| Polgara the Sorceress |
 ISBN: 0345422554 LibraryThing | This is the final continuation of the Belgariad and the Malloreon series, following on from the Belgarath the Sorcerer continuation. The two continuation books are really just the same stories told from other perspectives, yet Belgarath the Sorcerer managed to be a really interesting read. It probably helped that Belgarath's story predates the Belgariad by thousands of years. On the other hand, most of the territory covered in this book is not new.
This book started well, but the tone quickly became annoying for me. I think it was the several hundred pages of Arendish history that ruined it for me -- its just not that interesting where Polgara's bathroom is located, and who won a particular jousting match. There are also these really annoy asides littered throughout the text. The same element appeared in Belgarath, but seemed less annoying there for some reason. It annoyed me that there would be a passage of prose, broken in the middle with supposedly witty comment, which invariably fell flat. The other problem with this book is that Polgara herself comes across as a bit of a sociopath. She's always sure of herself, and lacks depth as a character because of it. I've got kids, and I find a character who is dumped into raising an orphan at zero notice being so self assured all the time. Surely she made mistakes and learnt something along the way? You wouldn't know it from the book though -- all of that is glossed over. On the other hand, the book is ok apart from the long middle bit in Arendia. This would have been a better book if that had been omitted. |
posted at: 18:32 | path: /book/David_Eddings | permanent link to this entry
-
#5
Ranter
(This is the final continuation of the Belgariad and the Malloreon series, following on from the Belgarath the Sorcerer continuation. The two continuation books are really just the same stories told from other perspectives, yet Belgarath the Sorcerer managed to be a really interesting read. It probably helped that Belgarath's story predates the Belgariad by thousands of years. On
the other hand, most of the territory covered in this book is not new.)
That's pretty obvious isn't it? But what's more important is that it's now told in a different perspective. The reason why I find myself drawn to David Edding's writings is because of the strength of his characters. As Belgarath and Polgara are both such giants of characters, their differing views on the events of history definitely interest me. Also, Polgara adds a more personal touch to her narrative, and that makes it even more endearing to me.
(This book started well, but the tone quickly became annoying for me. I think it was the several hundred pages of Arendish history that ruined it for me -- its just not that interesting where Polgara's bathroom is located, and who won a particular jousting match. There are also these really annoy asides littered throughout the text. The same element appeared in Belgarath, but seemed less annoying there for some reason. It annoyed me that there would be a passage of
prose, broken in the middle with supposedly witty comment, which invariably fell flat.)
I disagree entirely. Polgara the Sorceress was pretty slow going in the beginning, but I found myself warming up to her narrative very, very quickly. The interesting tale of her childhood, along with her charming wit completely bowled me over and truly captivated me. I'm not exactly sure I follow you on the bathroom part...did it really feel that dragged out for you? Polgara loved her house. It was something very important to her after all, and women do tend
to get a little obsessed over houses. I thought it was natural of her to obsess a little over such a magnificient house. Note that Eddings was also accentuating the difference in characteristics between Belgarath and Polgara.
I'm rather surprised by your take on the Arendish turn to Polgara's narrative. I thought that it was a highly significant portion of her narrative. If you had been noticing Polgara in the Belgariad and the Mallorean, you would know why. She may be playful at times, disrespectful to her father and she may indulge in what she terms as 'colourful' language occasionally (or frequently, whatever), but she is a noblewoman at heart. She was greatly influenced in Arendia and it was almost essential for her character to have developed there, because while Polgara may be one of the most practical person in the book, one can certainly see the romantic that lurks within her. She can be foolish at times, as her father describes I think, just like an Arend. Where else could she have grown up into our Polgara better? She became a duchess and picked up the finer points of politics there and even managed to establish peace in Arendia for a long period of time through a method that seemed foreign to the dukes of Arendia at the time- subtle politics. This was crucial for her education of course and one could say that Arendia was the first major task that Aldur entrusted to her and it was ever her 'domain' in the travels in the Belgariad. Arendia is such a big part of her and this was portrayed even in the Belgariad, as i've just mentioned. Frankly, I loved to see how Polgara lived in the beautiful Vo Wacune, became a duchess and performed her duties as a noblewoman in such an interesting fashion, established 'Polgara's Peace', fell deeply in love and thought she would never find happiness again when her beloved city was destroyed along with whatever else she loved. Ancient Arendia is indeed central to her character.
