Possibly VERY Unpopular Thread lol

I have read the comments and can say that the points are valid.

For me however i read books that i find i enjoy. Although there is repetition of story/style and yes to a certain extent characters, could this be Mr Eddings merely trying to find his "perfect character" with each book/series another step towards what he sees as the book he always intended to write in the first place?
 
I love Eddings, but maybe that's just because I've only read the Belgariad and the Mallorean...and Polgara the Sorceress. I think he does well with the character development, and makes you care about the characters. I will agree that Ce'Nedra is incredibly annoying, but what teenage girl do you know that isn't? Before any of you jump all over me for that comment, I would like to point out that I am a girl, and recognize that those of my gender go crazy in their adolescence.
Again, I have only read the Belgariad books and the Mallorean books, so maybe I haven't reached the bad stuff that he's written. He seems like the type of author that could get repetitious, and I think I'll just re-read the books of his that I'm oh-so-fond of.
 
I don't think any of us doubt that he's written some good books and, apart from the Elder Gods stuff he's done recently, I've read all his books and enjoyed them.
The main gripe appears to be that he doesn't tell much in the way of new stories. The Tamuli & Elenium series are pretty much carbon copies, plot-wise, of the Malleorean & Belgariadm, with a sprinkling of medieval religion thrown in.
I still enjoyed them, though.

Welcome to the forums, Aeris & I hope to see you around! :)
 
Mmm.. i can see what you are all thinking. I'm thirteen, but have not had much experience in reading.. the only books I read are of the fantasy genre. I've been enjoying these books *I'm only on Magicians Gambit* but now i see what you people think about it i realise the problems with Eddings' books.

1. Yes, the characters are cliched and all very simple, no hint of 'Dark pasts'.
2. The language can be quite simple..
3. Repetition..
4. Repetition.. (Hehe, sorry couldn't help it):eek:
5. The plot. Oh god, the plot..

It's what i call a travel story.. All they do all the way through it is travel, stop at an inn, travel, stop at a palace, travel.. ect
Which, essentially is what Lord of the Rings is. But obviously, Tolkein has the imaginative scope and brilliance which is nesissarry(sp) in fantasy prose
 
Oh and btw, whats with the 'Polgara the soceress' and 'Belgarath' book.. ?!?! Can someone explain to me that order of the books by any chance..
And also, is said books, part of the belgariad? :S Are they written from those characters point of veiw or just.. more about them?

So far i've read;;

Pawn of Prophecy
Queen of Sorcery
Magicians Gambit *Reading atm*

[What's next..?]

AND.. the Malloreon series, what's with that? (My library is rubbish - need to get up to date)

AND AND .. do you people think reading the rest of the Belgariad and the Malloreon(?) series are still worth reading?

Do i dare to stop reading at the Magicians Gambit? :O :O :O
 
I think that most people who read Eddings' books know about their flaws, but keep reading anyway, simply because they like the style. His type of fantasy tends to be light-hearted, but there's nothing wrong with that. At least when you pick up one of Eddings' books, you know where you stand, so if you want a happy-ever-after tale, you've got one. I think that's why I keep reading them, anyway, because I know that there are other books by other authors to read if I want something darker.
 
Yeah i agree. I am now on Enchanters End game, i'm aware of the flaws but i dont care, i'm enjoying his peticular style of writing and the flow of the book, i know there are other books that i could read, but I DONT CARE. =D
 
Never actually fancied Eddings. Looked at the blurb but it didn't hit the right spot.

However, your first post was long, interesting and informative so I'm looking forward to more input from you on the site.

Welcome to the Chronicles krushi
 
A part of the issue is double standards -

We like certain artists (actors/writers/musicians etc) for the style they have developed...we then complain that everything is the same as before.

BUT when an artist tries something that is a total departure they get complaints about ignoring their fan base. How can they win?

Anyone ever tried writing in a different style from your natural one?
 
