Belgarath the Sorcerer (The Belgariad & The Malloreon)

If you are one of the many fans of "The Belgariad" and "The Malloreon", here is another treat for you. If you haven't had the pleasure of reading those wonderful epic fantasy series, make yourself a favour and read them before tackling "Belgarath the sorcerer". You can thank me later for introducing you to a wonderful new imaginary world and to likeable characters :) "Belgarath the sorcerer" starts just where "The Malloreon" ended, that is the book "Seeress of Kell". And, strangely enough, it is nothing less than Belgarath's autobiography. As those who have read the series already know, Belgarath is a notoriously lazy sorcerer, probably the least likely person to feel the need to write his story. Unless someone compels him to do so, of course. But to know who or what could do that to an all-powerful sorcerer, you must read this book. What is in it for you?. Well, lots of fun, and the opportunity to know how things really started, from the point of view of one of the main characters in the series. You get to accompany Belgarath from his birth in the small village of Gara, to the fateful day when he met Aldur and became first his pupil and then his disciple. In case you are as curious as me, you will also be grateful to know that this book will allow you to learn more about Belgarath's family, and to live wondrous adventures with him and his friends. Personally, I found the opportunity of "living" the things I had merely read about in the previous books specially rewarding. The fact that Belgarath's memories span thousands of years gives the reader the opportunity of gaining a good perspective on all the things that happened, thus preparing him to read the previous books in the series in a different way. A warning is in order, though. If you haven't read the previously mentioned books, this book has big-time spoilers, so please don't risk ruining the surprises those series have for you. Do first things first, and read "The Belgariad" and "The Malloreon" before "Belgarath the sorcerer". All in all, I loved reading this book, and I highly recommend it to those who aren't ready to leave the world of Belgarath and his friends. Enjoy it! Belen Alcat

For anyone who has fallen as deeply in love with the Belgariad and the Mallorean as I have will truly cherish and enjoy this book. Told from the straight from the heart of the centuries-old, wise, witty, overdramatic and altogether lovable sorcerer Belgarath, the Old Wolf, this novel is a captivating and entertaining novel that expands on the beginnings of Eddings' world. Throughout the book we are introduced to the first people, and the first gods that roamed at the beginning of time, and the marvelous events and prophecy that lead up to the stories of the Belgariad and Mallorean. We finally are given a history of Belgarath's remarkable beginnings, from the small vilage of Gara, to his first encounter with Aldur and the other disciples, to the Breaking of the World, and onwards, following his footsteps in all the adventures and exploits that he experienced even before Garion was born. We finally are able to appreciate and realize the depth and intellect of the often shabby Old Wolf through his experiences and dialogues, and are able to hop right into his shoes and personally get to know the other characters whose presence is pivotal in directing the flow of time. Eddings ties together many loose ends and allows us to understand the many facets of Belgarath's life, from being the shabby old story teller to being the most powerful sorcerer in the world, able to instil awe and fear in so many ('Grat is not nice!). This book lacks nothing and is rich in depth, articulate and descriptive writing, and is peppered with the classic dry humour and penetrating wit that Eddings has mastered, and will keep you enthralled and laughing for ages.

This is not going to be a thorough review, but rather a comment on the reviews of others.Many state that this 1) is slightly disappointing and lacks the humor of the Belgariad/Mallorean 2) should be read only AFTER reading the Mallorean and the Belgariad. I, however, read BtS before starting on M/B and I found it tremendously enjoyable, and my experience when reading M/B was only enhanced by this.Anyway, that's what I think.

If you are looking for fantasy that is fun, pure escapism and easy to read, over and over again, then Eddings is it. Predictable - yes, unbelievable - yes, but fun. Enjoyable and a light way to lose yourself into something that is not quite real to take you away into another world - which is exactly what fantasy fiction is supposed to do.

Well, this book takes off immediately (I MEAN the same second) after "THE SEERESS OF KELL" and than it goes WAY back. I had the luck to start this right after I finished SEERESS and I must say that it is a nice broadening of the Belgariad/Malloreon series. No, I didn't want to know everything that happend before Garion and his friends left Faldors Farm, I just enjoyed this book because it is a pretty good read and on par with the other works of Eddings (or, as we know now: the both Eddings). People who liked the aforementioned series should definitely read this: It has the same tone and the same style as the other books, only the structure is a little bit different. Well, as you can guess now, I loved it. NOW, some warnings: People who read the BEL/MAL series and want something new, should skip this. The next point: Although this book was conceived as a stand-alone-novel, it isn't. Or it doesn't succeed. I would not recommend this book to readers who haven't read the BELGARIAD / MALLOREON series. Unless "you know your way around" this particular world, you will be confused by this wide array of characters, countries, kings, queens and gods - this book does not work as a guide - it expects you to know already at least something about this world. Furthermore: You'll not understand the numerous side-remarks to the characters from the other novels which Belgarath, the fictional author of this novel, inserted between the tale. You can ignore them, but then you'll miss most of the fun. Finally, a warning to all readers, Eddings-Fans and new ones alike: This book starts REALLY slow. Don't let the first 100-200 pages discourage you, this book GETS BETTER and is a lot of fun. Polgara, I'm waiting for your tale now..