by Amy I. Sheldon
Archive-name: sf/david-eddings-faqPosting-Frequency: bi-monthlyLast-modified: 1996/07/07
Version: 1.1 The alt.fan.eddings David Eddings Frequently Asked Questions List
CONTENTS
I. About David Eddings A. Biographical Information B. Bibliography 1) Titles (includes U.S. and British ISBNs, and U.S. Publishers) 2) German Titles 3) Finnish Titles C. Miscellaneous Information 1) Omnibus Editions 2) _The Losers_: Copyright date vs. creation date 3) Where to Write to David EddingsII. Frequently Asked Questions GENERAL QUESTIONS A. The systems of magic and worlds that David Eddings have created don't always seem very logical. Why? B. I've got this great idea about who should be in a movie... C. Gee, has anyone noticed that the plots of Eddings' fantasies are all kind of similar? BELGARIAD/MALLOREON D. Inconsistencies 1) Editing errors The infamous Chaldan/Chamdar misprint The wandering L's 2) Boneheaded errors The name of Brand's oldest son Gared/Geran 3) Illogical actions Durnik vs. Brill E. Dryads (a.k.a. The Thread That Will Not Die) F. So, what exactly *is* on Garion's amulet? G. The meaning of 'Bel' and 'Pol'. H. Why can't Zedar get out of that hole Belgarath put him in? I. Speaking of Zedar, don't you think his punishment was a bit too harsh? ELENIUM/TAMULIIII. Eddings Resources A. alt.fan.eddings newsgroup B. Web pagesIV. Credits and Thanks--------------------------------- ABOUT DAVID EDDINGSA. BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION>From _Contemporary Authors: New Revision Series_, Volume 35. PERSONAL: Born July 7, 1931, in Spokane, Washington; son of George Wayne and Theone (Berge) Eddings; married Judith Leigh Schall, October 27, 1962. Education: Attended Everett Junior College, 1950-52; Reed College, B.A., 1954; University of Washington, Seattle, M.A., 1961. Politics: "Unaffiliated." Religion: "Unaffiliated." CAREER: Writer. Has worked as a buyer for Boeing Co., as a grocery clerk, and as a college English teacher. Military Service: U.S. Army, 1954-56.>From the back dust jacket flap of _Belgarath the Sorcerer_ (published 1995). David Eddings was born in Spokane, Washington in 1931 and was raised in the Puget Sound area north of Seattle. He received a 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 State Army, has worked as a buyer for the Boeing Company, has been a grocery clerk, and has taught college English. He has lived in many parts of the United States. His first novel, _High Hunt_ (published by Putnam in 1973), was a contemporary adventure story. The field of fantasy has always been of interest to him, however, and he turned to The Belgariad in an effort to develop certain technical and philosophical ideas concerning the genre. Eddings and his wife Leigh currently reside in the Southwest, where they work together on their bestselling fantasy epics.B. BIBLIOGRAPHY:Note: Publisher listed is for U.S. editions. "hc" = hardcover, "pb" = paperback."The Belgariad" Pawn of Prophecy (1982) Del Rey U.S. ISBN 0-345-30997-9 (pb) British ISBN 0-593-02616-0 (hc) 0-552-12284-X (pb) Queen of Sorcery (1982) Del Rey U.S. ISBN 0-345-30079-3 (pb) British ISBN 0-593-02629-2 (hc) 0-552-12348-X (pb) Magician's Gambit (1983) Del Rey U.S. ISBN 0-345-33545-7 (pb) British ISBN 0-552-12382-X (pb) Castle of Wizardry (1984) Del Rey U.S. ISBN 0-345-33570-8 (pb) British ISBN 0-593-02635-7 (hc) 0-552-12435-4 (pb) Enchanter's Endgame (1984) Del Rey U.S. ISBN 0-345-33871-5 (pb) British ISBN 0-593-02638-1 (hc) 0-552-12447-8 (pb) Eddings' first fantasy series. About the adventures of a young boy, Garion, as he grows to realize his amazing destiny. With his Aunt Pol and Grandfather, he must travel through the Kingdoms of the Alorns and Angaraks, making new friends and overcome deadly enemies. The Belgariad: Part 1 (c)1982,83 - published 1995, Del Rey U.S. ISBN 0-345-40004-6 (hc) Belgariad: Part 2 (c)1984 - forthcoming late-1996, Del Rey U.S. ISBN ? Two-volume hardcover omnibus reprint of the five volumes of the Belgariad. Part One contains the first three books, Part Two will contain the final two."The Malloreon" Guardians of the West (1987) Del Rey U.S. ISBN 0-345-33000-5 (hc) 0-345-35266-1 (pb) British ISBN 0-593-01195-3 (hc) 0-593-01561-4 (pb) King of the Murgos (1988) Del Rey U.S. ISBN 0-345-33002-1 (hc) 0-345-35880-5 (pb) British ISBN 0-593-01562-2 (hc) 0-552-13018-4 (pb) Demon Lord of Karanda (1988) Del Rey