David Eddings, RIP.

"The first thing the boy Garion remembered was the kitchen at Faldor's farm. For all the rest of his life he had a special warm feeling for kitchens and those peculiar sounds and smells that seemed somehow to combine into a bustling seriousness that had to do with love and food and comfort and security and, above all, home. No matter how high Garion rose in life, he never forgot that all his memories began in that kitchen...

The center of the kitchen and everything that happened there was Aunt Pol. She seemed somehow to be able to be everywhere at once. The finishing touch that plumped a goose in its roasting pan or deftly shaped a rising loaf or garnished a smoking ham fresh from the oven was always hers..."

I have not always been a nonfiction fiend. When I was little I read a lot of fantasy books, including David Eddings's Belgariad series, which started with Pawn of Prophecy. (The above is the opening page of that book.) And when I say read, I mean consumed. I read all the books in the series roughly a million times. I'm so old that when I first started reading them, Eddings was actually still writing them, and I had to wait for the subsequent volumes, which was unbelievably exciting. Let's put it this way. I lived on a farm. I didn't get to the city very often. So when I did get to town, and could sneak a visit to the bookstore (luckily, there was one in the mall where my parents and I sold vegetables at a farm market), and then found that the new volume in the Belgariad was out, well, as they would say on South Park, spank my ass and call me Charlie. Those were not only some of the most exciting moments of my childhood, they remain some of the most exciting moments of my life.

The point of this long and ridiculously self-centered story is that David Eddings has died, at the age of 77. The news made me very sad and I had to go downstairs and retrieve my copy of Pawn of Prophecy,* just to hold it a little bit. It's a pulpy old paperback, cover price $3.50, and the spine and pages are just starting to loosen it up. It smells pleasantly old. But just holding it and re-reading the above** made me very happy.

So here's to you, David Eddings. Mr. CR tells me you're derivative of Tolkien, but I don't care. I spent lots of happy hours with you in my youth and I'll spend more this winter when I re-read all your series, which I am now planning to do.***

*Unlike Mr. CR, who has kept every book he has ever bought, very few books moved with me from my childhood home to college and subsequent homes. During the last move I almost got rid of my David Eddings paperbacks, but I couldn't quite get myself to do it. And, although I like to jettison stuff whenever possible, just this once, I'm glad.

**How great for a fantasy series to start in a kitchen. Please note: I lived on a farm too, and I also loved our kitchen. I knew this series was meant for me from that very first page.

***I also had a crush on the hero Garion, and can't wait to relive that while I re-read. Super!

Comments

[Tripp]

How sad. Eddings's books were some of the first fantasy novels with which I really engaged. He got me on the path to giant fantasy novels, before I ever read Tolkein!

[kwandongbrian]

I had nearly finished the series when someone pointed out the chess terminology in the titles. i had totally missed that, but didn't then and don't now see any connection between chess, chess as a metaphor or whatever and the books. Do you recall any, or, when you reread them, could you look for them?

I don't think I read beyond the first five books but I share your fond memories.

[Citizen Reader]

Tripp,
I agree. Eddings led me to lots of other books too, although I can't say I ever did get into Tolkien. Did you read the Eddings obit? My favorite part was where he decided to write fantasy because he saw a Tolkien book in the bookstore that was in its 73rd printing, and thought that might be a good field to get into. Hilarious.

Kwandongbrian,
Hey, chess terminology! I never noticed that either. To the best of my recollection, though, no chess stuff in the books. Maybe it just meant the larger game of good versus evil? Very interesting.

If you read the first five books (The Belgariad), you've read the best. The second series (the Mallorean) was okay but not as good. But...I still want to re-read it. :)

[LynneW]

Hmmm. I never read Eddings - perhaps because he was compared to Tolkien? I read THE HOBBIT at age 8, on a dare from an older cousin, and was patently unimpressed. "So what? He's a short guy with hairy toes and he has adventures described in long unprounceable made-up words." [Think I was maybe a tad young for the subtexts? ]

But the excerpt above looks quite readable to me; I'll have to try him!

Thanks, CR, for adding ANOTHER book to my Leaning Tower of TBRs ~

[dennis eddings]

The chess titles for the Belgariad were imposed by Lester del Rey. They are pretty irrelevant to the books, but what the hell--they have a nice ring to them.

dennis eddings

[Citizen Reader]

LynneW,
I think you'd rather enjoy Eddings. I always rather liked them because he did have a lot of interesting women characters (something Tolkien didn't seem to offer, in my humble opinion--and I was totally bored by the Hobbit as well!) and sometimes he had thieving and other clever characters who moved the plot forward without constant sword battles. Thumbs up!

[Citizen Reader]

Dennis,
Thank you for the clarification! As I am not a chess player, I never even noticed the titles, but that is great information to have. I too think they had a nice ring. I'm just glad Lester del Rey published them, no matter what the titles.

And I have to ask--are you a relation? If so, I'm very sorry for your loss.

[dennis eddings]

LynneW,

Leigh gets a great deal of credit for the interesting women characters in Dave's books. Dave would read his day's work to Leigh, who would then set him straight on how women think and act. She collaborated with David from Book I of the Belgariad on, and should have been given credit far earlier.

And yes, we are related; David was my brother. I thank you for the thought, but believe me, it was time for David's exit. Sad, yes, but definitely time.

[Citizen Reader]

Dennis:
Thank you so much for taking the time to post here; I've learned so much about the books now. I always loved the banter between the male and female characters in the series; now that I know how it came about, it makes much more sense. I'm glad Leigh's contribution is a bit better known now.

And, even if it was time, it's never easy to lose a brother. Again, I'm so sorry, and I wish you and your family all the best.