lost innocence with regret, in so many words? Good character writing is usually a little more subtle than that.
The idea had potential, but the book bored me so much that I'm unwilling to subject myself to the sequels. Maybe it does get better. Maybe the other cycles are better. I've heard a lot of good things about them, but I don't know. I heard a lot of good things about this one, too. All I can say for sure is that this book did *not* make me want to read the others.

I read my first David Eddings book when I was in high school. It was this book, "Pawn of prophecy", which also happens to be book number 1 of The Belgariad. My parents gave it to me as a present for Christmas... Truth to be told, at first I didn't feel like reading it (the hardcover edition is overly awe- inspiring: you just think it's too big!!!). Anyway, as soon as I started it I was hooked... Not only did I read it all, but I bought the other 4 books of the series myself. The plot has adventures and magic, irony and laughter. As you read, you get to know the characters, and are immersed in a new universe...
Even though quite a lot of time has passed, I still love all of them. I think they are the kind of books you like to keep, because good books never lose their charm. And these are simply some of the best!!!

I had first been introduced to the Belgariad Series when i was about 13 years old, around the same time that the books had just come out. I remember vividly because i was able to buy the first 4 books then had to wait almost a year to get the last in the series.

It was the first fantasy series that I can recall reading, even though i had watched the Lord of the Rings Trilogy as a cartoon.

I distinctly recall being totally enthralled by the books. In fact, as a former "special ed" student, i can defintely say that if it wasnt for "Babysitter's Club" and "Belgariad" I wouldnt have gotten into reading that much.

I became an avid David Eddings supporter, and eventually bought all of his books (gave away High Hunt, and The Losers though, werent worth keeping).

That being said, since I was introduced to the books as an impressionable adolescent, I may tend to have a more romanticised view of the series.

Now having read a few more series in the same area, I must admit that the story line is a little bit predictable, and the characters are sometimes either all one dimensional or all very witty.

Despite all of that however, the books are still enjoyable. They are not so far "into the dark side" that you cant let your younger audience read it (and i think the younger audience is who it is aimed at anyway).

I have read the series at least twice a year for the last 16 years, i skip to my favourite parts, i read it cover to cover, whatever makes me happy.

I know that there will be several who will not like the books, but then, there is enjoyment there for more to come.

"Pawn of Prophecy" is not really good or really bad -- it's probably the best example of middling fantasy that I have ever read. The characters are pleasant but not amazing, the writing okay, the background generic but palatable. It's a bit like plain doughnuts -- they have a moderately pleasant taste while you're eating them, but nothing to really make you remember them afterwards.
Millennia ago, the Dark God Torak stole the Orb from his brother Aldur, and got maimed in the process. The sorcerer Belgareth spirited the Orb away and entrusted it to the pure-hearted King Riva, whose similarly pure-hearted descendants are the only ones who can use the orb. Much later, a mysterious stern woman named Pol is raising Garion on a farm, claiming to be his aunt. Also lurking around is a mischievous and cryptic old storyteller Wolf, who has an odd interest in the boy.
As Garion grows up in his peaceful home, he catches sight of sinister Murgos and shadowless specters. And one day he's whisked away by Pol and Wolf, and soon finds himself on a secretive journey with the two of them, a loyal smith, and a pair of mysterious and slightly peculiar warriors. Slowly Garion learns the truth not just about "Aunt Pol" and "Wolf," but also about his own ancestry and his future destiny.
Eddings does get points for not having one character lecture another endlessly about the history of the Orb and the gods and so on; most of the relevant information is contained in the prologue. One thing that might annoy readers is that everyone (including every reader with half a brain) knows what is going on except Garion. He's the only person who doesn't have a clue, and since he only gets a clue in the final chapters of the book, it gets annoying to hear him wondering about the true identities of Wolf and Pol.
His writing is "middling"; there's not a lot of description, which is something of a rarity in fantasy books. Even so, the words aren't very imaginative -- Silk is only referred to as "weasel-faced," and at one point we hear about Garion's blood reacting "boilingly" (is that even a word?) The pace moves pretty quickly. The kingdoms and cultures and characters are all very typical, and we've seen them many other places: archetypical King-Arthur boys-with-a-destiny, stern sorceresses, wise old wizards with twinkly eyes, evil forces, items of power, bumbling kings and ultra-strong warriors with dark secrets. Very cliched, all of it, but if that doesn't bother you then you will probably like it a great deal. And although you can predict all the plot twists early on, at least it doesn't derive heavily on Tolkien as many cliched fantasies do.
Garion is a likable enough kid, despite his relentless cluelessness; Polgara is stern and a bit arrogant, but kindly and loving underneath it. Belgarath may annoy some readers with his wink-nudge antics; Silk manages to rise above the trickster sidekick with a sharp tongue, and Barak adds a note of poignancy late in the book with the revelation of what will happen to him.
"Pawn of Prophecy" is, despite its solidly generic quality, a pleasant enough read if you want a book that isn't too taxing on your brain. Fantasy-quest lite fare, not too good or too bad.

Upon reading this book at age 16, I became enthralled with the characters and the sheer scope of the world in the Belgaraid. The world itself is a fascinating interplay of stereotypes brought into full life. I am not saying the setting is flat; on the contrary, Eddings managed to bring all of these cardboard ideas into full form.

The characters themselves fit their roles. The boy thrown into adventure, two mentors (one a trickster and the other a female who is not an old crone--rarely seen in most fantasy but welcome here), and your stock D&D adventurer characters. It seems like the stock characters would get old fast, but the two mentors provide a great commentary and foil for them.

With the plot, all the scenes are placed with great care within the overall arc of the series. Occasionally, things seem a little farfetched (if this was a RPG campaign, I'd say the mentors are ridiculously overpowered), but this seems to fit the tone of the book.

Overall, I'd recommend reading it if you want to have a good time with fun characters, but don't mind a lack of depth or innovation. I've read these books several times, and all the characters feel like old friends by now.

Pluses:
-Great, fun characters.
-Witty dialogue.
-Fascinating world.
-Suspenseful and addicting from the start.

Minuses:
-Not remotely realistic.
-A little shallow.
-Little innovation.

This is a novel of epic proportions. The boy Garion is just a simple Sendarian farm boy who lives on Faldor's Farm with his Aunt Pol. Garion becomes very close with Durnik, the smith, and one day a mysterious storytelly shows up at the gates of the farm. Aunt Pol and Old Wolf (that's what she calls the storyteller) seem to have some relationship which stems back longer than anyone can remember. All of a sudden, Aunt Pol, Garion, Durnik and the storyteller leave Faldor's Farm to embark on some unspeakable journey. Along the way, we meet Silk, a slightly devious merchant/prince/spy/theif/acrobat, and Barak, a red bearded Cherek giant. Garion learns a lot more about his past and the members of his party than ha particularly wanted to know. Although Eddings is a little slow at the beginning, I beg of you, don't stop reading. Everything taht happens at the beginning of this book is merely the background color of the bigger picture! I thoroughly recommend this book and all that follow it. You will fall in love with each and every one of the characters, and the "bad guys" are overwhelming! Combine Sorcery and evil doings with some classic roll-around-on-the-floor-laughing comedy, and that makes for the perfect Eddings book.

The Belgariad and the Mallorean have to be the best series of fantacy books that I have encountered. Edding's style is fresh, and not cliched like so many other authors' in this genre. These books are written with a cavalier attitude, and reading them is certain to provide hours of entertainment for those who crave epic action, romance and unique character delineations.
I am 23 and have a degree in Electronics. I scored well above 1400 on my SAT. I have read Tolkien, and Edding's work is so much easier to read (in my opinion). These books are deep without being overbearingly so, light and witty when it is needed, and richly satisfying. I recommend them highly.

I just recently read Pawn of Prophecy for the second time in my life. The last time I read this book was well over fifteen years ago, so it felt like I was reading it again for the first time.
While not overly great and somewhat simple storytelling, I did find enjoyment in the story. As the first book of the Belgariad it left me wanting a little bit more, enough so that I felt engaged enough to continue on with the series.
While not as complex at A Song of Ice and Fire, it is a good, decent read. If you want something that is very much straight to the point, a solid, simple plot, this book and series is for you. I found that after reading a lot of Lovecraftian fiction, deep involving fantasy and horror. Pawn of Prophecy was a very nice change of pace and brings me back to what I used to enjoy in reading fantasy and that is the adventure.

It's hard to judge Pawn of Prophecy because it is so obviously the first book in the series. Its purpose seems to be to set the stage for further books by introducing the characters and the world. I haven't read the subsequent books yet, so I can't say how well it succeeds.

Everyone else has already given summaries, so I'll skip that and go right to my opinions.

The good:

The characters are interesting. There's more to them than is apparent at first glance.

Garion himself is very convincing as a 14-year-old boy taken from his home on a quest he doesn't understand. He's neither childish or precociously wise.

The bad:

Nothing much happens. Sure, people are chasing them, but nothing gets resolved, and a lot of the plot threads go nowhere.

Garion's questions being answered with "you don't need to know that yet" got really tedious after a while.

The characters don't develop or change. Things are revealed about them, but that's not the same as growth.

The verdict:

I have no idea. I'll read the next books in the series, because I am curious...and because I've already bought them.

I read this series in paperback, and I've read them many times over. One of my favourite series ever. I love Edding's sense of humour and the way his characters banter back and forth. The pacing was good - there was plenty of suspense - and I love his characters. The only negative I would have is that C'nedra was a tad irritating. Would recommend this series to readers 10 years and up.

I picked up The Belgariad because a friend suggested i read it. I looked at it and thought it would be really boring. However i learned the hard way ,it, and it's sequel the Mallorean, are addictive. At least three or four times a year i read this series and i now own every single book in both series. This is the first book in a twelve story series. And i belive it is one of the best of all of them. It starts out introducing the characters slowly, letting them grow on you and letting you seep in the surrounding before uprooting you for inevitable quest. But it is written beautifully and you can see how sensible everything the characters do is. And it never makes you feel as though the characters are fake, they could be your cousin or sister or uncle... they feel real which is very important with such a long story line. What's more then that, you like the good guys and dislike the bad guys but you can understand both side. I hate to say it but if my God came down and told me to do something i would. That is what many of us would do. This book is a great book and that is the bottom line.

I'm fascinated with fantasy writing because so little of it is good. Tolkein, of course, and Urusla LeGuin, but beyond that the field falls to hacks ranging from pleasant to truly awful. Eddings is somewhere in the middle between these last two extremes. All of his characters seem to come from old-school children's books (The Noble Thief, the Valiant Warrior, the Uppity Princess) and they fulfill their roles as well as they can, but there is little to develop. The overarching plot of this series is nothing to write home about. The biggest confusion I have is just who he is aiming these books towards. Linguistically and stylistically they are aimed at about a 6th grade reading level, yet he also introduces some heavily suggestive (no real nudity, mind you) scenes as well, along with a few bits of truly graphic violence. My guess it is aimed for adults who can't read beyond a junior high school level. Not a bad book, but certainly not worth remembering.

I read this series a few years ago between the ages of ten and fifteen, and have since then described this book to a number of parents (including my own) who are not sure whether or not these are worthwhile books for their children to become addicted to. (Yes, they are highly addictive.) Don't worry, the content and language of these books are far, far more elevated than the R.L. Stein or Babysitter's Club junk. David Eddings and his wife recently wrote, "We're here to teach whole generations how to read." For pre/younger teens, that is exactly what the Belgariad, the Mallorean, the Elenium, and the Tamuli (as well as the individual Eddings books) do. The crisp, witty dialogue uses some fairly sophisticated vocabulary which readers come to understand simply from their context. Moreover, the books become progressively longer and sometimes they lapse into old English. The old English makes reading pre-eighteenth century writing a little less daunting, and the length (usually around 300 and up to 700 pages) acclimates readers to reading longer works. And they WILL read the Eddings books, even the longest ones, because the books have wonderful characters, descriptions, and dialogue and they are extremely fast-paced.
Get these books!

