The place had enormous possibilities. He realized that at once. The stream, of course, was perfect for sailing toy boats, for skipping stones, and, in the event of failing inspiration, for falling into. Several of the trees appeared to have been specifically designed for climbing, and one huge, white old birch overhanging the stream promised the exhilarating combination of climbing a tree and falling into the water, all at one time.

After graduating from high school in 1949 he worked for a year before majoring in speech drama and English at junior college. The Losers (1992) - a story about a man struggling to rebuild his life after an accident. On January 26 2007 it was reported that Eddings accidentally burned about a quarter of his office next door to his house along with his Excalibur sports car and the original manuscripts for most of his novels.

With his wife Leigh he authored several best-selling epic fantasy novel series including The Belgariad (1982–84) The Malloreon (1987–91) The Elenium (1989–91) The Tamuli (1992–94) and The Dreamers (2003–06).