Book 5), Enchanters' End Game (The Belgariad

I tried reading the 5 books years ago and gave up. I have now read them all in 2 weeks. A great story full of surprises and intrigue. Very much worth the wait but you need to immerse yourself in the whole thing. Excellent books all of the 5!

David Eddings explains things in such a way that you can put yourself right into the story. In this book there are so many different action scenes that you find yourself caught up in the plot and getting anxious for the outcome.

Simply the best fantasy storyline there is. Why hasn't it been made into a movie?! I first these as a child and just re-read them as a 'mature' adult and I've taken something away heartfelt both times.

As far as fantasy goes. This was sorely lacking in fantastic characters and magic.
Just really annoying princesses and a title character that was literally a tool. There is much better stuff out there.

As far as fantasy goes. This was sorely lacking in fantastic characters and magic.
Just really annoying princesses and a title character that was literally a tool. There is much better stuff out there.

David Eddings can do no wrong. The entire series is wonderful, everything epic fantasy should be. Read the whole series!!!! This book won't make sense if you haven't read the other 4! But you won't be sorry, David Eddings was truly one of the greats. This series, the Belgariad, then the Mallorean series, Then the Elenium series. Just the best.

The final volume of the Belgariad has begun. The dark god Torak stirs in the east and Garion travels with the sorcerer Belgarath and the thief Silk to confront him. But standing between him and the god lies the lands of his followers, the Agerzaks.

In the south, Garion's fiancee, acting in his name, leads the army she's raised to distract the Agerzaks. She will keep the world's attention on her to give her fiancee the chance to slip through and defeat the dark god once and for all.

Danger swells for everyone. War has come to the West while Garion and his small group has to dodge trackers, demons, and Grolim priests eager for new sacrifices for their altars. Two prophecies hurtle towards each other and their titanic conclusion.

Enchanters End Game brings all the story threads together. The book is epic, bouncing around most of the world, seeing the impact of the impending war. Last book was Garion's coming into adulthood and responsibility, and now Ce'Nedra has her own lessons to learn. War isn't a game. It's deadly and serious, and those she cares for will suffer for the decisions she makes.

Garion's arc is much... simpler. He has already reached the pinnacle of his character growth is nearly over. He's made his choice in the last book, now he's marching towards his fate, facing the fear and dread as he comes closer and closer. His final lesson is a profound one, though.

Compassion.

Eddings does a phenomenal job bringing this series to a close satisfactory. I particularly enjoy his epilogue and the efficiency of which he gives all the characters their codas without bogging the narrative down with scene after scene by using a dream as a framing device, allowing him to spend a few paragraphs sketching out the important details and flowing onto the next. The only complaint I have is how little Garion we get in this with half the novel devoted to the war. I also would have wished him to have a more active role in the decisions. Eddings had him grow up into a man, ruling Riva and making decisions only to have him surrender to Belgarath and Silk again. I can see why, but it would have been nice for him to be more in command as our hero.

There are a few loose threads which Eddings uses to take us into a second series. He must have been thinking about the Mallorean because there is enough seeds planted to make the second series mostly work without having to do any major retconning of the ending (this is billed as THE final battle, but there's an extra round still to come).

All in all, the Belgariad was an amazing experience. It's always a pleasure to revisit Eddings in his prime. Fans of Fantasy, especially boys, will enjoy this series.

i love David and Leigh Eddings

I love all of the books that have to do with Garion even the prequels

But why on God's green earth can I not buy any of the books anymore!?!

i somehow managex to get EVERY SINGLE ONE EXCEPT THIS ONE.

AAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHH

Okay, I LOVE thos series. almost as much as I love Harry Potter. Almost as much as I hate Twilight. But this book, well, Nuh. It's good, don't get me wrong. But not as amazing. I have a delicate stomach and, I almost threw up all over my kindle reading some of it, not pleasant.

Ce'Nedra also seems more, well, weak and girly than before (not quite Mary Sue though) and, of course, girls can't be around during battles (The one thing about Edding's writing that infuriates me) I'm a feminist, don't judge.
--Mallorean Spoilers Ahead--
Taur Urgas's death is a tad graphic, and far too many people die. But than again, Durnik's death was necessary. Torak and Cthol Mishrak made my skin creep, but thats a sign of good writing.

Eriond (Errand) is adorable, but Garion is pretty much absent the whole book, so is Silk. and Belgarth (All my favourite characters) Silk was barely in it and, well, its almost like reading Harry Potter without Fred and George, no one to make you laugh.

The final book of the Belgariad continues the two plot threads begun in the previous book: one thread with Garion's quest to Cthol Mishrak, and the other chronicling the war. Strangely, the first part of the book (Gar Og Nadrak) is the part I found most enjoyable of the book. It shows an Angarak nation caught in the middle and desperately trying to stay out of the coming war. I really enjoyed the scenes in Morindland with the magicians. Eddings did a good job detailing the preparations made by Belgarath before entering Morindland, and also vividly describes the battle Belgarath had with the rival magician. When they finally get to crossing the land bridge, there is a sense of palpable foreboding as they approach Mallorea.

As we switch to the war plot thread, we also see snippets of the other queens currently ruling the kingdoms of the West. These parts did not provide too much insight, although the scene with Layla's children and the Tolnedran ambassador was humorous. But overall these scenes with the queens for the most part could have been cut without damaging the narrative. I also noticed a propensity by certain characters (*cough* Ce'Nedra) to end a conversation with "You're impossible", and detracted from the story a bit every time that phrase was repeated.