These books are a lot of fun to read. They are clearly written for the most part and the author doesn't wander off too much. When I read them in high school, they were the best I had ever read, but looking back, I see many flaws.
No matter, as pure escapism, they have everything most fantasy readers want, fast paced action, likeable heros and a lot at stake (the entire world in fact).
I like to compare them to Raymond Feist's "Rift War Saga", they came out at the same time, and fit the ideas that I quoted in the last paragraph. Definately worth looking at if you're a fantasy reader.

Pawn of Prophecy is well written, albeit easy read, that establishes the foundation as the first book of five in the The Belgariad fantasy series. David Eddings takes the reader through a world of swords, sorcery, and the mundane. Each character builds upon the others and in relatively short order, the principles have been introduced and provided with enough of a skeleton personality to allow the reader to rapidly visualize each one. With a purposeful brush, David Eddings paints a picture of intrigue and innocence that draws the reader into the canvas of David Eddings' mind.
The author tells the tale in the form of a travelling minstrel; someone you know is embellishing but with whom you are captivated with anyway. He quickly establishes the foundation around young Garion, a typical farm boy, his aunt, known as Aunt Pol, and the sturdy blacksmith, Durnik. Although set in a period of time roughly equivalent to the medieval period in Europe as most fantasy novels have a propensity to do, it doesn't diminish the story and, in fact, enhances it. Eddings masterful use of dialogue and banter bring the reader to each scene with a hominess that can only be expressed as "I remember doing something like that." Early on the reader understands the stage and as each new character is introduced there are a few deus ex machina moments that though they often spoil other fantasy novels, Eddings uses them to add depth to the story as opposed to just another gimmick to get the characters through a tough spot. Adventures abound, from the trivial (swimming incident) to the significant (rooting out a traitor), which capture the imagination and have the reader cheering, laughing, or gasping aloud.
The core of the novel is the character interaction, however. The reader can easily "hear" the discussion which range the gamut of humorous to serious, with the interpersonal relationships blossoming throughout the book. It is these conversations which propel the story with only limited exposition on the actual settings. The reader doesn't have to trudge through paragraph after paragraph of minutia but can quickly visualize the area or scene by the concise phrasing Eddings uses. Each character grows, somewhat slowly at first, but by the end of the novel the reader fully understands Garion's perspective and personal issues.
Pawn of Prophecy is an easy escape novel that catches the reader's mind and soon draws the net tighter. Eddings is superb as a narrator with enough situational irony to keep the suspense up and pushing the story to its conclusion so that the reader is forced to ask "What's next?!" By the end of the novel the characters have become personal friends and the reader is loathe to put them away. Seldom do writers draw the readers in to a place where putting the book down is similar to drinking the last sip of water and hoping for more. Pawn of Prophecy is easily one of the best books of the genre but it only acts as a springboard to The Belgariad series.

Being very picky about what I read, I have found Eddings to be a refreshing change to other Fantasy writers. One person mentioned that he could have written the entire series in a 600 page book, but I wish to defer. The story is perfect for someone who likes details about the characters they meet in the books. A major complaint of mine with other authors is that they never tell you what happens after all the excitement is over...Eddings does that, which makes his characters all the more human. I have read every book of his, with the exception of High Hunt and Losers, and I highly recommend them all.

This is my favorite series of fantasy books! Nothing I have read can compare to the simple wonder and joy that these books create. The world is rich and vibrant, full of interesting places and people that give a wonderful depth to "The Belgariad" (books 1-5).
The plot is full and moves at a comfortable pace, never slow, yet never so quick that you feel rushed about. There is action, but it is not gratuitously bloody.
This is the perfect story for young readers (9-14), who want more excitement than "Harry Potter", and who's parents don't want them having nightmares!

A fantastic book I read when I was very young, but still enjoyable today. I think this an excellent first fantasy book for young readers, or readers new to the fantasy genre. The book's title is great too.

This has interesting characters and history of its world, but it seems that the novel falls a little short on actual plot - there is a story, but it seems to be more of an introduction to the world and history and characters and then it is also a setup for the follow on novel - even though this contains a complete story, the tale itself is not great, but there is enough to make me want to finish with the next book and maybe more depending on how that one goes.

Don't look to David Eddings for literature. This is commercial pulp fantasy to the core. It rips off Tolkien and a slew of other authors, and the long, drawn out series often resembles a soap opera. You could skip a book and not miss out on too much, if you know what I mean. The earlier books are better, because by the end, Eddings seems to be running low on ideas and the mysteries of the world he creates have largely been explained. This will satisfy fantasy fans desire for another hit after reading The Lord of the Rings, but it's ultimately a pale imitation.
So, quality schlock it is.

THE PAWN OF PROPHECY follows the Hero's Quest model with young Garion, who is destined to fight the evil god, Torak, and he is protected by Polgara and Belgarath. One of the true strengths of the first book are the endearing characters . . . they draw out humor but each is distinctive enough with their emotions to be different. However, that's as far as it goes since there isn't much complexity to them and they rarely change (I remember in the second series nothing had changed so it was getting really boring listening to Garion complain he was an adult in his late 20s while Polgara called him dear and treated him like a child).

I LOVED this series! Overall, the first book is ok, but the books that continue these series are awesome! David Eddings was referred to me and I said,"Hey, I'll try it." Now, I am reading all his books. They're fairly addictive! The characters are a work of art! I don't know how David Eddings wrote such a wonderful series! I STRONGLY suggest this series. Also, read the Malloreon. I don't know about the people that said this book and series were ok...They must not be fantasy readers. This series is highly addictive, and it does not take that long to read! I loved the Belgariad...So, anyone else who is thinking about reading this book, definitely read it. It will be the best series you have ever read. This is a must read for all fantasy lovers!

Well here's the deal, this is not Tolkien. Anyone who thinks it should be should read this great book called "The Fellowship of the Ring". All those ready to read something else, follow me.
The Belgariad, which starts in "Pawn of Prophecy", is a nice gentle, piece of fantasy that's easy to read. The characters, which are not deep, are not shallow either, and show a genuine interest in each other.
This first book, unfortuanatly is not the best in the series. The writing is rather stiff, and Eddings gets a few facts mixed up later.... (a pet peeve!) When I first read the books, at fifteen I was very sympathitic to Garion. As I've grown older, I kind of think he whines too much. At least at the start.
I prefer the Mallorean to the Belgariad, for laughs (yes they are the same jokes, but pay attention when you are with your friends, you tell the same jokes over and over too... at least I do with my friends!) I personally love Polgara, and enjoy her snarping... she obviously doesn't mean most of it.
Please take the time to read this, as your passport to the rest of the series. A tip to those struggling at the biginning, skip the prologue, I find they don't make much sense til after you've read the whole series.

The Belgariad, by Dave Eddings, may not be the high-handed, serious fantasy fiction that many readers crave--but then neither is most of the fantasy fiction these readers raise up as examples of greatness.

The Belgariad (and the rest of the books by Eddings) are 'solid' fictional landscapes designed to explore themes and tropes commonly found in fantasy fiction. Eddings accomplishes this feat with simplicity and a natural skill for narrative that makes his world at least believable, if not entirely 'magical'. While this series may not advance the fantasy genre in any significant way, it does show that good, well-written fantasy can endure in spite of the absurd expectations so often invoked by the fantasy-reading public. At least Eddings is able to write with clarity, a skill that appears to have been forgotten by many of the so-called writers in the genre.

Many of the reviewers for these books have invoked the names of Robert Jordan, Tolkien, Le Guin, et. al., as though each of these writers have written nothing but books that are flawless and unblemished. Nothing, of course, is farther from the truth. Each of these writers has his or her own literary failings, many of which far outshine any failing exhibited by Eddings.

With Jordan, we gain a complex world of mythical proportion, replete with mysteries, madness and mayhem. But we also lose so much in the way of realism with his bland characterizations, rough, arhythmic writing style, and his constant need to muddy plot-lines with self-indulgent meandering. Jordan, it has often been said, could use a good editor.

With Tolkien, we are endeared to a world composed of living history, language, mythology and medievalism. But this comes at the expense of building a narrative almost devoid of any real action or any characters who are not merely allegorical representatives of a greater ideal. As with Jordan's WoT, the LoTR trilogy also suffers from many seemingly needless deviations in plot, the end result being the creation of several unbalanced books that read more like Greek mythology or folklore, rather than a cohesive narartive. Tolkien, though arguably the progenitor of the genre, still had his flaws.

With Le Guin, we gain lyricism and a large amount of moral posturing. But we lose depth of characterization, clarity of plot, and are often sunk in too many layers of stilted (but beautiful) prose-poetry that we are ultimately distanced from caring about the story we're reading. How a person can fault Eddings' use of plot, but laud the absurd, wandering "plot" of, say, The Wizard of Earthsea, defies basic logic.

To say that Eddings, who writes plainly, strongly, and aptly--using fantasy conventions in exactly the same way as his contemporaries, but without all of the needless trappings of self-involvement--has written only a mediocre series does a great disservice to his contribution to the genre.

I first pickup Eddings' book Guardians of the West while waiting at the public library for my children to make their selections. As I read I realized that there were books in the series before said title. I just didn't realize there were five. When the Librarian informed me of the five preceding books I checked out the Pawn of Prophecy. I was fascinated to find a book written that takes the reader from the hero's days as a toddler all the way through to adulthood. David and Leigh weave a masterful story with characters rich in personality, foibles, weaknesses and strengths. The humor woven into the stories and characters makes one keep turning the pages to see what's next. When I finished nine of the books I waited with the rest of the Fantasy Fiction community t read the Seeress of Kell. It was worth the wait. While there are many opening sentences in books that capture ones attention. The opening one in the Seeress of Kell is among my favorite.
"The air was thin and cool and richly scented with the odor of trees that shed no leaves but stood dark green and resinous from one end of their lives to the other."
The series has continued to entertain me over the years and now my children are reading them and finding the stories just as much fun.

Richard Draude
Author:
The Adam Eradication

After reading Pawn of Prophecy, I began to regret spending all of the money I had spare on a video and two Tom Clancy books. I have just bought and read book two, and I am so impressed with them both that I am becoming a pain trying to get the money for the next three. Great book, I especially like the way Eddings writing can be as enjoyable as Tolkien, but without some of the more useless description(Not that I don't love that useless discription of Tolkien's), and more "fun" than Robert Jordan who is getting ridiculously tiresome in his last few WOT books.

This is going to deal with the whole series, not just this one book, since no one book makes sense on its own.

First of all, to reply to all the critics who hated this clicheed story, I would have to reply that they are all 100% correct. Yes, it was clicheed, yes Eddings did need a thesaurus, except for that one line, "Silk's predations were broadly ecumenical" or something like that, where he overused it.

I was first given this book a few years ago, when I was concentrating on serious fantasy--Terry Goodkind, George RR Martin, and of course, Tolkien. Confession: I did not like Tolkien.

I started it, and got insanely bored by the prologue, which I recomment either skipping or skimming. It is useful later on, but very boring and a bit preachy.

I tried again a few months later, and this time really got into the book. I am still not sure why. I'll admit that the characters are two-dimensional, though I really liked Pol(gara) and Silk was always amusing. I'll also admit that (Bel)garion is a whining little child who is so utterly clueless, it is hard to believe he is awake at all throughout the first few books. The plot is clicheed and a bit trite.

Later on, in "The Rivan Codex" this is all explained--this is precisely what the author wanted to do.

All this, however, is only marginally relevant. My number one criteria is whether I enjoyed the book(s). I did. They are light, airy, and just cute. Even if any reader with half a brain figures it all out by page 40 or so, the stories are fun. The best aspect, for me, was the comedic twist. Silk is hilarious, Beldin is also rather funny, and Belgarath pulls off a few amusing lines. I read these with a corny smile on my face.

