First, I strongly recommend to read these stories in the correct order. That wood be The Belgariad I to V, The Mallorean I to V, Belgarath and Polgara. You don't have to read The Rivan Codex. That's some background material for the "hardcore" fan.
Then I must admit, I AM a hardcore fan. I read everything Eddings publishes, most of it numerous times. Yes, it't rather light reading, but if you want deep, you should stay with Tolstoi or whatever. I like my Fantasy entertaining and with a happy ending. And if you're into fantasy, the big Eddings sagas are a must!
With this volume you're right in the middle of the Mallorean. It keeps going with the usual adventure, laughter, some romance (though rather "clean") and some thrills. Of all the Eddings books, this is one of the gloomier ones concerning hard choices in hard times. Anyway, a good read as usual.