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 Farewell to David Eddings June, 2009 There are few writers who have truly influenced my journey as a novelist. David Eddings, who passed away on the 2nd of June, was definitely one of them. In fact, he was probably the greatest influence of my writing life. Growing up, I loved fairytales and children’s fantasies. I didn’t realise it was okay to love these things as an adult as well, until I read the Belgariad. He inspired a whole new generation of writers, and opened up the world’s eyes to the genre, taking it from a small side-genre, to a whole new well-loved and respected genre in its own right. He showed the world that fantasy can involve classic and mystical settings, but with very real every day characters that you never, ever forget. I still remember where I was, and what life was like when I first discovered the Belgariad series. His books were like that. Like those moments in history that everyone can say where they were and what they were doing when it happened. The fantasy community has suffered a great loss for David’s death. He will be missed.
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