The BelgariadFollow

Was my favorite series when I was growing up. I've read it like 10 times.

if you read The Riven Codex you'll learn that he was going for stereotypical fantasy stuff, using a certain set of fantasy archetypes on purpose. I think his dialogue is great though.

I've lost count how many times I've read this series. He's right up there with Asimov as one of my favorite authors.

i'm like 100 pages from the end of the 5th bookdon't even think about telling me the end lol, i'm pretty sure torak gets stabbed and theres a perfect happy ending, but it was obvious it was going to be like that from the beginning, its hardly a thriller with a twisting storyline, but i still loved reading them

What does Orginality have to do with how well a book is written?

i am talking about following the basic rules of writting and creating strong charicters and robust storylines.

As for you second comment, my book collection at present encumpases 1000+ novels from various Genres including Sci-fi, Fantasy, Fantasy comedy, satire, African adv, dark age crime, horror, modern military, ancient egyptian fantasy and thats the styles i have more than 10 books of.

I feel i need to revisit the Belgariad because i can't remember an enemy being knocked out at any point.

Incinerated, stabbed, beaten senceless, tricked, turned into a snake, buried in rock, dueled, jousted or mentally crushed maybe but enemies knocked out to avoid story progression i don't recall.

Maybe you where reading Anthony Piers.

Edited, Thu Sep 2 01:55:26 2004 by tarv

Garion doesn't get knocked out either Hon.

Still think you are reading different books to me.

dosen't lelldorean pass out after the fight with the algoroths on the hill? when mandorallen first shows up? love that guy

I like it.

One of my characters in FFXI is named Belgarath.

I love fantasy books, makes up a majority of my reading and collection. I have not read the books that the topic is about, I admit. Just how many truly inventive and new fantasy stories are there? I don't want to hear about the twist on one of the few story lines, I want new story line period.

I don't belive there are any original stories anymore. I belive it is about what the author does to a story arc, weather it be dialouge, a new twist, or great characters. Everything old is new again; and in fantasy books this is a very true thought.

I agrre this is Eddings main fault.

however i consider Belgariad, Mallorian and the two prequels to be one set of books.

Many authors are guilty of this R Jordens WoT manages to write the same book three times and call it book 8,9 and 10.

It is rare to find an author who can diviate from the previous books, i think this may be because of Publishers more than the writers themselves.

True, 'The Malloreon' has the same events (sort of) as 'The Belgariad' and Eddings did explain this in 'The Malloreon.

This was due to the fact that the fight between the two prophecies was cyclical, they in short repeat everything (again, sort of) untill their fight is over.

It is more the fact that other books of him are just too similar, and this mostly his characters. The characters in 'The redemption of Althalus' are basically the same characters as in 'The Belgariad', slightly altered but not even by much.

And I really wouldn't bother much with 'The Rivan Codex', that just has a feel of trying to get easy money to me, personal feeling ofcourse.

As for other writers having the same problem, true, Jordan is one example; Anne Rice is another, her last two or three books of the Vampire Chronicles are not only extremely repetitive, they are also quite bad, lol.

Perhaps it is unavoidable if someone writes a long series, but then I think of for instance 'Amber' by Roger Zelazny, and although you could state that the first part of the series with Corwin and the second part with Merlin are similar in structure, it is quite different and does not have the repetitive nature other writers have.

oh and the malloreon/belgariad similarities are mentioned and justified in "the king of the murgos" where belgarion and gramps are in varana's castle dealy at tol honeth, child of light / dark kinda thing

editted to add: he needs to write another book where angarak terrorists hijack cherek warships and sail them into docks, to which anheg declares war on nyissa

Edited, Wed Oct 13 10:44:44 2004 by Dracoid

I have read all of the books having to do with the Belgariad and the Malorian. Including the Rivan Codex, Polgara the Sorceress, and Belgarath the Sorcerer. Great series of books. I also recommend R. A. Salvatore's Drizzt Do'Urden series, and the Cleric's Canticle. The War of the Spider Queen is really good. Lets not forget the Harry Potter series. All six books on Sparhawk. The Left Behind series up till they killed off Chloe. The new books out on the Dune series as well.

All the Star Wars books, especially once they finish up the filling in the holes. Like why does Luke keep mentioning the Emperor Reborn and Luke's turn to the dark side, but there is nothing in the entire series. I have read all of those that have come out. Of course I am worried about Episode III the one with the silly name. We will see though.

These are all the series I go through on a continous basis. Lets not forget Musashi, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and Taiko.