The battle scenes at Thull Mardu were decent, and Eddings did a good job of showing the magic vs. physical battles taking place. He did include a short, but poignant interlude with the Arendish flutist being silenced. Eddings does a good job of bringing characters from earlier books into the main part of the story.

The climactic showdown was kind of a letdown (although nowhere near as bad as the one in Mallorean). I did find Belgarath's tantrum at Garion to be pretty funny, and the most interesting part of this section. While the Belgarath-Zedar showdown ended in unexpected fashion, the rest of this sequence was fairly predictable. While Eddings alludes to Garion's inexperience during the battle being equalized by Torak's maiming, it just seems that Garion has not made enough strides to take on a god (even if that god is maimed).

What struck me while reading this book is that Garion becomes more and more one-dimensional as the story progresses from Gar og Nadrak to Mallorea. It seems that Garion needs to be constantly prodded to take the next step, be it by the voice of prophecy, Belgarath, Ce'Nedra, Polgara, or Adara. At certain points, I just wanted to yell at Garion "Take the initiatve for once!"

In spite of my criticisms, I did enjoy reading this book. This was the first time I had read the Belgariad in almost 20 years, and overall I still think the series is decent. I think the series tends to fit the mold of YA fantasy, and that's fine. Eddings gives the main characters decent insights through the balance of the series (which is found wanting in the Mallorean). Aside from this, I've read the Mallorean, Elenium and Tamuli by Eddings; I would say the Belgariad is easily Eddings' best work, and I look forward to re-reading it again at some point (hopefully sooner than 20 years next time ;)

The final book in David Eddings "The Belgariad" series is almost a filler book to make the series go 5. In the final we wrap up the war begun previously & at long last have the final confrontation with Torak. The story essentially is a long continuation of book 4 & ties up pretty much all loose ends with little fanfare. Even the great battle scene at the end gets glossed over & we're left with an average ending to a rather average series. Eddings does go a bit further by making sure that all ends are tied up & does give us what is almost an obligatory finale & lets us know that this world does have more in it but this piece is done. Not the best finale but one that perhaps could've been done in a prior book.

Enchanters' End Game chronicles the climax to Garion's long quest to bring two conflicting prophecies back into synch. As Child of Light, he and his friends have wandered across the Alorn kingdoms, ventured into Tolnedra and Nyissa, and now Garion, Belgarath, and Silk are in the Angarak side of the continent heading for the final confrontation with Torak.

Pacing Garion is C'Nedra, who has rallied the armies of the West to provide what amounts to a distraction so that Garion, thousands of miles away can slip into Cthol Mishrak without the entire Murgo population trying to put an end to them. For all the sarcasm and wit that the characters display, this is a grim struggle, and C'Nedra's forces will be caught between the massive armies of the Mallorean Emperor Zakath and Taur Urgas the insane king of the Murgos. Levity or not many will die in the confrontation.

Of the two story arcs, C'nedra's is the more interestingly told. Garion's adventures are mostly hiding and running at a very forced pace. His challenge is to keep his fear in check as he prepared for a duel that will kill one of the participants. On the other hand, the Alorn kings and many friends surround C'nedra. The preparations for the final battle are extensive, and many of the characters show unexpected sides.

In retrospect, once this series slows down in Castle of Wizardry, it never quite regains its pace. Eddings hadn't quite learned to control his efforts in this series, and his early rush left him lacking a bit of plot in the fourth volume of this series. Enchanters' End Game recovers (nothing like a massive battle to perk things up) but Edding's will always be noted more for characterization and detail than for action. But his next series, the Malloreon is more evenly written, so the pacing is much smoother.

I tend to view these stories as comfort food for fantasy addicts. While they lack something in the way of fast paced action and emotional range, they are genuinely entertaining. I've reread them all several times and they always seem to bear up. I wish everything I read was at least this well done.

In just three short days I plowed through The Belgariad series and emerged, happy (and a bit melancholy to leave them behind). As much as I loved the series, wept at certain deaths, rejoiced as characters got everything and more than they could have dreamed of, I have only one small criticism to offer now that I've finished my first David Eddings series.

I think authors such as Brandon Sanderson and Mickey Zucker Reichart have spoiled me when it comes to battle scenes. Take for example, Reichart's Renshai series - the swordplay is so beautifully described it makes me want to weep thinking about reading it again. Every motion came alive in my imagination. In contrast, David Eddings struggled with putting into words the action taking place in these books. Villains died quickly and neatly, which robbed me, as a reader, of a need to see them get their "just desserts."

That said, I still loved the direction of the story, the way all the pieces fit neatly together, the growth of the characters and uniting of the world, and that little bit that left the story open to grow more.

I bought the first four books as I read them and when I wanted to purchase book 5, it was only in Audio. I do not buy books to listen to, I buy them to read. Please re-release a Kindle regular copy of this book. I am very upset because it is so hard to get David Eddings books on Kindle as it is. If I should ever get a copy, I will change my review.

This is the fifth and final book in the Belgariad (after Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, Magician's Gambit and Castle of Wizardry).

In this volume, Garion, accompanied by Silk and Belgarath, makes his way through Drasnia and Gar Og Nadrak, and finally crosses the Sea of the East to Mallorea. There in Cthol Mishrak, the evil god Torak is stirring from his endless sleep and waiting for their prophesied battle, the outcome of which will decide the fate of the world.

