Frequently Asked Questions List
version 3.2
FAQ maintained by Vanan. Suggestions and comments can be sent to him.
CONTENTS
I. About David Eddings
II. Frequently Asked Questions
GENERAL QUESTIONS
BELGARIAD/MALLOREON
ELENIUM/TAMULI
THE ALT.FAN.EDDINGS NEWSGROUP
A. IRC #eddings
------------------------------------
>From _Contemporary Authors: New Revision Series_, Volume 35.
PERSONAL: Born July 7, 1931, in Spokane, Washington; son of George
CAREER: Writer. Has worked as a buyer for Boeing Co., as a grocery
>From the back dust jacket flap of _Belgarath the Sorcerer_ (published
David Eddings was born in Spokane, Washington in 1931 and was raised
in the
His first novel, _High Hunt_ (published by Putnam in 1973), was a
Eddings and his wife Leigh currently reside in the Southwest, where
Note: Publisher listed is for U.S. editions.
"The Belgariad"
Queen of Sorcery (1982)
Magician's Gambit (1983)
Castle of Wizardry (1984)
Enchanters' End Game (1984)
Eddings' first fantasy series. Chronicles the adventures of a young
The Belgariad: Part 1 (c)1982, 83 - published 1995, Del Rey
Two-volume hardcover omnibus reprint of the five volumes of the
"The Malloreon"
King of the Murgos (1988)
Demon Lord of Karanda (1988)
The Sorceress of Darshiva (1989)
The Seeress of Kell (1991)
Sequel to the Belgariad. Takes place ten years after the events of
Belgarath the Sorcerer (1995)
Polgara the Sorceress (1997)
A pair of prequels to the Belgariad and Malloreon series. The books
The Rivan Codex (1998)
A compilation of the notes written by David and Leigh Eddings before
they
"The Elenium"
The Ruby Knight (1990) Del Rey
The Sapphire Rose (1991) Del Rey
Fantasy series set in a new world. The church knight, Sparhawk,
"The Tamuli"
The Shining Ones (1993)
The Hidden City (1994)
Sequel series to the Elenium. Prince Sparhawk answers a plea from
Novels (non-fantasy)
A sort of middle-aged rite of passage novel. GI returns from Germany
and
The Losers (1992) Fawcett Columbine
Dark tale of Raphael, the college football star who, after a tragic
"I just happened to find this list of the German titles of the
BELGARIAD
Die Zaubermacht der Dame (Knaur)
Gambit der Magier (Knaur)
Turm der Hexerei (Knaur)
Verwunschenes Endspiel (Knaur)
"The titles of the Malloreon are the same for the old Knaur and new
MALLOREON
Denis Aumueller provided the following titles, all published by
ELENIUM
TAMULI
BELGARIAD
MALLOREON
ELENIUM
TAMULI
LA BELGARIADE
LA MALLORÉE
LA TRILOGIE DES JOYAUX (lit. Trilogy of the Jewels)
LA TRILOGIE DU PÉRIL (lit. Trilogy of the Peril)
BELGARIAD
MALLOREON
BEL/MAL PREQUELS
ELENIUM
TAMULI
LA SAGA DEL BELGARIAD (published by Editrice Nord)
EPOPEA DEI MALLOREAN
EPOPEA DEGLI ELENE
EPOPEA DEI TAMULI
Poland is still waiting on both The Hidden City and Polgara the
BELGARIAD
MALLOREON
BELGARATH THE SORCERER
ELENIUM
TAMULI
"The Belgariad" was published in the U.S. as a set of original
Eddings' two non-fantasy novels, _High Hunt_ and _The Losers_, came
Despite the 1992 copyright date, _The Losers_ is actually David
David and Leigh are working on an entirely new world (Creating
In June 97, DE was quoted in the Polgara Scrapbook saying "Right
Whether this work is complete or not is unknown as we have heard
Del Rey's Polgara Scrapbook is an excellent source of information
On Wednesday 29th October 1997, David conducted an online interview
David also did an interview with Stan Nicholls for Interzone and
David Eddings does not have an e-mail address and, according to
Following is a quote from David Eddings, found in _Contemporary
"My current excursion into fantasy has given me an opportunity to
In other words, creating a logical, internally consistent fantasy
Every newsgroup that covers any literary character or characters
There are some things you should know before you suggest that Sean
Just don't be surprised at the moans of dismay from the old-timers.
It's also been suggested by one or two old-timers that it's a good
It would probably be a good story if David Eddings wrote it, however
it is
On the Polgara Scrapbook, David quite clearly states his position.
[sarcasm alert] Gosh, you're kidding! Wow, what an insight! We'd
David Eddings has obviously developed what he considers to be a very
Inconsistencies come in three flavors: 1) Editing mistakes, 2)
Editing mistakes are those errors that crept in during the printing
The Wandering L's
The name of the young prince who survived the slaughter of
In the Belgariad, it comes as a complete surprise to
Donal Fellows has a fairly comprehensive compilation of the endless
Although to date I have heard of three possible explanations for
It's really very simple (long, but simple): The dryad invariably has
one
Thus, a female child develops via the dryad X. Because half of her
Males: Child receives human male Y and a dryad female X. The male Y
Re: "Half-dryad" and "full-dryad" nomenclature
_All_ dryads are half-dryad because half their genome is from a
An analogy: the word hypercholesterolemia. This is a disease in
Hypercholesterolemia breeds true (it is genetic, so obviously...),
However, people with two copies are _not_ called
My explanation way above also explains how a female with only one
Re: Children of dryads, especially males.
Without a deletion, half the male children of a dryad would have all
their
Actually, if a dryad X underwent auto-inversion in males across the
Would anybody ever notice that particular orphans found near the
The necessity for such a mechanism depends on whether a dryad is in
If this is the case, there's probably a lot of unclaimed dryads
We've already witnessed that Belgarath, Polgara, Beldin and the
Everybody seems to have an opinion on this one. First of all, we
As for the Rivan line, most people seem to agree that if Garion is,
And with regard to Ce'Nedra, there are two major schools of thought
As with most of these questions, there are two schools of thought on
this
We have no clue. Eddings only made one comment on what was on the
So, of course, there has been speculation on what is on the amulet
Aphrael posed the idea that the design on Garion's amulet was in
Amy Sheldon thought it might have been a rune; a weird character
`Bel' and `Pol' both mean beloved and nothing more. It's just that
(NOWHERE in either the Belgariad or Malloreon does it state that
How do you know he isn't? Everyone is used to calling him 'Durnik'
The titles of the Belgariad all have two parts to them. One part
There is quite a strong connection with chess throughout the
The Mallorean titles are slightly more obscure. They use the title
There is an inconsistency between accounts in Belgarath the Sorcerer
and
Well, Belgarath mentions that sorcerers can't undo what another
Two possible solutions have been proposed.
No.
It is never said. In the prologue and epilogue of PtS, the twins are
This is thought to be, as with the twins, an attempt to keep a few
Some of the various explanations are: he is just an ordinary wolf,
The first time Polgara and Poledra merge form into the SuperOwl(tm),
It seems to be on purpose. In one of the letters to the Polgara
The difference is pretty simple. "Elene" refers to an ethnic/racial
A patriarch is one of the 168 members of the upper level of the
Aside from concluding that the ancient stone of power was developing
Someone jokingly suggested that Sephrenia had never "seen" Aphrael
The Elenium titles are all related to types of precious stones. The
At the end of the Tamuli, Cyrgon is dead and Klæl is banished.
