Customer Reviews

Fields of Honor (Ruin Mist Chronicles)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Robert Stanek's work is the most poorly written fantasy I've
ever had the ill luck to buy and read. I guess everyone's tastes are different, but he'll never become popular.

This is a great series. It's so rare to find a series where each book is better than the one before it. This is by far Stanek's best book to date.

The whole series does a wonderful job of telling a truly epic tale. Over the three books the author touches on many topics and paints a beautiful portrait of the world that has been put together for the characters. The characters are all easy to identify with, and the reasons for their actions where clearly understood. This book is very exciting and I found myself staying up late to find out what happens next.

The whole series is worth reading by anyone who enjoys a well written, epic story, set in a fantastic place and time. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think most other people will too.

After 3 solid performances, I don't know why Robert Stanek isn't more popular than he is. He continues to weave together an interesting yarn that is the perfect blend of mystery, fantasy and action. Unlike Jordan and Goodkind, each book advances the plot, the characters actually grow and learn, and none of the books are mired in endless repetitive rehash. That in itself is an achievement.

As with the previous books, the cast of characters continues to grow and change with more than a few excellent additions. I continue to see why Ruin Mist Chronicles is compared so favorably to Lord of the Rings. Tolkien, Eddings, Brooks, Feist, and Eddings are sure fans of these masterfully written books. I'm beginning to think that frustrated Jordan and Goodkind fans may find these books refreshing as well, I certainly do.

Incidentally, the BEST NEW VOICE IN FANTASY win was for this book, and I have no doubt this is the best book to cross my desk this year. I can't wait to get Mark of the Dragon.

"Ruin Mist Chronicles" is fantastic and Fields Of Honor is the book that sets the series apart from all others. You might as well buy the whole series now because its very well done and highly addictive. The author doesn't beat you over the head with flowery prose, instead his writing is clean, concise and extremely enjoyable. What a great series!

The author weaves a complex storyline with much skill, which makes the mysteries, intrigues, and plot turns easy to follow and very entertaining. Each book is successively better than the one before and this one is without a doubt my favorite book of all time. A fascinating world of adventures awaits.

Once again, let me say: Bravo! Well done, Mr. Stanek! Ruin Mist Chronicles continues to be vast in scope and vision, with a cast of three-dimensional characters, this book like the others before it is unquestioningly the work of a master. To begin with, Stanek doesn't miss a beat. The landscape is as vivid as the characters. It's as if the author lives and breaths the magical world he has created (and readers get to live and breath it as well).

A great deal of attention has been paid to several aspects of the series. First, the inevitable comparison with Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Second, the thinking it is Martin-lite. Third, the lack of quest.

With regard to Tolkien comparisons, it is understandable, since both works deal with fantastic creations and fantastic worlds rich in history. Both are thoroughly original and magical. Tolkien blends classic mythology into the denizens of middle earth giving life to the cultures and socities of the realm. Stanek peoples his world (called Ruin Mist) borrowing from mythology with Giants, Elves, Dwarves, Trolls, and with original creations and uniquely defined creatures with wolmerrelle, troants, hunter beasts, eagle lords which have no counterpart in classic fantasy or popular mythology.

In a manner of speaking, both authors constructed complex, richly detailed worlds whose full history is larger than can fit in a single book or set of books. There are, of course, significant differences, but I digreess.

The other commentary on Stanek's masterwork is on the sex, violence or should I say lack of it for generations of readers used to splatter flicks and bloodsoaked epics. It is a matter of taste I think. You could argue that Martin is all about the sex and violence while Stanek is careful in his use of violence and sexual inuendo so it doesn't seem gratuitous or come off as over the top. I think his limited use of sex and violence is fundamental to the theme of the series that nothing can be known for certain and the world is often seen in shades of gray. Any reader can fill in the blanks when certain scenes occur and the story doesn't need to get stuck in gratuitous details.

Finally, the lack of quests in the work is inevitable. It is tempting to want a fantasy story to be all about the quest for some strange artifact but the best, most memorable stories aren't about quests for things as much as they are about quests of the spirit, and this may be what Stanek intended.

The world he creates is rich with intrigue and some parts can be seen as "classic" quest. Seth does, afterall, leave his home on a quest to reach the lands of men and get an audience with the king. Ultimately, Stanek makes a point about the state of our world as well as the world he creates.