Meanwhile, Ce'Nedra, self-proclaimed Queen of Riva in Garion's absence, is travelling across Arendia and Tolnedra, raising an army with her speeches. Although it breaks her heart to know that it will be badly outnumbered and that it won't stand a chance against the hordes of Thulls, Murgos and Malloreans, she knows this is a necessary sacrifice to create the diversion Garion needs to reach Mallorea.

The part I preferred in this final volume is when Ce'Nedra's army is encamped in Algaria. There Durnik and the Alorn Kings engineer clever contraptions to carry King Anheg's fleet up the mile-high Eastern Escarpment. I also enjoyed reading about the battle of Thull Mardu, where all plans start to go awry, not to mention the final encounter between Garion and Torak, where all the pieces of the Prophecy click into place. All in all, a pleasant, if not tremendously mind-boggling, conclusion to the series. On to the Malloreon now!

This review may be abit biased, but in my opinion, those who have slated the book should have another go at it. It is important to read the Rivan Codex to be placed in the proper context of the storyline, characterisation etc. That is onlyif yout have dismally failed to realise the man's brilliance at writing. Granted, David Eddings is not the most prolific writer, but in any creative field, you grow as an artist, and he has shown considerable growth in his other series. Enchanters End Game is a book I shall continue to read, and each time, it will provide fresher entertainment to my eyes. To the reviewer who labels Polgara as a "hag" all I have to say is that you are a mysoginist who is afraid of a woman in power. With your blatant views on females, I do not suggest reading Melanie Rawn's Exiles trilogy. The story is a good one, the ending not to final, but does not leave the reader frustrated. I think the battel with torak is well-written, and was not dragged out for long. The battle of Thull Mardu is a well-written piece and for all the clods out there, it takes precision to stage a battle of that magnitude. I found it delightful reading the battle with the hierachs of Murgodom. So what if the good guys win??? Was Asharak's victory with Garion's parent not enough to satiate a blood lust?? I hav eto disagree with the reviewers who have slated the book. I found it entertaining, worth my time, and would recommend this to anybody who wishes to cut their teeth in the fantasy genre. Thanks

SPOILERS AHEAD!!

While glancing through my reviews last night it came to my attention that I wrote a pretty involved review of Castle of Wizardry and then went on to write what I thought was a cool review of Guardians of the West. This means that I just blew past the climactic novel in the Belgariad without even noticing for a while.

After a little reflection I realized how that could have happened.

It goes like this. Enchanter's Endgame is book five in a beloved but rather um... safe series. The upshot here is that book 5 of this series is essentially about a duel between our hero and one hell of a villain. Since this is how most fantasy series in the last decades have gone there is a tendancy to just say "This book is where the good guys finally win." and be satisfied with that.

Under the surface though, it is not that simple. While it is true that this is a good guy vs. bad guy story, while it is true that the good guys obviously win and while it is true that the casualties on the good side are people we ultimately don't care about, it just isn't that simple of a climax.

One reason for this has to do with the fact that Eddings knew he was going to sequelize this series so he was sowing seeds for the Malloreon here at the end. It is here where the mystery of Errand is really brought out. It is here where we meet 'Zakath for the first time and, if you are like me, you want to know what that apostrophe means.

All that aside, this is still a novel about endings. These endings are, for the most part weak and safe. Examples of this are Durnik's death and resurrection, a plot device made all the more disappointing by his ascention to sorcererhood. I don't really hold that against him though since this kind of stuff is very common in fantasy.

So, this is a good final installment of The Belgariad and a good precursor to the Malloreon and a solid book in its own right.

I love this book. The way they describe the battles - having each element of the rainbow-array army move in turn. I almost cried for the Arendish serf boy. "The song ended very suddenly, never to begin again." I of course loved the EVENT. Some of the parts were funny. "I thought you wanted to stand around and watch the world change." "Please stop groaning, Rhodar. You sound like a sick cow." "What do you want me to do? Walk around with a sign on my chest reading "spy"?" I liked it when Queen Islena finally delivered that ultimatum to Grodeg. I liked the childish way Ce'Nedra declared, "I'm invading Mishrak Ac Thull, Uncle Varana." It was sweetly sad when Morin way saying, "Sleep, Ran Bourne. You can play with your little toy soldiers again tomorrow." And of course I liked when Polgara discovered she had had her power all along. I could kind of see it coming though, when it was Errand who finally brought Durnik back. This was also the first book where I was abe to figure out that Chaldan was the god of the Arends. This is a must read. Breathe deep seek peace, Tin

There are some very good things about this book, and then some really glaring flaws. Despite all, this series is the best Eddings wrote. His characters are actually likeable. In later ones his writing style goes clunky and he tries to make every other sentance a deadpan joke. In "The Dreamers", the style of writing is so 'talk about important things in a silly way' that the series falls flat. Sorry to rant about that, but really, if you want to read Eddings read the Belgariad. (If you're curious, the Mallorean is about the same characters and has some of hte Belgariad's charm, but not all. The Elenium and the Tamali, both about a two-demensional knight named Sparhawk, are okay but really not at all interesting. "The Redemption of Athaelus" is one book about a thief and a goddess; completely funny, but it would be a disaster if it weren't a single book. "The Dreamers" is just aweful. STay away from it.)

