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David Eddings (born July 7, 1931) is an American author who has written several best-selling series of epic fantasy novels. David Eddings' wife, Leigh Eddings, is uncredited as co-author on many of his early books, but he has lately acknowledged that she contributed to them all. July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... Nickname: The Lilac City Location of Spokane in Spokane County and Washington Coordinates: Country United States State Washington County Spokane Government  - Mayor Dennis P. Hession Area  - City  58. ... “Washington State” redirects here. ... For the album by the Kaiser Chiefs see Employment (album) Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. ... A literary genre is one of the divisions of literature into genres according to particular criteria such as literary technique, tone, or content. ... Fantasy is a genre of art that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. ... July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... High fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy fiction that is set in invented or parallel worlds. ...

Born in Spokane, Washington, Eddings grew up in Puget Sound before graduating with a BA from Reed College in 1954 and an MA from the University of Washington in 1961. Before becoming an author he worked for the United States Army and the Boeing Company. He currently resides in Carson City, Nevada, in the southwest United States. Nickname: The Lilac City Location of Spokane in Spokane County and Washington Coordinates: Country United States State Washington County Spokane Government  - Mayor Dennis P. Hession Area  - City  58. ... “Washington State” redirects here. ... Puget Sound Puget Sound (pronounced IPA ) is a sound connected to the Pacific Ocean via the Strait of Juan de Fuca in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. ... Reed College is a liberal arts college located in Portland, Oregon in the Eastmoreland neighborhood. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The University of Washington, founded in 1861, is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... The United States Army is one of the armed forces of the United States and has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) is a leading American aircraft and aerospace manufacturer, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with its largest production facilities near Seattle, Washington. ... Motto: Proud of its Past. ...

David Eddings' first books (which were general fiction) sold moderately well. He later switched to writing epic fantasy, a field in which he has achieved great success. Some of his more recent series, however, particularly those published after his second series, The Malloreon, have received fairly widespread criticism from readers and critics alike. This criticism is credited to his rehashing of storylines and characters, a tactic first noticeable in The Malloreon, where (through the use of a fairly transparent MacGuffin) Eddings managed to produce a storyline nearly identical to that of his first series, The Belgariad. In a recent interview with sffworld.com, he says: "I don't take orders from readers". Fiction (from the Latin fingere, to form, create) is storytelling of imagined events and stands in contrast to non-fiction, which makes factual claims that can be substantiated with evidence. ... High fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy fiction that is set in invented or parallel worlds. ... The Malloreon is a five part fantasy book series written by David Eddings, which follows The Belgariad. ... This article or section seems to contain too many examples (or examples of poor quality) for an encyclopedia entry. ... The Belgariad is a five-book fantasy epic written by David Eddings. ...

On the 26th of January 2007 it was reported that Eddings had managed to burn about a quarter of his office, next door to his house, along with his Excalibur sports car, and the original manuscripts for most of his novels. He was flushing the fuel tank of the car with water when he lit a piece of paper and threw into the puddle to test if it was still flammable.^[1]

At the time of the blaze, Eddings commented:

On the 28th of February 2007, David Eddings' wife, Leigh Eddings (born Judith Leigh Schall), died following a series of strokes. She was 69.^[2]

Writing Approach

Eddings has been described as taking a simplistic, lego-like approach^{[citation needed]} to the creation of worlds, races, and characters, an approach used in many SF and fantasy sub-genres (most notably Star Trek). This has generally caused a great deal of criticism of his work, with some critics and readers labelling it as child-like and repetitive.^[3] However, some readers find it easier to read and less 'cerebral' than more traditional epic fantasy, because it allows some immediate familiarity with the new races. The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an American science fiction franchise. ...

Formula

One of the essays within the Rivan Codex lists Eddings' formula for epic fantasy : - The Rivan Codex is a collection of background material to the Belgariad and Malloreon fantasy saga by David and Leigh Eddings. ...

1. The Underlying Theology (Polytheistic/Monotheistic/Buddhist/Other)
2. The Quest
3. The Magic "Thingamajigger" (Holy Grail/One Ring/Magic Sword/Jewel)
4. The Hero: Galahad the Pure, Gawain the Brave, Perceval the Dumb (Naive), or Lancelot the Heavyweight Champion of the World
5. The Resident Wizard (Gandalf, Merlin, Belgarath)
6. The Heroine
7. The Villain (usually with some diabolical agenda)
8. The Companions (generally a multicultural crew who can protect the hero until he defeats the baddie)
9. The Romantic Interests for 8. Both 8&9 must be well-rounded groups, with individualised personalities and flaws.
10. The kings, queens, emperors, generals, courtiers and such, who make up the governments of the world.

