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.
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!
The Rivan Codex is less a novel than it is a collection of purportedly real documents that flesh out our understanding of Belgarion's world. These documents include and extend beyond those texts that formed the prologues of each novel, such as The Book of Alorn, The Book of Torak, and even The Book of UL. It also includes summaries of each nation's history, albeit told mostly from a Tolnedran point of view. Oh, didn't I mention that the Tolnedrans were responsible for chronicling the histories of the nations?
Although the author warns that some parts--the Histories, I believe--might be boring or tedious, I found them to be rather interesting. They provided interesting insights into the cultures of each people, as well as anecdotes that somehow didn't make it into either Belgarath's or Polgara's narrative. It was interesting, really, to read as we get a purportedly objective lesson in history from the malleable perspective of a Tolnedran scholar, who is actually the frontispiece for the author's omniscient voice locked behind the constraints of the Tolnedran's personal, political, and economic motivations. Ah, convolution!
More than anything else, The Rivan Codex draws to a close the world that Belgarion stormed across in his search for the Orb of Aldur and his son. It's a terrific body of narratives and expositions that fills in the few remaining gaps in Garion's story, even going so far as to present The Mallorean Gospels that Senji discovered actually differed from copy to copy. How's that for tying up a loose end?
Looking for something that's no longer here? Check in the Archive to search for it.
Comments? Suggestions? Just click here to send me e-mail. Also, if this review prompted you to read the book, then let me know. I appreciate knowing I made a difference in somebody's life.
Back Home Back to Starfire Reviews