As far as his fantasy novels go, he has a certain fixation on little
blue gems of immense and unbelievable power that cannot be handled by
mortal man.
In the
Belgariad and the
Mallorean, it was the
Orb of Aldur. Only the Gods or
Belgarion could handle the little
pebble in question.
In the
Elenium and the
Tamuli, it was the
Bhelliom. This little blue flower made of Sapphire and could only be handled by either
Sparhawk or the Gods.
In both series, these little blue objects are parts of
forces beyond comprehension, both with
polar opposites. They have
powers beyond reason. They are
plot devices.
I
do love all the books that David and Leigh wrote. I'm just jaded about this little blue gem complex.
Edit: someone pointed out to me that the Bhelliom is made of Sapphire. Which is why it's called the Sapphire Rose. Duh me.