All of Eddings Fantasy novels are based on these 10 premises in one form or another. Theology (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογια, logia, words, sayings, or discourse) is reasoned discourse concerning religion, spirituality and God or the gods. ... Polytheism is belief in, or worship of, multiple gods or divinities. ... Monotheism (in Greek monon = single and Theos = God) is the belief in a single, universal, all-encompassing deity. ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... A portrait of Sir Galahad by George Frederick Watts. ... Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Gawain (Gwalchmei, Gawan, Gauvain, Walewein etc. ... Percival or Perceval is one of King Arthurs legendary Knights of the Round Table. ... For other uses, see Lancelot (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Gandalf (disambiguation). ... Merlin is best known as the wizard featured in Arthurian legend. ... Belgarath is a fictional character in the David Eddings book series The Belgariad followed by The Malloreon. ...

World Building

When building a 'world' for his characters to inhabit, Eddings generally starts with a fictional map, sections off areas of that map, and populates each area with a different race. In generating races, Eddings will first pick a race or people from our history, then base his fictional race within his new 'world' almost directly on them (with some minor renaming). Examples of this can be seen throughout his fantasy output. For a list see Analogs To Belgariad Races. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

A great deal of the sub-storyline elements depend on the tension that is created from these disparate races being forced together.

Characters

Individuals belonging to each race tend to be painted in broad strokes, and 1 or 2 distinct stereotypical characteristics (most often drawn from Eddings' view of their real-world analog^{[citation needed]}) are generally used to define them fully. For example, Chereks are warlike and drink heavily, Sendarians are dependable and practical, etc. Most characters are ultimately facets of the same basic personality, with one or two key character traits added (generally depending on their race). Some readers have expressed distaste at this approach, feeling that the constant stereotyping borders on racism[2], despite the fact that interracial couples seem to crop up continually throughout all four major story-lines.

Works

The Belgariad and The Malloreon

The Belgariad is Eddings' first fantasy series; The Malloreon is the sequel. The books follow the adventures of Garion, Polgara, Belgarath, and their companions. The Belgariad is a five-book fantasy epic written by David Eddings. ... Fantasy is a genre of art that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. ... The Malloreon is a five part fantasy book series written by David Eddings, which follows The Belgariad. ... Belgarion (also called Garion) is a fictional character and the chief protagonist in The Belgariad and The Malloreon, two fantasy epics written by David Eddings. ... Polgara the Sorceress is a fictional character in the David Eddings book series The Belgariad and The Malloreon. ... Belgarath is a fictional character in the David Eddings book series The Belgariad followed by The Malloreon. ...

The Belgariad

1. Pawn of Prophecy
2. Queen of Sorcery
3. Magician's Gambit
4. Castle of Wizardry
5. Enchanters' End Game

The Malloreon

1. Guardians of the West
2. King of the Murgos
3. Demon Lord of Karanda
4. Sorceress of Darshiva
5. The Seeress of Kell

Books related to The Belgariad and The Malloreon

• Belgarath the Sorcerer
• Polgara the Sorceress
• The Rivan Codex

Belgarath the Sorcerer (ISBN 0-345-40395-9) is a book by David Eddings and Leigh Eddings. ... Polgara the Sorceress is a fictional character in the David Eddings book series The Belgariad and The Malloreon. ... The Rivan Codex is a collection of background material to the Belgariad and Malloreon fantasy saga by David and Leigh Eddings. ...

The Elenium and The Tamuli

The Elenium and its sequel The Tamuli are set in a different universe to The Belgariad and The Malloreon. They feature the pandion Knight Sparhawk and his comrades. The Elenium is a series of fantasy novels by David Eddings, husband to Leigh Eddings. ... The Tamuli is a series of fantasy novels by David Eddings. ... The silver Anglia knight, commissioned as a trophy in 1850, intended to represent the Black Prince. ... Sparhawk is the central character of the The Elenium and The Tamuli by David and Leigh Eddings. ...

The Elenium

1. The Diamond Throne
2. The Ruby Knight
3. The Sapphire Rose

The Tamuli

1. Domes of Fire
2. The Shining Ones
3. The Hidden City

Other Fantasy Series

The Dreamers is the most recent series by David and Leigh Eddings. The Dreamers is the title of a fantasy series by David Eddings. ...

The Dreamers

1. The Elder Gods
2. The Treasured One
3. Crystal Gorge
4. The Younger Gods

Standalone fantasy novels

• The Redemption of Althalus
• Regina's Song

The Redemption of Althalus is a stand-alone fantasy novel by David and Leigh Eddings. ... Reginas Song is a murder mystery novel by David Eddings that takes place in Seattle, Washington. ...

Non-fantasy novels

• The Losers
• High Hunt
• Fly Cherokee, Fly

References

1. ^ F.T. Norton (2007). Novelist accidentally burns down office. Nevada Appeal. Retrieved on 2007 January 27.
2. ^ Décès de Leigh Eddings. Elbakin.net (2007). Retrieved on 2007 March 6.
3. ^ Amazon.ca: Sorceress of Darshiva, user reviews; [1]

2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... January 27 is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... March 6 is the 65th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (66th in leap years). ...

External links

• Interview with David Eddings at sffworld.com
• Bibliography at SciFan
• Microsite hosted by HarperCollins publishers
• David Eddings at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database