He wrote the series after taking a course on literary criticism, digging out all the tropes he could find, and deciding to actually build a good story with them. The series is Strictly Formula, but that was Eddings' intention from the start. That's the plot of David Eddings's Belgariad. And so Garion took up the massive Sword of the Rivan King and met the dark god Torak in personal combat.
There, Garion's true identity and destiny were revealed. The companions encountered kings, wizards, dryads, politics and treachery, but they ultimately succeeded in returning the Orb to its rightful place. In pursuit of the Orb, however, followed the legendary sorcerer Belgarath, his gorgeous daughter Polgara, the humble Farm Boy Garion, and many other colorful allies: a thief, a berserker, a noble horseman, a paladin, a snotty princess, and so on. If this 'Orb', belonging to the benevolent god Aldur, ever fell into the hands of the evil, maimed god Torak, the peaceful kingdoms of the west would fall to his might. Once upon a time, a stone which possessed the power to change destiny was stolen.
Before we get into this entry, I'd like to tell a story.
