The Belgariad Review
The Belgariad is easily David Eddings' best work and the reason is the series' simplicity. It does not make any excuses for what it is: a straightforward coming-of-age story. There are no smokescreens that trick the reader into thinking The Belgariad is any more than that.
The plot of the series revolves around a boy Garion, who is the long lost heir to the Rivan Throne, his quest for the Orb of Aldur, and his subsequent conflict with the evil god Torak. That is about the extent of the plot and you can see the end result from the beginning of The Pawn of Prophecy. This could have been a problem with many other books but why is it not a problem with The Belgariad? The answer is the execution.
The world David Eddings creates in his books is rich with detail and filled with several races including gods, dragons, and even thinking rocks. The characters, even though they are very one-dimensional, are strong with each representing a different aspect of humanity (Algars – racial bias, Drasnians – deception, Chereks – brutality…). Even all of this would not be enough to excuse some of the rather deep flaws present in the series.
Then why do I think The Belgariad is worth a read? It represents a time when people just wanted to read for the fun of reading and authors did not have to worry about whether or not their characters were shades of grey. Frankly, most critics would say The Belgariad is a deeply flawed series, but I say it is the series that made fantasy famous. The two most important characters in the series, Belgarath and Garion, remain to this day my two favorite characters in the fantasy genre. I have never read any other series that made me love the characters as much as The Belgariad made me love its characters. For this I give kudos to David Eddings (R.I.P) and to his best literary work, The Belgariad.
The plot of the series revolves around a boy Garion, who is the long lost heir to the Rivan Throne, his quest for the Orb of Aldur, and his subsequent conflict with the evil god Torak. That is about the extent of the plot and you can see the end result from the beginning of The Pawn of Prophecy. This could have been a problem with many other books but why is it not a problem with The Belgariad? The answer is the execution.
The world David Eddings creates in his books is rich with detail and filled with several races including gods, dragons, and even thinking rocks. The characters, even though they are very one-dimensional, are strong with each representing a different aspect of humanity (Algars – racial bias, Drasnians – deception, Chereks – brutality…). Even all of this would not be enough to excuse some of the rather deep flaws present in the series.
Then why do I think The Belgariad is worth a read? It represents a time when people just wanted to read for the fun of reading and authors did not have to worry about whether or not their characters were shades of grey. Frankly, most critics would say The Belgariad is a deeply flawed series, but I say it is the series that made fantasy famous. The two most important characters in the series, Belgarath and Garion, remain to this day my two favorite characters in the fantasy genre. I have never read any other series that made me love the characters as much as The Belgariad made me love its characters. For this I give kudos to David Eddings (R.I.P) and to his best literary work, The Belgariad.
Overall (5): 2.5
Closing Comments: David Eddings must be lauded for his success in bringing fantasy to the masses with The Belgariad. This series does not rank very high in the minds of critics but ranks high in the hearts of readers. When you finish reading it, you will never forget the characters whether it be the Drasnian Prince Kheldar or the Cherek Barak. If you're ever looking for some light reading, give The Belgariad a chance.
Comments
Post a Comment