If Styric
This one was argued back and forth a bit. This is the one solution that
This is one of those cases of not enough information. There are two
It seems that we have to go on the assumption that Wargun was an
If Danae is going to be Queen of Elenia and she is immortal, will
Aphrael makes it clear at the end of the Elenium that she knows she
No.
a.f.e. is the home of Eddings fanatics worldwide. The newsgroup has
This popular habit was started around the summer of 97. There had
The "Silver Suggestions" are alt.fan.eddings' guide to good
Simon Nickerson runs the AFE Trivia Quiz. A new quiz is posted once
every
Klæl's Army was a rather innocuous looking thread about how the
Arcerans
Itagne (itagne@greenbeak.demon.co.uk) runs the AFE Daemon Catalogue
There are no formal rules. Most people seem to agree that this is a
1.) Thou shalt not flame without malicious provocation.
Pretty self-explanatory. If someone says something that upsets you
2.) Thou shalt not profane the works of thy authors David and
So maybe you didn't like _all_ of Eddings' books. Not everybody
3.) Thou shalt not utilize foul or offensive language.
This one follows pretty logically from the other two. What is meant
The letters before thread names are a voluntary taggin method
Thanks in large part to the efforts of Ian Hutcherson and Rumor, afe
has
First, you need an IRC (Internet Relay Chat) client. This enables you
to
The most popular IRC clients by computer seem to be:
PC:
mIRC - can be downloaded from the following sites:
Macintosh: IRCle - can be downloaded from the following sites:
X Windows: Zircon - can be downloaded from:
Acorn's RISC OS:
LIRC - http://isa.dknet.dk/~tolsson/files/lirc.zip
IRClient - http://willothewisp.demon.co.uk/software.html
iXRC - http://www.quadworks.co.uk/sub/products/ixrc/
There are lots of others.
Once you've downloaded and installed your client, you need to configure
it
The official list of Espernet servers, geographical locations, and ports
chocobo.esper.net
dragonfire.esper.net
dream.esper.net
dwango.esper.net
excalibur.esper.net
weyr.esper.net
If you want, you can also connect to irc.esper.net, port 5555 (and possibly
After you've filled in the nickname you want (and, if you want, an
In the first case, look for #eddings in the list with which you are
In the second case, or if you can't find #eddings in the channel list
(in
There may not necessarily be anybody on the channel when you arrive.
This
If you need any further help, you should be able to get it from #eddings
EDDINGS HOME PAGES
Donal Fellow's Eddings Page
Eddings trivia, voting on items of interest to Eddings fans, and links
to
Paul Farris' Eddings Page - "The Vale"
Contains Paul Farris' original Eddings FAQ, and well as links to other
Sparhawk's Eddings Web Site
Guardians of The West
Maintained by Kamion, this contains many excellent features, including
Aphrael's Isle
This site concentrates on the Elenium and Tamuli series, which makes
it
The AFE Codex
More about alt.fan.eddings rather than Eddings' himself. It has
The Happy Bunny Sanctuary
Contains the Trivia Quiz and also a graphical display of the Rivan line
The Eddings Web Ring
This collection of web sites is a link to 18 different sites.
Aquarius' Site
This site contains the fanfic archive, the ng FAQ and the AFE Code decoder
The Recommended Fantasy Author List
Listing of fantasy authors recommended by readers of the alt.fan.eddings
Del Rey homepage
Del Rey is Eddings' publisher in the U.S., and their site often has
news
Special thanks and my eternal gratitude to Paul Farris, Donal Fellows,
and
And, of course, I could never forgive myself if I forgot to thank Anthony
Thanks also to:
Raul de Vincenzi, Geoff Hunter and Ginger941, who
provided help with ISBNs,
Joy Green, who provided the descriptions for _High Hunt_ and
_The Losers_
Arto Repola, who provided the Finnish version of the titles.
Francis Cornet, who provided the French titles and ISBNs.
Patrik Montgomery, who provided the Swedish titles.
Marcello Manicardi, who provided the Italian titles.
And, of course, Kalten, who provided the best commentary I've
received on
Aph's thanks:
Amy Sheldon, for entrusting me to take over the maintenance of
the FAQ and
Rumor and Peta Young, for their parts in hammering out
some of the theories
Ian Hutcherson, for all his work organizing the #eddings channel.
Sarabian's thanks:
Aphrael and Amy Sheldon, the previous two FAQ maintainers,
for making the
Vanan, for getting the whole update moving and also for setting
up the IRC
Kamion, for provided some excellent information especially regarding
the
Aquarius, Rumor, Charles Meigh, Simon Nickerson,
Itagne,
Daniel
Peters,
And many, many more people on alt.fan.eddings for thinking of the questions
Dave's thanks
Amy Sheldon, for putting in all the work towards creating the
document in
Aphrael, for writing the majority of the Elenium/Tamuli section
herself.
Sarabian, for creating the FAQ addendum and thus making this
a great deal
Kamion, for contributing the IRC helper section, among many others,
and for
Itagne, for contributing various additions and corrections to
the FAQ,
Jaycey, for helping fix some spacing problems in the document
(a more
END OF FAQ
A. Biographical Information
B. Bibliography
1) Titles (includes U.S.
and British ISBNs, and U.S. Publishers)
2) German Titles
3) Finnish Titles
4) French Titles
5) Swedish Titles
6) Italian Titles
7) Polish Titles
C. Miscellaneous Publishing Information
1) Omnibus Editions
2) _The Losers_: Copyright
date vs. creation date
D. What are D&LE working on currently?
E. Are there any interviews with David Eddings
on the Internet?
F. Where to Write to David Eddings
A. The systems of magic and worlds that David
Eddings has created don't always seem very logical. Why?
B. I've got this great idea about who should be
in a movie.
C. Wouldn't it be great if there was a new book
in the world of the Belgariad/Elenium?
D. Will there be a movie/CD-ROM game based on the
Belgariad/Elenium?
E. Gee, has anyone noticed that the plots
of Eddings' fantasies are all kind of similar?
F. Inconsistencies
1) Editing errors
a.) The infamous Chaldan/Chamdar
misprint
b.) The wandering L's
2) Boneheaded errors
a.) The name of Brand's
oldest son
b.) Gared/Geran
3) Illogical/inconsistent
actions
a.) Durnik vs. Brill
b.) Asharak/Chamdar
G. Dryads (a.k.a. The Thread That Will Not Die)
H. Immortality (a.k.a. The Other Thread That
Will Not Die)
I. What, precisely, does the mark on Garion's
hand signify?
J. So, what exactly *is* on Garion's amulet?
K. The meaning of 'Bel' and 'Pol'.
L. Why isn't 'Durnik' called 'Beldurnik'?
M. Has anyone noticed the chess
analogy in the titles of the Belgariad?
N. What was Beldin's first act of
sorcery?
O. Why can't Zedar get out of that hole Belgarath
put him in?
P. Speaking of Zedar, don't you think
his punishment was a bit too harsh?
Q. What is the sex of Polgara's twins?
R. Who is the Wolf?
S. How did Polgara and Poledra merging
help them remain unseen by Torak?
T. Why are there so many differences
between BtS and PtS?
U. Inconsistencies
1) Terms that can be confused
a.)
Elene/Elenian
b.)
Patriarch/primate
2) Illogical gaps in
the story
a.)
Who exactly has touched the Bhelliom?
b.)
Sephrenia and Aphrael's flying
V. Do the Elenium or Tamuli
titles have any connections to the stories?
W. What God is supporting Zalasta's
spells when he crashes Sephrenia and Vanion's wedding?
X. Where do the renegade Styrics get their
power?
Y. Why couldn't Sparhawk let King Wargun know that
he was looking for Bhelliom?
Z. Immortality (The Elenium Derivative)
AA. Will Eddings write more on Sparhawk
and the gang?
AB. alt.fan.eddings newsgroup; what is it,
who created it, and when?
AC. Why does everyone have an Eddings alias,
and how can I get one?
AD. What are the Silver Suggestions?
AE. Who runs the Trivia quiz, and when is
it posted to the newsgroup?
AF. What exactly is Klæls Army?
AG. Where can a new user find information about
this newsgroup?
AH. Are there any rules on this newsgroup?
AI. What are the letters that I see before
some thread names?
B. Web pages
C. Other sites of interest
I. ABOUT DAVID EDDINGS
Wayne and Theone (Berge) Eddings; married Judith Leigh Schall, October
27, 1962. Education: Attended Everett Junior College, 1950-52; Reed
College, B.A., 1954; University of Washington, Seattle, M.A., 1961.
Politics: "Unaffiliated." Religion: "Unaffiliated."
clerk, and as a college English teacher. Military Service: U.S. Army,
1954-56.
1995).
Puget Sound area north of Seattle. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree
from
Reed College in Portland, Oregon, in 1954 and a Master of Arts degree
from the
University of Washington in 1961. He has served in the United State
Army, has
worked as a buyer for the Boeing Company, has been a grocery clerk,
and has
taught college English. He has lived in many parts of the United States.
contemporary adventure story. The field of fantasy has always been
of
interest to him, however, and he turned to The Belgariad in an effort
to
develop certain technical and philosophical ideas concerning the genre.
they work together on their best-selling fantasy epics.
"hc" = hardcover, "pb" = paperback.
Pawn of Prophecy (1982)
U.S. ISBN 0-345-30997-9 (pb) Del Rey
British ISBN 0-593-02616-0 (hc) 0-552-12284-X (pb) Corgi
U.S. ISBN 0-345-30079-3 (pb) Del Rey
British ISBN 0-593-02629-2 (hc) 0-552-12348-X (pb) Corgi
U.S. ISBN 0-345-33545-7 (pb) Del Rey
British ISBN 0-593-02632-2 (hc) 0-552-12382-X (pb) Corgi
U.S. ISBN 0-345-33570-8 (pb) Del Rey
British ISBN 0-593-02635-7 (hc) 0-552-12435-4 (pb) Corgi
U.S. ISBN 0-345-33871-5 (pb) Del Rey
British ISBN 0-593-02638-1 (hc) 0-552-12447-8 (pb) Corgi
boy, Garion, as he grows to realize his amazing destiny. With his Aunt
Pol and Grandfather, he must travel through the Kingdoms of the Alorns
and Angaraks, making new friends and overcome deadly enemies.
U.S. ISBN 0-345-40004-6 (hc)
The Belgariad: Part 2 (c)1984 - published by Nelson
Doubleday Inc., by an arrangement with Del Rey
U.S. ISBN 1-56865-038-8 (hc)
Belgariad. Part One contains the first three books, Part Two contains
the final two.
Guardians of the West (1987)
U.S. ISBN 0-345-33000-5 (hc)
0-345-35266-1 (pb) Del Rey
British ISBN 0-593-01195-3 (hc)
0-593-01561-4 (pb) Corgi
U.S. ISBN 0-345-33002-1 (hc)
0-345-35880-5 (pb) Del Rey
British ISBN 0-593-01562-2 (hc)
0-552-13018-4 (pb) Corgi
U.S. ISBN 0-345-33004-8 (hc)
0-345-36331-0 (pb) Del Rey
British ISBN 0-593-01210-1 (hc)
0-593-01563-0 (pb) Corgi
U.S. ISBN 0-345-33005-6 (hc)
0-345-36935-1 (pb) Del Rey
British ISBN 0-593-01204-6 (hc)
0-552-13020-6 (pb) Corgi
U.S. ISBN 0-345-33006-4 (hc)
0-345-37759-1 (pb) Del Rey
British ISBN 0-593-01207-0 (hc)
0-552-13021-4 (pb) Corgi
the Belgariad, King Belgarion's son is abducted by dark forces.
Belgarion and his companions must recover the child before disaster
occurs.
U.S. ISBN 0-345-37324-3 (hc)
0-345-40395-9 (pb) Del Rey
British ISBN 0-246-13845-9 (hc)
0-586-21315-5 (pb) HarperCollins
U.S. ISBN 0-345-41662-7 (hc)
0-345-42255-4 (pb) Del Rey (Jan, '99)
British ISBN 0-246-13844-0 (hc)
0-586-21314-7 (pb) HarperCollins
0-002-24321-0 (trade pb)
are presented as narratives by the title characters. As a side note
of
interest, the trade paperback version of PtS was given a new
illustration, probably in response to the dislike expressed by so many
fans when the book was first released.
U.S. ISBN 0-345-42402-6 (hc)
_-___-______-_ (pb) Del Rey
British ISBN 0-002-24677-5 (hc)
_-___-_____-_ (pb) HarperCollins
0-00-224696-1 (trade pb) (Jan, '99)
De Luxe Edition 0-00-224702-X (hc)
began work on "The Belgariad". The De Luxe edition was limited to 250
copies
and signed by D&LE and Geoff Taylor, among other notable features.
A number of
readers of afe own a copy, thanks to Castellan. If you want more details
regarding the book, visit his website at http://www.arrowstorm.freeserve.co.uk.
The Diamond Throne (1989) Del Rey
U.S. ISBN 0-345-35691-8 (hc)
0-345-36769-3 (pb) Del Rey
British ISBN 0-246-13345-7 (hc)
0-586-20372-9 (pb) HarperCollins
U.S. ISBN 0-345-37043-0 (hc)
0-345-37352-9 (pb) Del Rey
British ISBN 0-246-13731-2 (hc)
0-586-20373-7 (pb) HarperCollins
0-586-21503-4 (trade pb)
U.S. ISBN 0-345-37474-6 (hc)
0-345-37472-X (pb) Del Rey
British ISBN 0-246-13347-3 (hc)
0-586-20374-5 (pb) HarperCollins
returns to his home to find his Queen dying, and sets out to save her
life, and overcome the evil plots of a corrupt and powerful church
Primate.
Domes of Fire (1992)
U.S. ISBN 0-345-38327-3 (hc)
0-345-37321-9 (pb) Del Rey
British ISBN 0-586-21313-9 (hc)
0-586-21858-0 (pb) HarperCollins
U.S. ISBN 0-345-37322-7 (hc)
0-345-38866-6 (pb) Del Rey
British ISBN 0-246-13846-7(hc)
0-586-21316-3 (pb) HarperCollins
U.S. ISBN 0-345-37323-5 (hc)
0-345-39040-7 (pb) Del Rey
British ISBN 0-246-13847-5 (hc)
0-586-21317-1 (pb) HarperCollins
the Tamul Empire to help them oppose dark magic and learns more about
his unique connection to the Bhelliom.
High Hunt (1973) Putnam
The original hardcover is long out of print. In 1992, Del
Rey reprinted it in paperback - U.S. ISBN 0-345-32887-6
In 1994, HarperCollins reprinted also reprinted it in
paper back - British ISBN 0-00-647593-0 (pb)
goes on a mountain hunting trip with his older brother and a group
of
mismatched guys. Tensions arise.
U.S. ISBN 0-449-90719-8 (hc)
0-345-38520-9 (pb) Del Rey
British ISBN 0-002-24138-2 (hc)
0-586-21759-2 (pb) HarperCollins
accident takes up residence in 'Welfare City' in Spokane. He observes
the activities of his 'loser' neighbors and fights off predatory social
workers, until the arrival of his college roommate puts a match to
the
powder keg.
B.2. German Titles
-cont. by Daniel Peters
Belgariad and Malloreon-Saga. As it is, I read them all in German and
in the
"Bastei-Luebbe" version. The Knaur-Books were not available for
years. [Bastei-Luebbe and Knaur are German publishing companies - ed.]"
