Guardians of the West [Mass Market Paperback]

This is a quest story told in a fantasy setting, and like any story written in this genre it owes much to Tolkien. It also owes much to Eddings' earlier work. The reader is more or less told straight out that the basic outline of this story will be identical to that of the Belgariad. This turns out to be true. The result is that The Malloreon is utterly predictable. I had figured out what would happen at the end of the series by the middle of the second book. I kept reading hoping I was wrong, and that there was some surprise awaiting me at the end. There wasn't.

Some of the characters here turn out to be very badly handled. A couple examples spring to mind: Belgarath and Polgara see a number of odd happenings associated with one of the people in their care, remark on it, *say* they need to think about what they saw, and then do nothing about it for the next 5 or so years of story time. In one episode early in the series (I think it's the second book) Durnik accomplishes by sorcery a commonplace, if laborious, task for a blacksmith which causes absolute astonishment in Belgarath and Polgara who, in their millenial lifetimes, apparently never learned how steel was made. Ce'Nedra is merely shunted aside for pretty much the entire series in a depressive funk, as if Eddings simply didn't want to deal with her this time around.

Eddings continues to display stylistic ineptness. He has only one narrative voice for all occasions. No matter how earth-shattering an event is being portrayed, he describes it in the same tone he'd use to describe doing the dishes. (The same problem was evident in The Belgariad, especially at the climax. There's no improvement here; if anything, it's worse.) He attempted a high style in the quotes from fictional histories that begin each volume, but they don't really come off; it's obviously a foreign dialect for him. When he does use a word or two not in everyday speech, he doesn't always appear to understand what it means. For example, in the first volume here Belgarion has occasion to seek out the original manuscript of an ancient prophecy called the "Mrin Codex." Eddings must have used "codex" just because it sounded mysterious, because the manuscript turns out to be a scroll.

To sum up, if you've read The Belgariad, you'll get essentially the same story here, differing only in the details. Go for it if you can find it cheap enough -- it's a quick enough read, so it won't take up too much of your time -- but don't waste a lot of money or effort on it.

There are few fantasy books that make me grit my teeth (and I've been reading steadily for 7 or 8 years) but David Eddings' Mallorean series gets me closer than ever before. While the Belgariad was fairly good and got better by the book, it's the complete opposite in The Mallorean. While there is some interesting writing, most of it involving battles and sorcery, 90% of the series is dominated by useless, annoying banter from the characters. The commentary from the heroes is just snide little comments that are sooooo unfunny you'd just shake your head and pray Eddings stops with it. Of course he doesn't and it's almost unbearable once Book 4 (Sorceress of Darshiva) rolls around.

As for the characters themselves, well it's hard to add on much more from the previous reviews. But every character seems to have one annoying trait outside Toth, unsurprisingly enough a mute. The females characters are just... annoying. Polgara frequently dishes out commands in which the male characters meekly obey. If they don't Polgara gets a 'frosty look in her eyes' as Eddings says a little to often. Ce'nedra doesn't say much but when she does I grit my teeth, and Velvet usually gets her way by using her dimples proving how pathetic the males are.

The story is a complete letdown, if you were expecting a change of pace from The Belgariad prepare to be shocked. It's nearly identical aside from a few minor changes. The plot is exactly the same as the Belgariad! Child of Light vs. Child of Dark in some piece of crap ruin. It's unbelievable!

I could list alot more negatives about this series but it's already been done and I'm tired. Stay far away if your a serious fantasy buff as this is the type of writing that could mentally scar you from reading fantasy for awhile (I myself took 6 months off before getting back into the groove)