Re-Reading Fun: The Belgariad
Aug. 15th, 2015 09:13 pmAfter a certain person prodded me about a month ago, I decided it'd be fun to return to some old friends of mine and re-read David Eddings. I've loved The Belgariad/Malloreon series since 1996-97. The first time I met Garion, Polgara, Belgarath and company was during the most awful winter of my memory here in Minnesota. We didn't have school that entire month, I was left with little to do but curl up in a chair under a warm blanky and read. So, I chose a fantasy series I had stumbled upon at the library and was well on my way down the rabbit hole lost in this awesome world.
Now that I'm returning to it, all the love, the humor, and the fun I remember the first time reading it all coming back. I'm kinda reading it a little out of order---I started with Belgarath the Sorcerer, a prequel that came out after the series itself, but somehow starting at the VERY beginning seems appropriate before we get to Garion's portion, yes? The funny thing about this series is that the first volume was originally published in 1982. I was born that year, so Garion and I are the same age in many respects, so it's another element that makes this series all the more special and dear to me.
I also know I need a book to read soon---one that I know backwards, frontwards, and sideways---as I will be going on a trip and I hate flying. I need something I can read while I'm trying not to think too hard about being in the sky or getting past the TSA or all the other headaches that come with post-911 flying. Somehow, getting lost in all those little inside jokes and those great characters seems right.
Truthfully, it's also been way too long for me not to read this fantastic series. It's got a lot of flawed characters that make them so real and relatable, a great plot structure, and the main messages under the magic are so strong that it makes it more than the typical "fantasy" or so-called genre novels. (That's a whole nother rant about how genre has ALWAYS been better than the literary rep it gets, but not for this entry)
So, what are you re-reading? What would you like to re-read if you haven't in awhile? Why?