Die Prophezeiung des Bauern (Knaur)
Kind der Prophezeiung (Bastei)
Zauber der Schlange (Bastei)
Spiel der Magier (Bastei)
Turm der Hexer (Bastei)
Duell der Zauberer (Bastei)
Bastei versions."
Die Herren des Westens
Koenig der Murgos
Der Daemon von Karanda
Zauberin von Darshiva
Seherin von Kell
Bastei-Luebbe.
Der Thron im Diamant
Der Ritter vom Rubin
Die Rose aus Saphir
Die schimmernde Stadt
Das leuchtende Volk
Das verborgene Land
B.3. Finnish Titles
-cont. by Arto Repola
Kiven vartija
Ennustusten aika
Velhojen taistelu
Rivan kuningatar
Kohtalon tayttymys
Lannen vartijat
Murgojen kuningas
Karandan paholaisherra
Darshivan velhotar
Kellin nakijatar
Timanttivaltaistuin
Rubiiniritari
Safiiriruusu
Tulikupolit
B.4. French Titles
-cont. by Francis Cornet, with additions from Nick Boalch; all novels
are published by Éditions Pocket in the Rendez-Vous Ailleurs
collection.
Le Pion blanc des présages
La Reine des sortilèges
Le Gambit du magicien
La Tour des maléfices
La Fin de partie de l'enchanteur
Les Gardiens du Ponant
Le Roi des Murgos
Le Démon majeur de Karanda
La Sorcière de Darshiva
La Sybille de Kell
Le trône de diamant
Le chevalier de rubis
La rose de saphir
Les dômes de feu
Ceux-qui-brillent (lit. Those who shine)
La cité occulte
B.5. Swedish Titles
-cont. by Patrik Montgomery
Stenens väktare
Profetians tid
Besvärjarnas kamp
Rivas drottning
Ödets fullbordan
Belgarions son
Murgoernas konung
Demonen i Karanda
I Zandramas fotspår
Sierskan från Kell
Belgarath besvärjaren
Polgara besvärjerskan
Diamanttronen
Rubinriddaren
Safirrosen
Kupoler av eld
De skinande
B.6. Italian Titles
-cont. by Marcello Manicardi
Il Segno della Profezia
La Regina della Magia
La Valle di Aldur
Il Castello Incantato
La Fine del Gioco
I Guardiani della Luce
Il Re dei Murgos
Il Signore dei Demoni
La Maga di Darshiva
La Profetessa di Kell
Il Trono di Diamante
Il Cavaliere del Rubino
La Rosa di Zaffiro
Le Volte di Fuoco
I Demoni della Luce
La Citto dell Nulla
B.7. Polish Titles
-cont. by Luna
Sorceress.
Pionek Proroctwa
Krolowa magii
Gambit magow
Wieza czarow
Ostatnia walka czarodziejow
Straznicy zachodu
Krol Murgow
Demon wladca Karandy
Czarodziejka z Darshivy
Prorokini z Kell
Belgarath czarodziej
Diamentowy tron
Rubinowy rycerz
Szafirowa roza
Kopuly ognia
Blyszczacy
C. Miscellaneous Publishing Information
paperbacks - the only hardcover edition available prior to 1995 was
a
two-volume omnibus from the Science Fiction Book Club. In 1995, _The
Belgariad Part One_, was published by Del Rey in hardcover. _The
Belgariad Part Two_ should have come out in late 1996, but the
publication has been delayed. All of the British editions of Eddings'
work have come out in both hardcover and paperback versions.
out in a hardcover omnibus edition titled _Two Complete Novels_ from
Wings Publishing in 1993 (ISBN 0-517-11908-0).
Eddings' second book; it was written right after _High Hunt_ in the
mid-1970's.
He wasn't able to get it published until he became a best-
selling author of fantasies.
D. What are D&LE working on currently?
worlds is a real fun hobby according to David). There will be new
characters, a new quest and a new "innovative magic system". A quote
from the Del Rey's Polgara scrapbook page (http://www.randomhouse.com/polgara)
indicates that it will be set at the end of the Ice-Age, or possibly
during it.
In a letter replying to Castellan, Eddings verified that he is indeed
working
on a novel set in this time period. It appears that he wants to work
with a
world less technologically advanced.
now, I'm working on a darkly comic political novel about the President's
mistress, who goes missing one day in possession of quite a few state
secrets.
Though I may wait to publish it posthumously, because if offends everyone
-
which was of course my intention."
nothing more about it since.
E. Are there any interviews with David Eddings on the Internet?
about David Eddings, and each month leading up to the US publication
of
Polgara the Sorceress, David sent a "letter" to the web page. It is
well worth a read. Also, the main Del Rey page at
http://www.randomhouse.com/delrey/
may contain future information about
his new series.
on AOL. It can be found on the Del Rey site, and can also be found
on
Kamion's web page.
Starlog magazines, which can be found in various places on the Internet.
It is
from some time ago, but contains lots of useful information. A copy
can be
found at
http://thor.cam.ac.uk/~cjw44/eddings/interview.html
A more recent interview, where Eddings discusses his new work can be
found at:
http://web.reed.edu/community/newsandpub/reedmag/eddings/index.html
everyone who has asked, has no intention of getting one. If you want
to contact him, you need to write a genuine, pen-and-paper letter,
and
send it care of his publisher, Del Rey Books. Address it as follows:
David Eddings
c/o Del Rey Books
201 E. 50th St.
New York, NY 10022
U.S.A.
It is recommended one use the two-envelope method: Write your
letter, seal it into a stamped envelope with "David Eddings" written
on
the front, BUT NO ADDRESS. Then insert that into another envelope and
mail it off to Del Rey Books. They'll forward it. If you want a reply,
you'll be a lot more likely to get one if you include a self-addressed,
stamped envelope.
II. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
GENERAL QUESTIONS
A. The systems of magic and the worlds that David Eddings created
don't always
seem very sensible. In fact, sometimes they're kind of silly,and
it's hard to
think up logical explanations for how they work.
Why?
Authors: New Revision Series_, volume 35.
test my technical theories [of writing]. I made a world that never
was,
with an unlikely theology splattered against an improbable geology.
My
magic is at best a kind of pragmatic cop-out. Many of my explanations
of how
magic is supposed to work are absurdities - _but_ my characters all
accept
these explanations as if there was no possibility of quibbling about
them, and
if the characters believe, then the readers seem also to believe."
world was not part of David Eddings' agenda.
B. I've got this great idea about who should be in a movie...
inevitably gives birth to Casting threads, and alt.fan.eddings is no
exception.
Connery should play Belgarath. First, there are no plans to film ANY
of
Eddings' works.
Second, anyone that you can think of to cast in an imaginary film
of Eddings' works has already been suggested by someone else. Third,
that knowledge hasn't stopped anyone else from posting THEIR casting
suggestions, so why should it stop you?
idea if you do want to restart the casting thread to give it a subject
header that is easily identified, such as "The Belgariad: the movie!"
That way those who have seen it 958 times before can spot it quickly
and avoid
it.
C. Wouldn't it be great if there was a new book in the world of
the Belgariad/Elenium?
not going to happen. He has stated quite firmly that there will be
no further
books in either of the worlds he has created so far. So, there will
be no
"Sephrenia the Styric", "Poledra the Wolf" or "The Story of Talen and
Aphrael".
D. Will there be a movie/CD-ROM game based on the Belgariad/Elenium?
There will be no spin-offs of any sort, as he will not allow anyone
to
touch something he spent twenty years writing.
