Publisher's Weekly Review
In this epic fantasy, depicting thousands of years of sorcerous, noble and godly machinations, the Eddingses return to the world of their multivolume sagas, The Belgariad and The Malloreon. This prequel to the earlier books, presented as Belgarath's memoirs, offers an absorbing story line and some memorable characters as, once again, the authors touch all the right fantasy bases, with warring gods, political intrigues, supernatural creatures and appealingly human magicians involved in a titanic war over the course of seven millennia. Because of the vast scope, the sense of ages passing and of destiny unfolding is well conveyed; but that same scale confines the authors to handling some events and characters only briefly, and it mutes the story's emotional power. Nonetheless, Eddings fans will no doubt snatch this novel off the shelves, while readers new to the authors' world won't find a more appropriate place to beginning exploring it. 400,000 first printing; major ad/promo. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Here, finally, is the imposing prequel to The Belgariad (five fat volumes) and The Malloreon (another five volumes, all just as large, most recently The Seeress of Kell, 1991). When the evil god Torak broke the world apart, the good god Aldur selected a band of faithful followers, our eponymous sorcerer chief among them, to help set matters arighta labor of seven thousand years' duration that, in the reading of it, subjectively feels almost as long. And for those who wonder at Eddings's dogged persistence and enviable productivityhe had help from his wife, Leigh: ``...it took two of us to write this book, and this has been going on from the very beginning.'' Don't get trampled in the rush. (First printing of 400,000)
Booklist Review
Having completed the popular multivolume fantasies, The Belgariad and The Malloreon, Eddings and his wife, now acknowledged as a longtime collaborator, focus on the eons-long struggle of gods and humans that led to the epic events in those two series. Here, they tell that story from the viewpoint of the sorcerer Belgarath, who became a disciple of the god Aldur when the gods still walked the world and who was a major participant throughout the 7,000-year war. After the dark god Torak cracks the world by trying to use the powerful Orb, which he has stolen from Aldur, Aldur takes on the responsibility of preparing for the day when good and evil will meet in the final battle that decides the fate of the world. Belgarath and his fellow disciples become involved in deciphering the oblique prophecies and making sure that events that are supposed to happen indeed do. The Eddingses temper larger-than-life violence and intrigue with a healthy dose of wit, particularly in the characterizations of the often testy Belgarath and his equally sharp-tongued daughter, Polgara. This rousing precursor to two five-book sagas is probably best read after them because of Belgarath's digressions into his own present, but make no mistake--the sagas' many fans will definitely relish it. (Reviewed July 1995)0345373243Sally Estes
Library Journal Review
While relating his event-filled life, the immortal sorcerer Belgarath weaves a compelling tale of two opposing Necessities that spans 7000 years and bears witness to the rise and fall of human hopes and destinies. The latest effort by the authors of The Belgariad (Ballantine, 1986) provides a new spin on material familiar to series followers. It illuminates the mysterious past of a world cracked apart in its infancy by the jealousy of its gods. The sometimes humorous, sometimes sharply rueful voice of the narrator provides a welcome anchor in this lavishly portrayed journey through time. A welcome addition to most fantasy collections, this title can be enjoyed apart from its predecessors. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