While I'll repeat that this is not serious fantasy, it is fun, and that is all that counts.

The unfortunate thing is that the plot is recycled for Mallorean, and the characters are recycled for the Elenium and Tamuli. Durnik= Kurik Sephrenia=Polgara Torak=Azash Orb=Bhellium Flute=Ce'Nedra, etc.

So, if anyone wants unexpected twists and turns, sorry. For anyone who wants to enjoy a few hours, go ahead, pick up something by Eddings

The fate of the world rests on the shoulders of Garion, but he's just a boy and doesn't believe in magic or fate. His Aunt Pol raised him on a quiet farm, and the fact that a dark man with no shadow has constantly haunted him hasn't really bothered him all that much. Usually he doesn't even know or remember that the man is there. This book starts Garion on his journey to adulthood and gives him a glimpse of the future that may be in store for him; a future full of adventure and sorcery. David Eddings really has a knack with bringing his characters to life.

I still remember walking through the book store trying to find something to pass the time one not-so-fine summer. I was young enough to identify with the cover and picked this book up the first book solely for that reason. Quite a lucky break for me...

My fascination for finding the next epic fantasy novel began with this book. Eddings brings all the characters to life with good dialogue and development. The places and lives you encounter all feel real enough to pull you into a fantasy world and launch the only series by this author I believe is a must read. An obvious sign of enjoyment? The book was over before I even felt like I got started and I could barely wait to get my hands on the next copy (thank goodness for e-readers now).

I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of fantasy and adventure, whether on the expert of beginner level.

This book with worlds only that could be pictured in books, and mysteries, which seem far beyond our imagination. This book shows us the mysterious sides of everyone, and things that couldn't be thought of happening. It shows us a valuable lesson of friendship and family, which tells us to trust them, and not even hesitate of not believing them. Written by one of the best writers of fantasy that have existed, David Eddings, he creates world right off from his large imagination, and brings it to other people. Pawn of Prophecy takes place in a far away land, where sorcery rules over everything, and a continuous battle between good and evil takes place without ever getting a break. In this book, Garion a young kid who never believed in magic or anything related to that, even though Torak, an evil god, with great magical powers had been haunting him for years. One day, an old man, that comes every year, to tell his stories to the town. Though, Aunt Pol, then one night decides to tell him the truth, about her being a powerful magician and that the old man was his grandfather. They were both older than some couple thousand of years. Aunt Pol also told him, that he was the only one able to destroy Torak, though that the servants of Torak were searching for him to take him back to Torak as a reward. Garion, Aunt Pol, and his grandfather, decided to run away from Torak servants, and protect themselves. Though, one day, Garion will have to occasionally fight against Torak because he is the only one who can defeat him and get the Orb, which is a powerful stone, that has magical powers, that if fallen to the wrong hands could destroy everything. This book shows us great content of mystery and the mysterious side of everybody. Showing that everybody has something secret inside of him. Like, Garion, had magical powers, far beyond any other magic seen in the world where he lived, and he had to live with the fact that he was the only one able to destroy Torak, and regain the Orb, that brought peace to his world. The theme of the book, tells us that, you should always trust your friends and family, and you should not even once hesitate in not to, they will always find a way of helping you, or of making you feel better, and more confident of yourself. Garion had to trust his aunt and grandfather, which gave him advice of how to fight and runaway from of Torak and his evil servants. Even though, the book seems to be as boring as watching an old television program, the end gets quite fascinating and thrilling. You'll love it, though don't get upset when you get to the end, for there is 3 more continuations, and all of them seem to be as good as the first one. You'll want to kill Torak yourself at one point of the story, but don't because if you do the next reader will have some trouble reading over ripped pages. You'll have fun; I truly recommend this book to people who like made-up worlds and weird adventures.

The first book of the Belgariad was a very good start to the series. I found it a little too predictable though. In the introduction where it describes Belgarath using the guise of a wolf, that gave me the suspicion that the storyteller (mister wolf) was indeed Belgarath. The same thing happened with the aunt pol is polgara thing.

Besides that, the book flows well and has an interesting storyline. It slowly builds up the suspense in the end wanting to make you finish the book. Overall, Pawn of Prophecy was a good read.

I am curious why this is not on Kindle? Other books by this author have been made into E-Books
My husband and son both love all of Eddings books and recommended this first series to my Grandson. But he hates carrying around regular books. He and his buddies all have Kindles or Nooks and they simply won't drag around even a paperback. I think it might be something that would start young readers on this authors books if the series was introduced on Kindle.

Thank you

This is the first book in a series of five that have been my favorite books for more than ten years. I suggest having all five books of the Belgariad on hand, because once you start...well, you know....
You've got everything you'd want in a good adventure story, pagentry and pathos, glory and defeat, lonliness, grief, guilt, love, warmth and joy. We rejoice and agonize with our young, ignorant hero as he grows into the role the universe has prepared for him whether he likes it or not. We admire, pity, laugh at, despise and fall in love with the characters standing at his side and in his way. The "good" guys are fallible, argumentative and generally a lot of fun. And the "bad" guys...ooh they're so bad. And unlike the boy-heavy Lord of the Rings, there's some nifty female characters to round out the cast.
Without ever sinking into parody, Eddings pokes gentle fun at some of fantasy fiction's conventions, the all-wise, all-powerful wizard, (who really likes to eat, drink beer and sleep), the knight in shining armor (so noble he's practically brain damaged), the green-clad archer in the woods (see "knight") while respecting the tradition started by Tolkien. It's a well thought-out, complex world with likeable, interesting people in it.

I have read a lot of reviews on this page saying that the characters in the Belgariad are two dimensional and flat. I disagree 110%.
Look at Polgara and Silk. These two were easily my favorite, and far from two dimensional. The same can be said for Mr. Wolf (a.k.a Belgarath).
This series is far from perfect, but it is a lot more interesting then the Lord of the Rings by Tolkein, Shannara series by Brooks, and The Wheel of Time by Jordan.
The Mallorean does get a little silly (i.e. the "choice" at the end), but the prequels leave readers wanting more. After reading Belgarath the Sorcerer and Polgara the Sorceress, you feel like you know these two characters on a personal level. It's as if they actually existed. The character development is tremendous. And since we already know most of the story, the point of Polgara the Sorceress is to basically see it from another point of view. To get in her head (for lack of a better term) and see what she's thinking. I realized she's a much stronger woman than she was perceived in the previous books. A lot of people found her "bitchy" and "manipulative". But I rather enjoyed that side of her...
I think adults can enjoy this series as much as the average teenager. It's not complex, but it's by no means simple.

After slogging my way through the often soap-operish high drama of EVERY DRAGONLANCE BOOK EVER WRITTEN, it was refreshing to see a writer who had fun with the genre. The emotional backgrounds of characters are treated delicately and humourously, as opposed to the heaver hammer swing of many novels today. Yes, we know we can get away with writing a torrid love triangle set upon the the backdrop of world disaster, but David Eddings' characters are simple, very real, witty and down to earth. For instance, how many times do you see anyone talk about meal preparations and camp life in a novel? In pawn of prophecy, the first chapter begins with an enthralling view of the farm's kitchen life, written very endearingly and tenderly. These themes of reality butting in to deal with camp, food, shelter and so on, are what make the book good, not some twisting, turning plot. The characters are all very self-conscious, the entire time, of the cheeziness of their dramatic lives and are quick to cut it down to bite-sized portions that they, as humans and not superheroes, can deal with. I found the clean and simple writing of Eddings not to be lacking or un-intelligent as some might think, but rather wonderfully quick and fun. Get off your high horses for a moment and enjoy a nice book!

David Edding's Belgariad and Mallorean series (of which Pawn of Prophecy is the first book) both revolve around the same world and characters. The world is medieval-based, with a little sorcery and a pantheon of interesting gods (including the antagonistic, maimed god, Kal Torak) thrown in for good measure. David Edding's rarely paralleled strength is in the continuous pleasure that one derives from his fairly flawless, intelligent works of fantasy. He is a very talented descriptive writer, and his characters are undeniably cool and brilliantly drawn, each one very different from the others. Most sport insightful views into human nature, and most importantly, a hilarious sense of humour. When Eddings isn't enthralling you in his extremely colorful world, or making you grin foolishly at some of the feel-good elements, he is making you laugh out loud in utter delight (and then chagrin when everyone in the house looks at you oddly), and that comes from someone with a mature, refined sense of humour. Basically, a cast of extremely likeable characters join up with one or two less likeable characters (who are constantly made fun of) in an interesting world based upon various historical civilizations, as they pit their swords and sorcery against the evil god Torak and the Dark Prophecy that drives him, as well as against the evil half of the world (which makes for a very interesting dark continent to explore in The Mallorean series). Easily one of the best works of fantasy out there, and one of my very favorites.

I've found with these reviews that people arent very critical. Is this really the best book youve ever read?? Its got that definite, "they go here, then they go there, then they travel here. etc etc". Nothing ever really happens. There is only 1 battle in the book which goes for about 10 lines. There is no finale either. Yeah its part of a series, but you still need a climax. The end of the book finishes with the party heading out on the road again (so Im not sure if I want to read the 2nd). There is also no real use of magic either. I dont know how this can be compared to the likes of Gemmell and Feist.

The Belgariad and The Malloreon have been my lifelong friends. Since reading them for the first time over a decade ago to reading them for the 10th time this summer, I find that the wit and the wonderful realtionships between the characters are still as strong. Not to mention the strong, female characters which are lacking in many other fantasy series. Anyone who enjoyed the recent Harry Potter series would do well do read these. As in introduction into fantasy, they are tops. Several laughs out loud are guaranteed. I suggest reading them aloud with someone you love since the dialogue flows better if spoken.

This series definately ranks amoung my top five for the all time greats. Pawn of Prophecy is an excellent book but it doesn't make you wonder very much. For example Garion heard about the mysterious sorceress Polgara and his aunt's name is Pol. Figure it out. Little things like that don't leave much to the imagination . This is an excellent book though and I'd definately recommend it to readers who like fantasy. It is easy to read and is quite hard to put down. Give it a try.

Now I've read some of these reviews and i'm just utterly disapointed. The true and origional nature of Fantasy stories is a plot which we call in the english/writing vocabulary "Journey story". Maybe that was too hard to understand for most of these people. In the many comparisons to Lord Of the Rings, I felt stupified by reading them. Garion is not set out to destroy an ancient evil, he is trying to recover it, and unlike most other books Edding's god's make it wonderful, Garion is set out to destroy a god.
Now if you seem to find cliches in that, then you need to read up better. Eddings does more then just make characters and have them on an adventure, he delves deep into each of their history and personality. This book and the whole series is not just for one age, but for all ages. After reading the first book, then going on to the next ones, you get a feeling like you have grown together with the characters in his novels because you know everything about them, and Eddings makes their personality so great.
So for all of you who think that this story was one big cliche, you're wrong. He was simply taking the forground outline of a regular fantasy novel and adding everything to it. The races are far more wide then any of the Lord Of the Rings, also he puts much about religion and gods which I have yet to find in any other book. And to put one last word for those who felt the need to critique this novel and others in such way, read at least 2-3 more novels after Pawn Of Prophecy, then you will understand what i'm telling you about, and how you're wrong.

This Edding series is one of the best. The story is pleasant, fast moving and just plan fun to read, worts and all. The books must be read in order, i.e. The Belgraid, in order to follow the complete and almost never ending story. As far as this particular genre go, these are simple books, with a good strong story line which is very readable and easy to follow. Many people I know, myself included, have read and reread this entire series several times. Highly recommend!

This is just a fun fun series to read. It does not blow you away but it does keep you hooked throughout the whole series. I loved Books 1 and 2 the most.
The series mainly takes you all over the world through the eyes of Garion, a young boy who learns sorcery. The beauty of the series are the characters - all the characters are likable and we get to read of their exploits.
This isn't necessarily a deep philosophical series and it's mainly dialogue, but it's adventure.