E. Gee, has anyone noticed that the plots of Eddings' fantasies
are all kind of similar?
have never noticed if you hadn't mentioned it!
serviceable plot, well suited to the type of fantasies that he writes.
And
since his many fans (i.e., us) continue to buy his books, he doesn't
feel any
pressing need to develop a new plot. That Eddings is capable of coming
up with
_different_ plots is evident from his two non-fantasy novels, neither
of which
involves a quest for a blue stone. In addition, while the plots of
Eddings'
two fantasy series are similar on the surface, there are many differences
to be
found in terms of themes, character development, etc. There has been
much
discussion of this on the newsgroup, and most people seem to agree
that the
Elenium is darker than the Bel/Mal, in terms of theme, issues dealt
with and
the general mood of the story. And as Rumor often pointed out there
is more
adventure in the Bel/Mal and more political intrigue in the Elen/Tam.
The
difference is, in fact, radical enough that a number of people have
admitted to
being initially put off by the Elenium because it was different from
the
Bel/Mal. For this reason, some have advised a 1-2 month waiting period
after
finishing one series before starting the other.
BELGARIAD/MALLOREON
F. Inconsistencies
Sheer boneheaded errors, and 3) Illogical actions.
process. These generally consist of misspellings or incorrect character
identifications. Boneheaded errors are those where the writer simply
forgot that he has already named (or described) something, and later
gives it a completely different name (or description). Illogical actions
are
things that happen that, based on other information in the story, seem
REALLY
stupid.
1) Editing Mistakes
Chaldan/Chamdar
At one point in _The Seeress of Kell_, the "bull-god of
the Arends" is identified as "Chamdar" rather than
"Chaldan."
Gethell/Gethel (the King of the Thulls) and Xbel/Xbell
(a dryad) appear at various times with their names
spelled either with one 'L' or two 'L's. In the case of
Gethell, the two 'L' version is used most frequently,
and appears to be the proper spelling. Xbel appears an
equal number of times spelled both ways, but since no
other dryads have double letters in their names, I'm
willing to assume that Xbel is the correct spelling.
2) Boneheaded Errors
The name of Brand's oldest son
Brand's oldest son is identified twice during the
course of the Belgariad as "Bralon." He reappears in
the Malloreon as "Verdan."
the rest of the Rivan line by Salmissra.
In the Belgariad, when Polgara tells Garion the story
of the young prince's escape, she gives his name as
"Gared." When Belgarath tells an expanded version of
the story in _Belgarath the Sorcerer_, the prince's
name is "Geran."
3) Illogical Actions
In _Pawn of Prophecy_, Durnik easily dispatches Brill when
he finds him spying on the others. Later, we find that
Brill is actually an incredibly skilled fighter and
assassin, and there really shouldn't have been any way that
a simple blacksmith (even one with two lives) could have
caught him off guard.
Of course, the fun part about illogical action
inconsistencies is that the True Fan can come up with
explanations for them. Two possibilities that have been
discussed in a.f.e. are: 1) Brill didn't want to blow
his cover, so he allowed Durnik to catch him. 2) The
Prophecy of Light interfered.
everyone that Asharak, the Murgo merchant, is actually
Chamdar, the Grolim almost-disciple of Torak. In _Belgarath
the Sorcerer_, both Silk and Belgarath are aware that
Chamdar uses the name Asharak.
G. Dryads (a.k.a. The Thread That Will Not Die)
Dryad threads. To take a look, check out his hompage. (URL given at
the
end of this FAQ).
this, below is Rumor's explanation, the most comprehensive explanation
I've yet seen. Keep in mind that PtS was discarded when considering
this
question. The general consensus is that Eddings wasn't thinking clearly
when he
wrote the section where Polgara briefly writes about this subject.
"human" X chromosome and one "dryad" X chromosome. When a dryad
(female, of course) and a human male produce a female child, the male
has donated an X chromosome, which still pairs with during mitosis
and
meoisis so that the child can grow and produce eggs (not so strange
-
the Y and X chromosomes of humans are extremely different and still
pair in
cell division, and in this case, it's the dryad X that varies
slightly from the human X). Now, in human females, one X chromosome
in
_every_ cell of the body becomes inactivated after a few weeks of life.
(It becomes super-condensed because a double-dose of genes would be
too
much - it is then called a Barr body). In dryad female offspring, the
human X serves to determine sex of the child, and then is the one
condensed in every cell of the dryad's body (in humans, it is a random
choice in the cells, but it could _easily_ be forced in dryad cells,
because the two X chromosomes are slightly different, so one can be
recognized as the human one and then condensed). The simplest mechanism
for this would be a protein or series of protein reactions derived
from
the dryad X to inactivate the human X.
genome is human, dryads appear very much like humans. (The dryad half
couldn't be much different anyway, because all chromosomes have to
pair
in cell division).
chromosome codes for a gene product (TDF maybe - the testis (male)
determining factor) that inactivates portions of the dryad X chromosome
that deal with dryad physiology. This is entirely possible - on all
chromosomes, areas of the chromosome are regulated separately and turned
'on'
or 'off' at the genetic level by protein and DNA packing
regulation. Thus, a protein from the Y, normally meant only for some
human purpose (such as TDF, which develops a male into a male) could
also bind to the dryad X or cause some sort of signal cascade that
deactivates the specific dryad genes - remember that the dryad X is
quite similar to the human X which can clearly be indicated by their
stark similarity to humans, so all the normal physiological genes needed
from
the X chromosome remain active. So, there you go. Gene regulation and
inactivation. Simple, real, human genetics that can be applied to the
dryad
system, which must be amazingly similar to ours if human males can
actually
manage to reproduce with them.
Or, why there are no full dryads
human, in which case, the definition for "dryad" becomes "half-dryad,"
and the word "dryad" still is correct: Dryads are all half-dryads,
but
are still called dryads, because there are no full-dryads.
which a person has one of _two_ genes defective for a certain receptor
that allows cholesterol to be taken out of the blood. That is to say,
the person has one mutant copy of the gene and one wildtype (normal)
copy.
but the definition refers to a half-hypercholesterolemic, technically...
hypercholesterolemic (ack, bad example! Typing that is annoying! ^_^),
because there aren't any. Two copies of the mutant are lethal, so all
"full-hyper'emics" are dead. Hence the word, like dryad, technically
means a half-breed, but that's _all_ it means, so it is still the
correct connotation. "Dryad" _means_ half-breed, and there are _no_
"full-dryads." So, essentially, when Polgara refers to Ce'Nedra is
a
half-dryad, it's still what we're all used to.
dryad X can have the same phenotype of a theoretical full dryad.
daughters (grand-daughters of the dryad) be dryads again; the gene
causing
dryad-ness in females would resurface after a generation. So, deletion
of this
gene by male children of dryads is likely possible, probably through
an induced
inversion mechanism, although it deoesn't really matter.
centromere of the X chromosome... the dryad X chromosomes would break
up. Thus, sons of dryads could only have male kids, and the dryad
chromosome would be _lost_ in that first generation.
Wood of the Dryads only have male children. Probably not, actually.
Medical records in Tolnedra were probably sketchy.
any way recognizable from a normal human. Suppose the gene is not
normally deleted, and a dryad-borne male is dumped into Tolnedra as
an
orphan (as per Aphrael's theory). He has three children in his lifetime,
two of
which are female, and thus both are dryad. _However,_ he doesn't know
he's
carrying the dryad genes on his X chromosome (which is given to all
female
children), and so nobody ever realizes they're dryad. _And_ if they're
never
bonded to a tree... then they don't have an extended lifetime (we _know_,
despite the dryad/tree argument that tree age is the reason the dryads
live so
long. Xantha states it). So, nobody ever realizes she's dryad, and
nothing ever
comes of it...
running around clueless in Tolnedra. Personally, I prefer the
deletion/inversion theory, because it's simpler, neater, and wraps
everything up just fine. Occam's Razor, n' such.
