Book Review Wednesday: Pawn of Prophecy

Pawn of Prophecy
Author: David Eddings
Length: 262 pages
(My) Rating: PG

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This book series is one that I've enjoyed for a long time. Having finished, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, I felt the urge to read this one again. Pawn of Prophecy is the first book in David Eddings The Belgariad series. 

The book is excellent. It is written for a younger audience, and there are a few times where the writing isn't the best, but I highly enjoy these books. 

For the most part, the writing is concise and the world interesting. David Eddings' story takes place in what would seem a medieval time setting, but instead takes place on a completely imagined world which is ruled over by seven gods, each who have their own people.  

The story begins with a young boy named Garion who is being raised on a farm by his aunt. He lives a simple life, though occasionally, he sees a dark hooded figure watching him. As events unfold, his quiet normalcy is sent spinning into chaos and he finds out that his aunt and the old storyteller aren't who they appear to be. As he is dragged behind them into a quest that he doesn't understand, he begins to question who he is as well. 

The characters are, for the most part, well written and interesting. I especially like Garion's Aunt Pol, who is the most prominent female character in the story. I really came to love her when I read Polgara the Sorceress, but that is a different book entirely. 

This first book is very exciting and fast-paced. Eddings does a good job of creating not only a world, but a history, and he meshes some very different cultures that have similarities to real-life cultures (i.e. the French, the English, and the Romans.) 

His characters a likable, and as Garion discovers the world around him, more information is revealed about his past and the quest that he and his companions are engaged upon. 

I really like the way that the gods are active characters in this story. They are very real, and for the most part, have a positive impact on the humans around them. 

I have read this story a lot, and recommend it to fantasy lovers everywhere. 

Parental Guide:

On my scale, this book is probably G.

There are no swear words in this book, and no sexual content. There is some violence, which is explained with a bit of detail, but I don't feel as though it glorifies the violence. Instead, it seems to be trying to impress how terrible it really is. It could be read aloud to any age, and I think they would enjoy it.