Pawn of Prophecy

Wikipedia defines GrimDark as something that is "particularly dystopian, amoral, or violent” and that’s pretty much the definition of what I do not like in my fantasy books.

When I read fantasy, I want the heroes to be good people at their core. I want a world that’s essentially worth saving and not a dystopia that basically deserves going down the drain anyway and while violence is nothing I abhor, it’s something that should be used sparingly and only if necessary for the story.

Fortunately, “Pawn of Prophecy”, the first volume of “The Belgariad” is quite the opposite of GrimDark and pretty much exactly what I outlined above:

Garion, a young farmhand, tutored by his “Aunt Pol” grows up on the farm of a modest, show more good-natured man who cares about his people. When strangers arrive at the farm, Pol and an elderly story-teller, “Mister Wolf”, come to the conclusion it’s time to make a move of their own and so they leave with Garion and the local blacksmith to go on a dangerous trip through the land, searching for a dangerous ancient artefact and its thief. They’re closely followed by their mysterious adversaries at each step...

A lot of this book reminded me of Tolkien and I suspect Eddings was inspired by Lord of the Rings to some extent. The story, albeit simple so far, is original enough, though, to have kept me entertained throughout the entire about 80.000 words and I was actually surprised when I hit the end of the ebook edition I was reading.

Of course, this being a somewhat simple story, there’s no philosophical depth to be expected or huge new insights into life, the universe and everything to be gleaned but even simple truths are helping me feel “at home” in a book and in this particular case, I was captured by the very first paragraph of the first chapter already:



“THE FIRST THING the boy Garion remembered was the kitchen at Faldor’s farm. For all the rest of his life he had a special warm feeling for kitchens and those peculiar sounds and smells that seemed somehow to combine into a bustling seriousness that had to do with love and food and comfort and security and, above all, home. No matter how high Garion rose in life, he never forgot that all his memories began in that kitchen.”



As everyone knows, the kitchen is the (secret) haven of any respectable home and the heart of every good party as well as the place where it starts and ends. As such, it is only fitting for any respectable book to start right there!

That and quite a bit of humour...



“My Master wanted me to move a rock,” Wolf said. “He seemed to think that it was in his way. I tried to move it, but it was too heavy. After a while I got angry, and I told it to move. It did. I was a little surprised, but my Master didn’t seem to think it so unusual.”



… are good enough for me to be happy.



Anyway, depth and insights are not required for my personal taste in fantasy anyway, though, and so I enjoyed this book for what it was – an excellent start into a work of epic fantasy that’s new to me.

That said: Please excuse me while I start devouring the next book in the series... show less

{First of 5 in The Belgariad; fantasy, high fantasy, epic fantasy, quest, adventure} (1982)

The first thing the boy Garion remembered was the kitchen at Faldor’s farm. For all the rest of his life he had a special warm feeling for kitchens and those peculiar sounds and smells that seemed somehow to combine into a bustling seriousness that had to do with love and food and comfort and security and, above all, home.

We meet Garion at a very young age as he is growing up under his Aunt Pol's care at Faldor's farm, deep in Sendaria, which is the most ordinary of all the countries and Sendars are known for the practicality and unimaginativeness. Soon, though, Garion is tagging along with Aunt Pol and the itinerant story teller he calls Mister show more Wolf on the adventure of a lifetime as they race through the kingdoms of Aloria on the trail of a mysterious object that has been stolen. Along the way they meet a multinational cast of characters. Garion, now fourteen years old, is too young to be entrusted with the details of their quest and often feels sidelined. But ... can Mister Wolf really be hundreds of years old and is there really such a thing as sorcery?

This book does not end on a cliff-hanger but the quest is not complete so you do have to read on.

I first read this series in the '80s when it had been recently published; the (UK Corgi) cover illustrations with their fanlights and art by Geoff Taylor drew me in and were some of the books that got me really started in fantasy in my teens. I was worried that this book wouldn't live up to my memories but it has and I've really enjoyed re-reading it.

I like the way Eddings took time to set the world up beginning with Garion's childhood and his everyday adventures growing up on a farm; I think it grounds the start of the story and invests us in the characters and their interactions as a close-knit group. I think Eddings got 'sulky teenager' right without making Garion bratty. I was around the same age when I first read this series and I could empathise with him; I could see why he didn't appreciate being ignored when there were important events happening around him and everyone else seemed to know what was going on. Now my kids are the same age I still find him relatable. And, though the teenage boy might not have seen it, I liked seeing how deeply Aunt Pol cared for him.

I also remember liking the way that the people of each nation have their own quirks and characteristics; it may not be considered altogether pc in this day and age but I think it works well (and gives Silk many opportunities to poke digs at his friends).

