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Belgarath the Sorcerer
(Belgariad Prequels)
by
This is the long-awaited prequel to David Eddings' first fantasy saga, The Belgariad. The full epic story of Belgarath and his daughter contains revelations that will shock readers of the series and bring new life and wonder to the characters.
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Paperback, 840 pages
Published
May 2nd 2006
by Voyager
(first published 1995)
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David Eddings has told one story really, really well...about eight times now. The Belgariad is the Mallorean is the Eleniad is the Tamuli is the Redemption of Althalus. If you've read his books, you know this story. You know who will live, who will die (usually) and who will show up during the introductory sequences.
That said, I heart every one of his books, and Belgarath the Sorcerer is no different. It's not edge-of-your seat reading, because you already know where this story will end (it's a ...more
That said, I heart every one of his books, and Belgarath the Sorcerer is no different. It's not edge-of-your seat reading, because you already know where this story will end (it's a ...more
Belgarath the Sorcerer is best read after both the Belgariad and the Mallorean. Although it is a standalone novel, the prologue is built upon events that happen at the end of the Mallorean.
How to describe the novel? Calling it a history book is a grave injustice, on the scale of calling a Lamborghini a car (which it is, of course, but surely you can come up with far more dazzling ways to describe a Lamborghini.) "Belgarath the Sorcerer" is the story of one man's love--for his god, for his wife, ...more
How to describe the novel? Calling it a history book is a grave injustice, on the scale of calling a Lamborghini a car (which it is, of course, but surely you can come up with far more dazzling ways to describe a Lamborghini.) "Belgarath the Sorcerer" is the story of one man's love--for his god, for his wife, ...more
So this is the second time I've read this book, mainly cause I was out of stuff and I *really* hated the follow-up. I'll get to that sooner or later, but what I might have found charming about the digressions this time, I just found irriating and "clever." And it was carried to extremes in Polgara.
I loved this series and perhaps it's been too long since I've read it, but I more think it's a matter of "you finished the series" let it go. The jokes that were sparkling are now tired.
But maybe I'm ...more
I loved this series and perhaps it's been too long since I've read it, but I more think it's a matter of "you finished the series" let it go. The jokes that were sparkling are now tired.
But maybe I'm ...more
Feb 05, 2012
Shawne
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
extreme completists
Shelves:
fiction
There are times when I mightily rue the sad fact that I am, by nature, a completist. Because this means I stick with book, movie and tv franchises long after these series have worn out their welcome - if you win my heart at all, you win it for good, apparently. That's great if the series remains consistently good, intelligent and surprising - not so great if it lapses into predictability, laziness and mediocrity.
The sad truth of the matter is that David and Leigh Eddings had been stretching my p ...more
The sad truth of the matter is that David and Leigh Eddings had been stretching my p ...more
This book has always felt a little incongruous on my top thirty shelf, but man do I love it. It's unique in that it's a prequel to a single generation of people that have their own stories broken into six books. This book, the book about what came before, spans uncountable generations. In the Belgariad and Mallorean Belgarath is already seven thousand years old. This book is about those first seven thousand years.
The concept of a character that has seen humanity drag itself up from the mud, and ...more
The concept of a character that has seen humanity drag itself up from the mud, and ...more
Well, this book is complicated to review. Mainly, because I am not quite sure what to say about it. The first time I read it, a few years ago, I fell in love with it and subsequently read all other David Eddings books (that is, until I realized that each and every one was the same and that I was not discovering any new characters from saga to saga). I recently tried it again, and hated it for how shallow, unrealistic and purely useless the book was, and when I decided to review it wanted to put
...more
Apr 08, 2014
Igor Ljubuncic
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
david-eddings
It is important to remember I read David's books as a young man, and my ratings all reflect how the books made me feel back then, 20 years ago, and not today.
Now, Belgarath was such a sweet book, and infused me with a sense of warmth and safety. In fact, this is probably the best way to put it:
I'm so happy!
Aha! Happy go lucky me!
I just go my way,
Living everyday!
I don't worry!
Worrying don't agree,
Things that bother you,
Never bother me!
Things that bother you,
Never bother me
I feel happy and fine!
AH ...more
Now, Belgarath was such a sweet book, and infused me with a sense of warmth and safety. In fact, this is probably the best way to put it:
I'm so happy!
Aha! Happy go lucky me!
I just go my way,
Living everyday!
I don't worry!
Worrying don't agree,
Things that bother you,
Never bother me!
Things that bother you,
Never bother me
I feel happy and fine!
