I will leave this book somewhere this evening for the lucky person who finds it. I own all of the Eddings' books, but The Belgariad series is what started it all for me. My daughter has read all of the books in my collection at least 5 times each, and has requested her own collection before going off to college.

If you like Tolkien, you will love this book as well. Eddings writes with wonderful detail, and surrounds you with the places, people and creatures in his books. I didn't want to put the book down, and found myself trying to keep my eyes open in the early morning hours, just to see what was going to happen next. He is able to plant vivid pictures in your brain and causes you to escape to the worlds he creates.

My favorite character is Polgara, and one of the reasons I love these books so much is the strength of the female characters. At the beginning, Mr. Eddings was the only author listed, then later his wife Leigh was included beside him. The women are strong, witty and individualistic characters, and I credit Mrs. Eddings for that aspect.

This book is the first of a five book series. There are two other series as well, so I hope to include all of the books eventually!

Released on Friday, April 05, 2002 at Applebees Restaurant on Fowler Avenue in Tampa, Florida USA.