However, I'm talking about Enchanter's End Game. Moreover I am writing to amuse myself, not whoever reads this. So: Things I like. I adore the way the queens left behind to rule while their husbands go off and fight handle things. Silar of Algeria, Porenn of Drasnia, and even the flakey Islena of Cherek spend their time defeating hte plots of the Bear-Cult, a bunch of conspiratorially minded religious extremists. Silar sends them off to conduct a survey of all the foals and calves in her kingdom; Islena (assisted by the formidable Lady Merel and the sneaky Queen Porenn) ships them all off to war; and Porenn herself manages to clean them out of her spy service and send them to the worst duty posts she and her spymaster can think of. On the side, Porenn negociates with the supposedly enemy kingdom of Gar og Nadrak so that hte Nadraks end up switching sides in the middle of a battle. The queen of Arendia, Mayaserana, manages (in heavily embroidered language) to stop her country's civil war, which was supposed to have ended centuries ago but stayed because of a formality. Something regardant on which of her titles half of the country owed fealty to. You have to read it to understand- honestly, the Arends are the silliest people in teh series. And finally, Layla of Sendaria, a rather stay at home mother, defeats a scheming ambasador by pretending to be incredibly absent-minded and enlisting hte help of her three youngest children to interupt him. The queens all get away with huge things because people expect them to be stupid, and they aren't. Except maybe Islena, and she has the good sense to pick good advisors. The situation parellels the way ladies took over ruling and fighting at home when their husbands were off on the Crusades in teh middle ages.

The humor in this book hasn't gotten so crazy and omnipresent. It's there, but in later books Eddigns feels that his undoubted funniness gives him the right to ignore characters, setting... in fact, the later books are made up of humor, battles, some sex/romance, and in some cases a little-girl goddess. Bad form. Fortunately he hasn't done that yet here. This one's still okay.

The bad things: Eddings tends to make every person in one of his countries as one of a 'type'. Sendars are practical and decent. Period. Arends are passionate and not too bright and taken up with nobility to the point of idiocy; if they are Mimbrates tehy talk in high style (Thee, thou, prithee, et cetera, sentances that last forever.) Chereks are semi-pirates. Drasnians are sneaky. You get hte picture. THat's the chief flaw.

Enchanter's End Game by David Eddings is the fifth and final book in The Belgariad saga. This book finishes off the tale of Garion and his progression from kitchen scallion to that of powerful wizard. Edding's writing style may turn off some fans as at times he will explain in great detail some event and then others he will offer only a cursory explanation and description. Also, some of his characters are very clich�d and he seems to recycle a few plot lines now and again. However, that should not take away from the fact that this series of books tells a good story and offers a variety of situations to keep most readers interested. I also believe that this series of books would be a good series to recommend to a younger (12 and up) reader to get them interested in the genre as the concepts are not overly difficult to understand.

The plot of this book starts up right where the last book, Castle of Wizardry, leaves off. There is an epic battle that will be taking place and Garion and his group are seeking to kill the god Torak. The two plot lines together lend themselves well to playing off of each other and allowing enough time to set both up. Edding's does a good job at making sure the reader understands they story well enough so that when events occur the readers knows why they happened as well as an inclining of what to expect next.

As I mentioned before, my biggest complaint with Edding's writing is that his characters are overly clich�d and it seems like he uses a cookie cutter to place a `class' of character into the story and then adds a bit to make the character appear new and interesting. The only character within this book, and the previous 4, that really stood out to me is Silk. He brought a slightly new feel to the classic rogue character and his banter was rather humorous at times. Other than that the characters were mostly forgettable. I am not saying they were `bad' characters, they are simply not characters that kept me interested for the sake of themselves. I was interested in the story, just not so much because of the characters.

Overall, this was a good book and a decent series. If you are expecting an epic tale, like that of Steven Erikson, you will be disappointed. This is a series that is fun to read and does not require a great deal of effort to understand it. I would however recommend this series to newer fantasy readers as well as younger readers. It may be a good `hook' series to get more people interested. All in all not a bad finish to this saga.

Does this series really need five books? One kids pop up book would seem to about handle the amount of real plot and development which has taken place in this series. The characters are a paper thin bunch of cliches who hack and slay their merry way through huge numbers of sub moronic bad guys. The Quest for the Blue Stone motif is most definately wearing thin in Eddings stories, (I hear the plot was recycled in the second series) and the premise that this merry band should prance their way around laughing and joking with the weight of the world on their shoulders is basically just pathetic. OK, OK : some of the jokes are funny, and the series is a way to pass time on a long train ride or something, but dont take it seriously. And a special message for people who compare Eddings with Tolkien : Give UP! There is NO point of comparison. Tolkien created a living, breathing world of characters complete with mythology, rich history and complex and deep characters. He did this subtly so some people may have missed a lot. Eddings created a world of stasis which suddenly springs into action in time for a bunch of cliches to prance around saving the world before dropping back into stasis again. Then, in the second series, he does it a second time. Readable, but definately a lowest - common - denominator pulp fantasy. Try a master like Tad Williams, Robin Hobb or Tolkien to see what true, well crafted fantasy is like.

Edding has an amazing ability to spin characters out of thin air and force you to love the struggle within them. This series has been a gripping tale, forcing itself to never be ignored. I simply cannot wait to read the next tale!