-
#6
Ranter
Continued:
(The other problem with this book is that Polgara herself comes across as a bit of a sociopath. She's always sure of herself, and lacks depth as a character because of it. I've got kids, and I find a character who is dumped into raising an orphan at zero notice being so self assured all the time. Surely she made mistakes and learnt something along the way? You wouldn't know it from
the book though -- all of that is glossed over.)
Sociopath? Always sure of herself? Hmm, sociopath maybe. But then again, who isn't in the book? Belgarath himself can certainly be called a sociopath. Not to mention Beldin or Poledra. Heck, with such parents raising her, one wonders how she could have turned out otherwise. Part of Polgara's charm lies in the way she broods and grieves most of the time over the tragic events of the past. I think you are forgetting that Polly is over 3000 years old, is half wolf and a sorceress to boot. Now, Polgara may be sure of herself most of the time, but that's mostly because of her desperate need to fill her life with duty, probably as a means of distraction from other memories that might cause her unbearable pain- from losing her loved ones, which seems very human to me. She practically has to be confident in whatever she does because she doesn't believe in whining and moping, so she endeavours to do her best in her tasks and due to the magnitude of her tasks, one would hardly be able to succeed without having strong self- confidence. Perhaps you would rather she whined more or stumbled more often?
-
#7
Ranter
Actually, I feel that Polgara's vulnerable side and character defects were most definitely touched on in this book. She can be too rash at times (no matter her age) , she tends to follow her heart except when she has received instructions to do otherwise, she's incredibly stubborn, she used to be insecure as a teen and craved for attention- like all or most teens, she fell deeply in love and acted rather girlishly- even though she was over a thousand years old, she lost Garion's parents to Chamdar, she's very unforgiving of herself whenever she fails in her tasks. She may be confident but she certainly has her fair share of worries, which you might have glossed over when she touched on them in her
book, but that's the way she deals with problems. It's not fair to say that she's a flat character just because of her towering confidence. It'd be fair to say that if she got everything right. But she certainly made her own fair share blunders- though not enough to make us lose our respect for her Grace entirely. By the way, when you said that she was dumped into the task of raising an orphan, you neglected to mention that he was already about 7 or 9 (I forget exactly) and he was blood related to her at that- a direct descendent of her beloved sister, Beldaran. I think she really needed to look after someone after losing someone else who was so important to her (i won't ruin it for potential readers) . Besides, she was already over a thousand years old by that time and she had 'talent' . She used to play with the children in the court in Vo Wacune
and she is half wolf herself. (Note that wolves are animals have the innate ability to take care of their young. No offense to those who knew already. Really. ) If women are able to handle such situations, I don't see any reason why doubts should be cast on Polgara's ability to care for the young. Poledra herself would be terribly disappointed with Polgara if Polgara proved to be
inept at handling children. Apparently, it is very natural to wolves. I suppose it helps that Polgara is rather good at manipulating people and children alike. Alright, scream out 'sociopath' , why don't you?
-
#8
Ranter
On the whole, I think that it would be a fair assessment to say that you aren't a Polgara fan. Because i don't see how any Eddings fan can dislike this book. Sometimes, it takes interest in something or somebody to recognise the more intricate details of the thing or the person. Otherwise, one might just fail to see the beauty at all. I do admit freely that i am a Polgara fan, and i have
always been so. What interests me the most is the father- daughter relationship between Belgarath and Polgara. She's the most interesting character to me, but Belgarath ranks a close second. Some may say that I am biased in my review of the book, but that's entirely up to them of course. Ordinarily, I wouldn't care about negative book reviews, but seeing as how yours is the only one here, I thought it wouldn't be fair to those who are hovering on the thought of reading
or ditching it. Let's give Polgara a fair chance here. I truly see the beauty in these two characters, and I must say that David Eddings has influenced me as a person who delves in character creation. I'm filled with admiration for Eddings ability to create such rich characters without overdoing it.