20 books that have had an impact on who you are. One book a day for 20 days. No explanations, no reviews, just book covers (don't forget the alt text).

14/20

Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings.

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The Belgariad by David Eddings (1984)

I'm going to read the rest of Eddings' epics in the realm of the Kingdoms of the West and the Angaraks, and will post about them when I get to them. Eddings wrote three other epic series -- The Malloreon, The Elenium, and The Tamuli -- and what I remember from my last reading 10 years ago, each is better than the one before it. So I was looking forward to this re-read.

I haven't been disappointed. I'm almost to the end of The Belgariad and it is much richer and more interesting than I remembered from my previous reading.

The Belgariad is really about a prophecy, or really, two diametrically opposed prophecies, and the magic power of their opposition. It is this tension between different fates for the world that seems to drive magic, and history -- kingdoms and empires and global political forces.

First published in 1984, The Belgariad does reflect some of the tropes and flaws of the Tolkien-pretender era of fantasy writing, perhaps exemplified by Terry Brooks and Steven King, who openly state that they wanted to write an epic because of Tolkien. Eddings motives preface my edition: