The Belgariad is a five-book fantasy epic written by David Eddings, following the picaresque journey of protagonist 'Garion' and his companions, first to recover a sacred stone, and later to use it against antagonist 'Kal Torak'.
Volumes include:
The title of each book combines a chess term with a fantasy term; whereas the concept of a 'Game of Destiny' is a significant motif in the story. The series has been reprinted as a two-volume set, titled The Belgariad Volume One, containing the first three books of the series, and The Belgariad Volume Two, which contains the last two books. This does not include the original map by Chris Barbieri, but only Shelly Shapiro's map.
The Malloreon is a five-book sequel to the Belgariad. Belgarath the Sorcerer (1995) and Polgara the Sorceress (1997) are prequels that share the setting and most characters. The Rivan Codex (1998) features annotated background material.
Two sides to all of us, with me you get 'em both,
My good side's wonderful, tho' I don't like to boast,
Better not cross over 'cos the other side's a beast
But don't expect the most if you can't take the least
Blackheart, what you think of me,
Blackheart, you want to believe,
The dark side's all you want to see
Blackheart, Blackheart
What you wanna do,
Blackheart
You know it's always true
Give back what I get from you,
Blackheart
I know the ones I win, I know the ones I lose
I can't apologise, I know I paid my dues
I can't be sorry, if I ain't always a saint
Like to be a nice guy, but don't blame me if I ain't
[Chorus]
So that's the story, what you see is what you get,
No doubt there's better men than me
But I ain't met one yet
No doubt the dancer calls the tune,
So you can call on me
I'm all I''ve got, and what I am is what I'll be
Pay your money, take your choise, everybody's free,
I know nobody's perfect and if they are it won't be me
I'll be the bad guy in the movie of your life
Just thank your lucky stars I didn't use a knife
Blackheart, what you think of me, Blackheart,
You want to believe
The dark side is all you want to see
Blackheart