Pawn of Prophecy (The Belgariad #1) by David Eddings - A Flights of Fantasy Book Review

I'd first like to thank my friend Thomas for recommending me this book. Without him, I might have never known about fantasy novelist David Eddings nor read any of his books. Now I'm reading my third David Eddings book!

Pawn of Prophecy is the first book of The Belgariad series written by David Eddings. The novel begins with the story of a powerful orb, stolen by the evil god Torak. His theft had fueled a world-ravaging war between gods and men, until Belgarath the Sorcerer managed to retake and hide the orb. After being defeated in battle, Torak is asleep, but not dead.

The story of Torak and Belgarath, which happened lifetimes ago, is now remembered only through the fantastic tales of traveling storytellers, like Mister Wolf, who sometimes visits the small farm where our protagonist Garion and his Aunt Pol live. 

Just a young boy, Garion doesn't know these stories are true, and that someone has stolen the orb and may be trying to wake Torak. He doesn't know that he is about to embark on a quest to find the missing orb, and that he is the embodiment of an ancient prophecy that could make or break the world. 

What I Liked:

What I liked most about Pawn of Prophecy is how reading it made me feel like a young boy again. Everything about David Eddings's work gave me a sense of wonder and awe, enjoining me to participate in an adventure that's...in spite of all the perils involved in it...immensely fun! 

This book is a breath of fresh air from all the seriousness and stateliness of other fantasy books I've been reading lately. Don't get me wrong, the themes explored in this book are quite serious and complex, but these never overpower the sense of wonder I get from the protagonist, and the book as a whole.

What I Didn't Like:

Pawn of Prophecy is a coming of age story. It doesn't have the political maneuverings, massive action sequences, or complex magic systems one used to reading George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones, Joe Abercrombie's First Law, or Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series would expect. And if you are searching for those kinds of books, you might not enjoy David Edding's The Belgariad series. 

However, I enjoyed Pawn of Prophecy very much. It was a quick and fun read, which left me eagerly craving for more! I found myself reading several chapters of Queen of Sorcery, book two of the The Belgariad series, immediately after finishing the first one. 

My Rating:

Flights of Fantasy is a reading challenge hosted by book bloggers Alexa Loves Books and Hello Chelly. Here are my goals for the Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge 2015.