pestyninja's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
thinde's review against another edition
4.0
My only bone to pick with this one was when Silk gets beaten up and imprisoned. A few days later he's going full Bruce Lee on an assassin without any sign of pain. If it were me, I'd have played up the curative powers of "rock-sliding" to explain his near-miraculous recovery.
Otherwise, I'm still amazed at how well these books hold up all these years after publication.
Otherwise, I'm still amazed at how well these books hold up all these years after publication.
vishnu_r1's review against another edition
3.0
A good read but none of the issues in the previous two books were absent here and that made it a little tiresome at times. Some more nagging issues were the stereotyped gender roles (the all powerful Polgara is still the one who cooks, the other person who cooks being the princess), forgotten characters who are simply mentioned in a page or two, etc. But this book still carried the fun, lighthearted tone of the previous ones and for that I'd recommend it.
exlibrisbitsy's review against another edition
5.0
It’s always a little difficult to review a fantasy book that is smack dab in the middle of a series and Magician’s Gambit is no exception. Fortunately it is quite different from the two books that came before it. For one the standard plot arc of entering a new kingdom and having Garion be the only one observant enough to notice a coup or a nefarious character attempting to instigate war is not present. Instead the book opens with the story being told from the view-point of Ce’Nedra, the Tolnedran princess who ran away from her father only to find herself mixed up in Belgarath’s quest for the Orb. While both Garion and Ce’Nedra have come a long way since they met, they are still very much teenagers and spend most of this book squabbling in one way or another. It is on one hand cute but on the other quickly becomes mildly annoying.
The character that saves the day is Silk, the prince of Drasnia, he is witty and sly and is officially dubbed the Guide of the group by the prophecy that binds them all together. His one line zingers, clever machinations and jokes were very entertaining to read about and he was in danger of stealing the show as he quite nearly outshone our beloved main characters.
The quest in this book proves to take an interesting turn as they are all headed to the Vale of Aldur, Belgarath’s and Polgara’s home. Along the way new countries are discovered that are again unlike any we have seen before, Maragor is a country now devoid of people as they have all been wiped out by the Tolnedrans years and years before. Now the god of those people weeps and mourns their loss and drives anyone mad who dares enter. They also discover Ulgoland, a country that entirely lives underground and worships the god UL. A new character is introduced here, the religious zealot Relg.
Relg is another great character if for no other reason that the stuff he spouts out about his strict religion, his rigid beliefs, and his struggles with his attempts to be pious and prudish while at the same time being a bit of a disgusting man proves to be hilarious religious commentary.
This third book is truly a twist from what has come before and has the adventure kick up another notch in the quest for the Orb with some very entertaining characters brought in along the way. Several major stand offs finally came to a head and ended with a truly stunning surprise that leaves you wondering what must yet be in store for Garion and his friends.
The character that saves the day is Silk, the prince of Drasnia, he is witty and sly and is officially dubbed the Guide of the group by the prophecy that binds them all together. His one line zingers, clever machinations and jokes were very entertaining to read about and he was in danger of stealing the show as he quite nearly outshone our beloved main characters.
The quest in this book proves to take an interesting turn as they are all headed to the Vale of Aldur, Belgarath’s and Polgara’s home. Along the way new countries are discovered that are again unlike any we have seen before, Maragor is a country now devoid of people as they have all been wiped out by the Tolnedrans years and years before. Now the god of those people weeps and mourns their loss and drives anyone mad who dares enter. They also discover Ulgoland, a country that entirely lives underground and worships the god UL. A new character is introduced here, the religious zealot Relg.
Relg is another great character if for no other reason that the stuff he spouts out about his strict religion, his rigid beliefs, and his struggles with his attempts to be pious and prudish while at the same time being a bit of a disgusting man proves to be hilarious religious commentary.
This third book is truly a twist from what has come before and has the adventure kick up another notch in the quest for the Orb with some very entertaining characters brought in along the way. Several major stand offs finally came to a head and ended with a truly stunning surprise that leaves you wondering what must yet be in store for Garion and his friends.
meganjjang's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
jonathanfs's review against another edition
4.0
The more of these I read, the more they draw me in. This one convinced me to obtain the whole Malloreon set so that I can keep reading when I finish the Belgariad.
hskey's review against another edition
4.0
This is a tough one to review; I'm still really enjoying it, as the quality of writing is strong and the descriptions easily put me into the world. The problem is that the plot doesn't really move all that much in this one. I think Relg is a fantastic, unique character and I loved him joining the group but aside from that, there wasn't much to it except the last few chapters (which were pretty cool from a Fantasy standpoint). It's all a bit anti-climactic, though, and since this is a 5 book series, the "end" of the 3rd book hardly feels like the end of a book and more the end of a chapter. Weird.
That being said, all the characters in the core group are a blast and it makes me want to be a part of their not-so-merry band. The World-Building isn't exactly what I'd call polished, but it gets the job done. This one is either a high 3.5 or a low 4, I'll err on the side of 4.
That being said, all the characters in the core group are a blast and it makes me want to be a part of their not-so-merry band. The World-Building isn't exactly what I'd call polished, but it gets the job done. This one is either a high 3.5 or a low 4, I'll err on the side of 4.