The Belgariad (Vol 1): Volume One: Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, Magician's Gambit (Paperback)

Some reviewers say its not as complex or "adult" as the wheel of time and/or anything by Feist, this is quite true, but if it hadnt been for the belgariad i wouldnt have read the wheel of time or Magician...

This is a must for any Fantasy fan, especially a young fan. I was roughly the same age as garion when i first read it and i travelled with him on his adventures... I like these books so much i recently gave copies to my nephew who is just starting to be into books as an intro to fantasy!!

I highly recommend this to anyone who hasnt read them yet (why not?). Admit it all you fans, you all want a grandfather like belgarath!!!

"The Belgariad" brings a strange world to the readers, a world where magic is a reality that is accepted, even if it isn't overly common. Eddings somehow managed to bring to life a whole world, with different countries and plenty of political intrigue, as well as deities that take a close interest in mundane affairs.

The main character is Garion, a very level-headed young orphan who will suddenly find himself in the midst of action when a magical stone, the Orb, is stolen. Strangely enough, our very common teenager will involuntarily become involved in a quest to retrieve it, along with his Aunt Pol, a storyteller and some very interesting characters from diverse parts of the world. The fact is, the retrieval of the Orb involves very ancient prophecies that must be fulfilled, and Garion and his companions are part of it all.

Garion will discover that his Aunt Pol is no other than Polgara the sorceress, and that the old man who from time to time drops by and tells him stories is both his grandfather and Belgarath the sorcerer. Garion will be eager to know more, specially what he is supposed to do in the grand scheme of things. Despite that, nobody tells him a thing, the excuse being that he will learn everything when it is time to do so.

All in all, I can tell you that I am still thankful that this series caught my eye many years ago. "The Belgariad" is pretty popular in USA, but that isn't the case in Argentina, and I could have overlooked it. Fortunately that wasn't the case, and due to that I am in the position to highly recommend "The Belgariad" to you, knowing very well what I am saying.

Please take into account that "The Belgariad, Vol. 1" only includes the first three books in the series, so you will do well to buy it at the same time than "The Belgariad, Vol. 2", that compiles the last two books. That is likely to save you time, because as soon as you finish the first volume you will be so full of curiosity regarding the rest of the story that you will probably run to a nearby bookstore to purchase the rest of the series, if you hadn't already done so. That having been said, happy reading :)

Belen Alcat