After the events in Nyissa seen last volume, the group moves on, not to follow the stolen artifact, but to answer the call of their patron god, who has called them to his protected area to give them new instructions. After a trip through a land of destruction and death, haunted by the ghosts of those citizens murdered in a raid, they arrive at the Vale of Aldur. After the two sorcerers talk with their god, the group goes to the land of UL, where the misfits not wanted by any of the other gods are kept. Barely escaping, the group has to travel into the land of the enemy, both to try to recover the artifact, and to fulfill a prophecy.
The previous books have always been a third person point of view that is very focused on Garion, with his thoughts, but this one begins with the focus on the princess from the second book, which threw me a bit, and wasn’t totally to my liking. However, the book eventually switches back to Garion, where we find the comfortable niche from the first books. The book flows through the next parts of the story well, including the adventure and almost debacle that was their trip into enemy territory. The characters always stay true to form, and their interactions continue to be one of the pleasures of reading The Belgariad: Volume One.
Things wrap up on far more of a cliffhanger than the first two books did, leaving you wet at the mouth for the fourth novel. While at times this one tripped up a little, it still was a solid addition to the series.
8/10
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