Polgara the Sorceress » (~)

David Eddings published his first novel, High Hunt, in 1973, before turning to the field of fantasy and The Belgariad, soon followed by The Malloreon. Born in Spokane, Washington, in 1931, and raised in the Puget Sound area north of Seattle, he received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Reed College in Portland, Oregon, in 1954 and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Washington in 1961. He has served in the United States Army, has worked as a buyer for the Boeing Company, has been a grocery clerk and college English teacher.

Leigh Eddings has collaborated with her husband for more than a dozen years.

The Eddings live in the Southwest.

She soars above a world of warriors, kings, and priests. The daughter of Belgarath and the shape-shifter Poledra, she has fought wars, plotted palace coups, and worked her powerful magic for three thousand years. Now, Polgara looks back at her magnificent life, in this fitting crown jewel to the saga that is the Eddings' Belgariad and Mallorean cycles.

Her hair streaked white by her father's first touch, her mind guided by a mother she will not see again for centuries, Polgara begins life in her Uncle Beldin's tower, and in the prehistorical, magical Tree that stands in the middle of the Vale. There, she first learns the reaches of her powers. There she assumes the bird shapes that will serve her on her adventures. And there she starts on the path toward her destiny as Duchess of Erat, shepherdess of the cause of good, adversary of Torak the One-Eyed Dragon God, and guardian of the world's last, best hope: the heir to the Rivan throne.

Here is the legendary life story of a woman of wit, passion, and complex emotions, a woman born of two majestic parents who could not have been more unlike one another. Ordained to make peace and make war, to gain love and lose love, Polgara lives out her family's rich prophecy in the ceaseless struggle between the Light and the Dark.

Polgara is the epic culmination of a magnificent saga, and a fitting farewell to a world which, once experienced, will never be forgotten.

SF Site - Wayne MacLaurin

Like its predecessor, this is a lengthy tale spanning thousands of years of history... If anybody is wondering if there is a point to telling the same tale twice, the answer is yes. Belgarath and Polgara tell two very different versions of the same story. The Eddings state right off that these are two different tales, and since they are told by two different characters, it's up to the reader to decided who's remembering a truer version of events.... If you haven't read anything by these authors, Polgara the Sorceress is a good introduction, although it does make a few assumptions about the reader's knowledge of events in The Belgariad and The Malloreon. For those long-time fans, Polgara the Sorceress is a worthy addition to a growing collection. One hint: watch for some subtle clues as to what the Eddings' next books might be about.