This is the book and series that essentially sparked my interest in the fantasy genre. Now as they are slowly (and I emphasize the word slowly) being released in electronic format, I have begun to start reading them again on my Kindle. Let's be clear: Pawn of Prophecy is not Game of Thrones. It's not The Name of the Wind. Heck, it's not even Assassin's Apprentice. But what it is is an entertaining quest fantasy filled with characters who you feel you know personally by the time you finish the book. The theme is pretty standard farm boy growing up not knowing that he is part of a lineage of a magical family. Evil lord does something bad, the unwitting boy then discovers who he really is and must undertake a quest to vanquish blah blah blah, you get the picture. Despite the formulaic storyline though, David Eddings and his wife Leigh Eddings manage to overcome that by crafting a heartwarming tale that is a pleasure to revisit time and time again. We hear the term comfort-read thrown around quite often, and The Belgariad is that to me in spades. I simply adore the five books that comprise this series and they will always hold a special place in my heart. Like I said, don't expect anything earth-shattering and complex. But do expect a really fun and exciting fantasy with characters who you connect with and who jump off the page.