One of my prime reading equivalents to comfort food is David Eddings’s books, especially the Belgariad and Mallorean series. The Belgariad were among the earliest books that I bought of my own volition, and I could not even tell you how many times I read them when I was a teenager, though I can’t tell you the last time I read them.
The BF dug his copies out a week or two ago, and despite the fact that I have plenty of other reading material available to me, I couldn’t help myself. I’d scooped up Pawn of Prophecy when he was done with it before it was even cold. I finished most of the books either within one evening, or over two if I really had to push it. I still love these books.
Now, I will be the first to admit that these aren’t perhaps the best written stories in the entire universe, but Eddings was smart in how he wrote them. Every character is perfectly picked to add another dimension to hook you into the story. My favorite (along with everyone else I know that has read these), is Silk. The little spy’s interactions with the other characters are priceless, and they only get better in the Mallorean.
I’ve read other Eddings books, and enjoyed most of them, but I think he was at his peak with these 10 books. I can look at any of the books that came later and draw direct parallels between those characters and the wonderful characters that he created here. These will stand up in my list of favorite books forever.