Pawn of Prophecy, by David Eddings

Garion is a simple farmboy living on a simple farm in simplistic Sendaria. The only remarkable thing about this farm is that Garion’s Aunt Pol is the best cook for miles in any direction. So you can expect that his life was never very complicated. Until one day when the old storyteller (who had been in and out of Faldor’s farm ever since Garion could remember) showed up and took Garion on a trip that would forever change his life. Somehow Mister Wolf (the storyteller) and his Aunt Pol knew each other in a way that didn’t relate to Faldor’s farm. And they seemed to know everyone and everyone seemed to know them. Only no one appeared to know them like Garion did. Slowly Garion begins to realize that Mister Wolf and his Aunt Pol are much more than they seem, and more than he wants to realize. For if his ‘Aunt Pol’ really isn’t his aunt, then who is she? And who is he? And who is this man they are chasing, and what has he stolen that could put the entire world on the brink of war?

The plot that I just related to you will seem very familiar. In fact, it will seem cliché. So cliché in fact that you will not want to read this book because you already know what is going to happen. I am here to tell you that that would be a great mistake. Yes, the plot is slightly predictable, but only because every single author in the world has capitalized upon it. David Eddings was one of the first authors to write about the Quest, and inevitably many authors after him used many of his ideas. He was really the forerunner of all these knockoffs, but to those that have read the knockoffs he seems to be stealing their ideas. I won’t mention names or books (because that wouldn’t be quite fair) but I will tell you that Eddings wrote the Belgariad beginning sometime before 1982. That will give you a date to check who’s copying whom. But aside from that, there are many good reasons to read Pawn of Prophecy.

One good reason is the characters. Eddings has a light dry wit that works its way through the book and makes it delightful to read. The interactions between characters consists of funny remarks, repartees, and truly odd and wonderful scenes. I will quote one line for you now that you will not understand the context of (and I won’t explain) but it will give you a good feel for the writing. ‘One could, however, spend only so much time in the company of a dead pig without becoming depressed’ (208). I know that this will mean nothing to most of you, but to me this is worth a very long laugh. I just like his writing style and what he does with his characters.

Another reason is the world itself and the history behind it. I know that everyone has different standards for worldbuilding, but I am always happy when I see a world that breathes history. It gives a continuity to the world that you would expect if it’s been around for thousands and thousands of years. The believability goes up.

But for all of this Eddings is not perfect. He has a bit of a hard time writing believable younger characters. Garion himself is full of contradictions. He sometimes shows maturity for a man much older than 14, but he often behaves like a 10 or 12 year old. I know that most authors find it difficult to portray young kids, but Edding really didn’t grasp the knack of it. It gets a bit better as we go, but only mostly because Garion gets older and Eddings starts to write him more sensibly.

Pawn of Prophecy is entirely worth reading, as is the rest of the Belgariad. I recommend it for highschoolers, (and possibly younger if they feel up to reading it, the language isn’t too difficult) and certainly older. Don’t pass it up because of the clichés. You’ll miss an entertaining book.