Demon Lord of Karanda, By David Eddings

The company has been captured by Mallorean soldiers, apparently betrayed by Toth and his mistress Cyradis. They are being taken to ‘Zakath, Emperor of boundless Mallorea. There they must try to convince him that he cannot keep them forever and go against the work of the prophecy. For even Zakath has some part to play, struggle as he will to deny it. But there is an even larger problem abroad in Mallorea than just Zandramas: someone is calling up demons, and perhaps even a Demon Lord. If Zakath does not give up his fruitless war with the Murgos, he will lose Mallorea. For demons may be called upon occasionally without major harm, but they always break loose in time. And that is one thing there is not much of.

It gets harder and harder to summarize the plots, because they get so complicated and scattered. There are so many pieces that are so interesting, but I can’t tell you all of them. It really isn’t possible. But since I’m hoping now that you who are reading this review might have read the Mallorean before, I’m going to risk a plot spoiler. Because I really want to talk about this. I do think Eddings was terribly clever to make Urgit Silk’s brother. I mean, the laugh is definitely worth it, and what it does to the plot. Now Zakath has no real reason to attack the Murgos, and this forces him to reevaluate his life. Not always an easy task, especially for an emperor. But he’s helped along by Garion and company, most notably when Garion blows a hole in the wall. A very big hole. Hah.

But Feldegast! Now there’s a character. The accent is quite lovely, especially as it annoys Belgarath so much. We keep running into Vella and Yarblek, it must be for important reasons, or for something later on. They’re a funny bunch anyway. The hilarity that ensues, and yet the seriousness of these books are quite the mix. I enjoy it greatly. Someday I wish I could write with even half the wit of Eddings. I’m quite envious.