H. Immortality (a.k.a. The Other Thread That Will Not Die)
other sorcerers have lived for centuries. So doesn't this mean that
Garion will have the same life span? What will happen to the Rivan
line? Will
Garion abdicate when Geran is old enough to take over? And what about
Ce'Nedra, won't she live a long time, too, at least until her tree
dies?
never learn if the sorcerers are, in fact, immortal or if they just
have a very
long life span. And secondly, we never know if long life is part of
the
natural order of sorcerers or if Belgarath was allowed to live for
7000 years
because the Prophecy needed him. There are two major schools of thought
on
this one. The first is that the sorcerers are, in fact, immortal and
will live
forever. The second is that the Prophecy's work is done and things
will resume
their natural order, and the sorcerers will die in the normal course
of time
now. Take your pick, because there doesn't seem to be enough evidence
to prove
either theory.
in fact, going to live for a long, long time, he will hand over the
crown to Geran when Geran reaches a suitable age. Garion was never
that
thrilled to be a king in the first place, and there doesn't seem to
be any
reason why he would want to extend that role for several centuries.
on that. Some people believe that she will live as long as her tree
(how long
her tree will live is a whole other tangent thread), while others believe
that
the Prophecy tweaked things a bit so that Ce'Nedra will live as long
as Garion
does.
I. The mark on Garion's hand -- is it symbolic of the Rivan line
or the mark of his being a sorcerer?
one. Some people believe that the mark signifies Garion's place in
the Rivan
line, and point to the fact that all the Rivan kings had the mark,
even after
they went into hiding and never touched the Orb. Others believe it
is the mark
of Garion's sorcery, and point to the facts that 1) we are told that
all the
sorcerers had some sort of mark signifying their talent -- Polgara
has her
white lock, Belgarath has a mark over his heart, etc. and 2) the mark
on
Garion's hand throbs, itches or burns when he uses sorcery, and also
has some
sort of connection with Polgara's white lock. It's also been suggested
that the
mark simply served both purposes.
J. So, what exactly is on Garion's amulet?
(Thanks to Jonathan Yen for this answer)
amulet. In _Queen of Sorcery_, Garion looks at his amulet and notices
that it has a strange geometric design. That's it. For some reason,
Garion never bothers to look at his amulet ever again. Why? Don't ask
me.
Various things have been said, like a wolf, the orb, the Rivan sword
going through a crown, and a circle. Because Garion ain't that dumb,
I
think he would have noticed that his amulet had a design of one of
these rather
than think of it as a strange geometric design.
fact a moebius strip. "Something about two things becoming one or maybe
it was one thing becoming two. I don't know...I was feeling weird that
day."
that stands for an entire word (like in the Chinese language). Of
course, this started up a whole lot of speculation of what the word
was...
K. What is this Bel/Pol prefix business?
-cont. by Donal Fellows with parenthetical commentary by Amy Sheldon
`Bel' is the male form and `Pol' is the female form. Beldaran is an
anomaly, but languages (especially English) are full of them, so you'd
better get used to it...
'Bel' or 'Pol' means disciple. Aldur added it to his original disciples'
names,
presumably as a sign that they were his "beloved disciples", but simply
adding
'Bel' to a name no more makes a character Aldur's disciple then adding
'Fido'
to your name would make you into a dog.)
L. Why isn't 'Durnik' called 'Beldurnik'?
(and he's used to being called Durnik), so just because he's a disciple
now, and officially entitled to add 'Bel' to his name doesn't mean
everyone is going to start calling him a totally different name.
M. Has anyone noticed the chess analogy in the titles of the Belgariad?
refers to a chess piece or move (e.g. Pawn, Gambit) and the other part
is a reference to some form of magic, or magical person.
Belgariad. The game between the LP and the DP can be seen as a
complicated game of chess involving the characters (some people have
gone as far as associating each character with a type of chess piece).
It has also been speculated that the strange geometric design on
Garion's amulet is in fact a chessboard.
of an individual and the place where they are located. (e.g. Seeress
of
Kell)
N. What was Beldin's first act of sorcery?
Sorceress of Darshiva. In SoD Beldin says he was angry with Belgarath
but
turned his will onto a tree instead. In BtS Belgarath asks Beldin to
move a
rock to his tower and Beldin translocates it instead. A possible explanation
for this is that Beldin didn't want everyone to think his first act
of sorcery
was to do something as simple as moving a rock.
O. Why can't Zedar get out of that hole Belgarath put him in?
(By Jonathan Yen, with parenthetical commentary by Amy Sheldon)
sorcerer does because everyone thinks differently. But Zedar ain't
stupid, and so, should be able to think of another way to get out,
right? So, Belgarath must have thought of a pretty elaborate way to
keep Zedar
down there. However, one should remember that Zedar is stuck in rock
for all
eternity, which means that he has sufficient oxygen and
food for all eternity also. Or, it means that Belgarath made provisions
for his well-being for throughout eternity.
a) Zedar is stuck in rock like how Relg goes through it.
b) Zedar is in suspended animation.
(It should be noted that this is unlikely, as it wouldn't be that awful
a punishment if Zedar didn't know he was trapped.)
P. Speaking of Zedar, don't you think his punishment was too harsh?
Q. What is the sex of Polgara's twins?
mentioned many times, and are quite clearly not referred to by name
or sex.
This is quite deliberate. The reason given is that no one can now come
up with
any suggestion for stories about the twins, because
absolutely nothing is known about them.
loose ends lying around in the world of the Belgariad. The wolf refered
to is
the one found by Poledra in the Mallorean. He is now Geran's pet/friend,
and in
the epilogue of PtS he is described as having rather more intelligence
than
your average wolf.
it's just that wolves are very intelligent creatures, he is an
embodiment of the Light Prophecy, enjoying his retirement, or finally,
he is David Eddings himself.
S. How did Polgara and Poledra merging help them remain unseen by
Torak?
Polgara remarks that it was the inward turning of themselves that made
them
invisible. But that cannot be the whole reason, for it should be possible
to
someone to turn their thoughts inward without merging with someone
else. The
turning of thought can be seen as creating a shield against searching
thoughts.
The merging process in combination with turning inward enables them
to remain
unseen from Torak. It is possible that the merging means they can create
the
shield and be aware of events happening outside of their merged form.
Whereas
the shield Garion and Polgara made was imperfect at the join, a combined
form
could create a perfect shield.
T. Why are there so many differences between BtS and PtS?
scrapbook, David speaks about this, and says not to bother pointing
them out.
In the book, Polgara says that she has a different viewpoint and remembers
things differently to Belgarath. Now, given the fact David has put
this in, it
means he knows there are differences and doesn't want to change them.
It is
more realistic to think that Polgara and Belgarath cannot remember
something
exactly when it's something that occurred 3000 years ago.
ELENIUM/TAMULI
U. Inconsistencies
1.) Some terms that may be confused and are occasionally mixed up
by the editors.
a.) Elene/Elenian
group, that group which dominates all of western Eosia, in the nations
of Elenia, Arcium, Deira, Thalesia, Pelosia, Lamorkand, Cammoria and
Rendor, as opposed to the Styric or Tamul races. "Elenian" refers to
the
citizens of a particular Elene nation, Elenia. Not all Elenes are
Elenian, nor are all Elenians necessarily Elene, since a rural Styric
living in Elenia could also be classified as "Elenian."