U.S. ISBN 0-345-33004-8 (hc) 0-345-36331-0 (pb) British ISBN 0-593-01210-1 (hc) 0-593-01563-0 (pb) The Sorceress of Darshiva (1989) Del Rey U.S. ISBN 0-345-33005-6 (hc) 0-345-36935-1 (pb) British ISBN 0-593-01204-6 (hc) 0-552-13020-6 (pb) The Seeress of Kell (1991) Del Rey U.S. ISBN 0-345-33006-4 (hc) 0-345-37759-1 (pb) British ISBN 0-593-01207-0 (hc) 0-552-13021-4 (pb) Sequel to the Belgariad. Ten years after the events of the Belgariad, King Belgarion's son is abducted by dark forces. Belgarion and his companions must recover the child before disaster occurs.Belgarath the Sorcerer (1995) Del Rey U.S. ISBN 0-345-37324-3 (hc) British ISBN 0-246-13845-9 (hc)Polgara the Sorceress (forthcoming Spring '97) Del Rey A pair of prequels to the Belgariad and Malloreon series. The books are presented as narratives by the title characters."The Elenium" The Diamond Throne (1989) Del Rey U.S. ISBN 0-345-35691-8 (hc) 0-345-36769-3 (pb) British ISBN 0-246-13345-7 (hc) 0-586-203742-9 (pb) The Ruby Knight (1990) Del Rey U.S. ISBN 0-345-37043-0 (hc) 0-345-37352-9 (pb) British ISBN 0-246-13731-2 (hc) 0-586-20343-7 (pb) The Sapphire Rose (1991) Del Rey U.S. ISBN 0-345-37474-6 (hc) 0-345-37472-X (pb) British ISBN 0-246-13347-3 (hc) 0-586-20374-5 (pb) Fantasy series set in a new world. The church knight, Sparhawk, returns to his home to find his Queen dying, and sets out to save her life, and overcome the evil plots of a corrupt and powerful church Primate."The Tamuli" Domes of Fire (1992) Del Rey U.S. ISBN 0-345-38327-3 (hc) 0-345-37321-9 (pb) British ISBN 0-586-21313-9 (hc) 0-586-21858-0 (pb) The Shining Ones (1993) Del Rey U.S. ISBN 0-345-37322-7 (hc) 0-345-38866-6 (pb) British ISBN 0-246-13846-7(hc) 0-586-21316-3 (pb) The Hidden City (1994) Del Rey U.S. ISBN 0-345-37323-5 (hc) 0-345-39040-7 (pb) British ISBN 0-246-13847-5 (hc) 0-586-21317-1 (pb) Sequel series to the Elenium. Prince Sparhawk answers a plea from the Tamul Empire to help them oppose dse dmagic.Novels (non-fantasy) High Hunt (1973) Putnam The original hardcover is long out of print. In 1992, Del Rey reprinted it in paperback - U.S. ISBN 0-345-32887-6 A sort of middle-aged rite of passage novel. GI returns from Germany and goes on a mountain hunting trip with his older brother and a group of mismatched guys. Tensions arise. The Losers (1992) Fawcett Columbine (hc), Del Rey (pb) U.S. ISBN 0-449-90719-8 (hc) 0-345-38520-9 (pb) British ISBN 0-002-24138-2 (hc) 0-586-21759-2 (pb) Dark tale of Raphael, the college football star who, after a tragic accident takes up residence in 'Welfare City' in Spokane. He observes the activities of his 'loser' neighbors and fights off predatory social workers, until the arrival of his college roommate puts a match to the powder keg.B.2. German TitlesThe following was posted by Daniel Peters, who then immediatelyleft Hamburg for several months in Florence. So he has no idea thathe is now part of a FAQ."I just happened to find this list of the German titles of theBelgariad and Malloreon-Saga. As it is, I read them all in Germanand in the "Bastei-Luebbe" version. The Knaur-Books are notavailable for years. [Bastei-Luebbe and Knaur are German publishingcompanies - ed.]" BELGARIADDie Prophezeiung des Bauern (Knaur)Kind der Prophezeiung (Bastei)Die Zaubermacht der Dame (Knaur)Zauber der Schlange (Bastei)Gambit der Magier (Knaur)Spiel der Magier (Bastei)Turm der Hexerei (Knaur)Turm der Hexer (Bastei)Verwunschenes Endspiel (Knaur)Duell der Zauberer (Bastei)"The titles of the Malloreon are the same for the old Knaur and newBastei versions." MALLOREONDie Herren des WestensKoenig der MurgosDer Daemon von KarandaZauberin von DarshivaSeherin von KellDenis Aumueller provided the following titles, all published byBastei-Luebbe. Only the first book of the Tamuli has appeared inGermany. ELENIUMDer Thron im DiamantDer Ritter vom RubinDie Rose aus Saphir TAMULIDie Schimmernde StadtB.3. Finnish TitlesEddings has also been translated into Finnish, and Arto Repolaprovided the Finnish versions. BELGARIADKiven vartija (Pawn of Prophecy)Ennustusten aika (Queen of Sorcery)Velhojen taistelu (Magician's Gambit)Rivan kuningatar (Castle of Wizardry)Kohtalon tayttymys (Enchanter's Endgame) MALLOREONLannen vartijat (Guardians of the West)Murgojen kuningas (King of the Murgos)Karandan paholaisherra (Demon Lord of Karanda)Darshivan velhotar (The Sorceress of Darshiva)Kellin nakijatar (The