The Rivan Codex: Ancient Texts of the Belgariad and the Malloreon

I read through most of the reviews for this book, and I think that there is a very common theme among the negative reviews: they didn't know what they were buying. This book wasn't written to tell a story. It wasn't written as a prequel or followup on the books of the Belgariad or the Malloreon. This book was largely written before any of those books were written, because this book is the background of the stories in the Belgariad and Malloreon. I think that a lot of people bought this book with the impression that it was all-new material from the worlds that we already knew. This is a wonderful behind-the-scenes look at a fantasy world that many of us have enjoyed over the years. As such, a lot of the information presented in this book is already present in the Malloreon and Belgariad. But the point of this book is that there is a great deal of development that goes on before you begin writing an epic fantasy like this. You literally have to create the world before you can create the book. Eddings spent a couple of years developing the characters and the backstory of his books, and this is that backstory. If you buy this book for what it is, you will probably enjoy it immensely. If you buy this book looking for a new story you *will* be disappointed.

This was the perfect cap to the book series. It let you see into the mind of the author, as well as how each Kingdom and character was developed. Other than the Mallorean Gospels (which bored me to tears), I couldn't put it down! Great book!

This is a great book, so long as you have already read the earlier books in the series.I repeat, THIS BOOK IS LIKELY ONLY WORTHWHILE IF YOU HAVE ALREADY READ AT LEAST THE BELGARIAD (and preferably other books in the series as well).There, now that that's out of the way, this is actually a really interesting book! If you're looking for a plotline, or new stories of Garion and Polgara, sorry. Not here. What this book does contain, however, is the fascinating history of the work BEHIND the 12 books written thus far set in the lands of the Belgariad. It opens with a short introduction by Eddings, giving some of the history behind the series and some of his reccomendations for the budding fantasy writing. The remainder of the book was actually written before any of the other books of the series. It consists of the histories and texts Eddings designed to give himself an idea of what his world would be like. As I said, no plotline whatsoever. What it does give, however, is a rewarding look in the mind of Eddings. What's more, it made the next time I read the series itself even more rewarding than the last (or the first, for that matter). If you haven't already read the series, it won't make much sense. If you have, however, this is a must-read if simply for the appreciation of the work Eddings put into everything.

Hey, if you don't like David Eddings attitude, then you don't have to read the book, and you certainly don't need to trash him like that. I loved this book and all the detailed background information it provides. It all makes Garion's world seem more real, and it's fascinating.

This is a guide. It is an "American fantasy fiction manual handbook". The stuff inside is the various background information the author was probably asked by many fans to publish. In that case, it IS for die-hard fans only, so stop bashing Dave Eddings about it! This is the stuff the man spent years working on, honing and refining to create Garion, to write the epic! Don't get me wrong, I'm not putting down your opinions. I just think you're being too hard on the guy. Some of your reviews are pretty harsh. The insight into writing fantasy is great! Dave is really funny and easy about it, I thought he put it frankly, bluntly, and managed to sound laid-back about it. So lay off him, people! Eddings is most likely on your bookshelf and in your heart if you're a fantasy freak; myself, he was my first fantasy writer and the one who got me hooked, so I won't stand for this slander and blasphemy! No hard feelings! :)