Guardians of the West
core novel 1987 Belgariad Universe
Record
| First published | 1987 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.11 (56,236 ratings, collected 2026-09-12) |
| Page count | 438 |
| First-edition ISBN | 0-345-33000-5 |
| First-edition date | 1987-04 |
| Internal chronology | 8 |
Synopsis
Guardians of the West opens the Malloreon some years after the events of the Belgariad, with Garion now ruling as the Rivan King and expecting a period of peace after his earlier victory. Instead he faces new difficulties, including his wife Ce'Nedra's inability to conceive an heir and simmering unrest within his kingdom. A cryptic message from the Orb of Aldur warns of a new threat associated with the name Zandramas, unsettling the fragile calm Garion had hoped to enjoy. When his young son Geran is abducted, Garion is forced to abandon his throne and assemble a fresh company of old and new companions to pursue the kidnappers, setting the stage for a journey that echoes, and extends, the quest that defined the earlier series.
Where it sits
- Universe: Belgariad Universe
- Series: The Malloreon core; position 1 of 5 in the series' recorded order
- Author: David Eddings
Awards (verified)
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 1988: finalist; Locus reader-poll placement, ranked 10.
Notes
- The earlier UK book-club edition had no real ISBN; the ISBN recorded here is for the following commercial Del Rey US edition.
- From the series record (The Malloreon): Original first editions credited to David Eddings alone (per the original-credit rule).
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series The Malloreon: position 1 of 5: next King of the Murgos (1988)
- Internal chronology, within Belgariad Universe: position 8 of 12: previous Enchanters' End Game (1984) · next King of the Murgos (1988)
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Eddings_bibliography
- David Eddings Wiki (Fandom)
- https://www.isfdb.org
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Malloreon
- https://www.sfadb.com/David_Eddings
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