Comments on: Rest In Peace David Eddings

By: Sandy

Sandy — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 00:06:59 +0000

I am looking for his books in Large Print. I love reading his books over, but my sight just isn’t what it used to be.
Anyone know a source?

By: dpomerico

dpomerico — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 15:31:04 +0000

While my dad reading The Hobbit to me and my brothers really started me off on fantasy, it was Pawn of Prophecy that sucked me in. It was not only the first fantasy novel I ever read, but the first novel I ever read, and there’s nothing better for a young boy growing up in the vanilla-ness of suburbia to read about a young boy who finds out that, hey: I’m destined to be a king…and I can do magic.
And then later, when both I and Eddings’ writing had “matured” a bit, he gave us the slightly darker character of Sparhawk. While not exactly an anti-hero in the sense we have today, his get-it-done attitude made his a different kind of hero for me–open with his faults, and yet powerful all the same.
I think that’s what Eddings’ most enduring literary legacies will be (because obviously us commenting here is his true legacy): heroes whose morality rarely if ever waivers and who, in the end, are never out to actually be heroes.
Heroes that just are.
I’ve talked about this in a few different venues, so I realize this might be old hat by now, but to me, this should be bigger news than it is. Yes, Eddings wrote fantasy, but the fact that it affected so many people (and so many people positively) deserves celebration and, perhaps, the waxing poetic.
All the best, David Eddings.

By: dpomerico

dpomerico — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 15:29:07 +0000

By: Shawn Speakman

Shawn Speakman — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:44:07 +0000

Thanks for the memory, Ku!

By: Ku

Ku — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:52:46 +0000

I first met David & Leigh back in ‘91. I flew out to his house in southwestern US with his then editor Veronica Chapman. We found David in the backyard laying bricks for a garden wall and we chatted while he continued to work & Leigh served us iced tea. Really? This is a #1 NYT best-selling author who has sold millions of books in 27 languages? That was David. Honest, honorable, humble who loved telling stories & never let success affect his life.

By: Shawn Speakman

Shawn Speakman — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 07:23:09 +0000

Well said, TJ. I think I may join you in a re-read as well sometime this summer. It’s been far too long.

By: TJ Erickson

TJ Erickson — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 06:44:29 +0000

David Eddings was the second fantasy novelist I read, I picked up Pawn of Prophecy right after I finished Lloyd Alexander’s the High King. For many years he was my favorite writer (and his first novel High Hunt is still my Dad’s favorite book).
I still reread them once every year or so, and it’s like revisiting an old friend. As I get older, I can see some of the faults in his writing, but his joive de vivre and unique style more than make up for it.
It’s like losing an old friend because he’s been a part of my life for more than 20 years. Excuse me, while I go reread Pawn of Prophecy once more, as a fitting memorial to a giant in the field. May he always be read, reread and loved.

By: Shawn Speakman

Shawn Speakman — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:10:02 +0000

I think that is an excellent idea. I think I will do the same.

By: Kyle M.

Kyle M. — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 20:59:02 +0000

This is sad. I know that I’m frequently guilty of thinking that my favorite authors or entertainers, or even friends in general, are just always going to be there. And then, occasionally, reality comes crashing through the door. Perhaps I should write more thank you letters to those authors I grew up reading who are still around.