Books written by: David Eddings
David Edings: The Belgariad Series
The Belgariad was my first venture into the world of mass market fantasy literature - except Tolkien, and I never even tried to find something to match that. So for a beginner in fantasy there is much that David Eddings has to offer that readers will find appealing: socerers, epic battles, bantering among characters as they journey to unknown lands...in other words, all the usual fantasy stuff that are fun while they last. In terms of strikingly original ideas the Belgariad has little to offer, but if you want to curl up on a summer day with a book that won`t exactly wrack your brain, but then again won`t insult your intelligence either, this is the series for you. David Eddings never attempts to go beyond the limits of what is 'done', and certainly does not possess the depth and breadth of vision like writers such as J.R.R. Tolkien; rather his books make for a comfortable, entertaining read, without dark or unsettling overtones anywhere. The thing that really gets to me, though, is Eddings` concept of immortality. He doesn`t seem to have one. We are blithely informed in the course of the story that Belgarath is 7000 years old, Polgara a mere 4000. Our world is only a little over 5750 years old, and the changes that occurred between year 1 and now were - well, everyone knows what they were - so how is Belgarath, who`s lived so long, managed to spend all his time in alehouses, doing the same things for 7000 years, without changing a whit? And does this mean that Pol's kids are going to be immortal - what`s more, that Garion is immortal, and Ce`nedra (because she`s a dryad) and their kids....you see how it goes? Now imagine the overcrowding in a world like that. Ah, I digress, give it a shot I liked it.
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David Eddings: The Mallorean Series
This series expands on the adventures of Garion, Silk, Polgara, et al. As is Edding's usual style, the tale is well written and extremely readable. It picks up the tale, immediately after Garion's wedding and begins another 5 book set into Eddings' fantasy world. It helps a lot if you have read the "Belgariad". If you love original fantasy, skip this one. If you love Garion, Belgarath, Polgara, etc., buy it!
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David Eddings: The Elenium Series
This series is filled with adventure, humor, chivalry, and it's very well written (D. Eddings was a college English professor in a prior career). The series is entertaining even if one is not a great fan of the fantasy genre. It reads really smoothly (no jumps in logic) and I easily got enthralled with it. The plot is rather quaint: a knight must save the world from the evil darkness that threatens to overwhelm the world in which they live while trying to save his queen. But it's thoroughly entertaining because the characters are colorful and believable and the main character is not necessarily a saint. The way Eddings brought elements of social and political allegory is really poignant! What this books editorially says of our world is provocative. I really liked the social, political, and religous comments he makes.
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