David Eddings: 1931-2009
We are saddened to report on the passing of David Eddings, author of the Belgariad and Malloreon series of books, at the age of 77.
The first volume of the Belgariad series, Pawn of Prophecy, came out back in 1982 and was followed in short order by Queen of Sorcery, Magician’s Gambit, Castle of Wizardry and Enchanters’ End
Game. They sold in quantities that stunned the publishing establishment at the time, as SF was pretty much the rage.
Author Stephen Hunt commented on Eddings:
His commercial success paved the way for a whole generation of doorstopper sized fantasy series…. I was in my early teens when I discovered these books, and they opened my eyes to the fact that not all fantasy had to be the ‘Ye Olde
Speake’ variety favoured by Tolkien – they were fantasy, but they carried a modern feel to the dialogue and characterisation, while still being firmly placed in a deeply believable fantasy world.It’s a feel that influenced a whole swathe of media, and not just books – you can see David Eddings’ influence running through Xena and Hercules too, albeit taken to extremes with their, ‘Hey, dragon dude!’ dialogue.
He will be missed.
As i've said (too many times) before – "Another man done gone."
David Eddings should be considered a staple of junior high school/high school fantasy, along with Piers Anthony, Robert Asprin, and Anne McCaffrey. The dialog of the characters in his books is truly playful, and captures more of the 'fun' that can be devoid in many fantasy novels. Yes, it doesn't hold its own, when you get older and are looking for deeper and richer fantasy. But, regardless, he is one of the most successful Fantasy writers of the 80s/90s and helped usher in the current age. I find it interesting that he passed away only two years after his wife passed away. Thank you Mr. Eddings for all of the page turning days and nights.