This book is a really good starter to the series. While many people complain about all the unanswered questions, I'm glad that they are left that way. This creates the excitement to read the next books. Also, I really love how each character has their own personality and history. This book only gets four stars though because there were many repetitive lines, and once in a while, the book would get dull for a chapter or two. However, Pawn of Prophecy is a great book altogether.

Pawn of Prophecy, is the opening work of Edding's 5 book Belgariad Series. Since this book simply sets the stage for the series, an isolated review is impossible. The Belgariad is, hands down, Edding's best work, and the man is a fixture on the NY times Best sellers list. Unlike Tolkien, and other fantasy writers, Edding's characters don't sound like a medieval peom. The bickering, humor, and dry wit which lace the dialogue allow the characters to flow through the plot line, which while highly engaging and well thought out, is much simpler than most fantasy. Indeed that lies at the heart of Edding's appeal. These character's talk and bicker with each other like they are in a modern sitcom, not a dry midieval court.
The plotline of Pawn of Prophecy is fairly simple. The book sets the stage for the series, introducing the first 6 or so main characters. The protagonist, Garion, finds himself dragged along on a strange quest with his Aunt Pol, and a small crew of character's whose identities begin to be revealed as the plot progresses. Like many works of fiction, the reader will be many leaps ahead of the book's main character when it comes to guessing what's really going on. However, because the books flows on the strength of its dialogue, not its plot, this poses little problem.
Reviewer's Note: Pawn of Prophecy also allows serious Edding's fans to get the opportunity to find the discrepancies between this book and the rest of the series. Either certain elements of the plotline, and background were still in flux, or Edding's didn't yet have the clout to overrule editorial changes. Whatever the reason, "hunting for mistakes" can be fun.

What a wonderfull story! I would actually give it closer to four stars. The characters were all engaging and the dialogue supported them nicely. While it makes it quickly appearent who Aunt Pol and Mr. Wolf are, this only serves to initiate us into the plot without delay. And a decent simple plot it is. No this isn't some 900 page Jordan/Goodkind monster -amazing books, but it is a great story that moves quickly and entertains. Not all fantasy series need to be written from an elitist,snobby perspective to be enjoyable as one reviewer seems to think (CELOPHAINE). Sometimes it's nice to go on a simpler journey with likable people. This is a good one, I can't wait to get into the rest.

I discovered this series many years ago and have read it more times than I can count. It ranks in my top 5 favorites series, up there with the Drizzt series.I passed my copies onto my younger nephew and he ate them up, too. I am glad to see they are slowly being released on Kindle format now. It's about time.

Though this is the first in the Belgariad Series, I wager it won't be your last. The author captured my attention and my heart from the first sentence and kept me there through the entire series. A well written story peppered with characters you'll come to love, this was the first series I hated to end because I identified with the characters so deeply it was like saying goodbye to close friends. Storytelling at its best, written by the hand from the heart.

David Eddings commits every sin a writer of fantasy can: there's the wise old all-powerful magician, the big strong warrior, and the boy who is destined to fulfill an ancient prophecy; and not to forget angry Gods who for some reason turn out to be complete nincompoops and allow themselves to be defeated by humans at the end of the series (I'm not considering this a spoiler - this seems obvious). Eddings wrote in his foreword that he wrote this book in order to tackle philosophical issues that bothered him at the time. I don't know what kind of issues he had while writing this, but the deepest philosophical message you can get out of these books is something akin to love conquers all (or of the same type of "keen" insight). Might satisfy adolescents, but absolutely NOT for adults. I'm not a fantasy buff but I _know_ there is better fantasy out there - such as that by lord Dunsany and others. Try checking it out when you give up these books.

I had just finished "The Druid Of Shannara" for the 4th or 5th time, and my friend Rick asked if I read alot. "Understatement," I told him, and looked up. On my shelf was about 10 or so books that I read regularly. He said, "Well, I have something that you might like." I sceptically read the insert of the "Pawn" and said I would. After 3 weeks, I had read "The Belgariad" and was starting on "The Malloreon" With a mix of wit, intrigue, and magic, Eddings stirs the calduron and delivers. I was totally mesmerized during the whole time I read it, and am sure that every fantasy fan will to. Not as long as LOTR, or as long-winded, Eddings gives a story that moves along, taking the reader along on journies that last years and move around a continent. With the upbringing of Garion to well, I'll leave that to you to find out, it moves swiftly and never disappoints. Good for kids as there's no cursing or graphic violence, and for adults with his wit and humor, Eddings gives a great start to a brilliant story.

I was first introduced to the Belgariad when I was told to read something. My girlfriend suggested it saying it as the best book she'd ever read. After reading the Lord of the Rings I was ready for another fantasy novel, not thinking that it would be possible to live up to the expectations Lord of the Rings had so succesfully laid down.
For weeks the book just lay on my desk. I never had any time, and it wasn't a book you could just dip in to. Eventually, I did actually sit down for an afternoon and read, and I was still reading at midnight. Once the Belgariad has you in it's spell it is impossible to put the book down. You always want to know what happens next, and what the secrets of Polgara and Belgarath are. Immediately I went to my library and read Queen of Sorcery, which if anything is better than this. I am currently reading The Magician's Gambit (3rd book) and am planning to read the rest of the Belgariad and start the Mallorean (David Eddings second series of this story).
Final comment? If you're prepared to sit through the barrier of the first book you'll be hooked beyond escape. Be warned, it will capture you in it's spell!

The Belgariad and Mallorean written by David Eddings is the greatest fantasy books ever written. The plot is unique from other books and twists in it make it even better, while retaining an age old rags to riches story. The world itself is by all means, perfect. Some stories have too much magic in the story and leaves out the details of normal life, but Eddings keeps everything in balance. The characters though are what make this story the best ever. They are so lifelike that when you finish both series, its like leaving your friends. They all have problems and you empathize with them because of this. Of course Garion deals with normal boys problems and in the book Garion does alot of thinking. Above all, is Eddings mastery of writing skill. He has such a way of making the world, characters, and events in the story unique, rich, and beautiful. Some stories hurry through the journey, but Eddings seems to take his time and describes the settings and surroundings to make it more realistic. No fantasy has or probably will ever touch the Belgariad and Mallorean series. If anyone is looking for a fantasy that you will read again and again, please pick this up. I promise you that if you do, you wont be dissapointed.

This book is a really good starter to the series. While many people complain about all the unanswered questions, I'm glad that they are left that way. This creates the excitement to read the next books. Also, I really love how each character has their own personality and history. This book only gets four stars though because there were many repetitive lines, and once in a while, the book would get dull for a chapter or two. However, Pawn of Prophecy is a great book altogether.

Pawn of Prophecy, is the opening work of Edding's 5 book Belgariad Series. Since this book simply sets the stage for the series, an isolated review is impossible. The Belgariad is, hands down, Edding's best work, and the man is a fixture on the NY times Best sellers list. Unlike Tolkien, and other fantasy writers, Edding's characters don't sound like a medieval peom. The bickering, humor, and dry wit which lace the dialogue allow the characters to flow through the plot line, which while highly engaging and well thought out, is much simpler than most fantasy. Indeed that lies at the heart of Edding's appeal. These character's talk and bicker with each other like they are in a modern sitcom, not a dry midieval court.
The plotline of Pawn of Prophecy is fairly simple. The book sets the stage for the series, introducing the first 6 or so main characters. The protagonist, Garion, finds himself dragged along on a strange quest with his Aunt Pol, and a small crew of character's whose identities begin to be revealed as the plot progresses. Like many works of fiction, the reader will be many leaps ahead of the book's main character when it comes to guessing what's really going on. However, because the books flows on the strength of its dialogue, not its plot, this poses little problem.
Reviewer's Note: Pawn of Prophecy also allows serious Edding's fans to get the opportunity to find the discrepancies between this book and the rest of the series. Either certain elements of the plotline, and background were still in flux, or Edding's didn't yet have the clout to overrule editorial changes. Whatever the reason, "hunting for mistakes" can be fun.

What a wonderfull story! I would actually give it closer to four stars. The characters were all engaging and the dialogue supported them nicely. While it makes it quickly appearent who Aunt Pol and Mr. Wolf are, this only serves to initiate us into the plot without delay. And a decent simple plot it is. No this isn't some 900 page Jordan/Goodkind monster -amazing books, but it is a great story that moves quickly and entertains. Not all fantasy series need to be written from an elitist,snobby perspective to be enjoyable as one reviewer seems to think (CELOPHAINE). Sometimes it's nice to go on a simpler journey with likable people. This is a good one, I can't wait to get into the rest.

I discovered this series many years ago and have read it more times than I can count. It ranks in my top 5 favorites series, up there with the Drizzt series.I passed my copies onto my younger nephew and he ate them up, too. I am glad to see they are slowly being released on Kindle format now. It's about time.

Though this is the first in the Belgariad Series, I wager it won't be your last. The author captured my attention and my heart from the first sentence and kept me there through the entire series. A well written story peppered with characters you'll come to love, this was the first series I hated to end because I identified with the characters so deeply it was like saying goodbye to close friends. Storytelling at its best, written by the hand from the heart.

David Eddings commits every sin a writer of fantasy can: there's the wise old all-powerful magician, the big strong warrior, and the boy who is destined to fulfill an ancient prophecy; and not to forget angry Gods who for some reason turn out to be complete nincompoops and allow themselves to be defeated by humans at the end of the series (I'm not considering this a spoiler - this seems obvious). Eddings wrote in his foreword that he wrote this book in order to tackle philosophical issues that bothered him at the time. I don't know what kind of issues he had while writing this, but the deepest philosophical message you can get out of these books is something akin to love conquers all (or of the same type of "keen" insight). Might satisfy adolescents, but absolutely NOT for adults. I'm not a fantasy buff but I _know_ there is better fantasy out there - such as that by lord Dunsany and others. Try checking it out when you give up these books.

If your a fan of Robert Jordan, Raymond Feist, George R. R. Martin, or any of the big guys, this is definately a must read. If you are someone who is thinking of reading fantasy, I strongly recommend this novel, right after Tolkein of course. Or if you are just looking for an entertaining read, here is your series.What David Eddings (along with his wife Leigh) did for the world of fantasy writing, in my opion, is only surpased by Tolkein. While I love Tolkeins books, Eddings is number one on that list of who I deem better. Tolkeins characters were all black and white. Meaning that beings who were fair haired and fair skinned were good. Beings who were dark skinned or dark haired were bad. Woman stopped at the neck, there was no sensuality in his novels. Eddings intentially put little scenes or discriptions that pushed the fantasy boundaries set by Tolkein, without being crude I hasten to add. There was a depth and smoothness to his novels that was rarely seen at the time. My point is that while also being an enjoyable and amusing story, the Belgariad was something more than that. Eddings brought about a change in fantasy writing. And without him, Jordan would take the cake for writing serials with more than three novels (though at the time, the five novel idea angered Mr. Eddings. It was the editors idea.)
Regardless of your reasons for reading his novels, Eddings wrote great stories and I give them all the highest possible reccomendations.

I had just finished "The Druid Of Shannara" for the 4th or 5th time, and my friend Rick asked if I read alot. "Understatement," I told him, and looked up. On my shelf was about 10 or so books that I read regularly. He said, "Well, I have something that you might like." I sceptically read the insert of the "Pawn" and said I would. After 3 weeks, I had read "The Belgariad" and was starting on "The Malloreon" With a mix of wit, intrigue, and magic, Eddings stirs the calduron and delivers. I was totally mesmerized during the whole time I read it, and am sure that every fantasy fan will to. Not as long as LOTR, or as long-winded, Eddings gives a story that moves along, taking the reader along on journies that last years and move around a continent. With the upbringing of Garion to well, I'll leave that to you to find out, it moves swiftly and never disappoints. Good for kids as there's no cursing or graphic violence, and for adults with his wit and humor, Eddings gives a great start to a brilliant story.