I'm not going to review each book of the series individually since they are all the same in structure, and sadly, nearly in content as well. This series has to be considered one of the most predictable, monotonous, dry fantasy series out there. Near the beginning of every book David Eddings, for some reason I simply can't understand, basically spoils the rest of the book by having characters say what they're going to do. It's like "We'll do A, then B, then C," where C is the end of the book. These summaries wouldn't be so detrimental if the author actually had some unexpected things happen along the way...but he doesn't. It happens exactly according to the summary every time. At least ninety percent of every book in the series is monotony--basically you know what's going to happen and are just waiting for it to take place.
The characters are also pretty flat. They each of interesting quirks, but the author just keeps replaying them over and over again. If Aunt Pol makes one more smart-guy comment or Garion "blushes" in embarassment one more time... I tell you, someone blushing as much as him has no right to be a king of any sort.
Now that the worst aspects of the series are out of the way...
I must say I enjoyed the "mythology" inserted into the beginning of every book. In fact I enjoy that more than the book itself. It seems very creative, and it is very well done. Also the first book is probably 3 or 4 stars, rather than the rest of the series' 2 stars...the beginning of it is much better done.
I have to conclude that life is too short to waste time on books like these. Just pass it on.

I had not read in a little while and found out I was going to have surgery. So I hit the book store searching for a book. I love the King Arthur lore, so the first book in this series appealed to me. OMG!! I picked the perfect series. I read the first five before I left the hospital. I enjoyed it so much, as a present my husband bought me the first book in the second series. What I enjoyed was the different layers to the story and the characters. Each character had the flaws and their good points. The story line on the surface is somewhat simple and easy to read. But each time I read them I find a new depth and meaning to each plot twist. I even managed to talk my husband, my nephew and my niece into reading them. We all agreed the series is a 5 star read.

Of all the books that I have read, this is the best. Nobody does it better than David Eddings. His style of writing is so unique in a way that you'd think he's actually been there. The words that describes the scenes and objects that the characters see just sinks into ones mind.
The characters' actions, characteristics, and the way they talk makes them alive. And it almost makes you believe that your right next to them and seeing all the action in front of you, but you theres no way you talk or respond to them.
The way Belgarath and Garion communicates with wolve, and the way they describe wolves is so unbelievable that it's great. It's like seeing and feeling how wolves acually are.
David Eddings description of how Torak was slayed and the action of the other gods were incridible. Nobody is better than David Eddings himself

Looking at the average rating for this book left me absolutely shocked, I find it impossible to believe that anybody could find anything even remotely interesting in this series, or any other by David Eddings. Firstly, the plot in this whole series is so shallow it is almost insubstantial, and gives the reader so much information that there is no joy in trying to piece together the story. The information in itself was not such a bad idea, but unfortunately Eddings gave too much away, and quite often I had guessed the outcome of an event a hundred pages before it was finally revealed. Also the series was made boring by the fact that the enemy was never all that evil, and the `good guys' always seemed to have the upper hand in all areas. Secondly the characters in the entire Belgariad/Mallorean series are completely inappropriate for their chosen roles. They are reasonably well developed, but completely and utterly unconvincing - they seem to behave as if they are showing off to their mates, not at all as if they were out performing the seemingly serious task of saving the world. The main character Garion seems to undergo almost no psychological change at all after all his experiences, his behavior and attitude is the same when he is a nine year old kitchen hand as when he is a sorcerous king of the world. Aside from this the characters and the plot are so hollow and predictable you feel dissatisfied and ripped off when finishing the series because it fails to deliver any of the things such as plot, character development and suspense, which are so essential for a novel's success. One good point, however, the series is so long that you ca really become emerged in it for a short while, but unfortunately this only adds to the disappointment at the end of the series. I have heard people criticise this book for being unorigional, but in actual fact these criticisms are unfounded, the book is original - nobody else has ever written such a linear, empty and predictable example of fantasy literature. Finally, to all those people who think this series is god's greatest gift to fantasy readers, do yourself a favour and read Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings", you will not regret it.

Enjoyed this one as much as the others in the series. This ends the Belgariad series and sets up for the Malloreon. All in all these are good reads. Most of the folks I know have read this series and The Malloreon several times...they are sort of habit forming. If read for what they were written for, light books which should be enjoyed and ones to have fun with, then you will like them. If on the other hand if you just graduated from Jr. High and are much, much too mature for them, then you should probably wait until you reach your dotage so that you can appreciate them again. Yes, they are flawed and yes there are endless contradictions (some 233 by my last count), but that is part of the charm of this work. Hey, go out to a oak tree in the woods or in your park, kick back, read and enjoy. Recommend highly.

'Enchanter's End Game' brings us the story of how Garion travels towards his final encounter with the god Torak, which he will have to fight in order to save the world from a grim fate. At the same time, Ce'Nedra and the others are gathering an army to meet the threat of the Murgo and Malloreon forces which are converging upon the western kingdoms. I will not give away the ending, but this book is as great as all the other books in the series, and gives a suitable ending to the tale.
This is the sequel to 'Castle of Wizardry', and the final book in the amazing series of five books known as 'the Belgariad'. The series is 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. There are other great fantasy series, but this series is still required reading for fantasy lovers.

The Belgariad series ends with a fluffed up book. While the finally apocalyptic battle between Garion and Torak is exciting, the end of it is somewhat cheesy. The worst part of the book is the useless fluff written in order to extend the ending into a full-fledged novel.
Going into the fifth book, the reader knows that Garion and Torak will fight an epic battle. What the reader shouldn?t have to do is drudge through the micro-management of an army travelling, nor read about how a queen runs a country that has nothing to do with the story anymore. Unfortunately, that?s half the book. Most of the rest of the book is Garion, Silk, and Belgarad travelling. Like usual, they travel, almost face capture or death, and escape. The same sort of thing that happened in the last four books. It seems like Eddings really wanted to extend this series to five books no matter how useless the material was.
Other than that, Eddings does retain his readability, and his imagination is as good as ever. I recommend this book, however, as it tidies up the prophecy nicely.

