Best-selling author David Eddings died yesterday in Carson City, NV, at age 77. No cause of death was given.
Eddings was a giant in the world of fantasy literature with most of his popularity stemming from his Belgariad and Malloreon book series. The now-classic Pawn of Prophecy launched the epic Belgariad series in 1982 and was instantly embraced by fans of the fantasy genre.
The author collaborated on most of his works with his wife Leigh Eddings, who died in 2007 at the age of 69. Born in Spokane, WA, Eddings studied literature and drama in college, receiving a Master’s Degree from the University of Washington in 1961 before being drafted into the U.S. Army. In 1973, Eddings wrote a fictional adventure novel High Hunt, but later switch to fantasy writing after seeing a copy of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings in its 78th printing made him realize that the genre was still a viable one.
The Elder Gods: The Younger Gods was David and Leigh Eddings’ final novel. It was published by HarperCollins in 2006.
David Eddings
July 7, 1931–June 2, 2009
There’s a FREE online version of Pawn of Prophecy at Google Books and I highly recommend you spend the time to read it. If you enjoy it, you can take advantage of the selection of David Eddings books currently included in the 4-For-3 Sale
(get 4 books for the price of 3).
[Source: Nevada Appeal]
I’ve been a fan of his works since high school when I checked out Pawn of Prophecy since I wanted something to read. The adventures of Garion and Ce’Nedra were great and I have reread the series since then. Sucks that he’s gone now
Comment by Matt — June 4, 2009 @ 5:36 am
I too read the series in high school, my group of friends all read it and we would pass around the books to each other. I still have all my very worn paperbacks. Very sad that he’s gone now.
Comment by Empress Eve — June 4, 2009 @ 8:15 am
“Polgara the Sorceress” was one of my favourite books. (“Sorcerize him, Polly!”) And I loved all the little idiosynchrasies of Eddings’s writing style (like meticulously ensuring that ALL the characters get married, have lots of babies and get set up to live happily ever after at the end of the Mallorean). I’m really sad that he’s gone…
Comment by Sarah — June 4, 2009 @ 10:41 pm