Tomes of Spellcasting--Polgara the Sorceress

Tomes of Spellcasting

Welcome to the land of mystery, where the impossible is possible, and the improbable the reality. Join me as I investigate worlds filled with magic and meet the souls that wield this wondrous powers.

W A R N I N G !

This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.

That said, on to the review!

Title: Polgara the Sorceress
Author: David & Leigh Eddings
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Format: Paperback
Copyright Date: 1997

Ce'Nedra found Belgarath's chronicle woefully incomplete--to her mind, anyway--and went to her husband's Aunt Pol for the rest of the story. And thus she discovered things she had known about yet hadn't really known. Like what growing up was like for the most beautiful woman in the world. Or the suffering Polgara endured as those she knew grew old and died while she remained unchanging and unaging. Or how Polgara became the Duchess of Erat and how she grieved when Vo Wacune perished in a war. Or how her husband Garion's forebears became the sacred trust of the sorceress. And through Polgara's story, she and Garion learned of Aldur's hidden disciple and the role they all played in halting Torak for a time, and setting in motion the events that would ultimately lead Ce'Nedra to her royal husband. But, knowing Ce'Nedra, will she be able to handle some of the harsh truths that Polgara's story will force her to face?

Like its predecessor, Polgara the Sorceress is a pseudo-autobiographical novel of the life of Polgara, the first acknowledged disciple of the god Aldur. It fills in the holes that Belgarath's autobiography left vacant, answering questions that only Polgara would know the answers to. It also provides an alternative view to the events both she and her father witnessed and experienced, with the appropriate differences in their ways of thinking evident in their often widely different perspectives.

This novel is a very different experience from Belgarath the Sorcerer, but it's hard to pinpoint exactly how it differs. After all, the subject matter is essentially the same in sections. If anything, perhaps it is the more "present" role that Polgara played in the lives of the people: as the daughter of Belgarath, as the Duchess of Erat, as the Aunt Pol who dominated the lives of the descendants of the Rivan King. Certainly we didn't see this continuing presence in Belgarath's chronicle, since he was always wandering around laying false trails and "meddling" to ensure that certain things came to pass. Of course, we get to see how Polgara meddles, too, but that's not really as important as seeing how she more directly interacts with people.

Along with its companion, Polgara the Sorceress continues--or maybe corrects would be a better term--the story of the Rivan King. The Eddings have done their usual terrific job of presenting a novel to the reading public, even if it doesn't actually seem like a novel. Think "throwback" to first-person narratives like Robinson Crusoe or Jane Eyre, and you'll understand what I mean.

Rating: Thumbs up! Learn more about the most powerful woman in the world!

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