David Eddings

SHAMAN · 22-03-2002 8:48pm #1

Just read his books, ye'll see what I mean
(the Belgariad & the Mallorean)

Slydice · 22-03-2002 11:56pm

I havent read the mallorean yet, but i'm sooo gagging too:D

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar · 23-03-2002 3:28pm

read it
tis good

actualy, i think I will read all his books again next week, i haven't read them in a year or so
*bounce*
ooh, what fun

Saruman · 25-03-2002 12:18pm

Ripped through those... then read the prequel Belgarath the sorcerer.. good book.. also im waiting to get polgara the sorceress.. im now on Diamond Thron.. book 1 of Elenium.. VERY impressive.. still a little fond of the word Melancholy but not as much as in the first 2 series!

SHAMAN · 18-04-2002 3:33pm

Glad to see a few ppl know what I'm talking about. Most haven't a clue. Brilliant books. I was actually sad when I finished them. He's a brilliant writer. Saruman what was the first book of that series? Was looking for it.

Saruman · 22-04-2002 5:05pm

which series? Elenium? that was Diamond Throne.. anyway im finished them all now apart from the prequel Polgara the sorceress.. also the stand alones like Riven codex and that Athalus one i have not read yet.. probably wont bother with the riven codex.. its basically the Silmarillion but in eddings world not Tolkiens...

SparHawk is cool

moridin · 22-04-2002 9:12pm

Originally posted by Saruman
Ripped through those... then read the prequel Belgarath the sorcerer.. good book.. also im waiting to get polgara the sorceress.. im now on Diamond Thron.. book 1 of Elenium.. VERY impressive.. still a little fond of the word Melancholy but not as much as in the first 2 series!

Hmm, I haven't read them in years, but it's just the same story told from different angles surely? Eddings is just flogging a dead horse trying to get as much money as he can out of the 2 stories that he managed to think up

The man seriously needs to think of new plotlines!

leejon · 22-04-2002 9:25pm

David Eddings....TOP......remember Belgariad from a few years ago, great stuff. Mallorean wasn't bad either...

I remember the name 'Sparhawk' what was he from?

Saruman · 23-04-2002 9:37am

SparHawk was from his second 2 series.. like the Elenium for instance.. 3 books in each series.. he was a knight of the church and had the Bhelliom, a powerful gem that was basically a God in the end it turned out.

moridin yes he did sort of rehash the ideas from Belgaria but they were enjoyable so im not complaining.. still not sure about his overuse of certain words like Melancholy though...

[SG]BGA · 23-04-2002 4:36pm

Used to like him, can't stand him now. Tried re-reading one of his series recently (Malloreon I think, can't remember) and gave up half way through. I find there's not much tension in them. The bad guys are fairly stupid and it's usually obvious what's going to happen. Oh, and is it just me, or does he overuse the word "bleak"? It's George RR Martin's fault I'm afraid, after reading him I started to look at fantasy differently......

Saruman · 23-04-2002 4:40pm

is it just me, or does he overuse the word "bleak"?

Cant say i saw too much bleak but Melancholy.. by jeebus there is at least one mentioning in every chapter.. sometimes more!

SMG · 02-05-2002 3:37pm

Thought Belgariad & Mallorean were brilliant (re-read complete suite several times over ) - sparhawk stories were ok but the redemption of athulis (or whatever his name was) was terrible - waste of money.....

He has a new book out this summer - heard no details yet

CodeMonkey · 02-05-2002 4:11pm

Originally posted by [SG]BGA
Used to like him, can't stand him now. Tried re-reading one of his series recently (Malloreon I think, can't remember) and gave up half way through. I find there's not much tension in them. The bad guys are fairly stupid and it's usually obvious what's going to happen. Oh, and is it just me, or does he overuse the word "bleak"? It's George RR Martin's fault I'm afraid, after reading him I started to look at fantasy differently......

I have to agree with you. I used to really like his books and obsessively read all 4 of his series. Now I can't stand him because of the predictability and repetitiveness of it all. Same goes for Gemmel, he uses the same theme over and over and it really puts me off. George RR Martin though is fantastic.

DapperGent · 04-05-2002 1:55am

Have to agree with BGA and Code Monkey I loved these books a few years ago but reading some good stuff with actual characters and plotlines and stuff and then coming back..... Man it's all depressingly terrible and the Belgariad/Mallorean thing the old fecker didn't bother coming up with a new plot!!

I can just see him cutting and pasting while cackling gleefullly and thinkin of his bank balance.

Then he decides to write the Elenium which is basically the same trash as before and then rewrites it again in the Tamuli.

And then goes back to the Belgariad takes some stories from the background and then cuts and pastes them into Belgarath the Sorceror and calls it a new book then copies this into Polgara the sorceress... What a loser this guy is!

It's books like these that make fantasy as disrespected as it is. AND I read them all!!!!

14-05-2002 12:41pm

I have them all... but the only ones that i enjoy rereading, is the 1st Sparhawk trilogy. The "second" trilogy is just too boring.. and pretty much a repeat of the first. Although Sparhawk as a GOd is kinda cool.;)

Gorthaur · 23-05-2002 11:22pm

He's actually not bad-I've read some BAAAD stuff .

