I'm continuing to read through the series for the first time, and I'm pleased to report that this second book is significantly better than the first. The story becomes more exciting and somewhat less predictable, and there are traces of originality. I suppose it deserves at least 3.5 stars, but I still hesitate to give it 4.

The boy hero is beginning to remind me slightly of Harry Potter, another confused and rather angry adolescent. Garion predated Potter by about 15 years, but I happen to have encountered Potter first.

The trouble with a teenage hero is that he tends to go through some tiresomely awkward behaviour, lacking both the charm of a child and the general competence of an adult. This is something I could do without, but I'm willing to tolerate it if the book is good in other respects. ( )

This series is the fantasy I recommend for people who don't like fantasy. I particularly like that the characters change over time, something which happens too rarely in most high fantasy. ( )

That I made it through this mess is a testament to my OCD. I thought about writing a "Ten Things I Hate About You" list to this book, but that would take more effort than I care to give. So, I'll keep it short and simple:

1. Eddings seems to have ended his chapters on word count, rather than plot. I mean, this is almost Rocky Flintstone territory. Garion Blinked. End of chapter.
2. This orb our fearless heroes are chasing through two books now might as well be a cat toy for all I know or care about it.
3. I really have no idea what's at stake here at any given moment.
4. And then, MUD MEN! And then, EVIL MURGOS! And then, NAKED DRYADS! And then, MISERABLE SLAVES! Seriously though, I have never in my life had to suspend my believability for no reason other than the characters traveled further than a few paragraphs and something had to pop up to entertain my feeble mind.

If you're reading this. You've probably already read this as a ten year old boy and are now ashamed that I've stripped it down to sticks and stones. And if you haven't read it? For the sake of your sanity, skip this trash. ( )

Dit boek heb ik gelezen met een constante glimlach op mijn gezicht. Het blijft leuk, pretentieloos leesvoer en de humor is voorspelbaar, maar dat maakt niks uit. Eddings is een meester in het meeslepen in een verhaal. Het is echt uit voor je het weet. ( )

This will be the same review for all the books in ‘The Belgariad’ and ‘The Mallorean’.

These books changed me.
I started reading them as an 11 year old who was kind of floating around in this thing called life. I had friends at school, but no meaningful connections. This I didn’t understand until I was older. By reading these books I was drawn into an incredible world filled with characters that I knew and loved, and in some cases wanted to be (come on people, I can’t be the only kid that put a streak of white paint in their hair). The story is Garion’s ‘hero’s journey’ but I felt that the adventure belonged to me too. It was my ‘Neverending story’ if you will and it gave me the confidence to be more present in my own life. I own all the copies of both series set in this marvellous world and most of the extras too. They are a pretty tired looking collection of books because I bought them as a university student from second book shops all over Christchurch and Auckland. I love that they have been released again relatively recently with a fresh new look so that they can appeal to the younger generation. I thoroughly recommend these books for lovers of high fantasy, action, and relatable characters. It is the quintessential hero’s journey.
( )