AH ...more
Jun 14, 2009
Hannah
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
favourites
Absolutely wonderful, riveting read! Belgarath is one of the most complex, entertaining and lovable characters in the Belgariad and the Malloreon, without whom none of the events in those books would have taken place, and it's extremely fitting that he would have his own story to tell! His own account is a nice background to the Belgariad and provides all the juicy details of the legendary characters and events that you've always been curious about but was never told in full. Eddings' trademark
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David Eddings was thé favorite author of my kids and i.
His series were filled with magic,action and a lot of humor.
I can still hear my son roaring with laughter as he came across another hilarious scene or conversation.
These books have been read só often,it’s a miracle they’ve not fallen into pieces.
And each time we read them,we found something else,like hidden treasures.
My daughter and i still treasure these series,and every couple of years,we take them out,dust them off,and read them again.
His series were filled with magic,action and a lot of humor.
I can still hear my son roaring with laughter as he came across another hilarious scene or conversation.
These books have been read só often,it’s a miracle they’ve not fallen into pieces.
And each time we read them,we found something else,like hidden treasures.
My daughter and i still treasure these series,and every couple of years,we take them out,dust them off,and read them again.
I wanted to like this book. I really did. But after two weeks of chewing I had to quit. It's sooo long and sooo boring. Even narrator himself doesn't really want to be telling this story, why should I be interested in reading it?
I'm just relieved I found the courage to say: "Enough!" :) ...more
I'm just relieved I found the courage to say: "Enough!" :) ...more
Ok, I will admit it, David Eddings is among my literary idols. His two book series of the Belgariad and the Mallorean along with Terry Brook's original Shannara trilogy and Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar Saga all helped turn reading for me to something I had to do to something I enjoyed doing back in my high school days. Now none of these books I would put on my "I don't care if you don't like the genre, I highly recommend you read these books" list, but I would put them on my "If you enjoy fantasy
...more
First, David and Leigh Eddings gave us "The Belgariad" and "The Mallorean" (among many other books), and now Belgarath comes to tell his own story. Belgarath wasn't always "older" and wiser, nor did he always have the power he wields. In this book, he reaches back through the millennium to let the reader in on things like how he changed from Gareth to Belgarath, what his relationships with Poledra, Polgara, Beldin, and many others were like, and whether or not he has been lonely. This book revis
...more
I'm giving this 3.5 stars for the pure and simple fact it took me so long to read! As can be seen from the start date I actually started this book last year. I really enjoyed it at first, I loved Belgarath in the other books and so seeing his life was great. However with about 200/300 pages left I found I couldn't bring myself to read anymore. I was too bored. So I put the book down and then picked it back up about 4 days ago. I thought I'd get the last 200 or so pages read in a day but even the
...more
This book defies the term, 'spoilers' reading it post Belgariad/ Mallorian you essentially already know the outcome of all the major events. This makes it no less brilliant. In fact so brilliant I am re-evaluating all the books I previously gave 5 stars.
To understand this book you need to have read the other (10!) books but it is worth reading them just to truly appreciate this one (not that they aren’t fun on their own). Belgarath is fundamentally interesting, deeply flawed and certainly a pett ...more
To understand this book you need to have read the other (10!) books but it is worth reading them just to truly appreciate this one (not that they aren’t fun on their own). Belgarath is fundamentally interesting, deeply flawed and certainly a pett ...more
I enjoyed the journey of an old mans ramblings. The story of Garath's life over around seven thousands years was such an easy read, as it went from generation to generation of hiding his grandson's with the help of his daughter Polgara. From what I have read on other reviews each of David Eddings books follows the same story but from different peoples perspective. I can easily imagine him being able to do this as this book only touches on so many little stories without elaborating a great deal.
...more
It's a rehash of the Belgariad & Mallorean with a bit extra from Belgarath's point of view. I read it once, just to see if there were any startling revelations. None. Not worth buying or reading unless you are just crazy about this series. I thought the Belgariad was very good & read it several times. The Mallorean was OK & I've read it maybe twice. This book, along with Polgara & the Mrin Codex are only for the fanatics, though.
...more
Some readers get snobby and look down on the fantasy/science fiction genre as a whole. I believe these readers are simply close minded, but it would be easier to convince them that fantasy has integrety if books like Belgarath didn't exist. This is a superb example of absolute trash fantasy lit. Reading this book probably knocks 5 points off your IQ.
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After having read every single book in the Belgariad-universe, I finally also finished Belgarath the Sorcerer. As was the case with Polgara the Sorceress, it was very interesting to get a look at the life of such a major character from the Belgariad series, especially one who has lived for so long. As a fan of the original series and its prequels and sequels, I enjoyed reading this book; however, I do believe that for someone who has not read the Belgariad, or has read it and did not enjoy it ve
...more
Belgarath the Sorcerer is another one of those Del Rey series-padding specials - there were a whole bunch of these in the early 90s, where authors rewrote their successful work from the point of view of another character. I adored the Garion books, and I was quite fond of this one, but its charm has worn off - even more than the original series.
