Demon Lord of Karanda

{Third of 5 in Malloreon or eighth of 10 in Belgariad series; fantasy, high fantasy, quest fantasy, young adult}

Our heroes continue their journey across the eastern continent, which Belgarath and Silk at least have some familiarity with. They spend some time with Zakath, Emperor of boundless Mallorea, before continuing on their way in search of 'the place which is no more' which the seeress Cyradis tells them they must reach by a given time for the final meeting between the Child of Light and the Child of the Dark. On this quest, unlike the previous one in The Belgariad, Belgareth doesn’t have the benefit of the prophecy he followed for thousands of years to help him and must continually stop at known centres of learning to look for show more evidence of this more obscure prophecy which was hidden behind the first one. The group is handicapped in their movements first when Polgara advises Zakath to seal Mal Zeth against spreading plague through Mallorea (very topical in 2022), with them unfortunately still inside, and then - once they manage to continue on - by having to dodge demons which some Grolims are raising in an attempt to replace Torak and create a new religion.

This time the prologue is presented as an academic article on the kingdoms of the East rather than the usual extract from a book of legends. Cthol Murgos is on the east side of the western continent - but now we explore another continent across the Sea of the East which was barely touched on in the first series.

You're being evasive, Belgarion.' Zakath gave him a steady look, then passed his hand wearily across his eyes.
'I think you need some sleep,' Garion told him.
'Time for that soon enough - when my work is done.'
'That's up to you, I guess.'
'How much do you know about Mallorea, Belgarion?'
'I get reports - a little disjointed sometimes, but fairly current.'
'No. I mean our past.'
'Not too much, I'm afraid. Western historians tried very hard to ignore the fact that Mallorea was even there.'
Zakath smiled wryly. 'The University of Melcene has the same shortsightedness regarding the West,' he noted.

This time, much as in The Belgariad where they continually met the royal families and rulers of the kingdoms of the West through which they travelled, they meet the kings of the eastern kingdoms that they pass through - though they'd rather avoid them - due to their positions and powers (and mainly by virtue of being arrested, but still) whereas in The Belgariad it was because they needed to prepare the western rulers for the coming war.

A new companion joins them to aid them on their quest though, like Belgarath, I’m not enamoured of his brogue. The awareness in Garion’s head doesn’t make much of an appearance but Cyradis, whose destiny it is to make a choice between the Light and the Dark, is able to give them some limited information although she is also bound to give the same information to the Dark side. And, of course, Garion and Ce'Nedra are still desperate to get their baby back.

Garion sees the political benefit in spending time with someone who has been considered the leader of the opposition, or even an enemy, and how they can come to a mutually beneficial understanding; but he also appreciates Zakath as a person. Garion, whom we first met as a child in the Belgariad, has grown into his role as Overlord of the West although he is still the same character at heart.

This series is criticised for being a copy of The Belgariad. I can't deny that the basic formula is the same but I find The Malloreon intriguing because they're journeying through lands that are unknown to most of them - and not so familiar to even Silk and Belgarath - and learning about alien cultures. Although the cultures are very different they find that people are innately the same all over the world regardless of where they are from.

It's nice traveling with the same beloved characters. I'm still enjoying re-reading this series; it's very easy to gobble down.

(November 2022)
4.5 stars show less

The banter is starting to wear thin, the tension is beginning to sag and the sense of tension inherent in the story is dissipating fast in the face of a great deal of unnecessary padding. More than half this book could easily disappear with no impact whatsoever on the plot or characterisation.

This will be the same review for all the books in ‘The Belgariad’ and ‘The Mallorean’.

These books changed me.
I started reading them as an 11 year old who was kind of floating around in this thing called life. I had friends at school, but no meaningful connections. This I didn’t understand until I was older. By reading these books I was drawn into an incredible world filled with characters that I knew and loved, and in some cases wanted to be (come on people, I can’t be the only kid that put a streak of white paint in their hair). The story is Garion’s ‘hero’s journey’ but I felt that the adventure belonged to me too. It was my ‘Neverending story’ if you will and it gave me the confidence to be more present in my show more own life. I own all the copies of both series set in this marvellous world and most of the extras too. They are a pretty tired looking collection of books because I bought them as a university student from second book shops all over Christchurch and Auckland. I love that they have been released again relatively recently with a fresh new look so that they can appeal to the younger generation. I thoroughly recommend these books for lovers of high fantasy, action, and relatable characters. It is the quintessential hero’s journey. show less

Demon Lord of Karanda is the third book in The Malloreon by David Eddings. The quest continues! More has been revealed about their journey. It seems the prophecy may require an Angarak king be in attendance as well as some sort of "sacrifice." It's obvous now how Zandramas plans to use Garion's son, making it more important for the party to rescue him. If only Zakath, Emperor of Mallorea, could be reasoned with to let them continue onwards. Urvon, in his effort to make a play for the Sardion, has summoned demons let them loose on the countryside, making the race to the Place Which Is No More even more hazardous. As if things could not get worse, a plague has struck the city where the party is being held, effectively sealing everyone in show more the city. And the Seeres of Kell has revealed that time is starting to run out if they hope to complete the prophecy of Light.

The pace picks back up in this one as our heroes must stop and over come many challenges. Eddings writes some pretty good action scenes. This is the book where the new party members, Sadi, Velvet and Toth, really feel like they're a part of things, each with their own role to play and not just replacements for those people we're missing from the first series. The character banter continues to be fun, though is toned down in the second half of the book where events become a tad more serious. The world building continues as the party goes much farther into the Mallorean continent than experienced previously. I almost wish I could visit Mal Zeth - just without the plague. show less

Zakath works so well as a character as does the expansion of Beldin/Feldegast you can almost forgive how sidelined the women are in this installment. Even Polgara is MIA. Vella gets some good bits as does Poledra, it's just a pity that all the other women don't get nearly enough screentime comparatively.

Book 3 of the Mallorean Series. Eddings expands everything about this world he has created. It truly resembles how Tolkien expanded what he started in the Hobbit to the Lord of the Rings. The series again focuses on a clash between Good and Evil approaching the final battle. But this time, it's not about Belgarion. A new child called "Errand" has been introduced. He is a very mysterious child that does not really speak all that much but seems to understand his mission. In this book, Eddings focuses on a different brand of magic, Demonolgy. And it is interesting because he explains it much like he did Wizardry, in a very logical, well thought out manner.

As I have stated in previous reviews, I thoroughly enjoyed both the Belgariad and the show more Mallorean series from Eddings. I feel that if Peter Jackson got a hold of this series, it would make a mint for him. show less

Another enjoyable book. I am getting very anxious to see the outcome of this adventure filled journey that Garion is once again faced with.
Great characters in this book. The further development we see with our old favorites (Silk, Polgara, Durnik and Belgarath) and the introduction of new characters that is adding a great deal of enjoyment to the story. I think that Velvet and Sadi are great additions to the questing team. I am still not sure what to think of Eriond. Most of the time I forget he is even there, until he pops in with some insight into what someone was thinking. I am curious about his part in all of this, however something about the character that I am not overly attached too either.
This book (like the others) has a bit show more of adventure at every turn. Eddings is doing a nice job of moving the journey along at a great pace. show less