I was first introduced to the Belgariad when I was told to read something. My girlfriend suggested it saying it as the best book she'd ever read. After reading the Lord of the Rings I was ready for another fantasy novel, not thinking that it would be possible to live up to the expectations Lord of the Rings had so succesfully laid down.
For weeks the book just lay on my desk. I never had any time, and it wasn't a book you could just dip in to. Eventually, I did actually sit down for an afternoon and read, and I was still reading at midnight. Once the Belgariad has you in it's spell it is impossible to put the book down. You always want to know what happens next, and what the secrets of Polgara and Belgarath are. Immediately I went to my library and read Queen of Sorcery, which if anything is better than this. I am currently reading The Magician's Gambit (3rd book) and am planning to read the rest of the Belgariad and start the Mallorean (David Eddings second series of this story).
Final comment? If you're prepared to sit through the barrier of the first book you'll be hooked beyond escape. Be warned, it will capture you in it's spell!

The Belgariad and Mallorean written by David Eddings is the greatest fantasy books ever written. The plot is unique from other books and twists in it make it even better, while retaining an age old rags to riches story. The world itself is by all means, perfect. Some stories have too much magic in the story and leaves out the details of normal life, but Eddings keeps everything in balance. The characters though are what make this story the best ever. They are so lifelike that when you finish both series, its like leaving your friends. They all have problems and you empathize with them because of this. Of course Garion deals with normal boys problems and in the book Garion does alot of thinking. Above all, is Eddings mastery of writing skill. He has such a way of making the world, characters, and events in the story unique, rich, and beautiful. Some stories hurry through the journey, but Eddings seems to take his time and describes the settings and surroundings to make it more realistic. No fantasy has or probably will ever touch the Belgariad and Mallorean series. If anyone is looking for a fantasy that you will read again and again, please pick this up. I promise you that if you do, you wont be dissapointed.

Although I really wanted to like this book (because a good friend recommended it as one of her favorites), I couldn’t. First of all, there is way too much to absorb in the Prologue, where readers learn about a bunch of different people, gods and the Orb. Reading it made me feel like what a stranger-to-Star Trek might feel if someone quickly listed the names of the races of the people that those on the Enterprise encountered during their mission, then expected them to be able to recall all of them as they continued telling a story. It was too much for me. And then, after the drinking-through-the-fire-hose start, very little happened in the middle. Readers learn that Garion, who is 14-years old during the important, latter part of the book, was raised as your average country kid, only to find out that there is more to identity of the woman who raised him and an older man who often visits them than meets the eye. Of course, there’s more to Garion’s identity too. It isn’t until later in the (short) book, when the three go on a quest of sorts, that all the action happens (if the entire book had been like this, I’d have enjoyed it a lot more) and readers learn more about the characters’ true identities. Unfortunately, readers are left hanging even as to the true identity of Garion and what the deal really is about the Orb. There are four books in which the story continues on, but I won’t be reading them as I never really felt invested in the characters and their story. In summary, too much at the start, too little in the middle and not quite enough at the end to keep me wanting to read on. Better: A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman and The Conch Bearer by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.

A friend at work let me borrow this book and after about a week I finally got around to reading it. I was fairly impressed. I thought it had good character development, and moved along very quickly.
The only downfall I think this book has is it's plot is so over used it's not funny anymore, i.e. boy is the hero of the story but he doesn't know it, yet, all of his peers are aware of it but choose not to say anything to him, an ancient, evil villain is waiting for something to be brought to him so that he may plunge the world into utter darkness and evil, there is an ancient sorcerer who knows so much but seems to delight in the fact that he frustrates the other characters by keeping the knowledge to himself, etc.....
I'm not saying that this book was bad, as I did give it four stars, I'm just saying that I've read so many books with the same or a very similar plot that it would be nice to see a change.
All in all I thought this book was well written, without all the fighting and wizardry scenes that plague so many of the fantasy books out there, and I would recommend it to any one who is looking for a good book they can finish in a day. I can also say that it was good enough for me to want to read the next book in the series.

I find most of Eddings work a continuous rehash of the same story that's OK because many of todays authors do it. Sadly like many of todays authors the story is weak and the characterisation even worse. We are introduced to Garion a young boy who's destiny is one that will shake the world of men and gods. Sounds good but then it's down hill from there Eddings seems to be incapable of giving his Heroes decent villians to combat so much so that there is no doubt they will succeed. I also found his attempts of humour quite sad. I rate his books down there with that other original writer Dennis L McKiernan.

Pawn and Prophecy was a terrific book! When I first started the book, I found the dialogue to be unrealistic, even for fantasy, but as I read on the unique way the characters interacted added to the allure.

Although Pawn and Prophecy has the "typical fantasy plot" (throw a motley crew together to save the world) the characters are unique and loveable. Because Eddings writes in such a unique way the plot remains unpredictable.

I would highly recommend this book, it is like no other, and the story line only gets better throughout the series!

But don't let it get you down.. You've just embarked on one of the most epic adventures of your life, in this case, David Eddings' Belgariad novels. I hoope you like the story, because you'll read it again in the Mallorean saga, and get many tinges of it in Belgarath the Sorcerer, and Polgara the Sorceress. But hey, who's counting..? All in all, a wonderful story, ideal for a first time SF/Fantasy reader. One of my favorites.

The best fantasy series I have ever read. Read when the books were first published and bought most in hard cover because could not wait for the paperback.
Read the entire series including the additional books about the characters. Was really sorry when it ended. The characters were so well developed, it felt like I was losing friends.

Back in 1982 a friend of mine told me that he had heard David Eddings was a great writer. On the strength of his recommendation, having not read anything by David Eddings himself, and needing some new books to read. I picked up Pawn of Prophecy and Queen of Sorcery. That was the best decision I ever made. I am 33 years old and love a well told story that is both engaging and enjoyable. I have found that mix in all the books of The Belgariad, The Mallorean, The Elenium and The Tamuli. David Eddings writes so you actually care whether a character lives or dies. The stories are witty and heart-wrenching, you find that as you put one of the books down you miss the characters, they are written so you grow with them, you face down their greatest fears and live through good times and bad, beautifully written. I have read the entire series (10 books) 5 or 6 times. This is the best reading I have done this side of Robert Jordan's - Wheel of Time series, for different reasons of course. I only wish David and his wife would continue in this vein. Togerther they are fantastic writers, thanks for the great fun in reading!!!!!!

This story is...GREAT! As other reviews have mentioned, you should definately read the other books in 'the belgariad' if you read this one otherwise the story will make no sense to you. It's an interesting start, at times its a little boring because you kind of don't understand it all that well, but once you get into it, there's this whole story behind each character and the whole prohecy thing fits together with everything. It has some really funny and interesting characters in it, Eddings is really good at giving the characters very individual and distinctive personalities. Things are described in an interesting and thoughtful way, without going overboard with it. The general plot is just fantastic, since the story is based on a prophecy, so the story relates to things which happened in that world thousands of years before. If you are a fantasy fiction fan (or even if you aren't) this is a really worthwhile series to read. Once you have finished 'the Belgariad' be sure to read 'the mallorean' it continues the story. Now go and buy it!

The book follows Garion as he grows up on a farm in the kingdom of Sendaria, where his Aunt Pol manages the kitchen. The first few chapters cover his life up to the age of around 14, which is when the main story begins. At that time he is just a normal farmboy, and knows little of the world. Even a trip to the closest village is an adventure. But suddenly he has to follow his Aunt as she and Wolf, the storyteller, leave on a quest to find something which has been stolen. As the story progresses, he begins to suspect that his Aunt and Wolf may be different from what he has known them to be his whole life.
This is just the start of a great series of five books known as 'the Belgariad', later followed by another five in 'the Malloreon'. The story is the classic fight between the Evil which seeks to rule the world, and the Good which wants to save it, but what really makes the book so great is the characters. They are all very distinct from each other, with their own personality and desires. Eddings manages to keep them all separate, so that they are not mixed together in a faceless group. Instead they each have their part to play in the quest to save the world.
I have read the entire series at least 20 times by now, and it remains my favorite fantasy. It is lighter than 'The Wheel of Time' series by Robert Jordan, which makes it suitable for younger readers as well, but it is great for anyone from around 12 to 112. I think many, like me, read this series as their first fantasy, and it is a great start to get interested in the world of magic and swordfights. By now Harry Potter is probably a more common start, but this series is still required reading for fantasy lovers.

This book, along with the rest of The Belgariad and the Malloreon are few of those stories that grip you and never let you go. David Edding's way of making his world come alive by casual talk and miniature details excell even J.R.R. Tolkien. The characters seem flesh and bone, the countries seem as stable as houses of cards and the plot literally controls everything. A must for any reader who enjoys a good book.

David Eddings has learned well... how to rehash the same story enough times in different ways to net himself a load of money. Throughout the Belgariad (which I did enjoy, light reading, never intense) I was struck by how well this story fits into the cookie cutter image of fantasy. THEN I got to read the same story again, and again, and again, with the Mallorean, Belgarath and Polgara. The horse is dead, David. Let it lie.

The "Pawn of Prophecy" was the first fantasy book I ever read, and I enjoyed it immensely. I would *really* reccommend it for people who are thinking about reading fantasy books to start with this one. I really love the entire "Belgariad" series. These books are full of sarcastic humor, which kept me laughing out loud.
One thing about the entire series, and actually an observation of the way the Eddings' write: these books are *extremely* character-oriented, which I found fascinating. You feel as though you know the characters as "real" people. This does make for a complicated approach to the genre of fantasy, where the worlds usually take priority over the characters, but I thought Eddings did a fantastic job.
To be fair, though, this book isn't nearly as good as the rest. My reccommendation: Get through this one, and read the rest. You won't regret it.

I enjoyed reading this book. In it I found an excellent balance of dialogue and description. This book was so cleanly written I felt myself just breezing through it. I also found the characters to be really funny and likeable.

The only complaint I had was about the seemingly constant bickering. I didn't enjoy watching these supposedly smart and sometimes ancient characters picking away at each other. The theme I am especially getting tired of is this story of the "hen pecked man"; the poor men who must constantly put up with bitchy women. The only thing I'd really want to change in this book would be it's tendency to represent overly sympathetic men while creating, for the most part, antogonistic women. I would have figured that after having lived for 7000 years the characters Pol and Mr.Wolf would be more mature and have transended this most commonplace gendered hostility.

Overall though this book is a definate must read - Eddings is a very talented writer!

Pawn of Prophecy is a good tale by the author David Eddings. This book does a pretty good job of explaining the surroundings and most of the characters. Eddings does a good job with the relationships with the characters. He does this by mixing up characteristics like strength, courage, intelligence and other important features. The boy Garion has been curious throughout this book and as he gets older he gets watched more closely by his Aunt Pol and the character Mr. Wolf. There are constant conflicts between Aunt Pol and Mr. Wolf. Garion always tries to overhear Aunt Pol and Wolf talking especially when he assumes the conversation will include his name. This curiosity may cause more bad than good in the Garion's life as time goes on. Some of the characters in the book such as Silk remain suspicious throughout the book. At times Silk almost seems to be on the wrong side and at other times he seems to be one of the best things working for Garion's side. All in all this is a good book that will keep you interested or at least laughing at Aunt Pol and Wolf's constant arguments.

Life is very simple down at Faldor's farm, where a boy named Garion lives. Garion lives with his aunt, and when he's in town, his uncle Mr.Wolf. One fine morning his aunt calls to him and tells him they are leaving. Surprised, Garion hurry's and asks no questions knowing they won't be answered. When Garion gets into the wagon his aunt tells him that they would be gone for a long time. Along the way they face troublesome Murgos, meet new friends, and have a breathtaking adventure like no other.

