Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings, a Review
Pawn of Prophecy is the first book in David Eddings Belgariad, which was the fantasy series that made his name. Going back about 20 years this was one of the first fantasy series I read after The Lord of the Rings and I’ve always had very fond memories of it. But I haven’t read the books in around 10 years.
After reading some of Eddings recent output and then going back and re-reading The Ellenium, I approached Pawn of Prophecy with some trepidation. I’m pleased to say that unlike other Eddings work, this one actually holds up pretty well.
One thing working in Pawn of Prophecy’s favor is its young protagonist. Garion’s youth allows Eddings to get away with behaviors he likes to use, but which look rather silly when applied to adult characters. But mainly, it’s just better written. The characters may not be particularly complex but they are fully fleshed out and Eddings takes the time to actually describe things and set up plots.
I don’t think anyone would claim this is award winning writing, but it compliments the story that’s being told. And that story is simple, entertaining, populated by appealing characters and offers plenty of action.
The plot is in all honesty pretty cliched and the book is probably better suited to teenagers than adults. I suspect if I’d never read the book before and read it for the first time now, I’d be harder on it. But the fact is that I breezed through Pawn of Prophecy and am gearing up to read the next volume in the series. For all its flaws, this remains David Eddings best work.
Eoghann Irving is amongst other things the creator and Editor of Solar Flare. He has a life long interest in all forms of science fiction and fantasy and a pressing need to share this interest with anyone who will listen. Find out more at his personal website eoghann.com..
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