Fields of Honor is the best of the series so far, even better than Kingdom Alliance. Don't read the books out of order start with Keeper Martin's Tale, then read Kingdom Alliance and then read Fields of Honor. Next up for Stanek is Mark of the Dragon. This is a great epic fantasy series which stands on its own merits. I encourage people to put personal judgement aside and just read it for its own merits.

As a final word, if you have a choice get the deluxe edition. The deluxe edition has the complete guide to the people, places, and things in Ruin Mist, inhabitants, trades, and more.

From the simple beginnings of Keeper Martin's Tale, Ruin Mist Chronicles has become one of the best fantasy series going. Three successively better books is an achievement, and Stanek distinguishes himself with a unique approach and style. I was captivated by the opening sequence, and never have I finished a book so quickly. The depth of the back story, the deft handling of the many threads, and the language continue to surprise.

In this third book, multiple new characters are as skillfully introduced as the previous characters. The characters continue to be real and so does the story, even if it does take place in a fantasy world. The fantasy multiverse of Ruin Mist continues to grow and has become as much a character as the actual characters in the story. Well worth the time and recommended, but definitely start at the first book.

Very well-written and complex, and, as others have said be prepared for plot twists and turns. It is no exaggeration to say that among the ever-increasing number of multi-volume fantasy series, each thicker than the last, that Robert Stanek's "Ruin Mist Chronicles" is the clear exception.
The books are relatively short, the pacing is fast, and theres a hekc of a lot going on. With wonderful prose, a twisting storyline, and characters that live and breathe, "Keeper Martin's Tale" sets into a motion a tale that will no doubt stand as one of the high points in modern fantasy.

Stanek turns standard fantasy cliches on their heads and makes an eminently readable fantasy tale. There is little not to like here. It is very well-written and complex, and the cast of characters is large, and Stanek manages to make us believe in them all. We grow to love them, hate them, fear for them, feel bad for them. The characters are consistent, complex and fascinating.

They're in danger quite frequently and you learn quickly Stanek has no qualms about killing off major characters. It makes moments of tension truly tense because it is clear early on that main characters can and will die.

The story flows well and what has come before all serves the narrative in a believable fashion. And it is a terrific changing narrative where viewpoints change with each new section and rarely is space wasted. Just about every chapter reveals important information and quite frequently unexpected things happen (and its perfectly sensible and believable).

At times Stanek throws in some red herrings to make you think one things is happening, then sends you spinning when you doubt the obvious only to have it actually happen.

I was rarely able to predict what was going to happen and that was pure bliss. The story keeps you on your toes that's for sure.

At merely 400 pages, one wouldn't think it is a sprawling epic but it is. Stanek creates an entire world populated with wondrous peoples, places and things. Patient readers are rewarded with strange happenings, magic, mystery and mayhem.

Definitely a compelling and truly satisfying read. If you like fast reads that you can really get into, or a book that you just can't put down, then this is definetly for you.

This is storytelling at its finest, especially Mr. Stanek's writing. The plot is complex and the author does a good job of character development. The first three books are filled with intrigue, plots, mysteries, thrills and wars. This is not usually what interests me in a fantasy book but Stanek's characters kept me captivated. This isn't Tolkien, but every bit as good.

The writing really is better than Jordan's Wheel of Time series, especially in this latest one. It doesn't get tedious. It's just pure fun.

Fields of Honor is the spectacular follow up to Kingdom Alliance. As in the previous books, Stanek's vivid depictions of the characters truly brings them to life in your minds eye. From the opening sequence on, I was captivated, the pull of this book even stronger than the ones before it, as this is undoubtedly Stanek's best to date. The cast of characters grows substantially in this one, yet I still felt as if I knew every single one intimately. Packed with surprise, intrigue, and mystery, this is an excellent read. As the reader journeys to new lands and meets new peoples, this book pulls you deeper and deeper into the world of the author's imagining, its history and its mythos to a level that often left me in awe. The deluxe edition I got had a 50-page Encyclopedia of Ruin Mist, the world of the books.

Keeper Martin and Kingdom Alliance were both good reads. This one and the next though are great reads. I was hooked straight from the opener to the end,