Seeress of Kell)Only the first book of the Elenium has been released in a Finnishtranslation, but Arto reports that the final two books of thetrilogy are due out soon. ELE ELETimanttivaltaistuin (The Diamond Throne)C. MISCELLANEOUS PUBLISHING INFORMATION"The Belgariad" was published in the U.S. as a set of originalpaperbacks - the only hardcover edition available prior to 1995 wasa two-volume omnibus from the Science Fiction Book Club. In 1995,_The Belgariad Part One_, was published by Del Rey in hardcover._The Belgariad Part Two_ should be out in late 1996. All of theBritish editions of Eddings' work have come out in both hardcoverand paperback versions.Eddings' two non-fantasy novels, _High Hunt_ and _The Losers_, cameout in a hardcover omnibus edition titled _Two Complete Novels_from Wings Publishing in 1993 (ISBN 0-517-11908-0).Despite the 1992 copyright date, _The Losers_ is actually DavidEddings' second book; it was written right after _High Hunt_ in themid-1970's. He wasn't able to get it published until he became abestselling author of fantasies.CONTACTING DAVID EDDINGSDavid Eddings does not have an e-mail address and, according toeveryone who has asked, has no intentions of getting one. If youwant to contact him, you need to write a genuine, pen-and-paperletter, and send it care of his publisher, Del Rey Books. Addressit as follows: David Eddings c/o Del Rey Books 201 E. 50th St. New York, NY 10022 U.S.A.I recommend using the two-envelope method: Write your letter, sealit into a stamped envelope with "David Eddings" written on thefront, BUT NO ADDRESS. Then insert that into another envelope andmail it off to Del Rey Books. If you want a reply, you'll be a lotmore likely to get one if you include a self-addressed, stampedenvelope. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (ask again at your own risk)GENERAL QUESTIONSA. The systems of magic and the worlds that David Eddings created don't always seem very sensible. In fact, sometimes they're kind of silly, and it's hard to think up logical explanations for how they work. Why? Following is a quote from David Eddings, found in _Contemporary Authors: New Revision Series_, volume 35. "My current excursion into fantasy has given me an opportunity to test my technical theories [of writing]. I made a world that never was, with an unlikely theology splattered against an improbable geology. My magic is at best a kind of pragmatic cop-out. Many of my explanations of how magic is supposed to work are absurdities - _but_ my characters all accept these explanations as if there was no possibility of quibbling about them, and if the characters believe, then the readers seem also to believe." In other words, creating a logical, internally consistent fantasy world was not part of David Eddings' agenda.B. I've got this great idea about wut whould be in a movie... Every newsgroup that covers any literary character or characters inevitably gives birth to Casting threads, and alt.fan.eddings is no exception. There are some things you should know before you suggest that Sean Connery should play Belgarath. First, there are no plans to film ANY of Eddings' works. Second, anyone that you can think of to cast in an imaginary film of Eddings' works has already been suggested by someone else. Third, that knowledge hasn't stopped anyone else from posting THEIR casting suggestions, so why should it stop you? Just don't be surprised at the moans of dismay from the old- timers.C. Gee, has anyone noticed that the plots of Eddings' fantasies are all kind of similar? [sarcasm alert] Gosh, you're kidding! Wow, what an insight! We'd have never noticed if you hadn't mentioned it! David Eddings has obviously developed what he considers to be a very serviceable plot, well suited to the type of fantasies that he writes. And since his many fans (i.e., us) continue to buy his books, he doesn't feel any pressing need to develop a new plot. That Eddings is capable of coming up with _different_ plots is evident from his two non-fantasy novels, neither of which involves a quest for a blue stone. BELGARIAD/MALLOREOND. Inconsistencies Inconsistencies come in three flavors: 1) Editing mistakes, 2) Sheer boneheaded errors, and 3) Illogical actions. Editing mistakes are those errors that crept in during the printing process. These generally consist of misspellings or incorrect character identifications. Boneheaded errors are those where the writer simply forgot that he has already named (or described) something, and later gives it a completely different name (or description). Illogical actions are things that happen that, based on other information in the story, seem REALLY stupid. 