Baraka_Guru

**Spoiler alert**

This is a book discussion thread for my Fabulous Fantastical Journey through fantasy literature. Discussions here are open and free, as it is assumed that those participating in the thread have read the material already. The use of spoiler tags would be cumbersome, and so they will not be used.

For more information, visit: Baraka's Fabulous Fantastical Journey

Pawn of Prophecy, David Eddings: Book One of The Belgariad

First, let's answer some generic questions about the book:

• How did you experience the book? Beyond whether you simply liked it or not, what were your initial reactions to it?
• Are the characters convincing? Who are your favourites? Least favourites? What were your favourite actions? Motivations? Feats of valour? Turns of deceit?
• What is the central conflict? What are the major themes running throughout?
• What do you make of the plot? How do the events unfold and fit together? What drives the book?
• What do you make of Eddings' world? What resemblances do you see?
• Is the ending satisfying? Was it predictable? How well does it set up the rest of the series? Are you hooked?

Remember, there aren't any right or wrong answers at this point. These are your opinions. Feel free to hash out your impressions of the book.

I will make my own contributions after I've thought about these questions a bit.

Most important, have fun!

amonkie

I too will be back soon!

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Baraka_Guru

How did you experience the book? Beyond whether you simply liked it or not, what were your initial reactions to it?

I admired this book. This is what I would call classic fantasy. It is well-entrenched in the same tradition as Tolkien without it feeling like a ripoff or heavy riff off of it. It's your classic coming-of-age adventure story, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I wish I had known about this series as a teenager.

Are the characters convincing? Who are your favourites? Least favourites? What were your favourite actions? Motivations? Feats of valour? Turns of deceit?

The characters are, for the most part, convincing. I will say that they are more so in action than in dialogue. At parts I found the dialogue to be wooden and too declarative. In terms of action, description, and much of the dialogue, the characterization was well done. I don't care much for Aunt Pol and Mister Wolf at the moment. They seem to treat Garion unfairly pretty much throughout the book. Even as a reader, you don't quite know why. You get the idea that Garion is a piece of the puzzle regarding the Orb, and that ultimately he is a major player in the Prophecy, but this information comes out very slowly, which makes Pol's and Wolf's treatment of Garion rather pestering and unnecessary. The overprotectiveness doesn't seem quite warranted until late in the book.

Garion as a character was well done. His inquisitiveness and skepticism are interesting to follow as he learns more about the world and how it works.

Silk/Kheldar and Barak are enjoyable, but they borderline on cheesy. I hope this becomes less the case as the series carries on.

What is the central conflict? What are the major themes running throughout?

Generally, Garion must come to terms with his role in a prophecy having to do with the powerful Orb, which was stolen by an unnameable thief. It is uncertain what the Orb will ultimately be used for, but it is understood that nothing good will come of it. The Orb must be found.

I'm sure the conflict will become more complex as the series unfolds.

What do you make of the plot? How do the events unfold and fit together? What drives the book?

I like how the plot is unfolding. It is currently a mixture of seeking out the stolen Orb and Garion learning about the world around him. It would seem that he also has much to learn about himself. This is the stuff of classic fantasy.

What do you make of Eddings' world? What resemblances do you see?

The world is certainly Tolkienesque. It's meant to be mythical, and there is a strong current of polytheism. The borders of each land mark more than territory; they mark distinct cultures. I look forward to discovering more of it, but I don't have much else to say about it currently.

Is the ending satisfying? Was it predictable? How well does it set up the rest of the series? Are you hooked?

The end of Book One was satisfying. The battle at the end was well sprung, and it was well resolved. The seriousness and timeliness of the matter at hand was made evident, and so the series has been set up. I look forward to Book Two.

* * * * *

What do you make of it? There were a few events/aspects that warrant discussion, such as how "sorcery" works, what powers Garion has now and how they come to be, the transformation of Barak and what it will mean down the road, etc.

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Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
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fresnelly

I think this was the very first fantasy series i ever read when I was a teenager. I measure all fantasy against it because its story and characters are so standard. That's not to say it isn't creative or well executed, just that the humble Everyman who trains with a forgotten master and discovers his destiny story is oft told. I read the Belgarion, the Mallorion but passed on Polgara because it was getting a bit repetitive.

Now i don't remember many details except for this cool bit where the hero discovers a magic book has ever word written on top of the other rather than in lines. I love that sort of creative mystery work in fantasy and scifi much more than world building or pageantry.

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Redlemon

It's been a few years since I dug through this series. I didn't read it until after college, but my wife had read it though high school and college. (Book 10 was released while we were in finals; the book was passed from person to person and devoured. Studying be damned.)

Fres: I'd actually recommend Polgara. Admittedly, Belgarath was repetitive, but it increased the depth of understanding of the history. Polgara, however, completely changes your understanding of what happened.

I appreciate the self-consistency of these books. After reading through the full series, check out Codex. It shows the huge amount of background material he prepared before writing the first book of each pentology. It isn't an exciting read, but very educational.

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spindles

I first read these as a series when in early high school (13 or 14, I guess), and really enjoyed them at the time.

A couple of years ago I borrowed them from my brother and re-read them, and found them quite simplistic. What had been a fantastic adventure as a teen became severely cheesy.

Eddings, as an author, in my view, is nowhere as convincing as others in the genre. His heroes are almost too perfect. I found when I read further books of his (e.g. The Mallorean series, The Elenium series), that he (or should I say they - his later works show his wife as co-author) recycles the same 'fantastic party of people vanquishing the baddies' plot. It seemed like re-reading the same book.

Having not read this too recently, I don't want to comment (for fear I'll be in the wrong book).

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