Hello and welcome:)
You raise a very good point with that. In all honesty, I don't have a problem with Eddings' work, although I can see why some people complain. The fans love the 'more of the same, please!' approach, and so he keeps writing. I guess it all boils down to tolerance on the part of the reader. Still, wanting to diversify and still keep your fan base must be very tough on an author.
 
Thanks for the welcome.

I'm glad to have found this place since I don't have any friends that are into sf - and a few that aren't into reading books at all.

having a trawl through the site at the moment to see what is being said about my favourite authors.
 
You'll find a lot of like minds here. There seems to be a thread for just about everything. I've only been here a month or so myself, and I'm still exploring.:)
 
I read the Belgariad back in junior high, and enjoyed it quite a bit. When I came back to re-read it in my 20s, let's just say it didn't hold up quite so well! I still enjoy revisiting the world (and I ended up liking the Mallorean more), and somehow Eddings' shortcomings as a writer makes it kind of special to me.
 
I know what you mean, Curugon. Whenever I re-read the Belgariad or the Malloreon now, it just seems a bit too simple for me. I still like it, despite all the shortcomings.
Hello and welcome to Chronicles, by the way!:)
 
Well, last year I reread The Belgariad, Mallorean, Elenium and Tamuli straight through.

I'm 34 years old, and it was a gas.

His characters are endearing, his dialogue accesible, and his mythos straightforward.

I mean it's not Masterpiece Theater, but it's a good episode of ER.
 
Light-hearted fantasy.... perfect as an intro to fantasy .... and once you've matured (gone to Redemption of Ath ..? (whatever)) ... you started weaning yourself off Eddings and go for the harder stuff ....Sara Douglas ... Carol Berg... Stephen Donaldson ... George Martin
 
I enjoyed his work ... all of them ... apart from Regina's Song.

I especially enjoyed Rivan Codex and Elder Gods.

I even managed to use Rivan Codex as a Reference Source for a Teaching Assignment once ... in which I concluded Curriculum Planning was a lot like an Epic Fantasy Trilogy.

I have found Eddings to be one of the best authors I've read ... and yes, I have read those other authors you have suggested. (My bookshelves are filled with the books by Eddings and Feist.

Oh, and I really didn't feel he was saying in Rivan Codex that no one should bother about writing Fantasy or that he was down on life in general ... he was at pains to say that this was how he and Leigh did it ... and that it worked for them ...

Incidentally, of those authors that were mentioned much earlier ... the only one of them that I found myself going back for more from was Feist ... the others ... all bored me senseless.

For what it's worth, my favourite fantasy authors are Brooks, Eddings, Feist, Goodkind and Tolkin ... that is just in alphabetical order :)
 
Tribble,
I agree that Regina's Song was quite the departure from his other works.
I have enjoyed all the rest of his works that I have come across.
Eddings is one of the authors that I tend to go back to also - in fact my list is very similar:
Brooks, Douglass, Eddings, Feist, Wurts & Tolkein seem to be the fantasy authors I re-read over and over.
And welcome to the site (it is always good to see another aussie here).
 
I read Eddings back when I was in school and it was wonderful then. I devoured the Belgariad and Mallorean and went on to get Polgara and Belgarath. Also read the Tamuli and Elenium pretty much as soon as they hit the shelves. But I stopped there and have not read anything since.

For me they fit that stage of my life and were a good place for someone beginning to read fantasy. I believe that they still serve this purpose and I have gotten several friends interested in the genre by starting them on Eddings.

I have them on the shelf still but they no longer have the same magic. I keep them because of the memories and because they played a role in my reading habits. Many books work this way for many people and that is perhaps what books are meant to do. They fit different phases of our lives and then we move along but the books are still there for others that need them.
 
I have the 3 Elenium books, which I bought or received as gifts pretty much when they hit the shelves, too. I recall thinking his description of hand-to-hand combat and preparations for battle were different and more detailed than anyone else I'd read at that point. Otherwise, I pretty much fall into the same category that many others here have; namely, there's other stuff out there that I'd pursue before any of his other books (in my case, even if the Belgariad and the Mallorean are better than the Elenium).
 
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