1) Editing Mistakes Chaldan/Chamdar At one point in _The Seeress of Kell_, the "bull-god of the Arends" is identified as "Chamdar" rather than "Chaldan." The Wandering L's Gethell/Gethel (the King of the Thrulls) and Xbel/Xbell (a dryad) appear at various times with their names spelled either with one 'L' or two 'L's. In the case of Gethell, the two 'L' version is used most frequently, and appears to be the proper spelling. Xbel appears an equal number of times spelled both ways, but since no other dryads have double letters in their names, I'm willing to assume that Xbel is the correct spelling. 2) Boneheaded Errors The name of Brand's oldest son Brand's oldest son is iis iified twice during the course of the Belgariad as "Bralon." He reappears in the Malloreon as "Verdan." The name of the young prince who survived the slaughter of the rest of the Rivan line by Salmissra In the Belgariad, when Polgara tells Garion the story of the young prince's escape, she gives his name as "Gared." When Belgarath tells an expanded version of the story in _Belgarath the Sorcerer_, the prince's name is "Geran." 3) Illogical Actions In _Pawn of Prophecy_, Durnik easily dispatches Brill when he finds him spying on the others. Later, we find that Brill is actually an incredibly skilled fighter and assassin, and there really shouldn't have been any way that a simple blacksmith (even one with two lives) could have caught him off guard. Of course, the fun part about illogical action inconsistencies is that the TruFan can come up with explanations for them. Two possibilities that have been discussed in a.f.e. are: 1) Brill didn't want to blow his cover, so he allowed Durnik to catch him. 2) The Prophecy of Light interfered. In the Belgariad, it comes as a complete surprise to everyone that Asharak, the Murgo merchant, is actually Chamdar, the Grolim almost-disciple of Torak. In _Belgarath the Sorcerer_, both Silk and Belgarath are aware that Chamdar uses the name Asharak. No one has managed to come up a good explanation for this one yet. Personally, I'm hoping that it will be cleared up in _Polgara the Sorceress_.E. Dryads (a.k.a. The Thread That Will Not Die) Donal Fellows has a fairly comprehensive compilation of the endless Dryad threads, and I'll try and create a very compressed version to go here. If you don't want to wait, check out his home page (URL given at the end of this FAQ).F. So, what exactly is on Garion's amulet? (Thanks to Jonathan Yen for this answer) We have no clue. Eddings only made one comment on what was on the amulet. In _Queen of Sorcery_, Garion looks at his amulet and notices that it has a strange geometric design. That's it. For some reason, Garion never bothers to look at his amulet ever again. Why? Don't ask me. So, of course, there has been speculation on what is on the amulet. Various things have been said, like a wolf, the orb, the Rivan sword going through a crown, and a circle. Because Garion ain't that dumb, I think he would have noticed that his amulet had a design of one of these rather than think of it as a strange geometric design. I myself posed the idea that the design onn onion's amulet was in fact a moebius strip. Something about two things becoming one or maybe it was one thing becoming two. I don't know...I was feeling weird that day. Amy Sheldon thought it might have been a rune. You know, a weird character that stands for an entire word (like in the Chinese language). Of course, this started up a whole lot of speculation of what the word was...G. What is this Bel/Pol prefix business? (Thanks to Donal Fellows for this answer, with parenthetical commentary by Amy Sheldon) `Bel' and `Pol' both mean beloved and nothing more. It's just that `Bel' is the male form and `Pol' is the female form. Beldaran is an anomaly, but languages (especially English) are full of them, so you'd better get used to it... (NOWHERE in either the Belgariad or Malloreon does it state that 'Bel' or 'Pol' means disciple. Aldur added it to his original disciples' names, presumably as a sign that they were his "beloved disciples", but simply adding 'Bel' to a name no more