I read the prequel to David Eddings' the Belgariad and the Malloreon ten-book series about a year ago - almost exactly. I just finished reading the sequel to the prequel (which is still a prequel), "Polgara the Sorceress." It covers the same period of time that the original prequel did, but from Polgara's perspective rather than from Belgarath's.
I've read the Belgariad and Malloreon twice now. This was my first time going through Polgara's book and, previously, Belgarath's. I love the story and the world and the characters, though they don't resonate with the depth of some of the better written books I have read. It is a pulp fantasy book and it doesn't pretend to be anything different than that. I'm not being derisory at all when I say that - it's a fun series. I obviously think so having read it twice.
That said, since this book covers some of the same events that Belgarath's book did, reading it has a faint flavor of redundancy. Having been in this world with a re-read of the normal series and already having read the other prequel, I must say I am more than satisfied with the amount of content that David and his wife, Leigh, produced for this world. It's fun and I'm not sure I won't read it a third time before I die. It's almost too much content, to be honest. Almost - but not quite.
I have a codex from the same series I hope to read soon-ish as well. That would be the last book from this fantasy world that exists that I haven't read. I normally wouldn't read a codex, but I'm tempted to just for the sake of completeness. After everything I've been through with these characters, I can be with them through one more book - even if it is a codex.
I like Polgara as a character and enjoyed reading from her perspective. Additionally, the sides of the story that she was involved with and that Belgarath had not been were generally interesting and engaging. I had a blast reading this book even though it felt like a bit of a chore at times due to how many pages I've already read centered around the same main story arc.
Another thing about this book I would say is that it should only be read by fans of the two original series. Despite being a prequel, it has a ton of spoilers in it regarding events of the main series. It was written to fans and, although someone new to this Eddings fantasy world could enjoy it, I don't believe that was the intended audience.
Comments