The Emerald Cavern (Fifth Ring) [Mass Market Paperback]

Mitchell Graham (Author)

Book Description

Series: Fifth Ring | Publication Date: December 30, 2003

A force for good. . . or evil?

Destiny and tragedy placed an awesome power in the hands of young Mathew Lewin. But is he its master -- or its pawn?

Needing shelter from his enemies, Mathew Lewin has come to a kingdom neighboring the one he saved by harnessing the might of the ring. The haven he has chosen, however, is anything but safe. Treachery and mysterious murder plague this land and its giant king, threatening a devastating civil war and giving rise to dangerous suspicions aimed at the boy who seeks sanctuary. But Mat fears the destructive resources at his fingertips -- he must learn their secrets or be destroyed by them -- and his quest has led him here. Now, to find the answers he covets, he must confront another who wields the power . . . and venture into an enchanted place of darkness where the truest and most terrible of evils dwells.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the sequel to The Fifth Ring, Graham abandons that novel's direct-to-action approach in favor of a more densely political, character-driven tale that is, sadly, not as entertaining. Mathew Lewin, hero of the first novel, still holds an enchanted ring that gives him enormous powers. Only two such rings are thought to exist, but strange disturbances lead Mathew and his friends to suspect that at least one other ring exists and is in the hand of an enemy. The action accelerates about halfway through, but the preceding 200 pages are tiresome at best, a dreary litany of rambling dialogue and redundant narrative. Graham portrays a sprawling, realistic milieu with its own flavors and conventions, but the amount of extraneous detail and the sheer number of characters is numbing. In addition, the geopolitical structure of his world gives readers little insight into the power plays and battles that unfold as the story draws to a close. An intriguing plot and some likable characters are present, but unfortunately, they rarely rise to the surface.
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About the Author

Mitchell Graham was born in New York City and is an attorney in the State of Florida. A former member of the U.S. National Fencing Squad, he represented the U.S. in a number of competitions around the world and won more than thirty-five individual titles in the sport, placing in the top five more than one hundred times over the course of his career. In addition, he holds a doctorate in neuropsychology from the University of Miami. Mr. Graham lives in Miami with his fiancée and is currently at work on his second fantasy novel.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Harper Voyager (December 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006050675X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060506759
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #901,267 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Try this instead of Jordan, January 18, 2004

By 

Louis Gerber (Zanesville, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Emerald Cavern (Fifth Ring) (Mass Market Paperback)

After years of waiting for the Jordan series to end I gave up. The last book was a complete loser. A friend of mine previously gave me a copy of "The Fifth Ring" which has been sitting in my "to be read" pile and languishing there. Anyway, I gave it a try and it blew me away. Having fallen fell in love with the book I quickly checked the author's web site to see what else he had written (the site rocks by the way), and was pleased to find the sequel was already out.

"The Emerald Cavern" is a fine book and picks up a little after "The Fifth Ring" concludes. I thought this book was extremely well written. I enjoyed the humor as well as the court intrigues and mystery. I thought the relationships between Father Thomas and Teanna d'Elso and between Mathew and Teanna were extremely interesting. There's a lot percolating beneath the surface. Also, the more I read about Gawl the more I like him.

"The Emerald Cavern" has a number of aspects to it that are essential to a good novel: Solid writing; excellent characters; and a plot that keeps you hooked.

I highly recommend this book.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Sequel, January 2, 2004

By 

Sam Shelbertson (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Emerald Cavern (Fifth Ring) (Mass Market Paperback)

"The Emerald Cavern" is Mitchell Graham's sequel to the highly popular "Fifth Ring" that came out early last year. Both my roommate and I read it and we came to the conclusion...this is a polished character driven story with a fun plot.

It would certainly help if you've read the first book in the series, but the author brings you up to speed so quickly, it's not a necessity. The reader will find themselves rooting for the characters through all their trials and tribulations.

While I'm on the subject of characters, I should point out that even the villians and minor ones have a way of getting to you. Teanna d'Elso, Father Thomas, and Gawl could easily carry books by themselves.

I enjoyed the faster pace of this book, as did Sherri (though she didn't read the first one) and found myself coming back to it over and over again when I should have been working. In fact it kept me up until the wee hours of the morning.

I completely agree with the Klausner review that said Mitchell Graham is a superb story teller. He is...period. He pulls the reader right in and keeps them there. The world he has created is unique which makes the job a lot easier.

I strongly disagree with the comment by the Publishers Weekly person. This book *is* every bit as entertaining as "The Fifth Ring." While some of the charm is gone, this occurs when and author is cobbling a fantasy world together, I didn't suffer from it here. Read both book ins sequence and you'll see what I mean.

Yes, there are a lot of characters, both minor and major, but I had absolutely no trouble in following the plot or political interplays that were going on.

My Verdict: The Emerlad Cavern is a winnner that will appeal to a wide variety of both fantasy and mystery lovers. It's a wonderful follow-up to the start of the series. Hopefully, author Graham won't drag his out forever.

My only compliant is that now I'll have to wait for the conclusion of the story. If Graham's publisher has a brain in their head, they push it out the front door before the villagers burn down the castle.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!, January 12, 2004

By 

Lawlady (Marietta, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Emerald Cavern (Fifth Ring) (Mass Market Paperback)

I highly recommend this book. I found it very entertaining and a quick read. The pages just flew by. I felt myself drawn into the story right away. The descriptions were vivid, but not overblown. Personally, I thought the characters were quite easy to relate to.

I'd like to know where the author gets some of his ideas, because I thought they were great. This is a wonderful story that I'll read again and again as the years go by.