But he has very little apart from a single thread of narrativeand that's always fairly predictable.He suffers incomparison with Tolkien, Donaldson and Jordan now.:eek:

_CreeD_ · 28-05-2002 7:11am

[pedantic] He = They. 'David Eddings' is a husband and wife team [/pedantic]

Very enjoyable books in the main, but as has been said they're basically the same trilogies retold over again.

Kraken · 28-05-2002 11:00am

Originally posted by Saruman
SparHawk was from his second 2 series.. like the Elenium for instance.. 3 books in each series.. he was a knight of the church and had the Bhelliom, a powerful gem that was basically a God in the end it turned out.

moridin yes he did sort of rehash the ideas from Belgaria but they were enjoyable so im not complaining.. still not sure about his overuse of certain words like Melancholy though...

from what i remember the bheliom was not just a god but the fater of all good gods etc and then there was his evil brother or what ever he was. Also sparhawk was also a god he used the bhelliom to do stuff but you find out at the end that the stone was only his tool that he actually did it himself. Thene role the fight of the 2 big daddy gods then they stop and sparhawk and the god of them crap race of ancient fighters duel it out. very good book.

28-05-2002 11:06am

Got too boring and repetitive. Enjoyable when i was younger, but as an adult i have to admit that its a bit too childish now...

SHAMAN · 30-05-2002 4:29pm

Ye guys really know how to keep a thread going! I must've been gone for a month or so and this thread's still here?

30-05-2002 4:46pm

what can i say? i'm bored :rolleyes:

nadir · 11-06-2002 8:17pm

yeah I have to agree with [SG]BGA and CodeMonkey, I do find Eddings books quite childish.I used to love them, and I still do think it's great escapism-imagination but just all seems a little simple and lack lustre now. Maybe I'm just getting old and boring.

Thanx 4 The Fish · 24-06-2002 4:06pm

Saruman, if you haven't read Redemption of Althalus and you did enjoy Pol & Belgarath etc, don't bother. It is nowhere near as good as Belgariad, Malloreon and the rest. Could be described as happy days set in a magic house.

Althalus is the fonz, he's got a nice bird, and all the other characters are there to make them look good.

Saruman · 24-06-2002 4:11pm

So long and thanks for all the fish then to Athalus.. wont bother!

SYL · 25-06-2002 1:47pm

The Belgariad and the Malloreon seen me through a miserable year of College in the then Carlow RTC so hence to say, I love them both. The prequel novel for Belgareth the sorceror is brilliant too, really shows his humane side in contrast to his stony exterior from the Bel. and Mall. series. Any great magician who goes on a complete bender for a few months after his wife dies deserves my undying respect.
Redemption of althalus is total pants, only funny for about a few chapters but then looses itself somewhere??????
Have the Polgara novel, have had it for about 2 years now but have not managed to read it yet, shame on me!!!!!!!
A good transition from Eddings though is to Terry Brooks. If ye haven't read any of his Shannara novels yet, ye should read them. The latest series, The voyage of the Jerle Shannara, is great, can't wait for the final book in the series in september. Talk about Character development, its amazing, some of the best I've seen in a fantasy novel. And to add an extra twist, in the second book (without wanting to ruin it for anyone) there is an island run by a supercomputer from centuries ago that creates Terminator-style robots out of the good guys and turns them against each other. SOme of the best fukking reading I have ever had!!!!!!

Thanx 4 The Fish · 04-07-2002 5:12pm

The Shanara books were amongst the first SF series I read. Met the man himself in Easons when he was doing some book signings and pointed out a few inconsistencies to him (I was 14 and didn't realise it was not the place or time), he was v good about it though, probably coz me Da was hulking behind me, and told me that I could be right and he'd have a look.

He had the Magic kingdom series too which is V good.
Haven't read it in a while but I mean to get back and give it a go...

As for the Jerle Shannara, hope that the concluding part is as good as the first two books which have been excellent.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar · 05-07-2002 1:52pm

i have those two jerle shannara books upstairs, but haven't gotten round to reading them yet

the shannara series was one of my first too,although I wouldn't have gone up to him and told him he made a few mistakes :P

Saruman · 05-07-2002 1:58pm

I read the first ones 2 years ago so they were all out and i read them one after the other... the 2 Jerle Shannara's i read late last year then to my horror i ran out of book!! yup the b@start left it hanging at the end and i see i have to wait almost a year for the next one,,,, ahgh,,,,, almost screamed.... well near enough to September now... counting the days...

Thanx 4 The Fish · 05-07-2002 3:20pm

Originally posted by Mordeth

I wouldn't have gone up to him and told him he made a few mistakes :P

Didn't tell him he made mistakes, just that there was a couple of discrepancies. Some spelling errors too but they aren't his fault, there are people paid to proof-read books. I get v. peeved when I find that kinda thing in and have taken to underlining spelling mistakes when I find them. (A bit excessive I know) alot of my books, especially the Gemmell ones, are now covered in red pen...

Saruman · 01-08-2002 5:25pm

OK i decided to go ahead and read "Redemption of Althalus" and i have to say i enjoyed it... ok the usual Eddings story.. its usually the same but that did not bother me.. i thought it was a whole load of fun and i dont regret reading it... Just thought i would mention it!

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar · 02-08-2002 10:41pm

i must read that redemption book sometime soon, and i still haven't read those jerle shannara books..
shockin really, it's not like I have anything important to do

it's a sad state of affairs when sitting down flicking through the various music video channels on sky for 3 hours is preferable to sitting down with a good book

David Eddings

Comments