Polgara the Sorceress

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Read this for the sake of completion only - Rated
Having thoroughly enjoyed the Belgariad and the Mallorian at the first reading, and having been disappointed by Belgarath the Sorcerer it was with some trepidation that I opened Polgara the sorceress. What makes this book so poor is the same lack of attention to detail that afflicted the other prequel to the Belgariad. Eddings had clearly not read over his previous works before writing these prequels, and the raft of inconsistencies and blatant contradictions that this has caused spoiled these books for me completely. In addition it seems that Eddings cannot decide if the prophecies which drive these books are inevitable events or if they have to be fulfilled by the agents of the two necessities, consequently the prophecies all too often come across as being a convenient plot device to quickly dispense with awkward plot threads. Add to this the portrayal of Polgara as a spoilt, manipulative and materialistic old battleaxe and it doesn't make for enjoyable reading.

Predictably Annoying - Rated
There is no subtlety in Eddings' works. Emotions are always hammered across - you never have to guess or imagine what a character is thinking or feeling. Add to that a dull storyline and you get one boring, tedious book. I expect a lot of people were hoping for a character with a bit more complexity with Polgara. It just doesn't happen unfortunately.

Nothing less than a direct consequence of Belgarath´s story - Rated
"Polgara the sorceress" is a book that can be liked by everybody that enjoys reading an engaging fantasy book, but will only be fully appreciated by those who have already read "The Belgariad", "The Malloreon" and "Belgarath the sorcerer" (yes, in that order).

The reason for that emphatic statement is simple: this book is the autobiography of Polgara, one of the main characters in those books. As such, "Polgara the sorceress" contains spoilers that could dim your enjoyment of the previously mentioned books. And believe me, "The Belgariad", "The Malloreon" and "Belgarath the sorcerer" are so wonderful that they fully deserve all the time that you need to read them first :)

"The Belgariad" and "The Malloreon" tell the story of a group of friends in a dangerous and magical quest, while "Belgarath the sorcerer" recounts the same story from the point of view of one of the main characters, who has the benefit of being almost immortal, thus having a thoroughly different perspective regarding the events that preceded that quest and everybody involved in it.

"Polgara the sorceress" is nothing less than a direct consequence of "Belgarath the sorcerer". Polgara is Belgarath's daughter, a sorceress and the guardian of the Rivan line. She didn't exactly agree with her father's version of what happened, and told her friends so. Despite that, Polgara wouldn't have gone so far as to write her own autobiography is Ce'Nedra (spurred by curiosity) hadn't plotted for her to do so.

Truth to be told, I specially enjoyed Polgara's take on what happened, and how she explained many things that Belgarath hadn't considered important. Also, I think that this book allows the readers to understand better Polgara's role in the preparation of the "Events", and how she became "Lady Polgara" and "Duchess of Erat".

In my opinion, this is a book that the fans of "The Belgariad" and "The Malloreon" will thoroughly enjoy. I always liked Polgara, and considered her to be a very likeable albeit perhaps overly mysterious character. I really enjoyed reading about her life, and I bet you will too. Recommended!

Belen Alcat

refreshing - Rated
I loved reading the Belgariad and Mallorean books, as before them I had not not even looked at reading what is termed science fiction.
I was delighted when I saw that, unlike many authors David and Leigh Eddings had decided to present the story from the perspective of the two main characters, to me it provides a refreshing and useful insight into the complex relationship between Polgara and Belgarath.

Having read Belgarath's "account" of what happend, it was interesting and enjoyable to get the account from Polgara's perspective. While Belagarth appears to be a forceful and complex charcter in the series, Polgara, particularly in the Belgaried, takes more of a backgrouhnd role to the Garion story. Nethertheless, the books always hinted at the importance and complexity of her character, behaviour and relationships, particularly the relationship between father and daughter.

Unlike some reviews I have seen, I did not think Polgara came accross as particularly vain or petty, but as a complex and dynamic woman, very similar to her father, which in part, explains their complex relationship. For me, the charcter of Polgara became much more real and lifelike, and explained many of her feelings and actions in the Belgariad and Mallorean series.

I enjoyed the fact that unlike in many stories the relationship between Belgarath and Polgara was not one of husband and wife, but of father and daughter. I found it very amusing to read about the elaborate and imaginative ways the characters mask their real feelings for each other, through bickering and sniping.

The Polgara book similarly to the Belgarath story, enabled a more detailed and complete picture of the ongoing story in general as well as providing a great tie-up to the series.

The Book also allowed, when re-reading the Belgariad and Mallorean, a deeper and more interesting understanding of not only Polgara and Belagarath, but also the development and progression of other charcters such as, Garion, Ce'Nedra, and Silk.

absolutely brilliant - Rated
A must read book Polgara's story on events that involved her relationship with her sister,the other wizards and with her father Belgareth A lady with a hard exterior and soft interior it explains other parts of the story that others couldnt from her prospective.It tells you what she was doing when she was'nt with Belgareth Its brilliantly written I was amazed I thought it would be a book full of excerts from the series I was wrong I bought this book twice thats how high I rate it.If youve read the other books once you start reading this you wont want to put it down David and Leigh Eddings are one of the best fantasy writers around