Pawn of Prophecy

Pawn of Prophecy (1982) David Eddings

At one point in my life, as hard as this may be to believe, I wasn’t reading very much. College was eating my spare time (in ways that were no good for me, but that’s a long, complex and painful story that shan’t be told) and I just wasn’t reading.

Then at a Christmas gift exchange at work, someone gave me a used copy of the Belgariad.

I tore through it and remembered why I loved reading–and especially reading fantasy–so much.

From here I fond many other authors and many other books, but this was the series that reminded me why I loved to read so much, and why it was important to always carry a book. (Thank goodness for reading on my phone. It’s much smaller and easier to carry than even a paperback book.)

Pawn of Prophecy is the first book of the Belgariad. It is the story of Garion, a small boy who lives with his Aunt Pol, who is the cook at Faldor’s farm.

For all the rest of his life he had a special warm feeling for kitchens and those peculiar sounds and smells that seemed somehow to combine into a bustling seriousness that had to do with love and food and comfort and security and, above all, home.

This is a story that unwinds slowly and lovingly, spending time with the characters, and seeing how Garion became who he did.

“Always do the very best job you can,” he said on another occasion as he put a last few finishing touches with a file on the metal parts of a wagon tongue he was repairing.
“But that piece goes underneath,” Garion said. “No one will ever see it.”
“But I know it’s there,” Durnik said, still smoothing the metal. “If it isn’t done as well as I can do it, I’ll be ashamed every time I see this wagon go by-and I’ll see the wagon every day.”

We spend time getting to know the characters and the land in depth.

At the top of another hill – there always seemed to be another hill, for that part of Sendaria was folded like a rumpled cloth…

But the reason I snatched this book up when I saw it was on sale as ebook was because I wanted to spend time with Silk.

“…I am from Boktor in Drasnia. I am a juggler and an acrobat.”
“And also a thief and a spy,” Barak rumbled good-naturedly.
“We all have our faults,” Silk admitted blandly…

“I’m sorry to have missed him,” Silk said. “I wish I had the leisure to look him up.”
“I can’t for my life think why,” the farmer said bluntly. “To be honest with you, I didn’t care much for your friend.”
“I’m not overfond of him myself,” Silk agreed, “but the truth is that he owes me some money . I could quite easily do without Brill’s companionship, but I’m lonesome for the money, if you take my meaning.”

Silk is far and away my favorite character. As much as the story may be about Garion, I love spending time with Silk.

Don’t get me wrong, I love most of the other characters as well, but Silk is a perfect rogue, and I adore rogues.

Oh, the eBook cover is very different from the original cover, but it’s boring, while the original cover is beautiful and gives you a perfect feel for the book without giving anything away.

It’s been awhile since I read this book, and I was afraid that time might have changed how I feel about it, but I sank right into the story, comforted by the familiar words and characters.

Published by Harper Voyager

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