Part of the problem is that Eddings's worldbuilding is just sloppy. He doesn't seem to care all that much for consistency, and alters things in later boo ...more
Part of the problem is that Eddings's worldbuilding is just sloppy. He doesn't seem to care all that much for consistency, and alters things in later boo ...more
This one as well as Polgara-book are written wonderfully by the Eddings-pair. You get to peek at the time before Garion and friends and even if the two books (Belgarath and Polgara) have some of the same "scenes" it only made me feel exited: "I remember this from the other book!" You can basically live some of the same events twise, by reading the two wonderful novels, but from a whole different perspective, making it still feel a totally different stories, which they are.
David and Leight Edding ...more
David and Leight Edding ...more
This was just kind of a fun little pre-history of the Belgariad and Malloreon series. I really liked it because it showed where the main characters had come from and what their importance was in the series (just incase you didn't already figure it out). The only thing that was hard for me to get used to was the style of writing. Unlike the rest of the series, "Belgarath the Sorcerer" was written in first person from the perspective of Belgarath, and just like the character, it was a bit long win
...more
Dec 29, 2014
Darrel Blair
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
All YA and older, fantasy lovers.
As always, Eddings holds the reader's attention extremely well. This story is a prequel to Eddings' wonderful series, the Belgariad. It is a great story and explains a lot from the Belgariad that the reader did not get in the earlier series. The only negative, as I see it, is the fact that this book is simply a long explanation of the life of Belgarath. If the reader did not read the aforementioned series, the reader would be lost. Still, it is a wonderful book that fills in a lot of holes.
Darre ...more
Darre ...more
Run out if ideas? Why not rehash the same ones you’ve already done and extend it to a book. While the first part of the book was quite good in revealing the younger Belgarath it wasn’t exactly revelatory and just a rehash of the first 10 books. And Belgarath's constant ‘pulling of whiskers’ (if I remember the term correctly) did get very annoying. That said, it was still entertaining.
...more
I read this before, because I was starved for more about these characters and had read "The Belgariad" and "The Mallorean" several times. So glad David Eddings is finally giving credit to his wife, Leigh. I was always impressed with how his female characters rang true, but now I know why! Another outstanding book, and a great prequel to "The Belgariad". I'll read it again and again.
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This re-read was mostly pretty fun, and it's an interesting tale. There are a few inconsistencies with other books, which is distracting. Also, I would recommend re-reading the Mallorean before reading BtS and PtS (which I didn't do!).
...more
One of the best book series I read as teenager. The characters and their stories are as alive in me today as they were back then. Want to read these books again.
I absolutely love this kind of story and have read it quite a few times now.
5 Stars
Belgraith the Sorcerer by David Eddings is a great read. I enjoyed it immensely. Although it can be read as a standalone novel, it would be best read after both The Belgariad and The Mallorean series, as the events here occur after the end of The Mallorean.
It is an epic story of duty, responsibility, grief, and love- for god, for his woman, his comrades, his family, and for his people. As expected from Mr. Eddings, the story is very detailed and descriptive. The ‘world’ he has created com ...more
Belgraith the Sorcerer by David Eddings is a great read. I enjoyed it immensely. Although it can be read as a standalone novel, it would be best read after both The Belgariad and The Mallorean series, as the events here occur after the end of The Mallorean.
It is an epic story of duty, responsibility, grief, and love- for god, for his woman, his comrades, his family, and for his people. As expected from Mr. Eddings, the story is very detailed and descriptive. The ‘world’ he has created com ...more
4.75. So much fun! I loved the first person voice and his casual dismissal of centuries. I was very disappointed that Silk was only in eight out of 723 pages, but I suppose I lived.
Besides that, it was very enjoyable and everything that I expected after the last 10 books.
Besides that, it was very enjoyable and everything that I expected after the last 10 books.
Just re-read always brilliant
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Readers also enjoyed
David Eddings was an American author who wrote several best-selling series of epic fantasy novels. David Eddings' wife,
Leigh Eddings
, was an uncredited co-author on many of his early books, but he had later acknowledged that she contributed to them all.
David Eddings' first books (which were general fiction) sold moderately well. He later switched to writing epic fantasy, a field in which he a ...more
David Eddings' first books (which were general fiction) sold moderately well. He later switched to writing epic fantasy, a field in which he a ...more
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