Hierocracy of the Elene Church. A primate, from all indications, is
one
rank below a patriarch. If the patriarch of a particular city or
district is incapacitated, the primate acts in his stead. I compare
them to the
Roman Catholic ranks of cardinal vs. Bishop. The major difference is
that
patriarchs can vote with the Hierocracy and primates can't. This is
why it was
so important for Annias to buy support among the patriarchs.
2.) Illogical gaps in the story
a.) When Ehlana coaxes the Bhelliom to let her touch it, Bhelliom flatly
refuses and states that it has _only once_ allowed a non-divine, non-
Anakha
creature to touch it, and that was when Ghwerig first lifted it from
the earth.
Yet we know that Adian must have touched the stone when he stole it
from
Ghwerig's cave, and it's likely that the Thalesian kings who followed
him
touched it as well.
Alzheimer's, the only explanation seemed to be that Bhelliom
deliberately lied. There has been much debate about why. We know, of
course, that the story about instant death if one touched Bhelliom
was
false and that Bhelliom itself could decide who got to touch it. Rumor
believes that Bhelliom was very proud and egotistical, and didn't want
to admit that so many people had been allowed to touch it. Others agree
and add that Bhelliom was afraid that this would be seen as a sign
of
weakness and as its alliance with Anakha was still relatively new,
it
still didn't trust even its own creature.
b.) In Domes of Fire, Sparhawk mentions to Sephrenia that Aphrael can
fly, and Sephrenia replies that she never actually saw Aphrael do it,
but she assumed that her sister could fly. But later, we learn that
not only has Sephrenia seen Aphrael fly, but she's even been brought
along on about four or five flights in the last three centuries.
fly because she always had her eyes closed in terror. But otherwise,
there has not yet been a logical explanation for this one.
V. Do the Elenium or Tamuli titles have any connections to the stories?
Tamuli is the hardest. The closest anyone has come up with is that
they refer
to cities. The only problem is "The Shining Ones" but that could refer
to the
city of Delphaeus, as Delphaeus means both the city and The Shining
Ones.
W. What God is supporting Zalasta's spells when he crashes Sephrenia
and Vanion's wedding?
spells are nothing more than requests to a God, how do Zalasta's spells
work at
Sephrenia and Vanion's wedding when he has no God left to appeal to?
seems that Edæmus gave the Delphae the power to act on their
own
when he departed to prepare the way for their eventual journey. It
seems
logical to conclude, then, that a God or other source of power could
just as
easily have given Zalasta the power to act on his own. Where he got
that power
from is another matter entirely. Rumor and Aphrael concluded that it
was Klæl.
As Rumor pointed out, a God is of this (i.e., Sparhawk's) world and
has reason
to feel threatened by a human with the power to act on his own. But
for Klæl,
Zalasta was little more than a tiny speck who meant nothing. He would
never be
able to destroy or contend with Klæl. The only two entities from
whom Klæl had
anything to fear were Bhelliom and Anakha. So it would be no loss for
Klæl to
grant Zalasta the power to act on his own.
X. If the Elder Gods were all confined and the Younger Gods were
all
good guys, where did the renegade Styrics get their power?
possibilities here. Either the renegades somehow found another Elder
God
besides Azash who still had power despite his confinement, or else
not all of
the Younger Gods were as lily-white as we're led to believe. In the
first
scenario, it could be that the Elder Gods could still grant spells
to
individuals in their confined state, but because of their lack of worshippers
they were somehow cut off from being powerful enough to command Bhelliom.
On
the other hand, it's been proposed that it's entirely possible that
there was
resentment among the Younger Gods, and, that there were one or two
who would
actually grant spells to renegades. It's doubtful, however that the
resentment
extended so far as to go along with Zalasta's plot to destroy Aphrael,
therefore necessitating Zalasta's alliances with Azash and Cyrgon.
Y. Why was Sparhawk so afraid to let Wargun know that they were
looking for
Bhelliom when they ran into Wargun in Pelosia? Wouldn't Wargun have
agreed to
at least let Sparhawk borrow the stone if he knew it was their only
hope? And
even if not, wouldn't it be easier to steal the stone from Wargun
after he and
his army captured it from Ghwerig
than to fight the Troll himself?
erratic drunk who was not thinking rationally. Add to that the fact
that he probably wouldn't have believed that the Bhelliom had magical
powers and could cure Ehlana, and chances are, he wouldn't believe
that
Sparhawk had a valid reason for wanting the stone. As for the question
of letting Wargun help capture the stone and then stealing it from
him,
it's important to note that time was of the essence. Half the knights
whose lives were supporting Ehlana's had already died. And, as Rumor
pointed out, it would take a while just to move an army from Pelosia
to
Thalesia. Besides, chances are that Wargun would have taken his own
soldiers with him and sent Sparhawk to Arcium. Considering that the
most
important thing in Sparhawk's mind was restoring Ehlana, he couldn't
afford to
gamble on the whims of an erratic, drunken king.
Z. Immortality (The Elenium Derivative)
she have to grow old and die like a normal person?
will have to play by the normal rules in her incarnation as Danae.
As
much as she may be tempted, she isn't about to upset the Elene
population of Eosia by remaining a child for several centuries. So
it's
likely that at the appropriate time, Danae will fake a nice, peaceful,
painless death and move on to her next incarnation.
AA. Will Eddings write any more on Sparhawk and the gang when he
is
finished with _Polgara the Sorceress_?
AB. alt.fan.eddings newsgroup; what is it, who created it, and when?
-Cont. by Aquarius
a high level of traffic, several hundred posts a day, up from only
a
couple dozen only a few years ago. The control message sent to
alt.config came from Bob Snyder, on behalf of Lydia Leong. The date
was 17 May
1992. The reasons given for the creation of the new group was that
the
existing place for discussion about Eddings,
rec.arts.sf.written, had a lot of flame wars about whether Eddings
was a good
writer or not. It was felt that fans' questions were being lost as
a result of
these flame wars. Interestingly, alt.fan.eddings was created with the
idea that
it should also be a home for discussion about the Belgariad MUSH as
well. A
fuller history of the newsgroup, and a full copy of the control message
can be
seen at
http://www.members.tripod.com/~afecodex/
AC. Why does everyone have an Eddings alias, and how can I get one?
always been a few people using aliases, but more and more people started
using
them until it was decided that some sort of system was needed to ensure
that no
two people took the same alias. Teut monitors who has what alias and
any
questions regarding aliases should be directed to teut@thebusstop.demon.co.uk.
Teut maintains a site listing all aliases currently in use. It can
be found at
http://www.thebusstop.demon.co.uk/alias.htm
AD. What are the Silver Suggestions?
netiquette and is posted, twice a month, by Itagne (or rather, his
daemon Mordja). They are a collection of statements which people should
aim to follow when posting to alt.fan.eddings. Newcomers are encouraged
to
read them, as well as the FAQ, before posting for the first time. They
include
Aphrael's Three Commandments, as mentioned in the main FAQ. To see
the on-line
copy of the Silver Suggestions, visit
http://www.greenbeak.demon.co.uk/afe/silver-suggestions/
AE. Who runs the Trivia quiz, and when is it posted to the newsgroup?
two weeks and everyone is encouraged to enter. Looking in the books
for
answers is positively encouraged. Please don't post the
answers to the newsgroup, instead mail them to triviaquiz@iname.com.
For
further information, refer to the guidelines set out in the Trivia
Quiz posts,
or the web page at http://www.sigma.demon.co.uk/quiz.
AF. What exactly is Klæl's Army?
(aliens that Klæl brought over to fight in the Tamuli) could
forge weapons in
the highly explosive atmosphere they lived in. It developed into a
highly
complex and incomprehensible discussion about biology. Very quickly,
it became
an in-joke to refer to it when any complicated thread was started,
no matter
the subject. It has returned this year and if anything, is even more
complicated. Klæl's Army has now joined the Dryad and Immortality
threads into
the history of
alt.fan.eddings.
