Series · epic fantasy

The Malloreon

by David Eddings

The Malloreon series by David Eddings has 5 known books (5 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Guardians of the West (1987).

Books
5 known books (5 novels)
Published
5
First published
1987
Status
completed
Shelved under
Last checked

Start here: Guardians of the West (1987) — then read straight through in publication order.

Reading order

The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.

  1. Book 1:

    Guardians of the West

    Novel

    Guardians of the West opens David Eddings' epic fantasy series The Malloreon, published in 1987 at 432 pages. It's the first of five books, followed by King of the Murgos.

    Alternative text for cover: Cover of Guardians of the West
  2. Book 2:

    King of the Murgos

    Novel

    King of the Murgos is the second book in David Eddings' Malloreon series, published in 1988 at 443 pages. It follows Guardians of the West and precedes Demon Lord of Karanda.

    Alternative text for cover: Cover of King of the Murgos
  3. Book 3:

    Demon Lord of Karanda

    Novel

    Demon Lord of Karanda is the third entry in David Eddings' Malloreon series, published in 1988 at 404 pages. It follows King of the Murgos and precedes Sorceress of Darshiva.

    Alternative text for cover: Cover of Demon Lord of Karanda
  4. Book 4:

    Sorceress of Darshiva

    Novel

    Sorceress of Darshiva is the fourth book in David Eddings' Malloreon series, published in 1989 at 406 pages. It follows Demon Lord of Karanda and precedes the series' closing volume, The Seeress of Kell.

    Alternative text for cover: Cover of Sorceress of Darshiva
  5. Book 5:

    The Seeress of Kell

    Novel

    The Seeress of Kell closes David Eddings' five-book Malloreon series, published in 1991 at 443 pages. It follows Sorceress of Darshiva as the final entry in a series that ran from 1987.

    Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Seeress of Kell

About The Malloreon

The Malloreon picks up several years after the Belgariad's ending, when Garion -- now the Rivan King -- learns that the infant son stolen from him and his wife Ce'Nedra has been taken east across the sea to Mallorea, the vast Angarak empire the earlier books only glimpsed from a distance. The prophecy isn't finished after all: a second, opposing prophecy has been quietly gathering its own champion, and Garion's party reassembles -- Belgarath, Polgara, Silk, Durnik, and the rest -- for a much longer journey across cultures the Belgariad never had time to visit, from the slave markets of Mallorea to the ruins of a vanished seventh nation. New figures complicate the old certainties: Zakath, the seemingly ruthless Mallorean emperor who turns out to be more interesting than his reputation, and Cyradis, a blindfolded seeress-judge who represents a choice more genuinely difficult than good-versus-evil. Where the Belgariad built its quest around a straightforward retrieval, the Malloreon widens the lens into something closer to a tour of Eddings' whole invented world, using the returning cast's established chemistry as a stable center while the politics and geography around them grow more complicated. It ends by resolving the two-prophecy structure the entire saga has been building since Pawn of Prophecy, making it best understood as the second and concluding half of one long story rather than a fully separate series.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to read The Belgariad before The Malloreon?

Yes, essential -- the Malloreon is a direct continuation that assumes complete knowledge of the Belgariad's ending and characters.

What order should I read The Malloreon in?

Publication order: Guardians of the West, King of the Murgos, Demon Lord of Karanda, Sorceress of Darshiva, The Seeress of Kell.

Is The Malloreon a sequel series or part of the same story as The Belgariad?

It's best thought of as the second half of one long saga -- it resolves a second prophecy set up but not finished in the Belgariad, using the same cast.

How many books are in The Malloreon?

Five, published between 1987 and 1991.

Should I read Belgarath the Sorcerer and Polgara the Sorceress before or after The Malloreon?

After -- both prequels are written for readers who already know how the full Belgariad/Malloreon story ends.


Reading order last verified .