Guided by the Orb of the God Aldur, Garion and Ce'Nedrea begin a great quest to rescue their kidnapped child. Making their way through the foul swamps of Nyisssa, then into the lands of the Murgos, they must ultimately face a horrible danger--to themselves and all mankind....

King Belgarion and Queen Ce'Nedra are still searching for their kidnapped son Geran in this second volume of The Mallorean, Eddings's sequel to his bestselling fantasy series The Belgariad. After pursuing the Bear Cult in the last book, they now have information that the culprit is actually the evil Zandramas. Despite the seeming urgency of their quest, the journey becomes almost leisurely as the company, including the ancient sorcerer Belgarath, his daughter Polgara and the spy called Silk, stop repeatedly along the way. They visit the cave-dwelling mystics, the Ulgos, the imperial Tolnedrans, the forest Dryads, the Serpent Queen and the city of Rak Urga, where they make an unlikely ally of timid, wily Urgit, King of the Murgos. If this is seldom really gripping, the flavorful interplay among Eddings's stubborn, resourceful characters keeps the narrative continually entertaining.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

As the words of the Prophecy lead the Rivan King Garion and his companions across the lands of the Snake-Queen and the once hostile Murgos, the malignant Zandramaskidnapper of Garion's sonpursues another Prophecy which, if fulfilled, will lead to the triumph of Darkness. Eddings continues to provide solid fantasy entertainment featuring engaging characters and warm, wry humor in this sequel to Guardians of the West. Recommended for fantasy collections. JC
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.