AG. Where can a new user find information about this newsgroup?
which can automatically send you various information packs about this
newsgroup. To get the Newbie pack send a blank email to
afe-daemon@greenbeak.demon.co.uk with a subject of "get -newbie".
For a
catalogue of all the documents send an e-mail to the same address as
above with a subject of "get -cat". Please ensure that your return
email
address is *NOT* disguised as you will not get a reply. The catalogue
can be
found at one of Itagne's afe related sites,
http://www.greenbeak.demon.co.uk/afe/dispatch-daemon/
along with a variety of
other files that the new user (or a returning old user who never read
the
documents in the first place) might find of interest.
AH. Are there any rules for this newsgroup?
pretty pleasant newsgroup with friendly people and low spam and troll
ratios. But there are three things we can all do to make sure things
stay friendly and relaxed. They are called the Three Commandments.
or that you disagree with, tell them calmly, in polite language, and
without resorting to name-calling or personal attacks.
Leigh Eddings.
does. But don't come out with belligerent statements like "This book
sucks!" Instead, state in intelligent, mature language that you had
problems with this particular book or series and explain why. Maybe
there is even someone else here who can offer you a new perspective
on
it that will make you appreciate it more.
by "foul or offensive language?" Basically, if you wouldn't say it
in
front of your parents or other respected adults, or in the presence
of
particular racial, ethnic or gender groups, don't say it here.
AI. What are the letters that I see before some thread names?
started to help readers of afe who don't have the time and/or the
inclination to read every post keep up with what their most interested
in. The tags that are currently in use consist of:
[B]anter
[E]ddings
[M]eta (relating to the newsgroup itself)
[O]ff-topic
[T]echnical
its own channel on IRC. #Eddings channels are certainly welcome to
be formed on
any net, but the one that seems to be the unofficial one is on Espernet.
The
following information describing how to connect was contributed by
Kamion and
describes how to connect to #eddings on Espernet.
access IRC servers, which operate like your news server in distributing
messages among all the people using it, but in a matter of seconds
rather than
minutes or hours so that it's possible to chat more or less at random
without
the bandwidth restrictions on the newsgroup.
UK: http://www.mirc.co.uk/
USA: http://www.geocities.com/~mirc/
South Africa: http://www.mirc.co.za/
Australia: http://mirc.eon.net.au/
among others.
USA (CA): http://www.ircle.com/
Australia: http://www.ozmac.com/
among others.
UK: http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Programs/Zircon/
http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/Chat/IRC/Software/
has a fairly good selection if none of the above suit you.
to connect to Espernet, which is a group of IRC servers
that all co-operate to allow anyone using one of them to talk to anyone
using
any of the others. The way you add a server depends on your client.
In mIRC,
for example, you click on File / Setup / Add. You will then be prompted
for
some information. The only important and/or obscure bits of this will
be the
server and port number. You should ideally choose the server that's
geographically closest to you; you may pick a port number at random
from those
that are available (or your client may allow you to enter several ports
between
which it will choose each time you connect - check your help files
for more
details).
can be found at http://www.esper.net/,
and at the time of
writing runs as follows:
Sacramento, California, USA
5555, 6666 - 6669, 7000
McLean, Virginia, USA
5555, 6666 - 6669, 7000
San Diego, California, USA
5555
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
5555, 6660 - 6670, 7000
Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
5555, 6666 - 6669, 7000, 8000
Salt Lake City, Utah
5555
others); this will connect you to a random server. However, I recommend
choosing one manually because, while you presumably know your geographical
location, irc.esper.net does not. You will not necessarily be connected
to the
most appropriate server this way.
alternative should your first choice be taken) press "Connect", or
the
equivalent on your client, and you will (I hope) be connected to your
chosen
server. You'll see a welcome message of some description, and then
either you
will be presented with a list of channels (the IRC
jargon for a chat forum) or you will see a vaguely unfriendly-looking
command
prompt.
presented. Click on it, and press "Join" (or similar).
which case you can probably press something like "Cancel" to
get you to a command prompt), you will need to issue an IRC command.
These can
be recognized by the fact that they start with a slash (/). The particular
command you need in this case is "/join #eddings" (without the quotes).
is quite normal. Just wait a while, or try a different time of day.
In my
experience, late evening and the early hours of the morning UK time
are quite
popular, though, given the fact that AFE posters and lurkers are distributed
all over the globe, other times may well be popular too.
itself.
http://r8h.cs.man.ac.uk:8000/eddings/
other sites. His site also contains a copy of the a.f.e.
Recommended Fantasy Author List.
http://valhalla.vossnet.co.uk/p/paulf/eddings.htm
sites and lots of other useful stuff. U.K. fans should note that Paul's
FAQ has
the ISBNs of the *British* editions of David Eddings' books.
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/1424
http://thor.cam.ac.uk/~cjw44/eddings
Eddings in the Real World. It also has some good links to
other Eddings web sites. Be warned this contains many advanced HTML
features
and may only be used with some of the later browsers.
http://www.microserve.net/~aphrael/eddings.html
unique in itself. It has a very good character list.
http://www.members.tripod.com/~afecodex/
descriptions of many of the regulars on AFE and also contains a history
of the
newsgroup.
http://www.sigma.demon.co.uk/
family tree.
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/6498/Eddings_Ring.html
http://www.kryogenix.albatross.co.uk/afe/
and creator. It also gives an explanation of afec, and contains a copy
of the
afec FAQ.
http://www.sff.net/people/Amy.Sheldon/listcont.htm
newsgroup. Contains descriptive listings on more than
150 authors, forthcoming titles, book news, and numbers of recommendations.
http://www.randomhouse.com/delrey/
about his upcoming work. They also publish quite a few other fantasy
authors,
and you can find sample chapters and all kinds of goodies there.
IV. CREDITS AND THANKS
(Amy Sheldon)
Jonathan Yen, who let me use information that they had
already gathered and pounded into useable form. I am grateful for their
hard
work, and their graciousness in allowing me to swipe^H^H^H^H^H utilize
their
efforts.
Chan, who 'waaaay back in 1994 began the grim task of hacking
together an
Eddings FAQ (he eventually gave it up and decided to do something a
bit easier
- complete his medical degree.)
Daniel Peters, for the original list of German titles, and Denis
Aumueller,
who sent the titles of Eddings' other works and added ISBNs.
as well as a few encouraging words.
this FAQ since it came out (unfortunately, much of it isn't suitable
for a family
publication...)
for having it so well written to begin with so that all I had to do
was add a
few things.
I've added to the FAQ.
job of doing an update so easy. Having such an excellent base to work
with made
the job so much easier.
channel for discussion about the FAQ.
foreign titles. Both Vanan and Kamion had HTML versions
of the FAQ, but
special thanks must also go to Ian Hutcherson for creating the original
version
and setting up the Geocities site.
Dominic Wynn, Aslade, Ce'Nedra, Bernadette
Crumb(aka Taiba), Anna Davies and
Kalten, all for providing valuable information, being excellent
reviewers and finding all my
mistakes.
and making my job simple by providing the answers.
the first place and for maintaining it for so many years.
easier as well as for helping review and edit the final document.
going a long way towards recovering the FAQ from its MIT autoposting
status,
and for reviewing and editing the final document.
especially additions to the foreign titles section, and for
continuing to find the most blatant mistakes that the rest of us missed.
boring task, I have trouble imagining) and for further editing the
document by
fixing grammatical errors and removing personalizations that had been
missed by
the earlier editors.