I hate it because you the store have 4/5 books on Kindle except the last book of the series. The series it self I dont hate, I like all of David Eddings works and have read all that has been written by Mr Eddings. I hate the fact that the store would publish the series except the last book..

"Hey, you know how I've spent the last 4 books building up this conflict between our band of heroes and the ultimate villain? Well... here's a whole lot of characters you met in passing and didn't care about the first time."

Most of the companions we've come to know are sidelined in this book, replaced with the tiresome and obnoxious kings we've briefly met one by one through out the series. Because why have an eclectic crew of characters we've come to know and love for the past four novels hold center stage when you can replace them with a bunch of other people that we don't care about? Awesome.

Pick up the first book in this series if you want to see a good handling of a cliche premise (though not as good as T.H. White's Sword & the Stone, it's at least written in a bit more contemporary language). After that? Meh.

I can't QUITE understand the points some of us are trying to get across here. Immature writng? Far from, i completely disagree, I would say the Belgariad as a whole (And this book in particular) is probably some of the best stuff i have ever written. And as for some of the other suggestions people have had, well.. Lord of the Rings had our characters spending the first 1,000 pages doing, erm, well... nothing? and how about the Wheel of Time where are *Ahem* supposed heroes spent 150 pages doing, erm, nothing? Tw's excellent MS+T series is about the only one i would agree with - this one does come close to Eddings writing. Also, George RR Martin's Game of Thrones would be another good tale. At least this book has characters you can like - with the wheel of time I hated it nearly half the time any character spoke! This is certainly some of, if not THE best fnatasy I have ever read.

david eddings and his wife have spun a terrific saga. sometimes you have to ask which is your real world. i have read this saga, and 2 other saga he wrote plus the books about each wizard or sorceress. i had a very hard time putting them down. but buy the whole series at the same time or else you will be done with one book and wanting to start the next one immidiately.

i have gone like a whirlwind through all these books, reading all five of them in less than a week. i feel like a junkie; i need a new fix.
the reason i love fantasy so much is because there is always a continuation. a fantasy without a sequel is truly a sordid little thing. unlike cop novels or romance, which usually follow the same formulas over and over until a hero becomes redundant at best, (clive cussler anyone?) fantasys are what remain of epic stories. read: original and culminative.
i love the belgariad, but not unconditionally. i loved the characters and the emotional rollercoasters. the biggest thing Eddings has going for him is that he neither drowns his writing in flashy images void of emotion nor over syrups the emotional impact. basically: not too hard, not too soft; kind of like what goldilocks thought of baby bear's bed.
i didn't like that everything wrapped up so neat. it's like, in a paragraph, we all found out the REAL struggle. i still felt that the heroes weren't ready yet, that the villians were either too distant or too easily pushed aside. basically, i thought this was rather tame. i mean, if you read some george r r martin or some robin hobb, you suffer right there with the characters, which isn't necessarily a good thing.
i definately want to continue with the mallorean, but i'm not looking for a life-changing experience. but i know it will be more than just a fix to tide me over.

This entire series is just a bunch of clichés gathered in one place. Some village-idiot grows up to become king over half the world and gets a magic sword (pulled from a wall--hmm..rings any bells? [The Arthur legend]) then he sets off on some silly quest to rid the world of all evil. I read these books (and the following series "The Malloreon) when I was 12 years old. That is probably the upper limit if you want to enjoy them. Eddings couldn't come up with an interesting story if his life depended on it. The main character (Belgarion) jumps around with a big silly sword killing bad-guys to the left and the right, but in 10 (!) books he doesn't get hit once!! Silly or what?
My advice is to start reading some real fantasy like Tolkien or Robert Jordan.

Polgara is my favorite character. I love her in the other, REALLY love her now.
*WARNING SPOILER*
When she said she would give up her power I was shocked! And even more so when she still had it! To give up something she has tremendous strength and one hell of a will
*END SPOILER*
I love how Belgarath and Polgara interact- it's a very complex father/daughter relationship. Belgarath says that Polgara is a pain- evemn questions if he sould have bought her back from a Nadrack (I know I spelled it wrong) man. But he still loves her so muich that he wouldn't let her go after Zedar. Even melded her will to his.
I love this story and can't wait to read the next ones!

Have loved these books since I was a kid. Bought the first 2 when they came out digitally... and the rest disappeared?! What?! So, I'm buying all of the rest of the books used and making my own ebooks. License holder, publisher, distributer, I don't know who dropped the ball, but shame on you!

Eddings tries without success to salvage what was a bad concept on which to base a series (the whole prophecy which controls everything notion). Yes, all the familiar Eddings trappings are there, but they begin to wear thin after awhile.... all the witty, one-dimensional characters. This was great literature when I was in 7th grade..... only sentimental attachment, and the acknowledgment that I re-read the series an infinate number of times growing up cause me to refrain from rating this failed ending to the series lower. If you got sucked in to the series by the first three books - which are genuinely fun if trite - you'll have to suffer through this one to see how the story ends.

