David Eddings

Long ago, so the Storyteller claimed, the evil God Torak sought domination and drove men and Gods to war. But Belgarath the Sorcerer led men to reclaim the Orb that protected men of the West. So long as it lay at Riva, the prophecy went, men would be safe. But that was only a story, and Garion did not believe in Magic dooms, even though the dark man without a shadow had haunted him for years. Brought up on a quiet farm by his Aunt Pol, how could he...

Garion, a simple farm boy, was going to a strange tower to face a powerful evil magician. He was aided by master sorcerer Belgarth and his daughter, the arch-sorceress Polgara.

Now at last, the Orb has been regained and the quest nears its end.

In Georgian England, a poverty-stricken lady sells her virtue on the auction block to save her brother, but a mysterious gambler tries to save her from harm and draws her into a sensuality that could lead to madness.