David Eddings Is Dead

Beloved and influential fantasy author David Eddings, who in tandem with his late wife Leigh managed to garner both commercial and critical success with several series of best-selling novels, has passed away at the age of 77.

Eddings is best known for The Belgariad series, the first installment of which, The Pawn of Prophecy (1982), prompted Lester del Rey to tell him, "You've written a classic." The series introduced many to fantasy, and inspired some to write themselves (including Stephen Hunt, whose tribute to Eddings is here). Eddings was himself inspired by the success of The Lord of the Rings, which he was startled to discover was in its 78th printing when he encountered a display copy in a bookstore.