This is definitey the book that one should read if one had only one series to read in his life. Quite simply put,
it's good, it's fantastic, just go out , buy this book and read it..you can thank me later.I envy those who have never read it for the y get to be introduced to such imaginative characters such as Belgarath and Silk. A truly epic saga that deserves more praise than could ever be putdown in writing. WHat are you waiting for, read it!... trust me

I have read everything I can find by Tolkein. I have read all I can of Tad Williams. I have read hundreds of books in this genre and I can say this series is excellent. This genre is popular because it requires an imagination, and it is there for the readers to have a good time, not to make literary students of all of us. I don't give a damn for character development and plot - I want something that is going to take me away and let my imagination go on a ride. Eddings did brilliantly with this. The last few books were so fast paced, I couldn't put them down. I can't wait to begin reading the Mallorean. If a person wants to do some seriouse literary reviewing then try a different Genre.

I stopped about page 150 or so. The truth of it is, this series is just a little too immature for me. The way Eddings steoreotypes his races- i.e. all Tolnedrans are greedy, all Arends are incredibly stupid, all Sendars are practical, etc.- is just way too unrealistic. I remember reading a scene where the Mimbrates and the Asturians are discussing their animosity, and finally figure out that they've been fighting thousands of years over nothing, and what's more ridiculous, they haven't realized this because they never once talked to each other about it. It's ludricrous for people who have been warring for millenia to all at once say, "Oh! Is that it? Wow, it's a good thing we finally spoke to each other, or no telling how long this would've lasted." No one's THAT stupid. Also, a good portion of the dialogue is JUST PLAIN SILLY. At first it was bearable, but after a while all the little dry comments began to grate more and more. All in all, these books are just too chldish and should be avoided by mature readers. Also, the characterization is not that great, and this makes for boring reading.
I finally stopped when I got to that Arend nonsense, but honestly, this book isn't any better or worse than the other books, so if you've been enjoying this series so far you shouldn't find any problems with this one. I guess it just took me this long to finally realize what I was reading. Stupid me, I suppose.

What's love got to do with turning to the dark side, anyway?

Even the god Torak thinks Polgara is a babe it seems, trying to convince her and wizard boy that his ideas are pretty cool.

Needless to say, they disagree, and the heart of the matter will be a giant-sized magic sword fight between Belgarion, our hero, and the dark lord.

Or, this is the end of an archetypal completely light, fluffy, devoid of consequence and disposable fantasy series for younger readers where the major characters are generally clearly stamped with 'not going to be hurt' markers, and all will be good in the end.

This is a great a really good traditional fantasy series that was my favorite when I first started reading fantasy books. Enchanters' End Game is as good as the others in the series. The books are great for people just starting to read fantasy to see what good traditional fantasy is like. It might seem a little boring for people who have read a lot of fantasy.

This book is David Eddings worst, but it's still absolutely amazing! I've lost track of how many times I've read it.

Garion finally faces his fear, and gets rid of it, saving the world, universe, and all of that at the same time.

This book shows and end holding a new beginning, something I really like in a book. This book also has the characters shown from a new point of view, especially Ce'Nedra. She is amazingly more mature in this book.

The characters in this book are realistic and enjoyable, as is the rest of the story. I stronly suggest this book to anyone out there who enjoys an easy, advanced read.

I'd like to start by saying I like the world and the characters, I think they are quite imaginative and interesting.

These books could have been condensed into one book. The plots are a bit thin, but ok. Once the plot is established however the books are then filled with page after page of meaningless drivel. For example, when the group passes through a town, I don't need to read 3 or 4 pages of the town's history and political structure which has absolutely nothing to do with the plot but this kind of thing happens over and over. I understand trying to drag out the suspense a bit, but saying he went completely and ridiculously overboard is an understatement.

The books would be ok for teens I guess except for the questionable moral behavior. The books seem to continuously advocate that lying and deceit are perfectly fine if it gets you what you want. Also, most of the main adult male characters binge drink whenever possible. I wouldn't want my teens reading about that, they have enough bad ideas already.

I decided to rate one of the books of Belgariad, because it was the first series published, and it was first I read. I have read all of Eddings' fantasy books, and I have to say with the exception of "The Redemption of Athalus" and the "Polgara" they are all great books. The problem lies in the fact that all of Eddings' series are the same. He had one brilliant idea back when he wrote the Belgariad, and every thing else has been the same with a little twist. If you are a die hard Eddings' fan and you think I am wrong, reread the Mallorean again, and you will see that Eddings' confesses to it thru his charater's. So if you are new to Eddings' Choose one of the series and only read that one series. If you absolutly love it and want to read it over and over again, then read his other works.

Okay, I'd agree that Eddings is repetitive, and the plotline is similar to Tolkien, but what I enjoy the most are the interactions between the sexes, which Tokien definitely does not have.
What I like about Eddings is the humour and the realism. The characters are life-like, fun, and endearing. Besides, the repetitions are what you would really notice if you thought in book-report-format: "and then they did this, and then this", but I think that there are enough details that differ to keep it interesting.
I like this book best of the series because it wraps up all those loose ends and of course, there's all the surprises, so touching since by the time you reach this book, everyone in the book is like family...

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.

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.

I thought the first five books of this Eddings series were absolutely delightful, and recommend the Belgariad series for anyone who enjoys epic fantasy. I've re-read the books many times, but the next five books were a little too repetitive to bear re-reading quite as much.

This series of books one of many by David Eddings and as always he captured everything a Fantasy Book needs . Action,suspense ,and intrigue ,the first book Pawn of Prophecy caught my eye and I read it ,great series beginner, but more and more the rest of the series got better and better as I read on but here in the last book of the Belgaried, ,Enchanter's end Game was the greatest, where everything came down to the ending of who will win. Great book and my suggestion tis you read the series and see for yourself . WaylanderX

Just another example of why fantasy is considered pulp, and suitable only for 11 year old social outcasts. I read this when I was twelve and found it to be childishly written and poorly conceptualized, with paper-thin trite characters to boot. Oh well. If you read this series, and still want to give fantasy a try, read "Memory Sorrow and Thorn" by tad williams. It is everything these books are not.

