Review:

The Malloreon, a book series, (containing :International Bestseller Guardians of the West, The New York Times Bestseller King of the Murgos, Demon Lord of Karanda, Sorceress of Darshiva, and #1 New York Times Bestseller The Seeress of Kell) is magnificent. In this follow up series to The Belgariad, written by David Eddings,
Eleven years have passed since King Belgarian ascended the throne of Riva. Matters transpire remotely well until a religious upheaval reveals itself to be more than it seems. Now, Belgarian will find himself surrounded by family and friends in a quest of the utmost urgency. They are the pawns of light, and only they can confront the Child of Darkness in the moment that will ultimately decide the future of the universe: peace or horror. They do not know their tasks, their enemy, or where to find him. The party can only follow their own assessments of clues. Should rules set upon them be neglected, fate has it they will lose by default. So, it is that this collaboration of family, old friends, and new friends will set out to achieve the better good in a year long journey full of adventure in a very real yet fictional world.
This great story never could have been written better. In my opinion it is a masterpiece to the definition. Eddings has created a world for this tale that is completely Tolkien worthy and yet incredibly real. You can never get bored reading The Malloreon , because it is such an intertwined story of intriguing politics, devious business, dangerous adventure and overall enjoyable story plot so unconfusingly complex as to marvel at.
My most favorite asset to these stories, though, would have to be the characters; they are so well developed and believably real and individual that I find myself wanting to take part in their conversations. Their conversations are another important reason why I hold these books as favorites. The Malloreon is never depressing; the main characters have real feelings, they get sad, and they may occasionally outburst retaliation, but they never fall to angst. You can find humour and wit in almost every discourse between the protagonists.
I give The Malloreon two thumbs up, five stars, and the best spot on my bookshelf. I recommend this fabulous work to anyone the least bit interested in fantasy, adventure, or just a great story.
* While The Malloreon is a great story on it’s own, full enjoyment and character understanding can only be reached by first reading The Belgariad. AND, while I do give The Malloreon five stars, I give The Belgariad four stars for a slightly less involved, but still enjoyable, story plot. The first book in The Belgariad series is Pawn of Prophecy.