This book has so many light and dark sides to it. Its kind of like a board game. It starts good and flows easily. There are parts where you rather put it down. It is a short easy read, and I am not one of those people who don't read twenty four seven. Every night my parents told me five minutes, it would usually be ten. If you like to explore new world yet to be discovered, then what are you waiting for, get your card and head down to the library right now.

I will admit right away, I never finished this book. I got about 3/4 through it and realized that I would not continue the series, so I just cut my losses.
The reason I did not find this book especially enjoyable mainly comes down to the world that Eddings has created. He spends enormous energy trying to convey the idiosyncracies of the different factions and Gods of his fantasy world. All seven of them (I think it was seven...) However, as a reader in the first book, I found it difficult to relate to this fantasy world, and even more difficult to care.
The characters themselves were rather interesting, and Eddings is actually a good writer. The dialogue wasn't bad at all, and I enjoyed his writing style. I just couldn't bring myself to care about this overly-complex world he was placing too much focus on.
I'm now interested in finding other non-Belgariad writings by Eddings, and hoping he's managed to create a much more interesting setting, because as an author I still think he has potential.

This is one of the best fantasy series I have ever read. I would put it as number three behind the Lord of the Rings, and Jack Vance's `Green Pearl' series. There is one huge problem however. While this series is amazingly original and utterly refreshing, Eddings seems incapable of writing anything original beyond this. In short, every book, every series he has written beyond this (at least of the several I have tried to read) recycles the same characters, situations, and the writing style. So once you have read this outstanding series, you have pretty much read everything Eddings has written. Thisaccounts, in my opinion, for some of the mediocre reviews on this series. I suspect the readers are coming from the background of having read other of Eddings works, hence finding this one trite and predictable.

If you have never read any of Eddings works, do yourself a huge favor and read this one...then stop there. If you have read other of his works, sad to say, but don't bother.

David Eddings is my favorite author and has been since I read Pawn of Prophecy 11 or 12 years ago. This book captured my imagination like non other had and I immediately rushed to the library to plow my way through the rest of them. Now I own the Belgariad, The Mallorean, The Elenium etc etc!! I read them all regularly and even though I know them backwards and forwards, I still rush through a series until the very last word then take a breath to recover! Pawn of Prophecy is like stepping into a strangely familiar world, and you get the feeling as you're reading it that your journey is going to be a long one. I seriously recommend David Eddings to anyone, especially if they haven't read any of this genre - this book and its sequels will gently ease you into a world of wonders. Fantastic.

...The one where Wayne, having just learned a bit of Cantonese, has a very lengthy and diverse conversation in that language with Cassandra? It was funny in the movie because it was so ridiculous that someone "just learning" could have such an extensive vocabulary.

Well, that's what Eddings does here, only he tries to pass it off as something within the realm of possibility. As a famous comedian says, I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but the main character, Garion, is learning the secret hand gesture language of spies from the thief they travel with. Only after a couple days of learning, they have a lengthy conversation at a dinner table, using words no secret sign language should have, such as names. And the whole time, we the readers are expected to believe this conversation is so subtle that most people wouldn't notice it. I was picturing the two conversants standing on the chairs, wiggling their noses at each other, belching, pulling hair... it would be the only way they could get the kind of variation needed for the vocabulary this secret language possesses.

Anyway. The series was cute, but not great. I had a number of complaints throughout, such as the predictability of the plot, the cookie-cutter characters... I did read the whole Belgariad, because it was light enough and fast-paced enough that I could knock out a book every other day or so. But it just seemed too much like everyone had the same personality and sense of humor, and it was always the same joke being made on Garion.

Teens should like it. If you haven't read that much fantasy already, by all means, this is decent enough to get your feet wet in the genre. If you prefer something with a little more substance and creativity, then avoid this one.

I myself thought, unlike some of the other reviews, that this book was very well done. It is true that this book was kinda slow, but it is an opening for the rest of the series, and like the opening of most books, it serves to introduce the characters and the story, rather than immerse you in the action to quickly.I myself enjoy the charactere of Silk and his humour throughout the book, and I think this book shows the most of that then the others. THe only thing annoying about this book and the others is that Garion acts clueless and like a little kid all through the books. THe plot in these books is also quite predictable, but fun all the way through. I recommend this to anyone who wants a quick, enjoyable fantasy series, but won't be to demanding of it. just keep an open mind and enjoy how the series turns out.

I first read this series when I was about 13, I had just been introduced to fantasy with Magician..

This book and series really is just about a bit of fun and opening up the whole fantasy genre up to beginners, and it works great for that.

That being said, once you have really gotten into this series you realise that whilst it is a good story and the writing is acceptable, it really is quite predictable and follows the classic fantasy formula.

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with this story, its a good read but does get a bit stale in places.

This series were bestsellers- I actually don't know how the books got there. I read all Belgariad books, there actually was some tension, some fun, some goose flesh - it wasn't a bad book at all, but it lacked depth. All characters were so simple, so very, very predictable. What surprised me most is the fact that there were simply no complots, and it was most of the time just Garion and his companions running around and slaying easily everything coming their way. It was too straight to be a great read - the evil never really seemd to be a challenge for the characters or just overwhelmingly powerful. Having read the first couple of books of the Wheel of Time or the Greenangel-Series I'd say that there are two different worlds: those were intricate and mysterious novels, this was a hero-comic in prose. However, it does not mean that you get bored while reading it.

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.

Until I picked up this book, the first in the Belgariad. It was a quick read, but the characters are so vividly drawn, the personalities so unique, and the tale so grand and engrossing, that it seemed like I was actually living the tale. Eddings (all both of them <wink>) sets up the next four books in this one, laying the foundation for the epic saga to come, by focusing on the childhood and early adolescence of Garion, the Boy With A Destiny As Yet Unrevealed (tm). While not my favorite book in the series (that would have to go to Castle of Wizardry, book 3) it definitely hooks you in and makes you want to keep going. Nearly twenty years after first picking up the Belgariad, I'm reading ... and enjoying ... it as much as the first time around. Highly recommended!

A brilliant start to my favourite series. Well written and draws you in completely to the fantasy world. Growing up with Garion in the book is a great way to involve the reader in the story. A must read.

This is a fantastic book series and I would recommend it to any sci-fi/fantasy lover!! If you've read HP and LOTR 4 times through and think you should switch it up a bit, bring this series (The Belgariad) and it's sequel series (The Malloreon) into the cycle starting with The Pawn of Prophecy. My first introduction to the story was by audio book and I thought it was fabulous! My only complaint is that they aren't available for kindle! Why aren't they in kindle format yet????

A sacred artifact has been stolen, and its retrieval is essential for the survival of the kingdom Alorn. Garion was about fourteen when he left Faldor's Farm with Old Wolf, Aunt Pol, and Durnik the smith. While on this crazy adventure, Garion learns much about his family heritage, and his only living relatives, Old Wolf and Aunt Pol. Garion faces many challenges on his long and dangerous journey to find the stolen artifact.

This amazing book of action, and a huge adventure spanning two of the Alorn kingdoms, will test Garion in ways he didn't even know possible. The Pawn of Prophecy is book one of the Belgariad series. This book I think was amazing in many different ways. I love fantasy books, and it's packed full of adventure and action together that will knock your socks off. David Eddings is a good author, and I would love to read any other books that he has written or, will write in the future. Garion, along with all of his companions, will face many challenges together, and alone, but will overcome them.

Alright, all I can say is this bbook was one of the best books I have read in a longg time. After finishing Grade Ten, I started reading The Pawn Of Prophecy, because it was suggested to me, and I've been hooked every since. These books helped get me to read again, as they have all the aspects that young teenagers, who still have their imagination crave! I loved every book, and devoured the whole Belgariad and Mallorean, Belgarath and Polgara, and the Rivian Codex helped to sort out any confussion that was left hanging after all the books had finished. Currently I'm reading Eddings Second series, and I'm in the Second half, The Tamuli. I highly recommend this to young adults, and adults everywhere. Especially childeren coming off of the Harry Potter Mania, because these are books that run in the same basic way! ENJOY!

Pawn of Prophecy is the first book in the Belgariad series and as such sets the backdrop. With that said...
This book is outstanding! The detail that David Eddings places into building all of his characters is just outstanding!
I remember picking this book up alone and having to run back (the same day) to get the rest of the stories (5 more).. They are just that delightfull!

This has got to be the best book of all time! Once I started...I never pu it down until an hour and a half later! By that time I had finished it! Within 20 minutes I ran back to the bookstore where I bought it and got the Second one. David Eddings has got to be the only Author that caught my attention as soon as I read the opening paragraph! WOW!

For people who enjoy reading for the purpose of getting into the story. The books written by David Eddings' are for people who get attached to characters and love to immerse themselves in reading. To me his books are like coming home for a visit.

If you want to read simply to get to the finish line---Eddings is not for you.

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?

Ok people, you've had your rant, now it's time to take the blindfold off. Everyone is taking these storys too seriously. Eddings wrote fantasy novels to experiment with cliches at the time. He takes various things from various novels. Some from the arthurian legends (a poor boy becomes king, and Polgara is like morgan le fey or morgase, sort of) a bit from Tolkein (belgarath is gandalf with a twist, he admits that himself) And a bit from the real world (almost every country and culture has a real-world counterpart, if you read the books you know what I mean). These are not the kind of books that make you think, "Wow! My life is changed forever!" they're supposed to invole a sence of "Well, that was fun." Eddings simple writing makes for easy reading where you don't have to think your way through english-teacher diction. That's not exactly bad.
I recomend reading this book after you've just finished a really meaty novel that makes your head ache with the scope of it. (i.e. The Wheel of Time or Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn) Think of this as dessert. A sweet little comfection that theres no need to eat too much of, which is why I don't recomend any of his other books if you intend to read these.

I've been waiting patiently for this series to come out on Kindle for quite some time. Maybe the publisher is counting on more audio book sales by not offering a Kindle version. I'll reread my old paperback before I spend $15 on the audible version.

Many people think David Eddings is overly formulaic which he is a bit but since I enjoy the tale he tells I do not mind reading it over again. His characters always have great humor at their core and you can't beat a good epic tale for entertainment value. This particular book is one of my favorites by him.

David Eddings has one of the most brillant mind in the world. Pawn of Prophecy has it all, humor, action, suspense and your occational drama. His characters are classic, not at all like J.R, Tolkin's Lord of the Rings. You expect to see dwarves and goblins and elves and stuff like that. Eddings on the other hand reaches deeper into his imagination and creates characters with wonderful characteristics that you have never expected to see in a book lik this. Once I read Pawn of Prophecy i read the next 4 books in a month and a half. I even went out to buy the whol series and the next one too without even reading up on it. I expected my self to enjoy it so it did't matter if a have read it or not. This is one of the best books published in more people should reconize that.

So thrilled to see this is finally available for the Kindle. I have read this series so many times my paperback copies are in tatters. This was one of the first fantasy series I read and it holds a very special place in my heart. The story is well told and the characters are fun to follow.

like lord of the rings and harry potter this should be one of the greats. it takes you to a world and makes you love them it gives you a rush to read it is an amazing book. i would recommend anyone anywhere to read this book.

Very good book. Leaves you in suspense half the time. High reading level. About a boy named Garion living at A farm in a fantasy world. There are many religions and hes growing up at Faldors Farm. Then the sacred orb is stolen from the Rivan castle. They have to leave faldors farm for good. His guardians are Aunt Pol (paul) and Old Wolf. On their way they meet a sly person named Silk and a big guy named Barak. Garion has a dry voice inside him helping him make decisions and telling him what to do. Our teacher read this book to us and we all got hooked so were reading the 2nd and 3rd books now and we all love the series. High amount of action and have to read carefully to get every clue. Leaves you with many questions. Great book.

I have read thousands of books in my life and from everyone of them I have captured a bit of joy. I so often come across people reviewing these books and whining about plot lines and predictability. Fine. Yes this and every other Fantasy book is Predictable. Who really wants to read a book where the hero dosn't live happily ever after. I loved this book. It drew me in and kept me. David Eddings did not set out to write the greatest literary book ever. He was telling a story. That is the meat of the written word. Some stories aren't as good as others, but they all have merit. People Depend to much on the author and not enough on their imagination. The author is just a guide, you have to make the journey on your own.