It just doesn't get better than David Eddings, the Belgariad and the 5 books that follow called the Mallorean. All are a must read for adults and children alike. I love Harry Potter, but even he takes a back seat to the magic of David Eddings.

I've read all of the books related to this saga, and I own Belgarath the Sorcerer. To the people who say it is a typical story, KEEP READING! It only gets better. If you want something more complicated and you want a backround on the story, read BELGARTH. Or Polgara the Sorceress. Happy reading!

Will Garion be able to overcome the dark God Torak even though he is deemed the overlord of the west. Will he be able to overcome the will of a god and save the world the universe itself. Read the book yourself and find out.

The characters are both likeable and memorable.

The author weaves a wonderful tapestry of adventure and excitement. I felt a strong emotional attachment to many of his main characters and thoroughly enjoyed reading The Belgariad Series.

Before I start this review, I have to admit that I cried when I read the battle scene..It was so SAD. This book wraps up the plot so well, and all the characters are loveable and even though it's not the most original plot it's still a good/funny story

More, more, more! This is such a great series! The ends of all of these books leave you hanging for more. The Malloreon is just as good. Right up there with Harry Potter and The Secret of Platform 13!

This is only one in a series of many books that from start to finish have totally enchanted me. The amount of research and history involved in this tale is so huge, you'd swear it actually happened somewhere. I'll leave the creative writing to the masters, of which David Eddings is definitely at the top of his class!

Without repeating what Allanon86 and A Reader ("Well, So Much for Free Will") said in their reviews I'd like to add a few other things:

It seems that David Eddings has done NO background research _what so ever_. He seems to have zero understanding of music and his descriptions of the mental and physical aspects of battle are sad and laughable at the same time.

About music: it seems most of the heroes are virtuoso players/singers without any practice. I can't remember if it was in this series or in the Malloreon in which Durnik played a lute but even when I last read it when I was 13 I remember shaking my head in disbelief: I've played classical guitar since the age of 6, electric guitar since the age of 12 and drums since the age of 10 so I have a vague grasp of how the whole concept of playing music works, how your skills improve or rust etc. In the scene Durnik turns out to be a master lute player even though he hasn't touched an instrument for years and years. I assure you, if you once learn to play guitar or lute, leave it for a few years and then try to play, you won't be able to play crap. Same goes for singing. I doubt Eddings has ever touched an instrument himself or talked the matter over with a musician. If he had he wouldn't have included such silly scenes in his books.

As for violence...it's clearly apparent that the author has not consulted people like law enforcement officers or bouncers or soldiers who all face real world violence on a daily basis let alone been in a violent confrontation himself. If he had consulted the pros or if he had any personal experiences of violence he would drop the glorified and humoristic Hollywood approach which stain all battle scenes in all of his books. They are mostly happy-go-lucky scuffles in which the heroes actually HAVE FUN! I mean, come on, make sure you know what you're talking about before you put it in a book! Not to mention the 100% lack of any compassion towards their opponents; Eddings has written the story so that the angaraks (murgos, thulls, grolims) are not to be considered human; they are waste which should all be killed and to top it all, killing them is great fun! The more murgos you kill, the more fun you have. Afterall, they are _just_ people of an inferior race.

What made me laugh in the fighting scenes were the actual descriptions of the moves and maneuvers. My favorite scenes were those which included Silk because he, being an acrobat and all, had the most ridiculous moves. It's like reading an over-the-top parody of a fight scene. Just make sure you're not eating while you read Silk's fight scenes; you might choke on your food. Same thing with the physical impossibilities: at one point he describes how Cho-Hag pierces his opponent with his sabre...yes, fine, but just a few lines back Eddings said that Cho-Hag's opponent was wearing a plate armor! How can you pierce a plate armor with a sabre? It's the same as trying to pierce a steel plate with a butter knife. At that point (250 something pages) I just put the book away.

By the way, has anybody else noticed a certain reflection of our world in Eddings'? The great, vast Mallorea with their red clothes and great numbers of men (Russia, anyone?), Chereks with their beards, braided hair, war boats, and large swords (Scandinavians?), Murgos and Grolims, the religious fanatics (Muslims?), the über-practical but simple Sendars (Germans?), the Rivans on their Isle of Winds with their gray weather (Great Britain?) etc. etc. Maybe it's just me...

Anyway, another funny thing is that in the great battle of the armies of the Glorious West and the Evil East it seems that the Angaraks have no cavalry. Eddings constantly goes on about how the mounted Algars and Mimbrates destroy the Angarak-infantry but where is the Angarak-cavalry? It's clear that they have horses but where are they in this great battle? Did the angarak-army march to the battle and then go "oh gee, we forgot to bring our horses"?

Another strange thing is that the troops of West are all very organized, the leaders use tactics and whatnot whilst the troops of East seem to be this unorganized mass with no sense of military tactics?

It seems, at times, that the whole point of the novel is to emphasize how much superior other races (mostly the western ones) are when compared to others (eastern/southern races).

Most of the female characters are also pretty cliché.

Two stars for actually going through the trouble of writing a fantasy tale (which I enjoyed when I was 13) and for some of the humor (some of it is actually funny). I might recommend this series to a fantasy-hungry preteen even though there are better series out there.