RJ Reviews

A great performance of an imagintive book

Revisado: 01-18-21 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I was a big fan of the book. An imaginative idea of gods building universes written for middle graders. It's a fun story, has some great ideas.

There is a lot of great ideas on the philosophy of creation as well as some great jokes about cosmology.

Christopher Harbour brought it to life. He did a great job in capturing the world. I hope the next book in the series gets turned into an audiobook, too!

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A great finale to this awesome fantasy series!

Revisado: 07-17-18

Garion and his companions have entered the final stage of their quest to rescue his son from the clutches of Zandramas and foil the Dark Prophecy's designs to keep the world in stasis. All they need to do is to find out where the High Places of Korim are. A location lost 5000 years ago when Torak cracked the world.

Only the Seeress of Kell, the enigmatic Cyradis, can guide them to the final pieces of their quest. Zandramas desperation only mounts. But she has her last weapons ready to delay Garion and Ce'Nedra from reuniting with their son.

Knights, dragons, curses, and demons await in the conclusion to the Mallorean series.

The philosophy that underpins Eddings's world comes to the forefront. What does it mean to live in a universe where everything should happen for a reason and then something doesn't. What are the consequences to causality being violated and how do you fix it. What is better for the world: stasis and order, or change and chaos?

In the finale, all of this comes out as Eddings builds on what the previous nine books (yes, I'm counting the Belgariad) have laid out before him. In the High Places of Korim, all choices are finale, including the fate of the universe.

Eddings ends his two series wonderfully. Everything flows from that confrontation then burst out into the denouement. He doesn't rush the conclusion to his series. He lets us have one last chance to say goodbye to all his characters while giving us one last chance to expound on the theme of this entire series.

Change is good. We can't grow if we don't change. Getting stuck in a loop, repeating bad decisions again and again, doesn't do the world any good. We need to look to history and learn from the mistakes of those who came before us instead of allowing stasis to hold us in place while the world passes us by. It is a great theme for a fantasy series and a satisfying conclusion to this epic series.

If you've never read these two series, then you need to go and buy Pawn of Prophecy. This series has great characters, fun adventure, and even interesting philosophy. From the witty one lines to the exciting action, you will find something to love in Eddings work.

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A great fantasy novel!

Revisado: 06-26-18

The fourth book of the Mallorean brings Garion, CeNedra, and their companions closer to stopping Zandramas from sacrificing their infant son to cause the rebirth of the Dark God of Angerak. Their journey has taken them across the vast continent of Mallorea to the ancient, island nation of Melecene. Here they may finally lean some clues to aid them on their quest.

Because not only do they have to track down Zandramas, but they have to find out where she is going and beat her there. They have to follow a trail scattered through prophecies and esoteric tales. Once they have their trail, they will have to plunge into war-torn Darshiva.

The home of Zandramas herself.

The penultimate novel of the Mallorean continues the journey through the lands of Mallorea. No longer are they truly hunting Zandramas any more. Destiny is ensuring that both groups will arrive at the fateful meeting. It's just a matter of which of Garion's friends and companions will survive the encounter now. Things only grow more complicated as all the story-lines Eddings has been spinning—Zandramas's bid to power, Emperor Zakath seeking to restore order, and Urvon's alliance with the demons—are colliding together in Darshiva.

The stakes are high as they companions creep across Darshiva.

While I enjoy the Sorceress of Darshiva, it is my least favorite of the ten books of the Belgariad/Mallorean saga. While the characters are great, and there are some great writing and events, the pacing is a little wonky. While the first series had a sense of immediacy about it, with this series it's clear that they won't get the upper hand on Zandramas until they get to “The Place Which is No More.” Putting Destiny, which has always played such a big role in the series, so much in control is really showing the lack of agency on our heroes as they come to accept this reality. Not even CeNedra is getting frustrated any longer.

Still, it is a great book, and it leads us into the final volume in the Saga! Next up, The Seeres of Kell and the end of Garion's story!

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An exciting thriller at the bottom of the sea!

Revisado: 06-12-18

Norman Johnson is a psychologist specialized in how stress affects group dynamics. He is often called out by the FAA to help survivors of plane crashes and their families deal with the aftermath. So when he's escorted by the US Navy out to the South Pacific he assumes a plane has crashed into the ocean.

It turns out to be something far stranger.

Once upon a time, a younger Norman, desperate for grant money, wrote a report for the government about how to handle first contact with alien intelligence. He said abject terror would be the result when humans were confronted with the unknown. Now, he is about to put his hypothesis to the test. A thousand feet beneath the ocean, something has been found. A craft that has been down there for at least 300 years.