I hate to go against the grain here, but if I had not been raised on J. R. R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Ring Trilogy," and if I had not read tales of faeries and mythology omnivorously as a child, I would be kinder when reviewing David Edding's "Pawn of Prophecy." Tolkien, however, and superb folk and fairy stories are difficult acts to follow. I think it is important to mention, if it is not obvious with my first sentence, that I came to this book, and series, as an adult. Children and adolescents should take to it much more enthusiastically than I. I also have little patience with cliches. And David Eddings begins Volume I, Book I of the Belgariad with a biggie - the battle between Good and Evil, fought by the most obvious of opponents. There are few shades of gray; one is either a supporter of one destiny or another.

The Prologue provides the reader with the mythology of the Gods, and the history of the tremendous war amongst them which triggers major changes in the face of the earth, all its Kingdoms, its peoples and their alliances. There is a Great Lord of Evil, Torek One-Eye, who steals a most powerful Artifact through which one can wield mighty power. The Lords/Gods of Good, must regain possession of the Orb or the Dark Power will reign supreme. Humans are used as avatars to do the Gods' bidding. A company of humans, heroes all, must go on a dangerous quest to wrest the precious jewel back from the Dark One's clutches. Sound familiar? And there is a young boy, (a "child of destiny" ), who leads them - an orphan -a seemingly normal child, who is being raised in the hinterlands as a household servant by his aunt, the cook. The boy, Garion, is the heir to the most noble of lines, and has a great purpose in this series. Substitute Tolkien's Ring, or Arthur's Sword for the Orb, and Gandalf or Merlin for Aunt Pol and one basically has the storyline. Now, I never expected author Eddings to reinvent the wheel, but he could have made his plot more subtle, more of a challenge. I was a third of the way through Book One when I had things pretty much figured out.

I will say, in spite of overdoing the tried and true, the book has definite merit. I enjoyed many of the Belgariad characters. It is difficult not to like Garion, or be at once fascinated and delighted by Aunt Pol. Eddings has a definite flair for creating vivid characters, so alive they come right off the page. However, none of them are quite tested to their limits. Again, I think the novel, and the series, lack edge. The humor is terrific at times, as is the dialogue. The "evil ones," however, are not anywhere near as scary as they could be, and as a veteran of some rather frightening books peopled by some terrifying beings, this was a disappointment. Again, this "flaw" turns into a plus for a younger audience.

Overall, "Pawn of Prophecy" is well written and moves along at a good pace. I would definitely recommend this for teens interested in fantasy, and I think reading this aloud to a child would be a fun experience.

JANA

I agree with another reviewer who said this is a good book for young people as well as adults since it's pretty simple in it's plot and characters.

I thought it was fine. Not great, but felt exactly like what is was; a somewhat expansive prologue to the other four books that follow. The story is hardly original to anyone who's read Tolkein, seen the movie adaptions, or attempted to slog through Robert Jordan's massive Wheel of Time series. However, the characters seem to be worth revisiting, and the nice thing about the series as opposed to Jordan's is that the story is finite in five books

I've always liked Eddings. His books are pure candy: the heroes are funnier, smarter and more sympathetic then the villains and there is a really sharp devide between the two.
This particular book is a good example, thought I am not really all that found of "maturing into adulthood" books.

"Childbirth brought a glow to her faceand a look of completion to her eyes." "She's been like a son tome. maybe it's time I let her be a woman." You find clunkers like these throughout both series. In the Mallorean you have a 16 year old princess lusting after a 39 year old king and a 20 something "spy" fooling around with a 49 year old. Too bad. For all it's faults it's not a terrible book. Just not very good.

When I bought the book from a used book store it was quite some time before I read it. Finally, I picked it up and literally did not put it down until it was over and that includes this series and the following one The Mallorean. The characters became friends that I still miss from time to time.

Pawn of prophecy is funny and charming, a throwback to fantasy series that were written as fluffy entertainment. Full of well-realized-but-familiar characters, the book (and the series) lean on the light banter between the traveling companions. Eddings never got close to his first series again (and the sequel series was basically the same plot line, unfortunately.)

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!

Eddings knows how to write great fantasy. In the first book which starts a eight book series Eddings does a great job to build Garion into a character from his childhood to his teenage years. The length of the book was very appropriate and made you want to read the second book in the series.

but don't get this book, get the omnibus The Belgariad, Vol. 1 (Books 1-3) and if you like it, The Belgariad, Vol. 2 (Books 4 & 5). it was written to be a series, and the individual "books" aren't that satisfying. This is the first series, and by *far* the best of Eddings' epic fantasies.

I've been a fan of fantasy novels since my father read Narnia, Tolkien and Madeline L'Engel to me as a child. When I branched out on my own, I quickly found and read the Belgariad (followed immediately by the Mallorean, of course...). It has been a favorite of mine for nearly 20 years now, and definitely belongs in the upper echelon of fantasy series, in my mind.

I rank Eddings right behind Tolkien and C.S. Lewis and before Raymond Feist, Robert Jordan and Terry Goodkind.

This powerful beginning of a series which follows the quest in search of a magical object with compelling characters and wonderful sorcery is the first of five that will get your heart pumping with the excitement that culminates in the following books until you no longer live on this earth, but in the amazing and mystifying world that David Eddings creates: Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, Magician's Gambit, Castle of Wizardry, and finally it all comes down to Enchanter's End Game. I hope you read every single book in this series, because if you don't, you will be missing out on something truly magical.

Very good book. Leaves you in suspense half the time. High reading level. About a boy named Garion living at A farm in a fantasy world. There are many religions and hes growing up at Faldors Farm. Then the sacred orb is stolen from the Rivan castle. They have to leave faldors farm for good. His guardians are Aunt Pol (paul) and Old Wolf. On their way they meet a sly person named Silk and a big guy named Barak. Garion has a dry voice inside him helping him make decisions and telling him what to do. Our teacher read this book to us and we all got hooked so were reading the 2nd and 3rd books now and we all love the series. High amount of action and have to read carefully to get every clue. Leaves you with many questions. Great book.

I started reading this and the rest of the series thinking how simple and predictable they were, which there are but there is more to them than that. Eddings is the closest thing to tolkien I have read not as in depth but few things are but there are some strong similarities. If you like fantasy these are essential books.

The only thing I didnt get was time. Evryhing SEEMED to be in the Middle Ages, but then some things seemed very, very recent... The first series is awesome and filled with new discoveries at almost every page. The characters are great, and i loved how Eddings explained how each nationality came to be. Like Algars = Horsemen Chereks = sailors Austurians = bowmen etc The Mallorean wasnt as thrilling but you should still read it for the outcome. You should definetely read Belgarath the Sorcerer, but Polgara the Sorceress is a waste... Only thing i didnt like about the series is that you know that no one will die since the Prophecies wouldnt allow it.

I loved this series and could not put them down! If you like medieval, fantasy books you will love this series too! The story is about a boy who comes into sorcery powers and has to learn how to deal. His Aunt, 'mister wolf,' and a slue of other wonderful characters lead him down a road of trials while Garion asks "WHY ME! " I'm not the best writer in the world but I have to say READ IT! I never liked fantasies before because I thought them very fake but these series made me want to read more!

This is merely the beginning of a wild and fantastic series of books (I mean BOTH the Belgariad and it's successor, the Malloreon). This is definitely a must read for fantasy buffs, as the characters will simply come to life. Eddings has done a masterful job in this book, and the entire Belgariad/Malloreon series as a whole. If you think you know about how magic works after reading OTHER series of novels, Eddings gives you a fierce reality/fantasy check... and it's a refreshing one as well.
A caveat if I may... if you read this novel, you WILL be reading the whole series eventually. There is simply no escaping it.

Have the entire Belgariad and Malloreen series in paperback books. I re-read them every couple of years because these are the best stories around. The characters are so rich. They come to life in David Eddings words. Definitely a must read.

When I was in fifth grade, I reluctantly picked up this book at a friend's insistence. When I began,I was almost immediatly [drawn] into Eddings' magnificent world. This series really got me interested in Fantasy books, and I'm eternally gratefull to this author for showing me all the genre has to offer.
Today, I still pick up Pawn of Prophecy and vist Garion's world once again.
I'D SAVE THIS BOOK AND THE REST OF THIS SERIES FROM A BURNING BUILDING!
I recomend this book to anybody who wants to see Fantasy writting at it's best.

This would be an awesome book for a seventh or eighth grader to read or maybe a bright sixth grader to read with a parent. Classic storyline, simple and quick-moving adventure, colorful characters. It just isn't really complex, gritty, or novel enough for an adult audience. 5 stars for kids, 2 stars for adults, average=3 stars (rounded down because this is passed off as adult literature by your local book store).

I am still trying to understand how this series got so many good ratings. After reading this, I bought the series only to be really disappointed.

This book is filled with shallow story line; hackneyed characters; generic setting. The problem is you never get passionate about the character to root for victory or failure. This is essential for any fantasy book.

Surprisingly, I see so many comparisons with Tolkein or George R R Martin. There is no way this work (supposedly among his best) comes close to Tolkein's work and George R R Martin's Song of Ice and Fire has some complex plots and great character development.

The only reason I am writing this review is to ensure that people like me don't get ripped off thinking that that this series is great and waste money on it.

If you are browsing the site to check if you want to invest in this author, then be warned, that the overall ratings belie the actual quality of the book/series.

The Pawn of Prophecy is a book that is an excellent read and an instant classic. This book has a detailed story line that spans over the course of 5 books it's current series and then 5 more in the Mallorean Gospels totaling 10 books which all of them are worth reading.

Brisk, fun read. A little light on character development, but the pace is so quick, and the authors seem to be having such fun, that the book quickly becomes a guilty pleasure. A nice entry into the Fantasy genre, or a solid addition to the hard-core fan's library.

I so enjoy reading this series along with the Mallorean series together. I've read through both series at least a dozen Times and I never tire of it.i have recommended these series to any young person that have Fallon for Tolkens work and most have like Eddings.

This is a classic. This is one of the stories that made me fall in love with reading. For those who start fantasy reading with Jordan, Martin, or Guy Gavriel Kay, this might seem to be a simplistic novel, but there is a depth to the Belgariad that is subtle. It isn't easy writing such warm characters and not have them turn saccharine. Even harder is making the story funny.

Let�s see; once upon a time, an itinerant wizard, mysteriously ageless, traveled the world stirring up trouble and preparing for the next confrontation with the Enemy. You see, there was a mighty talisman involved, and the long-empty throne of the King of the West � kept warm by centuries of faithful stewards � would be surprisingly filled by an heir emerging from obscurity� oops, it�s not Tolkien, but Eddings� Belgariad, one of the more significant pretenders to the throne. Many will object to such a comparison, but the LOTR hangs so heavily over the Belgariad it�s not even funny. The author(s) carry away one of the most essential lessons of the LOTR, namely that good backstory makes for a believable fantasy world. Regrettably, it takes believable characters and decent writing as well. The Belgariad has some of these, but not a heck of a lot.
...It is ...stunningly uneven, and one wonders whether this is the result of the collaboration of the author and his wife, who apparently contributed to all his books but was not openly credited until Belgarath the Sorcerer. The protagonist Garion is a plausible and likeable enough fellow, and his sorcerous mentors Belgarath and Polgara are also interesting creations (though much more so in their own respective memoirs). But the companions which gather around Garion are another story. Destiny has chosen representatives from each of the western kingdoms to aid in Garion�s quest, in a sort of cosmic affirmative action. However few manage to become more than caricatures (with the notable exception of the rapscallion Silk) and one has the distinct sense that they are chosen more for their contrasting accents and hairstyles than for any specific assistance which they provide to the hero. There is also a character whose �dialect� consists of the most convoluted Ivanhoesque medieval formality you are likely to see this side of a Renaissance faire, and the art of its execution makes one suspect that the author is rather fond of such language. Thankfully, its use is sparse.
To judge from the other reviews on this site, the Belgariad is wildly popular. If this is your sort of book, then by all means proceed. But be warned: this is the sort of fantasy in which the heroine�s auburn tresses tumble, cascade, stream, and otherwise descend poetically over her face in endless variations. Please don�t confuse this with actual literature. The best of the books, actually, are the memoirs Belgarath the Sorcerer and Polgara the Sorceress. The fact that many fans of the series were disappointed in these volumes should be a hint right away that there might be something to them.
In this first installment, Garion learns that � holy smoke � he�s not the scullery boy he thought he was, and he takes off, assembling his retinue with an astonishing lack of curiosity while dodging the forces of evil.