makes a character Aldur's disciple then adding 'Fido' to your name would make you into a dog.)H. Why can't Zedar get out of that hole Belgarath put him in? (By Jonathan Yen, with parenthetical commentary by Amy Sheldon) Well, Belgarath mentions that sorcerers can't undo what another sorcerer does because everyone thinks differently. But Zedar ain't stupid, and so, should be able to think of another way to get out, right? So, Belgarath must have thought of a pretty elaborate way to keep Zedar down there. However, one should remember that Zedar is stuck in rock for all eternity, which means that he has sufficient oxygen and food for all eternity also. Or, it means that Belgarath made provisions for his well-being for throughout eternity. So, I propose two possible solutions: a) Zedar is stuck in rock like how Relg goes through it. (My personal favorite, with the addendum that Belgarath has somehow blocked Zedar from being able to gather his will and use magic to escape). b) Zedar is in suspended animation. (Not too likely, since if he's in suspended animation, he isn't aware of being trapped, and therefore it isn't much of a punishment....)I. Speaking of Zedar, don't you think his punishment was too harsh? No.
ELENIUM/TAMULI EDDINGS RESOURCES
A. alt.fan.eddings newsgroup Home of Eddings fanatics worldwide. First appeared in the early 1990s, and if anyone knows the actual date it was created, let me know. (I know I started reading regularly in January, 1993, and it had already been around for a while then). A comfortable newsgroup with moderate traffic (10 to 20 messagesagesay, depending on the time of year, whether a new book has come out recently, and the level of spam on the Net) - feel free to drop in and join us.B. Web pagesEDDINGS HOME PAGES:Donal Fellow's Eddings Page http://r8h.cs.man.ac.uk:8000/eddings/ Eddings trivia, voting on items of interest to Eddings fans, and links to other sites. Donal is an a.f.e. stalwart, and has been around virtually since the group's creation. His site also contains a copy of the a.f.e. Recommended Fantasy Author List. Eddings Page - "The Vale" http://www.farris.co.uk/books/archive/eddings.htm http://www.farris.co.uk/books/author.asp?forename=david&surname=eddings Contains Paul Farris' original Eddings FAQ, and well as links to other sites and lots of other useful stuff. U.K. fans should note that Paul's FAQ has the ISBNs of the *British* editions of David Eddings' books.The Unofficial a.f.e. Home Page http://w3.one.net/~halldp/afe.htm Justin Hall's tribute to denizens of alt.fan.eddings. Along with the usual links to other Eddings sites, it includes a list of prominent a.f.e'rs and how they can be contacted.The Belgariad Timeline http://www.cps.msu.edu/~korthmat/eddings/timeline.html Matthew Korth is in the process of putting together a timeline of the Five Ages of the world of the Belgariad.OTHER SITES OF INTEREST:Del Rey homepage http://www.randomhouse.com/delrey/ Del Rey is Eddings' publisher in the U.S., and their site often has news about his upcoming work. They also publish quite a few other fantasy authors, and you can find sample chapters and all kinds of goodies there.
CREDITS AND THANKS
Special thanks and my eternal gratitude to Paul Farris, Donal Fellows, and Jonathan Yen, who let me use information that they hadalready gathered and pounded into useable form. I am grateful for their hard work, and their graciousness in allowing me to swipe^H^H^H^H^H utilize their efforts.And, of course, I could never forgive myself if I forgot to thank Anthony Chan, who 'waaaay back in 1994 began the grim task of hacking together an Eddings FAQ (he eventually gave it up and decided to do something a bit easier - complete his medical degree.)
Thanks also to: Daniel Peters, for the original list of German titles, and Denis Aumueller, who sent the titles of Eddings' other works and added ISBNs. Raul de Vincenzi, Geoff Hunter and Ginger941, who provided help with ISBNs, as well as a few encouraging words. Joy Green, who provided the descriptions for _High Hunt_ and _The Losers_ Arto Repola, who provided the Finnish version of the titles. And, of course, Kalten, who provided the best commentary I've received on this FAQ FAQce it came out (unfortunately, much of it isn't suitable for a family publication...)
-- Amy I. Sheldon Cleveland [email protected]
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