Pawn of Prophecy

The Belgariad, Book 1

By: David Eddings

Narrated by: Brian Wiggins

A magnificent epic set against a history of seven thousand years of the struggles of Gods and Kings and men—of strange lands and events—of fate and a prophecy that must be fulfilled!

THE BELGARIAD

Long ago, so the Storyteller claimed, the evil God Torak sought dominion and drove men and Gods to war. But Belgarath the Sorcerer led men to reclaim the Orb that protected men of the West. So long as it lay at Riva, the prophecy went, men would be safe.

But that was only a story, and Garion did not believe in magic dooms, even though the dark man without a shadow had haunted him for years.

Brought up on a quiet farm by his Aunt Pol, how could he know that the Apostate planned to wake dread Torak, or that he would be led on a quest of unparalleled magic and danger by those he loved—but did not know?

For a while his dreams of innocence were safe, untroubled by knowledge of his strange heritage. For a little while . . .

©1982 David Eddings (P)2024 Tantor

An old friend

I believe David and Leigh Eddings were incredible story tellers. I first read 'Pawn Of Prophecy,' in the early 80s. Listening to it again, over forty years later is like catching up with a good friend I haven't seen in a long while. Wiggins did a good job bringing the characters to life. The story follows Garian life as he learns who he truly is. I still find it frustrating that he is kept ignorant of his heritage, but that makes the story. Sadly, David and Leigh are past, but they left behind a wealth of stories.

How To Build A Universe!

The characterization, world-building and character interactions are simply top notch! Detractors of the series seem to expect Robert Jordan of every series. This is lighter fare, without becoming a teen fantasy.

thats my problem, it was not bad it was just unremarkable.

less than great character development for a first book in series. it felt lacking in that area

Better off reading than listening, unfortunately.

I read this as a kid, but it's been 30 years or more. I remember it being a deceptively charming but world spanning epic coming-of-age fantasy novel. I would still call it a wholesome tale but the narrator just ruined it for me. My initial reaction was that it felt like I'd stumbled into a classroom of first graders and caught their reading hour. But I never got over it, and the narrator continued to disappoint. Terrible accents that slipped in and out of character. Mumbling some of them, to the point that I thought he might be imitating Billy Crystal's character Miracle Max from The Princess Bride for one of them. Maybe it was a joke, and I just didn't get it? In any case, I won't be buying the rest of them, and I'm sad about that.

The first title I have returned.

I read these books as a kid and absolutely loved them. It’s a wonderful fantasy tale with great characters, story telling and an engaging world. Unfortunately I found the narrator of this version incredibly grating.
His voices are uninspired and annoying with flat strangely specific American accents that do no service to the fantasy world being described. On top of the awful accents, he narrates as if he’s reading a bedtime story to a very stupid child. I couldn’t get past it. There’s a better version on YouTube. Just do that.