A team of scientists, recommended by Norman, and a group of navy personal are tasked with uncovering what is and, if anything is alive, how to communicate with it. Staying in cramped quarters, surrounded by the crushing depths of the sea where a small mistake could get them all killed, the pressures are incredible. Can Norman keep the group functional when the discover the Sphere lurking in the heart of the craft?

Crichton's Sphere is an interesting take on the first contact with aliens story. It's told from the psychologist point of view and it delves into many aspects of emotional reactions and Jungian's theory of the shadow self. Personalities conflict and clash. The unknown lurks around them, affecting them all as they struggle to understand just what they have discovered.

And that's before things start going weird. Cricton goes a great job setting up the mystery and how it affects the characters. The answers for the story are found if you read carefully. But that's not what the story is truly about. It's about how people handle stress and how they can rise to the occasion, or break beneath the strain. It's about what people can do when they're taken to their limits. The Sphere, the mystery of it, is merely the catalyst around which Crichton has penned this excellent character study.

One of my favorite Crichton novels, blending suspense, emotion, and wonder with a pervading miasma of dread hanging over everything.

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The Mallorean continues to excite and enthrall!

Revisado: 06-03-18

The third book of the Mallorean sees Garion, Ce'Nedra, and their companions captured by the forces of Zakath, the emperor of Mallorea. Instead of continuing their pursuit of Zandramas, who stole Garion and Ce'Nedra's infant son months ago, they find themselves embroiled in the politics of the emperor's court.

In a part of Mallorea known as Karanda, demons are once again being seen. One more threat to the world grows while Garion suffers the frustration of being a “guest” to the Emperor of Mallorea. Despite the strange relationship growing between the two monarchs, Garion needs to get back in pursuit of his son and stop the growing threat of the demons.

But how can convince the atheistic Zakath that the demons are more than just a fantasy, and that the threat to the Empire is a true one and not just political maneuvering on Garion's part to escape? Will Garion and his diverse, and skilled, companions have to employ other means to escape?

Demon Lord of Karanda dives deeper into the growing schism among the Grolims as the various factions vie for control over both the mysterious Sardion and Garion's own son, the sacrifice to bring about their Dark God's rebirth. Zakath, a minor, though interesting, character from the final book of the Belgariad is back and fleshed out even more. What's clear is that Eddings had a solid backstory for Zakath and his enmity in place for the Murgos in the last series but never could organically explain it. Until know. It is rich world-building at its best.

Even better, we finally get to see this Boundless Mallorea as the characters travel to the largest city in the world, its capital, and then venture into the dispirited lands that make it up, united through fear of the imperial throne and the glue of the Melcene bureaucracy. All of our characters get to shine. Unlike with the Belgariad where some of the prophesied companions (Taiba and Lelldorin especially) get little to do, Eddings has roles for all the characters to play in the political machinations of the Mallorean court.

This book brims with danger, political machinations, and adventure. Fans of the Belgariad and the first two books of the Mallorean series will be delighted by what they read here!

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The Mallorean series continues to be great

Revisado: 06-02-18

The infant son of Garion and Ce'Nedra has been kidnapped by Zandramas, the new Child of Dark, to be used as a sacrifce to awaken a new God of Angerak. With Polgara, Belgarath, Durnik, Silk, Errnd, and the mute Toth, Garion and his wife set off on a new quest at the behest of prophecy to stop Zandramas's plan and to rescue their son.

But the trail will take them far from their homes. They travel south to find it once more in the land of the snake people and from their, into the land of the Murgos. Out of all the four Angerak races, the Murgos were the most ferverant in their devotion to Torak and the most under the control of the Grolim priests. Steeped in barbarism and sacrifice, Garion and his companions find themselves in the court of the beseiged Murgo King.

They are in for one interesting revelation. Prejudices must be adjusted and old enmities put aside for Garion, Ce'Nedra, and their companions, including those new allies they pick up along their way south, to have any hompe of saving the infant Geran before it is too late. Can Garion and his companions escape the machinations of the Grolim priesthood, dark assassins, and petty grievances?

After spending the last series characterizing the Murgos as this despicable race, Eddings peels back the onions to reveal that, in fact, they are just people. Flawed and varied as any other only suffering beneath terrible despotism of mad kings and power-hungry priests. Loosing a war, King Urgit is desperate for any aid, and Garion might prove his salvation or his undoing.

The second book is a great read, building on the first book. It covers most of the original book 2's contents (traveling through Arendia, Tol Nedra, and Nyissa) within the first third, meeting old characters, encountering new threats, and exposing the existence of the three powers all vying to awaken the new Agerak God. New characters join the party to add a nice counterbalance to the core ones (it's no coincidence that the group with the most screen time from the last series made it into the party in this one). Velvet, in particular, is a great addition.

