Guardians of the West (The Malloreon, Book 1)

by David Eddings

Book Overview

"I am one of the old school and believe that a woman's place is within the home … However, I cannot, I will not, condone unfairness amongst females. I suggest that in due course you send your Matron a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345352661
• Release Date: February 1988
• Publisher: Del Rey
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.0" x 1.3" x 4.0"

Customer Reviews

A human relief from Tolkien's bloodless grey

I have read both Tolkien's magnificent The Lord of the Rings and the Eddings' The Belgariad, The Mallorean, The Elenium and The Tamuli and the "autobiographies" Belgerath the Sorceror and Polgara the Sorceress, each several times. By the way, the Swedish translation by ?ke Ohlmarks of The lord of the Rings is rather better than the original. My problem with Tolkien is that his world, altho awe-inspiring, is essentially grey of various shades and tints and that his characters are essentially bloodless. Only the hobbits are marginally real. The Eddings write about real people, albeit some are very remarkable, with their quirks and defects and good points and all in natural colors. I include in this characterization the gods and even the trolls and monsters. They are all real. For example, Belgerath the Sorcerer, aka The Eternal Man is, when he is not saving the world or doing research into related problems, a thief, a womaniser, a drunk, an itinerant story-teller and a vagabond. He is also alergic to soap-and-water and any kind of honest work. His daughter, Polgara the Sorceress, aka The Queen of the World, has for eons been trying to reform him without success. But when his wife comes back ...!! His part-time associate, Prince Kheldar of Drasnia, is a spy (Drasnia's national industry), an occaisonal assassin, a merchant-extraordinary and a swindler. His ambition it is to be the richest man in the world, just for the fun of it. Also there is the Atana Mirtai, a shy and sunny girl, golden-skinned, breathtakingly beautiful, six foot six inches in her heelless sandals, mistress of martial arts, proud of her 34+ kills and her suitor Kring, bandylegged and a head shorter than his beloved, Domi (ruler) of the nomadic Pelloi, a nation of herders, rustlers and warriors. The position of Domi is not hereditary! and Kring, a seasoned politician, has more than 200 kills to his credit. There is also a host of lords and ladies, men and women of major, middling and minor importance each potrayed deftly and with appropriate detail. In addition, the Eddings' treatment of the various religions encountered in the course of the narratives is intelligent and entertaining. This is why I consider the Eddings' tales to be far superior to Tolkien's.

Better than Belgariad

I think the real beauty of Eddings' books is the fact that there's always something happening. It's not the normal straight-line plot where they go after something, get it, and come back, but there are lots of little side-stories that make the book interesting.I first read the Malloreon and after that read the Belgariad, and I still understood most of it. Reading the Belgariad first helps, but it's not a must. And when you do start reading Malloreon, after the first couple of chapters you'll find it extremely hard to put the book down.

Nevermind the guy who doesnt understand this series...

An truly fun series...and guess what? They're all back! All of our favorite characters, Ce'Nedra, Garion, Mandorallan, Polgara, on and on...they're all here. I found the Mallorrean even more enjoyable than the now somewhat dated Belgariad. But the real beauty of these novels, aside from the funny dialogue, good action and nice descriptions, is the fact that you didnt have to read the Belgariad to jump in and enjoy the Mallorrean. Although sometimes it helps. Anyone looking for an entertaining and FUN series (not like those dark, semi-goth novels of late) should definitely take a chance on these...you wont be dissappointed. And if you've read the first series of 5, then good for you...these are even better.

Even better than the Belgariad

The Guardians of the West was a much appreciated continuation of the Belgariad series. It brought back all my favorite characters, and is also the beginning of a much better series. While this book (and series) will never be extremely high up on my all-time greatest books list, it is extremely high on my all-time most wildly entertaining books list. Don't read this to by emotionally moved or intellectually stimulated, but read it to have a wildly fun time. The characters are somewhat flat, but make up for it with many quirks and outragous personalities. I probably laughed more reading this series than any other book, with the exception of any written by Douglas Adams. The plot was intelligently put together, and the books read very quickly. The characters are all fun, although Ce'Nedra irritated me. She was tough and funny in the Belgariad, but she comes across as mory of a whiny wimp in this series. But aside from that the Guardians of the West, and the entire Malloreon series is Eddings' best work to date, and better than most of the fantasy's out on the market right now. Definitely recommended for any fantasy lover.

The further adventures of Belgarion.

In the Belgariad we got to see Garion as a boy now we get to see him as a man. In this first book of the Mallorean he and Ce'Nedra have their first child. That interesting episode is just the start of a long and arduous quest that reunites some old friends and introduces some new. This book is a wonderful blend of fantasy and humor. Case in point, Garion's reactions when Ce'Nedra goes into labor. Just thinking about it makes me chuckle. It is a must read for Eddings fans and for new readers it is a great introduction to his work.