"Thank you for your permission, Captain," Silk said, inclining his head. "Do you know what the King of Sendaria said then, Garion?" he asked.
"No," Garion said. "What?"
"I pray you, your eminences,' the king said, 'have a care for your finery. I have just well manured the bed in which you are kneeling.'"
Barak, who was sitting nearby, roared with laughter, pounding his knee with one huge hand.
"I find this less than amusing, sir," Captain Brendig said coldly, rising to his feet. "I make no jokes about the King of Drasnia, do I?"
"You're a courteous man, Captain," Silk said mildly, "and a nobleman. I'm merely a poor man trying to make his way in the world.
Brendig looked at him helplessly and then turned and stamped from the room.

And I also liked the way that, as they went on, people from almost every nation (in the west) joined their quest; it gave the story a sense of inclusivity and unity.

It's not high literature but it is written well and lots of fun; it's a bit irreverent with a lot of banter between the characters. It has good pacing and enough description and little incidents (relevant or not) to paint in the landscape and the background and invest you in the characters. This is a world-sweeping fantasy with a well constructed world; it has history, geography and distinct cultures to different countries.

I like the way Eddings shows and doesn't tell; mainly we learn about events as Garion does. But it's also easy to put together information and understand a bit more than he has, so far, from the stories of this world.

Best of all, it lived up to my memories of it.

January 2022

4.5-5*****
By Belar! Give it an additional half star for nostalgia, why not:
5-5.5***** show less

There are parts of this that rankle, the casual racism (all members of a race behave the same for example, and there's accompanying casual sexism (all women etc.) but this tale of a farmboy being drawn on a quest to save the world still entertained me after years of absence. The banter between the characters was always excellent and even if you could almost hear the dice being rolled in the background it was fun.

A lot of younger writers could learn a lot about the light touch and fun that these characters seem to be having despite the fact that the situation is serious.

Update: *sniffs* my son has now read the series and loved it. I have so many feelings.
_________

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 show more my ‘Neverending story’ if you will and it gave me the confidence to be more present in my 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

Okay, I probably should have read this when it came out - I might have enjoyed it then and been young enough not to notice all the glaring cliches... although i doubt it, because as far as i can see, if one were to strip this book of them there would be absolutely nothing left.
I cannot think of a character, event, history or conversation that hasn't been done elsewhere, and almost always, better.
Actually, having this as an audiobook in my car, I could have enjoyed it fairly well, had it not been for the inconsistent writing and the haphazard displays of 'character, all, presumably, to further the story, only it doesn't really - it only serves the poor plot.
Garion himself goes from whining and belligerent early teen to shrewd and wise show more adventurer in the space of a few pages, and then back again. I assume Eddings keeps us waiting for the boy to tell others what he's experiencing because he thinks it increases the suspense, but it's just annoying, as the reasons given (afterwards, by Eddings) are weak. Which is why i assume he felt the need to explain.
It's funny (or annoying) that the 2 times he manages to accidentally overhear the private talks going on, are just enough to give him the next piece of the puzzle... oh why am i bothering to tell you? The more i think, the more i could give a review as long as the book itself. If i try and think of a decent scene, well-written or original, that would shorten the review to non-existent.
And as for the sorcerer - 3000 years old? Really? Like the boy, he swings from being master of all magics and held in awe by Kings, to spouting weak homilies which even Eddings' own characters find naff.
That's it for my review. This book is harmless, and maybe if you're 13 and haven't read fantasy before... It's not really bad, but I can't think of anything about it that is actually good... show less

After I finished re-reading this, I have to admit that in a way I was very disappointed. The story itself obviously hasn't changed, but being almost 20 years older than the last time I read it, I realise that I have.
It's still not bad - at all - but very much written for younger readers. What appealed to me in my late teens/early twenties just feels a little patronising now, and I can't seem to love the characters as much as I did then (seriously, I wanted to call my son Garion, and that was my *least* favourite character!).

Garion lives the life of a simple farm boy until the day a storyteller comes to his village and convinces Garion’s aunt that they must leave immediately. As their quest continues, Garion grows confused and must question everything he ever knew about himself. Why do his aunt and this storyteller seem to have powers that Garion doesn’t believe in? Why do they have such powerful friends? This story of sorcery and adventure begins the Belgariad, an epic fantasy in which Garion must fight against the powers of evil in order to save his world. This book was quite enjoyable. It had fantastic characterization (to the point that I was actually getting angry at characters along with Garion). It had an interesting mystery to it because show more although I could make an educated guess, I don’t know the plot of the Belgariad so I don’t know exactly where it’s going. Quite a good introduction to the characters, land, and problem-to-be-solved. show less