The Story:
The Belgriad is a Series which follows a young boy named Garion. Garion is very young and thinks that he is just like any of the other boys on Feldor’s Farm. Each day he plays among friends and spends time with his Aunt Pol working in the farms kitchen.
After a time on the farm, Garion meets a traveling story teller that goes by the name Old Wolf (or Mister Wolf). Slowly Garion and Old Wolf begin to grow closer when it becomes apparent that Aunt Pol is closer to this story teller than she lets on.
In time, Garion learns that Old Wolf is actually his Aunt Pol’s father as they set out on a journey. The purpose of this journey is kept from Garion and he begins to grow tired of being treated like such a child. As the story progresses, characters are added to the story and Garion begins to mature.
As their journey continues, Garion learns that he is a very special boy, despite his feeling normal. It is said that there is very old prophecy which dooms the world. In this prophecy, Garion is called upon and must defeat an Evil God that has been sleeping for generations.
In addition to Garion’s key position in the prophecy, he learns that his family lineage has given him the gift of sorcery. As he practices his craft, the party travels closer to the resting God. Before long, the final battle takes place between Torak and Garion. With the fate of the world on Garion’s shoulders, he succeeds and defeats the Evil God.
My Thoughts:
Before writing up this wrap-up on The Belgariad, I wanted to let it sink in a bit. After finishing the series, I moved right along and started on another book. Allowing myself some time before typing this up has shown me just how memorable the series was.
Just like The Sword of Truth Series, I’m finding it difficult to find those mental breaks between books. While I know the story as a whole, I am having difficulty remembering what event took place in what book. I don’t think this is necessarily a negative thing, but something I should expect among multi-book stories.
The storyline as a whole, I feel was a little lacking in the memorable department. There were times when it was a lot of fun to read this series and there were also times when I felt bored and just wanted to get it over with. The writing style feels little dry and the characters all seem ultimately good or evil (black or white as opposed to gray).
While the characters were likable, they seemed to lack a bit of realism at times. My favorite part of the series was the interaction between Garion and Ce’Nedra. The childish bickering between the young couple made several smiles creep across my face.
Since finishing this series, I have purchased The Malloreon, which is another five-book series that follows The Belgariad. I intend to read that series, however I’m planning on breaking each book up so that I don’t feel as locked into Eddings’ particular writing style. I think the breaks will help the storyline flow and hold my interest a bit more.
If you have a teenager that is looking for something to read, this series is good clean writing. There isn’t anything in it that I found offensive and the storyline isn’t full of plot twists that may loose the interest of a younger reader.
Books In Order:
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