The Belgariad
The Belgariad by David Eddingsby David Eddings
Shares rank 30 of 36 fantasy novels by recommenders
People recommend it as an engaging fantasy series that readers loved and devoured, especially as young teens. No common caveat appears in the quotes.
2 people recommended The Belgariad by David Eddings in Hacker News comments, 1 had mixed feelings and none criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026.
1 of the 2 people who recommend it commented in one thread, “Read the Novels and Forget Everything Else”.
Summary written by Claude from 2 comments. It was written before the November 2026 recount, and 1 of those comments still counts.
3 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 2
- mixed feelings
- 1
- warn against or regret it
- 0
The record
Recommended in 2 of 12 months
In 2 different threads.
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 2 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 12 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
- Recommended in 2 threadsNeeds 5 or more, not met.
- The biggest thread supplies 50% of its recommendersNeeds half or less, met.
The same rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. Mixed feelings count toward neither side. How the badge works
What people say about it
Reasons grouped from a sample of 1 of the 3 opinions about it, picked in proportion to how many people recommend it, have mixed feelings and criticize it. Each mark is one comment in the sample. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Read it voraciously, eagerly
“voraciously read my way through the Belgariad”
Comment from 2 Aug 2026 in “Read the Novels and Forget Everything Else”
Other fantasy novels people recommend
The four most recommended other fantasy novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Mixed | Criticize | Approval | Months | Had for | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Lord of the Ringsby J.R.R. Tolkien | 52 | 13 | 10 | 84% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Dungeon Crawler Carlby Matt Dinniman | 43 | 4 | 6 | 88% | 11 | — | Approved |
| The Hobbitby J.R.R. Tolkien | 34 | 6 | 9 | 79% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationalityby Eliezer Yudkowsky | 15 | 4 | 17 | 47% | 7 | — | — |
| The Belgariadby David EddingsThis page | 2 | 1 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
Also compared with Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.
What people said
1 of the 3 opinions about it, picked in proportion to the three counts, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“voraciously read my way through the Belgariad”
Counts come from 1,791,911 Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, November 2025 to October 2026, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 2 Nov 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.