The Malloreon
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The Malloreon is a five part fantasy book series written by David Eddings, which follows The Belgariad.
- Guardians of the West (ISBN 0-345-35266-1)
- King of the Murgos (ISBN 0-345-35880-5)
- Demon Lord of Karanda (ISBN 0-345-36331-0)
- Sorceress of Darshiva (ISBN 0-345-36935-1)
- The Seeress of Kell (ISBN 0-345-37759-1)
While the story concludes in The Malloreon, minor events occur in the prequels Belgarath the Sorcerer and Polgara the Sorceress, which otherwise cover the history of the world.
See also: The Rivan Codex
Contents |
[edit] Setting
As the sequel to The Belgariad, The Malloreon is set in the same world. The following articles describe aspects of this shared setting.
The Malloreon greatly expands on several aspects of the setting, especially the eastern continent of Mallorea.
[edit] Series books
One of the criticisms leveled by some at the series is that it feels almost exactly like The Belgariad. Within the story, the characters notice that they seem to be doing the same things all over again, theorizing that this repetition is part of the battle of destinies that controls their world.
[edit] Guardians of the West
| Guardians of the West | |
| Author | David Eddings |
|---|---|
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Malloreon |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Del Rey Books |
| Publication date | 1988 |
| Media type | Print ( ) |
| Pages | 448 (paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-345-35266-1 |
| Preceded by | none |
| Followed by | King of the Murgos |
At the end of the previous series, The Belgariad, Garion has slain the evil god Torak and thinks that his major problems are over. Initially this seems true; the first half of the book concentrates on the first eight years of Belgarion's reign, going through many minor problems including Queen Ce'Nedra's seeming infertility, a civil war in Arendia, and an assassination attempt. All of these problems sort themselves out without much trouble. The book also focuses on the life of Errand, who is growing up in the Vale of Aldur as Polgara's ward. Errand, here, is revealed to have extra-ordinary powers of extra-sensory perception, almost to the extent of omniscience. This puzzles Polgara and Belgarath.
Belgarion and his wife Ce'Nedra are not left to live in peace. Before dawn of a particular day, the Orb of Aldur glows red, and the voice of the Prophecy warns both Garion and Errand, "Beware Zandramas!" Thereafter Garion and his ancestor Belgarath seek to discover the identity and purpose of Zandramas through records of ancient, dubious prophecies.
Eventually Brand, the Rivan Warder (Belgarion's regent) is accidentally murdered by assassins aiming to kill Ce'Nedra and her new son Geran. The assassins are traced back to the Bear-cult, a legion of ethnocentric fanatics, who have taken over several cities as their base of operations. Riva and the other Alorn nations take military action against the Bear-cult; while Belgarion and the others are engaging in battles, Geran is kidnapped. Although Belgarion's suspicion falls upons the Bear-cult, it turns out the kidnapping was carried out by Zandramas, who is the new Child of Dark. When the cult have been defeated, it is revealed that the leader of the cultists is actually the shape-changing priest/sorcerer Harakan, who serves Urvon, a former disciple of Torak. Harakan escapes shortly after the revelation of his true identity.
At this point they experience a visitation from Cyradis, the seeress of Kell and the one who will have to make the ultimate choice between the Light and the Dark in the last meeting of the two Necessities. Garion is told who he is to take on his quest: Belgarath, Polgara, Ce'Nedra, Errand, Durnik, and Silk. He must also take some people who he has never met. He is given their descriptions: The Huntress (Liselle), The Man Who Is No Man (Sadi), The Empty One (Zakath), The Silent Man (Toth) and The Woman Who Watches (Poledra). With these companions he must travel to the Place Which Is No More for the final meeting. While at first they are confounded by the idea of going to a "Place Which Is No More" they start out on their quest.
[edit] King of the Murgos
| King of the Murgos | |
| Author | David Eddings |
|---|---|
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Malloreon |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Del Rey Books |
| Publication date | 1989 |
| Media type | Print ( ) |
| Pages | 316 (paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-345-35880-5 |
| Preceded by | Guardians of the West |
| Followed by | Demon Lord of Karanda |
In this book, Belgarion and his fellow travellers take up the chase of his kidnapped son Geran. They learn more about the murderous woman Zandramas and of her minion, a white-eyed Angarak named Naradas. During their stay in Nyissa they recruit Sadi, the master of poison and medicine. During their pursuit of Zandramas, they are captured by Murgos and brought to their king, Urgit who turns out to be a half-brother of Silk.
Urgit ultimately allows them to travel south, to the Isle of Verkat. There, Garion runs into Harakan once again, and duels him until he retreats. They sail south, but their ship wrecks and they must travel the island on foot. They discover that they must travel to Ashaba next; passing a Mallorean army camp, Cyradis, who must abet both Necessities equally, has her bodyguard Toth alert the guards to their presence. As a result, they are taken prisoner.
[edit] Demon Lord of Karanda
| Demon Lord of Karanda | |
| Author | David Eddings |
|---|---|
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Malloreon |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Del Rey Books |
| Publication date | 1989 |
| Media type | Print ( ) |
| Pages | 316 (paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-345-36331-0 |
| Preceded by | King of the Murgos |
| Followed by | Sorceress of Darshiva |
At the beginning of this chapter, Belgarion and his fellow travellers are brought to Mallorea. There, Belgarion meets the Emperor of Mallorea, 'Zakath; they become great friends during their stay. Belgarion and his followers, needing to continue their pursuit of Zandramas, plan to distract the Emperor; however, a plague spreads, allowing them to slip out of the city due to the quarantine.