Eddings is clearly having fun writing this series, and it shows in the fun diologue, exciting situations, and tense showdowns. He has an entire world to play in and is mixing and matching the threats, combining old foes with new while foreshadowing things to come. Garion and Ce'Nedra are the most changed from the last quest, both grown up and both dealing with the kidnapping of their son in different ways. The vibrant and even aggressive Ce'Nedra is shrunken and withdrawn, verging on depression, while the normally friendly Garion has an anger brewing inside of him that explodes out of him, fueled by frustration and fear.

All in all, the Mallorean continues to be excellent and leaves you wanting to find out what happens next! Luckilly, these books came out in the 80s, so you don't have to wait long at all!

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A great start to one of my favorite fantasy series

Revisado: 06-02-18

The Guardians of the West picks up almost immediately after the end of the Belgariad. It's been a few months since Garion and Ce'Nedra's wedding, and the young boy Errand find himself moving to the vale with his new adopted parents Durnik and Polgara the Sorceress. The group is accompanied by the vagabond sorcerer, Belgarath. After he and Polgara spent thousands of years working to see Torak and the Dark Prophecy defeated, they think they can rest. But hints and rumors begin to stir of a new force awakening in the east while the Angeraks struggle to come to grips with the death of their god.

Over the next five or so years, Garion and Ce'Nedra settle into their married. With a few bumps along they way, they grow to find a balance in their relationship. A balance that is disrupted when Ce'Nedra's lack of pregnancy begins to worry the other monarchs of the world. Stability is needed for the world after the trauma it's endured, and there are those who seek to take advantage of it.

Once again, Garion and his companions have to defend the West as new threats arise and hints that there is still more to come in the fight between the two halves of the original Purpose of the Universe. That though Torak was defeated, the Dark Prophecy still moves pieces on the board and a new threat boils beneath the surface.

Guardians of the West is a great follow up to Eddings outstanding Belgariad. He returns to his world and spends an entire book on the buildup to the new threat. He's subtle, showing us our characters as they fit into their new roles in life, growing into full adulthood (like Garion and Ce'Nedra) while shifting many of Garion's story role onto Errand's shoulders. For fans of the Belgariad, it's a great reunion with old friends.

The build up is handled well. It's a mystery that has you, thinking you already know everything about the world, wondering what is going on. That moment of realization that there is more to “Boundless Mallorea” than that little slice we saw in Enchanters End Game. The misdirects and the plot twists are great. Guardians of the West is like the first few chapters of Pawn of Prophecy stretched into nearly a whole book.

And it works.

This is a great start to a new series with our old character. Eddings has to do little retconning to make it work, just tweaking the expectation that the final battle wasn't as final as everyone (our characters included) believed. It follows on those dangling plot threads left over from the last series while setting the stage for the new adventure to come. If you enjoyed the Belgariad, then you have to read the Mallorean!

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An outstanding conclusion!

Revisado: 04-22-18

What made the experience of listening to Enchanters' End Game the most enjoyable?

The narrator brings all the characters, and their emotions, to life!

What did you like best about this story?

It's exciting and engaging!

What about Cameron Beierle’s performance did you like?

He's great at narrating the prose as well as voicing the characters.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The nameless boy playing his flute on the battlefield...

Any additional comments?

The final volume of the Belgariad has begun. The dark god Torak stirs in the east and Garion travels with the sorcerer Belgarath and the thief Silk to confront him. But standing between him and the god lies the lands of his followers, the Agerzaks.

In the south, Garion's fiancee, acting in his name, leads the army she's raised to distract the Agerzaks. She will keep the world's attention on her to give her fiancee the chance to slip through and defeat the dark god once and for all.

Danger swells for everyone. War has come to the West while Garion and his small group has to dodge trackers, demons, and Grolim priests eager for new sacrifices for their altars. Two prophecies hurtle towards each other and their titanic conclusion.

Enchanters End Game brings all the story threads together. The book is epic, bouncing around most of the world, seeing the impact of the impending war. Last book was Garion's coming into adulthood and responsibility, and now Ce'Nedra has her own lessons to learn. War isn't a game. It's deadly and serious, and those she cares for will suffer for the decisions she makes.

Garion's arc is much... simpler. He has already reached the pinnacle of his character growth is nearly over. He's made his choice in the last book, now he's marching towards his fate, facing the fear and dread as he comes closer and closer. His final lesson is a profound one, though.

Compassion.

Eddings does a phenomenal job bringing this series to a close satisfactory. I particularly enjoy his epilogue and the efficiency of which he gives all the characters their codas without bogging the narrative down with scene after scene by using a dream as a framing device, allowing him to spend a few paragraphs sketching out the important details and flowing onto the next. The only complaint I have is how little Garion we get in this with half the novel devoted to the war. I also would have wished him to have a more active role in the decisions. Eddings had him grow up into a man, ruling Riva and making decisions only to have him surrender to Belgarath and Silk again. I can see why, but it would have been nice for him to be more in command as our hero.

