'Just a storyteller, not a prophet'

 

“I get up at an unholy hour in themorning; my work day completed by the time the sun rises. I have a slightly badback which has made an enormous contribution to American literature.” –  DavidEddings

 

Eddings made that statement shortlybefore his sudden death in 2009, and the contribution about which he spoke was hisamazing output of epic fantasy series’, many created in partnership with hiswife Leigh, who died in 2006.  

 

Born on this date in 1931, Eddingsgrew up in the Puget Sound area, and that idyllic and rugged region became thesetting for some of his stories, including his first novel High Hunt,the tale of four young men hunting deer. Like many of his later novels, itexplores themes of manhood and coming of age.                             

 

While he had moderate success withthose works, it was when he turned to fantasy and the writing partnership withhis wife that he made his mark.  Eddings' initial call to the worldof fantasy came from a doodled map he drew one morning before work – a doodlethat later became the geographical basis for a fictional world he calledAloria.

 

A terrific chess player, too,Eddings took Leigh’s suggestion to incorporate elements of chess into the Aloriatales.  From that point until Leigh’sdeath they joined forces to write 5 best-selling series.  The last – called “The Dreamers” – hadcharacters who could use their dreams to foresee the future.  Whilehis stories often seemed prophetic, David pooh-poohed those who held him up asa great visionary.

 

“I'm a storyteller, not a prophet,”he said.  “I'm just interested in telling a good story.”