Why do you keep reading??

[dreir]

Welcome, Tribble!!

- Dreir -

 

[Nesacat]

They bring back good memories and have some very memorable characters. I stopped after the Tamuli and Elenium but have a soft spot for Belgariad and Mallorean.

And the big plus is that these books are easy to read. There's a quest, some romance, eccentric characters. All the things fantasy is 'expected' to have and therefore make a good place to start in the genre. I've managed to get several friends reading fantasy by lending them these to start with.

And on those days when you're just too tired to do anything .... these books and a cuppa chai work like a charm. They are familiar and comfortable.

 

[Relsoh]

I thought The Redemption of Althalus was brilliant, and yes I can see the same personalities in different characters from different books. I'm still not sure if that's a good thing or a bed thing.

 

[Talysia]

Admittedly, I haven't read any Eddings in quite a while, but like Nesa says they're familiar and comfortable.

And welcome to the Chronicles, Relsoh!

 

[Clansman]

I devoured the Belgariad as it came out when I was a teenager in the early eighties. Similarly, I thought the Malloreon was a continuation of that story, but it was stale. I loved the first bit of Elenium, but then I realized, hey, isn't that guy exactly the same as so-and-so from The Belgariad? I thought Sparhawk was a great character that was wasted in that series.

I quit halfway through the first book of the Tamuli. I read The Redemption of Althalus as a test, to see if Eddings had changed, and unfortunately, he had written the same book again. I have not read any of the extras, like Belgarath or Polgara, because I knew it would only take away from my enjoyment of The Belgariad, of which I have very fond memories.

Needless to say, I won't read another Eddings book, but I will read The Belgariad again some time. I think the problem is that I grew up, but Eddings' writing didn't. He simply does the same thing, in different settings, over and over again, and as a result, The Domes of Fire hit my trash bin. The same inane banter between the characters was getting so tired, I wondered "why the heck am I reading this stuff?" It was a frustrating waste of time, so I stopped.

Instead of Eddings, I have graduated to GRR Martin, Raymond Feist, Janny Wurts, Steven Erikson, Neil Gaiman and Patrick Rothfuss, among many others, whose writing is grown up and challenging to the reader. However, I will always have a soft spot for Eddings and The Belgariad. Fantasy has grown a great deal in the last twenty-five years, but that series was just plain fun, and it is a modern fantasy classic, though the test of time has been a bit harsh on its staying power.

 

[chopper]

what he said. i went - somewhat speedily - thru all five books in one long night recently.

 

[Rosemary]

Apart from The Elder Gods I have enjoyed all of their books, especially the interaction between Polgara and her father, the old wolf!
I must have been enjoying the storyline that I didn't notice that some of the characters were similar to others.
There is Flute, Aphrael, Kalten, Sephrenia and so many other interesting people, it's almost like reading about family!

I've read most of them twice and when I have time will read them again.

 

[nvarras7]

I can't wait to read these to my daughter. Belgariad. Waiting for her to grow up alittle.

 

[Westie]

I seem to be late to the party with this forum. I like Eddings, especially the Sparhawk series. The dialog that the characters have is brilliant, as is the banter between characters. If it wasn't for Eddings' edict that his books were not to be filmed, then I could see them being made into a series like Game of Thrones or something similar.

I start to read his books starting with Diamond Throne after I've finished reading the books that I got for christmas, and do this each year without fail. Those books are the originals which I bought nearly 20 years ago, and are like old friends.

 

[steelyglint]

My preference is for hard SF, militaristic, violent and complex. So reading Eddings is like sitting down in a particularly comfortable chair after a ten-mile sprint. His writing style is easy and smooth without mind-bending convolutions, and serves as a sort of rest period. Using his work for that purpose I find that I've been through The Malloreon 18 times, 12 times for The Belgariad, and multiple readings of his other series.

My 'Sorceress of Darshiva' actually fell apart during the last reading.

.

 

[slinger3]

I am writing a sequel to these novels and I know that some will be for me and others will be against me. But you see that these books however complicated they seemed only hatched the new "Belgarion". He is born to have more power than any sorcerer known and his mind works in new and different ways. So now Aldur will ask him to study aand become the sorcerer he was meant to because unfortunately -Toraks Back!
There's a lot more to it than that ... Ce'nedra dies too.

 

[Mirannan]

I can't wait to read these to my daughter. Belgariad. Waiting for her to grow up alittle.

