The Belgariad

The Belgariad, Volume One - David Eddings

Where Did I Get This Book?: The Belgariad is one of those sempiternal classics of fantasy, I have no idea when I first heard of the series, nor who suggested I buy it. I found the two-volume Omnibus edition about eight years ago, and I’ve read it about four times since, front to back of both books.

Why Did I Choose This Book?: Eddings is widely accepted as a seminal fantasy author. The Belgariad raised a number of the walls that the House of Fantasy is built on, and for good reason; the story is classical in its construction, the narrative is clear, and the character archetypes are very visible.

The Story’s Strengths: Being one of the first of its kind – an expanded series which eventually became an Ennead in twelve parts. Even though the individual books are fairly short, the series itself has a truly massive scope, following a wide breadth of characters.

The Belgariad, Volume Two - David Eddings

The Story’s Weaknesses: Being such a pillar series, The Belgariad is filled with cliché and overblown archetypes. When the series came out, it was very original. However, as with all things epic, over time much of the material of the book has been repeated in certain directions, the devices Eddings used have been adopted, adapted and re-adopted. It was, and is, a wonderful story, but for well-read fans of fantasy these days, the series can seem a little weak specifically because of its copycats.

Why I’m Recommending This Book: No one claiming to be a fantasy fan should miss this series. It’s among the very few books I keep a hard copy around, and plan to for some time because of its inspirational nature; it, and not more than twenty others, can be considered the pillars of modern fantasy and, sadly, not enough people know about the Belgariad.

The Belgariad, Volume One and The Belgariad, Volume Two are available on Amazon.