There are a few loose threads which Eddings uses to take us into a second series. He must have been thinking about the Mallorean because there is enough seeds planted to make the second series mostly work without having to do any major retconning of the ending (this is billed as THE final battle, but there's an extra round still to come).

All in all, the Belgariad was an amazing experience. It's always a pleasure to revisit Eddings in his prime. Fans of Fantasy, especially boys, will enjoy this series.

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The Belgariad Continues Strong with Volume 4

Revisado: 04-18-18

Would you consider the audio edition of Castle of Wizardry to be better than the print version?

It definitely is its equal, but they are two different experiences. But both are delightful.

What other book might you compare Castle of Wizardry to and why?

I think Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn: Final Empire is a good mix of coming of age story, a mix of light-hearted banter with serious stakes, and a smilar dynamic of a group working together for a single goal.

Which scene was your favorite?

Garion projecting his shadow is an amazing scene.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Ce'Nedra realizing how far she'll go to support Garion as she bribes serfs into her army with the promise of food.

Any additional comments?

In the ruins of Rak Cthol, Garion and his companions have accomplished their goal. They have recovered the Orb of Aldur. But Belgararth the Sorcerer lies in a stupor, exhausted by his magical duel with Ctuthik and the mountains keep shakes from the earthquakes. They are deep in enemy territory and will have to use their wits to escape.

It's up to Garion to step forward and leave his company to safety. But can the young man handle the weight of leadership thrust upon him? Will his fledling sorecery powers be enough to see them safe through the lands of the Murgos? And what will happen when they make it back to the safety. What does it mean for their quest now that they have reclaimed the Orb of Aldur?

Garion's true destiny still awaits him.

Castle of Wizardy brings a major narrative shift to the series. The goal, finding the Orb of Aldur, is accomplished at the end of book 3. Now this book deals with Garion maturing into adulthood and leaving behind childhood. From his first foray into command at the start of the book to the revelation of his true role (which any reader paying attention to will have figured it out long ago). Where as he had no choice at the start of the quest, like any child, now he has to make his decision.

How will he deal with the responsibility thrust upon him? What choice will he make with the burden placed upon him? Garion's journey is nearly over, and this book is the most crucial one. The decisions he makes shape the man he is becoming.

Castle of Wizardry starts of tense. The chase by the Murgos is some of the tensest sections of the book. With Belgarath out of commission and Polgara forced to defend the Orb bearer, their company has never been at their weakest. Eddings transitions this into the lightness of the rest of the book to the surprising fun that is Ce'Nedra's section at the end of the book as she, too, discovers the responsibilities of adulthood and makes her choice on how she'll help Garion with his destiny.

This series continues to be one of my favorite fantasy series and it's been a delight to dive back into it.

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A superb Fantasy quest adventure!

Revisado: 03-31-18

Where does Pawn of Prophecy rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is one of my favorite. I've listened to it at least once a year!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Silk! His sardonic, witty, and can turn a dark scene into something... almost pleasant.

Have you listened to any of Cameron Beierle’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I've only heard Cameron Beierle do the Belgariad and Mallorean, but he does an amazing job.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

If i had the time, I could!

Any additional comments?

On a remote farm in the back end of nowhere, Garion grows up under the watch of his Aunt Pol. He has no idea of his true heritage or his true destiny. Nor does he know of the great adventure about to be thrust upon him when the traveling storyteller he's nicknamed Mr. Wolf shows up with urgent news for his Aunt.

News that sees Garion setting off from the farm he grew up on and out into the world. Confused by events and realizing his Aunt Pol is more than a simple cook at a farm, Garion will have to grapple with a world of magic as he comes of age!

Pawn of Prophecy is a book I first read in the sixth grade. It was the perfect book to read. I was only a few years younger than Garion, just moved and had no friends, and was in need of escape. Garion's quest resonated with me. Even now, twenty years later, the book retains all its charm.

Is the story of the farm boy with a secret destiny played out? It is now. But when David Eddings penned this story, he was creating something special. Drawing on the grand romances of the Middle Ages, he pens a Fantasy quest with skill few other authors lack. His world is rich, full of colorful characters that Eddings quickly endears you to. He straddles the line between the dark and the light-hearted.

Pawn of Prophecy is a wonderful escapist fantasy, particularly for a young boy. If you're looking for a fantasy novel for a preteen or teenage boy, this is a book I'd recommend! Action, adventure, magic, danger, and a flight princess with a temper!

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