Polgara the Sorceress

Rating:
Summary: Again like most of his books overly simplistic.
Review: The first books I read of David Eddings were the Belgarion series. I will be the first to admit that I enjoyed them. And I looked with forward with great relish and anticipation to the new Mallorean series...but little did I realise how disappointed I would be, succeeding series by Eddings that I would be foolhardy enough to collect would not assuage this feeling of disappointment. Polgara suffers from the same problem that plauges all of David Edding's books,he tries to mix being cute and supposedly humourous with serious story telling. Unfortunately for him he dosen't seem to be able to do so without it being heavy handed. Another problem would be this inability to have his heroes square off against protaganists who have a chance of defeating them. The last decent villain he had,was Torak from the Belgarion series and the laconic Knight Martel.However we are left with no illusions what would happen in a one on one confrontation with Sparhawk. He should read Jack Vance, Steven Brust,Paul Edwinn Zimmer and Glen Cook to get some much needed pointers. For those Eddings fans who think that I am picking on their favourite author alone don't worry I level the same accusations at Raymond E. Fiest who seems to have attended the same literary school and I won't even start on the many problems that afflict Robert Jordan or David Gemmell(who is a good writer who knows how to spin a good yarn). One of my associates made the observation after glancing through a number of scifi/fantasy books that the majority of writers would appear to be very average bordereing on the substandard. He then wondered if that reflected the reading level of the average perchaser. My intial reply was " Get stuffed " but with the continued succes enjoyed by Eddings and Fiest it really makes me wonder.

Rating:
Summary: Ho-Hum
Review: Didn't learn anything - all it really did was get to reaquaint you w/ the characters. I could have done that by re-reading the first 10 books.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but anecdotict compare to the rest of the serie
Review: For a long time, I have been a big DE's fan. But now, I'm disappointed. We don't learn any new things, there are contradictions with some of the others books: a useless book. It seems to me that DE can't write anything new. In the Tamuli, there is no great change. In fact I think that DE just wants to make money, using his old success. So, don't read that book, and don't buy it.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but anecdotict compare to the rest of the serie
Review: For a long time, I have been a big DE's fan. But now, I'm disappointed. We don't learn any new things, there are contradictions with some of the other books: a useless book. It seems to me that DE can't write anything new. In the Tamuli, there is no great change. In fact I think that DE just want to make money, using is old success. So, don't read that book, and don't buy it.

Rating:
Summary: This book tells you all you wanted to know about Pol
Review: This book tells you all you wanted to know about Pol and has a great insight to her thoughts as well as her feeling and her distress at about the distruction of Vo Wacune and her distress at losing her twin sister Beldaran her bravery for minding the long line of Rivan kings and waiting for the GodSlayer. Also her love for her father which they kept for thousands of years a game. All this book is just literally Polgara.

Rating:
Summary: To all good things...
Review: While thoroughly enjoying Mr. Eddings tales of the Kingdoms ofthe West, this book was a great disappointment in a otherwise wellwritten series. My biggest criticism would be this: What is being told in this book that wasn't covered in Belgarath the Sorcerer? Granted it's supposed to come from Polgara's perspective and help to answere some of the lagging questions about her background, but in the end the revalations as to her status came of rather anti-climactically and even downnright, well...dumb. The entire compostition seemed... rushed with slightly entertaining adventure-within-the adventure stories. It's almost odd that in the process of further exploring the Polgara character, she almost seems to be destroyed, and much of the book seems very inconsistent with her character traits in the previous series. Rather than comming off as a powerful sorceress, she seems to be degraded into nothing more than a temperamental, spell wielding ...well, I apologize if this seems rather extreme but the book just comes across that way. The first few chapters on her early childhood could have easliy been incorporated into Belgaraths book without the need for a new novel. None-the-less, I look forward to new books in the series and think I may pick up a copy of the new Rivan Codex. This book is better borrowed than purchased. (Probably the wrong thing to say in a bookstore.) ;) END

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: When I bought the book, I wasn't too sure If I was going to interested in it. But once I started, I couldn't put it down. Now after reading Polgara, I can't wiat to read other book in the 'series'.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent addendum to a magnificent fantasy
Review: As somebody who many years ago read The Belgariad and THe Mallorean etc. I was facinated to find this on the shelves, and it brought me back to one of my favorite places to be, reconnecting with friends I thought I lost forever. Horray for David and Leigh Eddingsto a ob well done.

Rating:
Summary: Eddings does it again!
Review: If you are familiar with Eddings work already, then this is a great book. It provides a different slant on the Belgariad's history, with a decidedly feminine slant, as opposed to the Crochety Old Man voice of Belgarath. It's also suprising to learn the extent of Polgara's effect on history.

Rating:
Summary: A masterful telling of more than one side of a story.
Review: David and Leigh Eddings are wonderful at showing more than one point of view to a story. The story is easy to follow. If the reader has not read the first books in the series, they can still enjoy Polgara and then go back and catch all the references made in the book. The asides between Polgara and Belgarath are delightful.