Pawn Of Prophecy

Pawn of Prophecy (1991) – David Eddings
Corgi Books | ISBN: 9780552122849
Condition: Very Good | Sold by Crappy Old Books

Fantasy worlds. Magnificent places filled with ancient kingdoms, mysterious sorcerers, forgotten prophecies and sinister individuals who have apparently devoted several thousand years to making everybody else’s lives unnecessarily complicated. They are also places where an ordinary young person can rarely enjoy a peaceful childhood without discovering that their entire existence has been secretly arranged by forces considerably more powerful than the local village authorities.

Welcome to Pawn of Prophecy, the opening volume of David Eddings’ celebrated five-book fantasy saga, The Belgariad, in which a seemingly ordinary farm boy discovers that the world is rather larger, stranger and more dangerous than he had previously imagined.

Garion has grown up on a quiet farm in the kingdom of Sendaria, under the watchful supervision of his Aunt Pol, a formidable woman whose talents include cooking, maintaining order and ensuring that inconvenient questions receive thoroughly unsatisfactory answers.

His life is comfortable, predictable and largely free from supernatural complications.

Naturally, this arrangement cannot possibly last.

When a mysterious and immensely powerful object is stolen, events begin unfolding that draw Garion away from his familiar surroundings and into a dangerous journey across a world of competing kingdoms, ancient rivalries and increasingly suspicious political developments.

Accompanying him are the enigmatic storyteller known as Mister Wolf, the formidable Aunt Pol and a growing assortment of companions whose backgrounds and abilities suggest that considerably more is happening than anyone has bothered to explain.

Garion, meanwhile, would quite like somebody to tell him what is going on.

Unfortunately, fantasy heroes rarely receive straightforward answers. Instead, they are generally expected to travel enormous distances, encounter dangerous strangers and discover their destinies gradually, preferably while being pursued by people carrying sharp weapons.

Eddings creates a richly imagined world of distinctive cultures, political intrigues and ancient mythology, balancing the grand machinery of epic fantasy with lively dialogue and an appealing sense of humour.

The relationships between his characters provide much of the novel’s charm. Garion’s youthful confusion contrasts beautifully with the confidence of his older companions, who frequently behave as though the most extraordinary magical events are merely minor inconveniences interrupting an otherwise perfectly respectable journey.

Originally published in 1982, Pawn of Prophecy established the foundations of a much-loved fantasy series, introducing the characters, conflicts and mysteries that develop across the subsequent volumes.

This 1991 Corgi Books edition, offered in Very Good condition by Crappy Old Books, is an excellent acquisition for admirers of classic fantasy, collectors of David Eddings and readers who enjoy magical adventures involving ancient prophecies, unlikely heroes and companions who insist upon keeping important information to themselves.

An engaging, witty and wonderfully readable beginning to an epic adventure in which destiny has apparently decided that one young farm boy must play a rather more important role in world affairs than he ever requested.

Because there is something deeply unfair about discovering that you have been chosen for a great and dangerous purpose.

Particularly when you were perfectly happy staying at home.

And nobody has even thought to ask whether you would prefer to remain on the farm.

Keep browsing: See more Science-Fiction books Other books by David Eddings