David Eddings

[bloodyrosemccoy]

I remember when I first read The Belgariad, I was Garion’s age, but I felt smarter than him and identified with Polgara, Belgarath, and Silk more than anyone.

I liked how Garion became a little more experienced in The Mallorean.

Beldin the ugly hunchbacked dwarf sorcerer is still one of my favorite characters ever set on paper.

The Elenium shocked me because it was a little more adult, but still the same silly overdone pompous-and-self-deprecating fantasy.

I want to be Flute when I grow down.

I got my love of trolls from The Tamuli.

I call my computer Blue-Rose.

I snickered like a madwoman when he burned down his office. Daft old codger.

And I could tell Silk was not just my favorite, because The Redemption of Althalus was clearly a self-fanfic.

When I read The Belgariad again now, while I’m bugged by some of his opinions, I still feel like fantasy is fun and worthwhile, and I love the characters who know they're archetypes and just have to put up with it.

And I realized that while other people may use The Lord of the Rings world as a template for Standard Fantasyland, I go straight for the one in The Belgariad.

The man responsible for the greatest act of self-insertion into a story ever is gone. Long live the Purpose of the Universe.

Comments

[pandoras-closet.livejournal.com]

I was re-reading book one of the Malloreaon and chuckling as Belgarath and Beldin discussed 'Zakath's march through Murgo when I noted something.

At least some of what made that funny was that Eddings used understatment a lot. 'Zakath was dangerous, and they treated him as such, but they didn't get excited about it and maintained the banter.