-- Order the book!! PAPERBACKReview by Robert L. Thompson Dec 5, 1997
-- Order the book!! PAPERBACKPolgara the Sorceress is the 12th and probably final book in
one of the best fantasy epic sagas ever written.
This book is one of two "prequels" (the other being Belgarath
The Sorcerer) to the Belgariad / Malloreon chronicles.
Written as sort of an autobiography by Polgara, It fills in some of the gaps left by Belgarath's account of what happened leading up to where the Belgariad (Pawn of Prophecy, the first book) begins. Polgara at the time of this book is about 3,000 years old (but still a "very foxy lady") who together with her father Belgarath is one of the main disciples of one of the good gods, Aldur, aiding him in his fight against his evil brother Torak. This story tells of Polgara's efforts to save the world from domination and / or destruction by Torak and his minions.
Although Polgara is not the central character in the series, I think she is the strongest and the most wonderful woman in series fiction, although Modesty Blaise could give her a run for her money. While Polgara is not the central character in the series itself, she is primarily responsible for the development of Garion (the main character) to be the one destined to finally defeat Torak.
Of course in this book she is the central character. Unfortunately, I guess after 11 books, Eddings just got a little tired of this particular world. Instead of the usual "Superb" review, I can only give POLGARA THE SORCERESS a "Very Good, just short of Excellent" grade. This one just does not quite measure up to the earlier books. Still, if you are familiar with the series, you should not skip this one.
I highly recommend the entire series. Of current fantasy series, The Belgariad / Malloreon epic is second only to Robert Jordan's WHEEL OF TIME series (and more recently, George R.R. Martin's Song of Fire and Ice Series). In fact, sometimes I think that they are the same writer: Their stories have the same depth of excellent characterization and character development, the same exciting plots and very realistic seeming fantasy worlds. In some ways, they are both better than J.R.R. Tolkien, the past master of epic fantasy.
I pondered this question for some hours before writing this review: "Should readers new to David (& Leigh) Eddings begin with Polgara the Sorceress?" I finally decided that you should begin at the beginning, with --Pawn of Prophecy , and read the whole series in proper order. You could start with this one and then read the rest in order, but I think you will get more enjoyment the other way.
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