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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I've realized that this series is really not a set of books, but one long book that's been split in to several more portable pieces.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Finally this series has found its groove! I definitely understand the decision to republish this series with the first three books in one volume, because together they create a single story arc, and it sucks to tell people, "Just get through the first two books and then it gets good!"
This book has many of the scenes I remember most vividly from this series, particularly around Garion finally getting some training and learning how to do sorcery properly. I appreciate the detailed explanations of how sorcery works in this world; other than this and Harry Potter I haven't found a fantasy series that spends as much time delving into the "mechanics" of magic, which as a world-building snob I need in order to fully enjoy the story. Other memorable scenes include Relg breaking Silk out of prison and the horrorland of Maragor.
This one also has a lot of killing, but if you can accept the premise that Murgos are Always Bad then the characters' decisions make sense in that area. I'm not saying the way that good and evil are portrayed in this series are great — it's very Axis and Allies — but it's kind of par for the course in fantasy of the time. There's also a little bit of "ugly is bad, beautiful is good," though that's subverted somewhat by characters like Beldin and the discussion of how he's a good guy who's reacting to how people have treated him.
What really makes this series for me is the character banter, and there's a lot of that here. Eddings has found his stride in this third book. To some extent it relies on the characters being rather one-dimensional, but to me they feel like old friends, so I don't mind that each of their personalities and characteristics are narrowly defined. You know that Ce'Nedra's going to be childish, Belgarath's going to be grumpy and wise, Polgara's going to be no-nonsense, Silk's going to be a smart aleck, Durnik's going to be sensible, and so on, so it's predictable in a comforting way, and the things they say and do can still make me laugh.
The audiobook narrator still can't quite figure out what he wants Durnik or Garion to sound like, but at least everyone else has a recognizable voice in this one.
My rating of this book is steeped in nostalgia, and I make no apologies for that, but if you want a funny, satisfying high fantasy series for which you don't need to think too hard, I would still recommend this.
This book has many of the scenes I remember most vividly from this series, particularly around Garion finally getting some training and learning how to do sorcery properly. I appreciate the detailed explanations of how sorcery works in this world; other than this and Harry Potter I haven't found a fantasy series that spends as much time delving into the "mechanics" of magic, which as a world-building snob I need in order to fully enjoy the story. Other memorable scenes include Relg breaking Silk out of prison and the horrorland of Maragor.
This one also has a lot of killing, but if you can accept the premise that Murgos are Always Bad then the characters' decisions make sense in that area. I'm not saying the way that good and evil are portrayed in this series are great — it's very Axis and Allies — but it's kind of par for the course in fantasy of the time. There's also a little bit of "ugly is bad, beautiful is good," though that's subverted somewhat by characters like Beldin and the discussion of how he's a good guy who's reacting to how people have treated him.
What really makes this series for me is the character banter, and there's a lot of that here. Eddings has found his stride in this third book. To some extent it relies on the characters being rather one-dimensional, but to me they feel like old friends, so I don't mind that each of their personalities and characteristics are narrowly defined. You know that Ce'Nedra's going to be childish, Belgarath's going to be grumpy and wise, Polgara's going to be no-nonsense, Silk's going to be a smart aleck, Durnik's going to be sensible, and so on, so it's predictable in a comforting way, and the things they say and do can still make me laugh.
The audiobook narrator still can't quite figure out what he wants Durnik or Garion to sound like, but at least everyone else has a recognizable voice in this one.
My rating of this book is steeped in nostalgia, and I make no apologies for that, but if you want a funny, satisfying high fantasy series for which you don't need to think too hard, I would still recommend this.
adventurous
slow-paced
medium-paced
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No