Because I am such a fan of Terry Brooks I was a little leary of any other author. I am sure glad that I gave David Eddings a chance. I first ordered Pawn of Prophecy and within 20 minutes of recieving it I was back on line to order the rest of the series! The Pawn of Prophecy is an amazing journey. You truly feel like you know the characters in this story the are so well defined. I was able to make a picture of the characters and each town in my mind and it was if I was creating a movie in my mind. I never once thought that the author got his characters into unbelievable situations. I highly recomend this book!

Reading a fantasy series for the purpose of evaluating its contribution to the growth of the genre will greatly reduce the enjoyment that you should get from ANY series. This series wasn't written to be the next Lord of the Rings. It was written to be enjoyable reading, and that's how it should be taken. Eddings succeeds overwhelmingly in making the Belgariad, and later the Mallorean, an enjoyable read. Sure, much of the story is predictable at times. So what? If you approach reading without a literary critic's hat on, you'll love this series. If you can't read for enjoyment, you won't like it at all, and you have my deepest sympathies.

My mother purchased Pawn Of Prophecy for me when I was in high school in the 1980s. I was hooked and eagerly devoured each book as it was released over the years. It's an easy read, but entertaining -- even for a teenage boy who'd rather not get caught reading. It's the only fantasy series that I have read multiple times.

A Must Read for any fantasy or non-fantasy fan. The book moves along fantastically. It is not overly detailed, and therefor moves along at a great pace.
The story centers around Garion and his mysterious Aunt Pol. The story starts on the farm that Garion grew up in, raised by his Aunt Pol. A few events quickly take place and we are gathered into the story as it moves from place to place in an exciting, but unpredictable journey.
A wide range of characters makes this story great.
Check it out, you wont regret it.

I think Edding's books are some of the best. I Rank him as one of my favorites with Robert Jordan, RA Salvatore, and Elaine Cunningham. His books are more for those who don't want to tackle an 800 page book like one of Jordan's or Goodkind's.

This is the book that Robert Jordan ripped off (shamelessly) to create his characters for the popular (but horrible) "Wheel of Time" series. The boy Garion, the blacksmith Durnik, the sorceress Polgara, the storyteller, etc., are all created here and then copied and ruined elsewhere. This series is fantastic, especially for juvenile readers. These characters develop. They're unique, they have their good and bad qualities, and by the middle of the first book we know and love them. There are action and fighting scenes, but really, the gist of this book is about WHO you are and what you CHOOSE to do, rather than hacking and slashing bad guys.

Eddings is a master at creating lovable, interesting, unique characters. Others who emulate him should seek to copy his skills, not his forms.

i loved this book because of many things first it was my first introduction to david eddings and second it was a mystery in many ways and always made me think it also at the end want to read more about garion aunt pol durnik and belgarath

This was one of the books that made me love to read. The story was great, but the characters and the personalities that were shown through the writing was even better. The people became real to me and I was part of this story. Everyone should try out this book.

David Eddings will capture your mind as you read his epic 5 novel series.
Garion starts off as a farm hand without a heritage, and throughout this series he transforms to a not only to a king; but also a powerful sorcerer.
With the help of his 7,000 year old granfather, Belgarath, and his slightly younger Aunt Pol, Garion must travel across his world in a war fortold by a prophecy that was split into good and evil.
Garion is the Child of light, and to over come the evil, he must defeat the Child of dark, a wild God, Torak.
Join Garion in his epic adventure!

One day an old friend of mine came up to me and said "Liz, your bored i can tell.. here read this book. I guarentee you won't be able to put it down." I laughed at him and took the offered book THIS book and began to read just to show him......
But he was right... i couldn't put it down.
Pawn of Prophecy is without a doubt one of the best works i have ever read, David Eddings is utterly AMAZING. The characters are so viral, so lively and easily believeable, it's such a joy to read!

I was given this book by a friend that said I reminded her of one of the characters. So of course I now had to read it. From the first chapter I was hooked! I was going to be a junior in high school in the fall and I actually spent my ENTIRE summer inside READING! I LOVED IT! The only social life I had was with my new friends...Garion, Silk, Barak, Old Wolf and Polgara. I actually cried when I finished the fourth book because there was only one book left!! I thought about the characters constantly and still do to this day...7 years later! They have touched a place in my heart as none other have!

While Eddings may not be J.R.R. Tolkien, Eddings is a very good writer in his own right and this book proves that.

For those just starting your collection or who are young adults this should prove an enjoyable read. For those who have matured a little and can draw possible allegories between Tolkien's work and WW II this book may prove too "young" for you.

Its still a great book in its own right.

By the numbers.

Get farm boy. Check.
Know powerful wizard. Check.
Need magic thingo. Check.
Get helpers. Check.
Fight dark lord. Check.
Get away unscathed. Check.

Or, if you are young and haven't come across anything else, this will seem better at the time. It won't seem better if you only read it because of having read everything else and it was your sister than had it.

Anyway, absolutely standard ordinary fantasy offering that is very light and designed to appeal to a female audience.

2.5 out of 5

I love the Belgariad and have for nearly 20 years. I was so thrilled to see an unabridged production finally available. I am very glad I bought this, and have since bought the entire series.

However.

The reader, who has a beautiful voice, has inconsistent pronounciation and dialects. After awhile, the main group seems to settle into fairly consistent voices, but their accents still change from time to time, sometimes in the middle of a line of dialogue. Some of the pronounciations change with each occurrance of the word. Also, you can hear the reader turning pages periodically, which can be distracting. I am disappointed with these inconsistencies, but as this is the only unabridged recording I have ever seen, I am excited to see it available. The story is, I believe, worth overlooking the flaws.

I loved this book. What sets it appart is the humor and the banter between the characters. Like the Wheel of Time saga, it is about good vs evil where good is a group of people who are working to right wrongs done by capricious gods. However, unlike Jordan, Eddings doesn't get wrapped up in minutia and it isn't necessary to take notes - you must pay attention, but you don't need to take notes. The rest of the series and the one following are just as wonderful, Eddings never gets preachy, the characters just get better. All in all, a great read.

This book and the other 4 in the series are wonderful entertainment. I read this book almost 10 years ago and could not put it down. It has a simple storyline yet the plot twists and turns to delight the reader. The characters are extremely likeable and easily loveable. Eddings created a fantasy world where the reader is taken through all the seasons and through many emotions. You will find yourself turning the pages to see what happens next and I would recommend that you have all five in the first series and, to be prepared for sleep depravation.

Reading this excellent work from David Eddings will only leave you wanting more. If you liked Tolkien then this is for you. Eddings has created a new world for you to enter, to feel the characters emotions, to live with them not just read about them.
These characters feel like my family, I've been following them since I was eleven and found this book on my mother's bookshelf. I have grown up knowing their problems, fears, loves and feel for them all. All I can say is give it a try you won't be dissapointed whether you're looking for war, romance, fantasy, magic, it's all here.

I have to say this is the most wonderful fantasy i have ever read. The character are as good as real. Moreover, eddings include all the various class: sorcerer, priest, thief, berserker, warrior, knight, bowman, farner and this made the story all the more exciting. The concept of the good-align kingdom(alorns)versus the evil ones(Angaraks) with the neutral cities helping out on any side from time to time is great. overall, i will say this belgariad series will be perfect if there is a better ending...the good people should not have won hands down.

This book is the first in a series of five called the Belgarad. There is a sequel series called the Mallorean. I absolutely loved this series! The characters are incredible and I found myself laughing hysterically and cringing when one of them died. I would recommend this series and its sequal to anyone.
--A Fantasy Sci-Fi Buff

I have read the all of the Books in the Belgariad and the Malloreon all ten books are among the best I have ever read in my life. Along with Eddings Elenium books i would recommend almost all the books I have read by him. Eddings takes you into the mind and world of Garion, Belgarath, Polgara and all the others. He gives them life befor your eyes and you grow th love them. This was a great book. I have read all of Eddings books at least twice.

This is a fascinating series, however, bear with it. It really starts to get interesting in the next book, but the first book is necessary for the background. Although not quite on par with Tolkien, Eddings created a fantasy world as good as any of the modern fantasy writers--including Weiss's world of Krynn.

Well, let me first say, it was frankey... BOREING! (the begining) and well, my friend (a David Enddings book worm) forced me to read it. It was a ehh, okay, but you have to read small things to get to the best books, a belive me, David Enddings, is now, and for ever more, will be, my fave author. I worship him!. I am now reading Polgara the Sorceress, and if my friend will finish with Belgrath, some time this year...
GIVE A BOOK A 100 PAGE CHANCE, I DID!

I am 19 years old and have been reading Eddings since I was 13. I love his novels. They have adventure, romance, suspence, and so much more. He ads humor in his writing as well, which I really love. To me his books about Belgarion and his adventures are the best spun tales of Eddings's time. I am glad my father gave me those books, and started me on the adventure of Belgarion, Polgara, and the ancient one, Belgarath.

David Edding's Belgariad is an example of what fantasy books should be. The writing style is lively, the humor is entertaining, the plot is complete, and the characters are clearly defined. This is the best fantasy series I've come across. Pick up a copy. If you get through the first hundred pages, you won't be satisfied until you've read the entire series. A MUST READ, MUST OWN FANTASY SERIES.

I first read this book when I was about 10 years old, and now 20 I still return to it every now and then. This book is a work of brillance, easy to read for the younger generations, and yet still amusing and entertaining for older readers. Definitely get this book and the following ones in the series. David Eddings is one of the best authors I have ever read.

"Pawn of Prophesy" begins the journey of Garion, a young man who is destined to change his world. Along the way a band of heroes are gathered to fulfill an ancient prophesy...

Yes, David Eddings covers many of the popular fantasy cliches; Garion is a farmboy destined for greatness, he is guided by ancient sorcerors, there is an object of great power to be gained, his band of friends fall into many of the expected fantasy archetypes, ect.

With all of this, I found Edding's first book still highly enjoyable. Tolkein and Feist provide heavy meat for the fantasy buff's mind, while Eddings provides something lighter, a delectable treat for the psyche.

With this lighter reading, I would highly recommend this series for younger readers as a launching point into the world of fantasy, but I urge adult readers to not pass over Eddings as a "kid's author." There is much to enjoy here, and you will not feel the need to wipe your brow when you are finished.

One thing I found refreshing was Edding's avoidance of the use of the typical demi-human races. You will not find elves and dwarves; no halflings or gnomes. Instead he branches humanity into countries-each with its own distinctive traits and characteristics.

Magic is also handled in a subdued fashion. While Edding's plot follows what I would deem as "High Fantasy" of a world shaking nature, you will not see mountains shaking and skies raining fire.

All together, I felt "Pawn of Prophesy" was an excellent launching point for a remarkable series.

This is definitely one of the best fantasy books I have ever read. David Eddings does not follow the general laws of fantasy (most fantasy books are quite similiar in plot outline). Readers will have to adapt to his unique writing style, which took me the first two books. Don't be put off by the first prologue, It is an excellent book!