After escaping, they join with a travelling jester, named Feldegast (actually Belgarath's brother Beldin incognito), and approach Ashaba. However, problems arise when it is revealed that the reports of demons in the country are true, as is the report of a Demon Lord named Nahaz.
Reaching Ashaba, Garion believes that he sees Zandramas and his son meeting with Urvon, and charges in, only to find out that they were illusory. A battle ensues with Urvon's forces, which ultimately results in Harakan's death, and in Urvon's being carried away by Nahaz. Feldegast reveals himself as Beldin, and the group continues east.
Travelling through the demon-infested countryside, and seeing horrors such as women being impregnated by demons (the birth usually results in the mother's death), the group encounters Zandramas, whom Poledra, Polgara's supposedly dead mother, forces to retreat.
[edit] Sorceress of Darshiva
| Sorceress of Darshiva | |
| Author | David Eddings |
|---|---|
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Malloreon |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Del Rey Books |
| Publication date | 1990 |
| Media type | Print ( ) |
| Pages | 384 (paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-345-36935-1 |
| Preceded by | Demon Lord of Karanda |
| Followed by | The Seeress of Kell |
The party continues their pursuit of Zandramas into the Melcene Empire; upon reaching the university there, they discover that the Sardion, the polar opposite of the Orb of Aldur, was once kept inside.
Belgarath finds the unmutilated copy of the Ashabine Oracles, which he has sought, and figures out that the party must go to Kell to learn of the location of "The Place That Is No More". Garion makes a disturbing discovery; in his sole moment of sanity, Torak specifically addressed Belgarion, demanding that he destroy the world, and even kill his own son, rather than let Zandramas complete her plans. This reflects a similar warning made by Cyradis in Guardians of the West.
The party is recaptured by Zakath, who threatens to take Garion back to Mal Zeth with his companions as collateral. Cyradis persuades him to release the party, offering herself as a hostage; Zakath does so and joins them on their quest.
Shortly thereafter, Poledra appears in the guise of a wolf, bringining with her an orphaned cub.
Urvon's Karand army and Zandramas' Darshivans meet each other, as do Urvon's ally Nahaz and Zandramas' ally Mordja. The demons go after Garion's group, sensing the Orb's presence, but Aldur steps in and infuses Durnik with his own powers, increasing his size. His sledgehammer at this point is implied to partake of the power of the Orb, much as the sword of Riva Iron-grip carried by Garion. The awesome power of the three defeats Nahaz, banishing him to Hell, and causing him to take Urvon with him. Aldur, before leaving, informs Belgarath, Beldin, and Polgara that Durnik is "also my beloved disciple as he was the best suited of ye". An amulet (the only one made by Aldur without the aid of Belgarath) is bestowed by him, which has the sledge's image upon it.
[edit] The Seeress of Kell
| The Seeress of Kell | |
| Author | David Eddings |
|---|---|
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Malloreon |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Del Rey Books |
| Publication date | 1992 |
| Media type | Print ( ) |
| Pages | 384 (paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-345-37759-1 |
| Preceded by | Sorceress of Darshiva |
| Followed by | none |
The group makes it to Kell, where they meet with Cyradis. The Seeress surrenders herself to Garion's group as a "hostage" and tells them that the next stop of their journey is Perivor, an island to the southwest of the Mallorean continent. Here, they will find the last clue to their journey to the Place Which Is No More.
Garion's party and Zandramas's flunky Naradas attempt to find maps in Perivor, a kingdom of shipwrecked Mimbrates, that point the way to the Place Which Is No More. Naradas, disguised as a court minister, delays Garion by sending him on quests; Sadi successfully poisons him, and with the aid of a Necromancer, they expose his treachery to the King and find the map. The Place Which is No More is revealed to be the High Places of Korim, an ancient temple of Torak.
The group sets sail to the Place Which Is No More, rests on the island, and confronts Zandramas. A battle ensues against her Grolim priests, as well as the demon Mordja, who resides inside the last dragon's body. Mordja kills the blindfolded Seeress's guide Toth, but Garion finishes off both the dragon and the demon.
The group then follows Zandramas into the Sardion's resting place, where Zandramas chooses Geran as the next Child of Dark, while Garion chooses Eriond as the Child of Light. Cyradis, unable to consult with her people, experiences panic until Polgara removes her blindfold so that she may see with human eyes. After a final challenge from Zandramas, Cyradis chooses Eriond, causing Zandramas and the Sardion to be turned into stars and transported into outer space.
The Voice of Prophecy explains that the events of the preceding books were the result of an ancient, cosmic event that resulted in the Light and Dark prophecies, and that Eriond, the final Child of the Light, is not only that, but was actually the true God of Angarak, whereas Torak was never meant to be a God.
The adventurers return home. Polgara gives birth to twins; this is theorized to be the first "new" event that is not a repetition, as Polgara has spent thousands of years helping to raise other people's children and has not (until this point) had a child of her own.
[edit] See also
- The Belgariad
- Characters in The Belgariad
- Deities in The Belgariad
- Races in The Belgariad and The Malloreon
[edit] External links
- A Timeline for The Belgariad and The Malloreon
- Glossary of Characters
- A MUSH set in the world of the Belgariad and the Malloreon
- A MUD set in the world of the Belgariad and the Malloreon
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