Long ago, so the Storyteller claimed, the evil God Torak sought dominion 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 know that the Apostate planned to wake dread...

Auskiere, wizard of wind and water, bound the Mharg-demons with the aid of Ivan, master of fire and earth. But at the moment of his greatest peril Ivan is betrayed and he swears a terrible oath against his betrayer - an oath so powerful that it begins a relentless "cycle of fire".

A twelve-year-old girl and her friends try to discover the true identity of the small boy who seems to have no name.

Herewiss, Prince of the Brightwood, is the only man in centuries to possess the Power of the Flame, but he cannot use or control it not even to help his dearest friend, Freelorn, the exiled Prince of Arlen. Herewiss faces a devastating choice. Shall he join Freelorn in his fight to regain his kingdom? Or shall he abandon his friend to seek out the ancient castle where doors are said to lead to other worlds, worlds where, perhaps, he can learn to control the Power that burns within him.