She isn't called Polgara, is she? Although to my (highly limited!) knowledge it might actually fit someone who is Greek.

(If my assumption that your location fits your nationality is unwarranted, please accept my apology.)

 

[devilsgrin]

I am writing a sequel to these novels and I know that some will be for me and others will be against me. But you see that these books however complicated they seemed only hatched the new "Belgarion". He is born to have more power than any sorcerer known and his mind works in new and different ways. So now Aldur will ask him to study aand become the sorcerer he was meant to because unfortunately -Toraks Back!
There's a lot more to it than that ... Ce'nedra dies too.

Torak? really? The Orb killed him... he's done. I'd love to know the logic leap you forced to have Torak alive again, when Erriond was also his replacement/original intention...

 

[devilsgrin]

you know, i just realised, i still haven't posted a response to the OP in this thread yet...
shocking. lol

Anyway... I think there are a couple of reasons. First - the Belgariad was one of the earliest fantasy fiction books i ever read - after The Hobbit, but iirc before Lord of the Rings. I read the Lord of the Rings and the Shannara books at roughly the same time tho. The Belgariad remains my favourite epic because of the easy reading it is. Tolkein is amazing at telling you what you SHOULD be seeing. Eddings tells you what's there and lets your own mind fill in the image of the tall oak tree (i don't need every leaf described to me tyvm).
The characters are relatable - even Polgara and Belgarath. Garion is ME. That's how i felt reading the series - and that's why i love the books. I was 14 (actually 13) when i read them... and the description of him matched me almost perfectly. I was drawn in.
The Elenium i will argue is not a retelling of the Belgariad. But the characters are quite similar. I will concede perhaps that sometimes it feels like the more Adult version of the Belgariad. But Sparhawk is No Belgarion. Sephrenia is obviously an analogue to Polgara, but she doesn't have that same gravitas as Pol. I think Leigh made that quite intentional.
Malloreon and Tamuli are mostly just bonus scenes. And enjoyable enough, if a bit lazy since they are indeed almost the same books.


Dreamers is appalling. nuff sed.

 

[BelgarionOz]

I am writing a sequel to these novels and I know that some will be for me and others will be against me. But you see that these books however complicated they seemed only hatched the new "Belgarion". He is born to have more power than any sorcerer known and his mind works in new and different ways. So now Aldur will ask him to study aand become the sorcerer he was meant to because unfortunately -Toraks Back!
There's a lot more to it than that ... Ce'nedra dies too.

Firstly; not sure you'd really ever get away with it. It might work as a fan fiction, but that's about it.

Secondly; when in my youth I did the usual thing and envisioned them being turned into movies. I also envisioned a tv series basically being the continuing adventures of the main characters as they attempt to adjust the world to it's new paradigm, given that the Angaraks are no longer the baddies really. As devilsgrin said, Torak is dead he is gone. You can't bring him back. The most you can do with him, which is something that I did for the pilot of this proposed series, is have the 'spirit' of Torak involved. That is to say that part of who Torak was that was not lustful and angry and obsessed with his own power, and a thirst for vengeance against the Orb and anyone involved with it. The part of Torak that was able to write the letter to Garion that he reads in Melcene, where he implores him to save the world by killing Geran if necessary, because even Torak fears the evil that would be unleashed if Zandramas wins.

Thirdly; Garion isn't really meant to be the most powerful sorcerer in the universe. he can do some things that Belgarath would be terrified to even contemplate. But at the same time, Garion is not as adept at things that Belgarath and the others can do. Some of that is about his age sure, but he is a different person.

Forthly; Ce'Nedra will obviously eventually die, she's mortal, just rather long lived given her tree connection. You would have to treat that particular issue very carefully given her importance to the story. I had a story involving the repercussions of Ce'Nedra's death and how Garion essentially was willing to change the course of history to save her.

I find the idea you propose interesting, but you would need to be rather careful about it.

 

[Wo7f]

I loved his books because of all the different POV's. If I didn't see it in one book, I got to see it in another. Call me weird, but I really liked that. Sure the majority of the stories were the same, but I felt I got more insight as to what was happening with another character that didn't come out in a book before hand.
I especially liked the Belgarath the Sorcerer and Polgara the Sorceress. Each had their own story to tell, but it was mostly the same story. But it was really enlightening to see what the other was thinking.
Am I making any sense at all?