Diary of Ellen Rimbauer

So in the middle of the second book to the Belgariad series I took a break and read The Diary Ellen Rimbauer Life: My Life at Rose Red is a 2001 novel by Ridley Pearson. The book is written as nonfiction accompaniment to the movie Rose Red.  Whereas the movie concentrates on the happenings of a group of psychics assembled by Dr. Joyce Reardon, the book is a editted copy of Ellen Rimbauer's diary which fuels Dr. Reardon's desire to enter Rose Red.  It answered a few questions I had when watching the movie and is an interesting read.  It definitely lacks the signature of Stephen King and noone who reads King and has read the Diary would be fooled into thinking King or his wife had anything to do with writing the novel itself.  The excerpts edited from the book by Dr. Reardon were indicated on being on the university website that Dr. Reardon worked but this also is a fictional website and no longer exists and those edited pages can no longer be viewed.  This is a bummer as I would have liked to read a few of those pages if for nothing more than interest at what they held. 

Pawn of Prophecy - The Belgariad - David Eddings

     So I started to reread The Belgariad by David Eddings.  I love this series of books and it generally keeps me busy for a few weeks since it doesn't keep me awake when I read in bed at night since I have read it so many times I could probably recite it.

     In this book Garion finds himself swept up in events that make no sense to him and his whole world is turned upside down with the knowledge that his Aunt, who raised him, isn't really his Aunt.  This is further exasperated by the fact that everyone around him seems to not only know things he doesn't know but also be someone that Garion didn't know.  The journey starts off when the old storyteller, who frequented the farm where Garion grew up on, shows up and whisks his Aunt, himself, and the blacksmith away to chase after a thief of a valuable object.  Noone talks about the object or the thief in this book.

     They are joined by a small man named Silk, and a rather large man named Barak.  They are attacked several times in their journey and eventually captured and delivered to the king of Sendaria.  There Garion learns the true identity of his companions including his Aunt who is not his Aunt Pol who he thought but actually Polgara who is a sorceress who has lived thousands of years and is only outlived by her father Belgarth who happens to be the old storyteller, whom Garion has been calling Mister Wolf.  Silk turns out to be the nephew of the king of Drasnia and called Prince Kheldar and Barak happens to be the Earl of Trellheim.  The king of Sendaria transports them to Cherek to meet with the kings of Aloria.  Once there Garion thwarts an assassination on the king of Cherek and gets a strange greeting by an old blind seer.  Aunt Pol shows her power for the first time producing a rose for the queen of Cherek and again when she restores the old blind seers' eyes.  This only further worries Garion that his Aunt may not be related to him which would make him alone in the world.

     Once the visit to Cherek is over the companions go on their way back to chasing the thief.  The books ends on the boat with Mister Wolf explaining the complex relationship to his Aunt and himself.  Garion is astonded to learn Mister Wolf is actually his grandfather and relieved his Aunt is really his Aunt, although several greats added on for both). This comforts him and then asks about his parents.  Belgarth explains they were murdered by an old enemy of Garion's family and Garion then swears revenge. Here the book closes and moves onto book two: Queen of Sorcery.