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A review by theinfophile
Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SOME THINGS YOU MAY CONSIDER AS SPOILERS, though, I think they are just nuances because I'm not telling huge chunks of the story.
I like this book because I like Harry Potter, and they are very similar, but I’ll get to that later.
This is the first book in a series of five called The Belgariad, which chronicles the quest of a boy who learns he is a sorcerer. His parents were killed when he was a baby, and he lives with his aunt. Sound familiar? This book was published in 1982.
What I liked most about “Pawn of Prophecy” is that the characters are quite human, and quite funny and smart-assed. I’ve laughed aloud a few times, and the author allows the characters to make fun of themselves and the antiquated language they sometimes employ. It’s also rather exciting and it’s an entire new world to learn a la Tolkein.
I feel secure in saying that I would like this book and perhaps this series had I never read Harry Potter; however, I am a huge HP fan and there is such a great number of parallels between “Pawn of Prophecy” and HP:
1) Garion, the boy who finds out he is a sorcerer, lives with his aunt. His parents were murdered when he was a baby, and he has sworn to avenge their deaths.
2) His aunt can turn into an animal. What animal? A great snowy owl, of course!
3) There is an important scene where Aunt Pol tells Garion he “must not say the name” of the evil god that, unbeknownst to him, he is to face in later books. This was prophesied before he was even born.
4) Also, “It’s not a good idea to speak his name. He has certain powers which might make it possible for him to know our every move if we alert him to our location, and he can hear his name spoken a thousand leagues away.”
5) The peoples in the Belgariad are separated by the gods, each choosing his own people to represent and each peoples having certain personality traits, much like the four houses of Hogwarts.
6) The author makes a deal about a cut on Garion’s forehead early on and I wonder if it has remained as a scar.
7) The old sorcerer, Garion’s grandfather, has this said about his eyes: “His eyes were a deep and merry blue, forever young and forever full of mischief.” Of course, this old sorcerer, Belgarath, has long white hair and a white beard etc. etc.
8) Garion has a “mark” upon his person that has been there as long as he can remember.
9) One of the men on Garion’s quest is regularly mistaken for a giant, as he is a big, hairy man.
10) Garion goes through this thing of where everyone keeps referring to him as “the boy” [who lived?] and he has problems with that.
11) Said of the Murgos: “There are some among them who can reach out and pick the thoughts right out of your mind.” Hmm, occlumency circa 1982?
I like this book because I like Harry Potter, and they are very similar, but I’ll get to that later.
This is the first book in a series of five called The Belgariad, which chronicles the quest of a boy who learns he is a sorcerer. His parents were killed when he was a baby, and he lives with his aunt. Sound familiar? This book was published in 1982.
What I liked most about “Pawn of Prophecy” is that the characters are quite human, and quite funny and smart-assed. I’ve laughed aloud a few times, and the author allows the characters to make fun of themselves and the antiquated language they sometimes employ. It’s also rather exciting and it’s an entire new world to learn a la Tolkein.
I feel secure in saying that I would like this book and perhaps this series had I never read Harry Potter; however, I am a huge HP fan and there is such a great number of parallels between “Pawn of Prophecy” and HP:
1) Garion, the boy who finds out he is a sorcerer, lives with his aunt. His parents were murdered when he was a baby, and he has sworn to avenge their deaths.
2) His aunt can turn into an animal. What animal? A great snowy owl, of course!
3) There is an important scene where Aunt Pol tells Garion he “must not say the name” of the evil god that, unbeknownst to him, he is to face in later books. This was prophesied before he was even born.
4) Also, “It’s not a good idea to speak his name. He has certain powers which might make it possible for him to know our every move if we alert him to our location, and he can hear his name spoken a thousand leagues away.”
5) The peoples in the Belgariad are separated by the gods, each choosing his own people to represent and each peoples having certain personality traits, much like the four houses of Hogwarts.
6) The author makes a deal about a cut on Garion’s forehead early on and I wonder if it has remained as a scar.
7) The old sorcerer, Garion’s grandfather, has this said about his eyes: “His eyes were a deep and merry blue, forever young and forever full of mischief.” Of course, this old sorcerer, Belgarath, has long white hair and a white beard etc. etc.
8) Garion has a “mark” upon his person that has been there as long as he can remember.
9) One of the men on Garion’s quest is regularly mistaken for a giant, as he is a big, hairy man.
10) Garion goes through this thing of where everyone keeps referring to him as “the boy” [who lived?] and he has problems with that.
11) Said of the Murgos: “There are some among them who can reach out and pick the thoughts right out of your mind.” Hmm, occlumency circa 1982?