David and Leigh Eddings

David Eddings!  Another of my favorite authors!  Although most of his books say only his name, he later added his wife, Leigh's, name to his books and admitted that she was such a huge help to him that she deserved the credit.  Together they have created several fantasy worlds that are definitely worth reading!

Some things that characterize their work: most of their books have some truly epic range, both in characters, world size, and shear scope!  The series that starts with Pawn of Prophecy has 13 books, spans thousands of years, and sees the downfall and rise of gods.   The Elenium and Tamuli has similar scope, if not the same length. While The Redemption of Althalus is a stand alone novel, it still follows that same epic pattern.

The Belgariad and Mallorean series begin withe Pawn of Prophecy and follow the adventures of Garion, a farm boy thrust into kingship by a heritage he knew nothing of.  Magic, gods and war follow him wherever he goes.  This is one of my all time favorites!  I try to read this series every year or so, it's that good.  I never get tired of it.  Garion is a brilliant character, and the reader gets to see him grow and change from a boy with no knowledge of the world, to one of the major players in it.  Great story, that grows as Garion does.

I would recommend any of the books by David and Leigh Eddings to people of almost any age.  I love the Elenium, the Tamuli, the Belgariad, and the Mallorean series. I also really enjoyed reading The Redemption of Althalus.  While they did write another series called The Dreamers, I did not like that series as well as the others.  These books are great for boys and girls alike, with elements that will interest and intrigue both!  They are well written, fun to read, and continually surprising.  I would recommend starting with Pawn of Prophecy, and read that series first.  Even kids as young as middle school aged would enjoy them.  The Elenium I would say are better for high school aged, and Redemption of Althalus would be around the same age.

Read some David Eddings!  He is wonderful!