Customer Reviews

The Garden of the Stone

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Garden of the Stone has it all--a fast paced and exciting plot, fascinating world building, and excellent characters. No cardboard heroes here--the characters are so real you feel they're people you could actually meet. The book tells two stories, of Cariad, a skilled assassin on a secret mission to kill her father's greatest enemy, and Konstant, who is sent from a world of magic into a world of technology to find a man (the hero of The Arm of the Stone, the previous book in the series) who is the focus of an important prophecy. The two stories interrelate, but remain separate until the final chapters, when Strauss brings them beautifully together. Endings are often a problem in fantasy--the author runs out of steam or ideas, and all you're left with is a big so what." Not here. The climax of The Garden of the Stone is surprising and satisfying.

I don't agree with the person who said this book doesn't stand alone. Ms. Strauss does a good job of including the action of volume 1, and though some characters from the previous book return, there are many new ones, and the story takes place in different settings. But it is a sequel, after all, so I would recommend reading the Arm of the Stone first, because it gives a better context for Garden, and also because the two books work so well together.

I bought The Garden of the Stone not knowing there was a previous book in the series (the publisher doesn't exactly let you know). But I didn't feel cheated, because Garden really does stand alone. The backstory is included as a flashback, in a way that doesn't interrupt the flow of the plot, and in fact adds to it. Garden is a rarity--a fantasy novel with an exciting plot that nevertheless is carried by its powerfully-drawn characters (I especially loved Orrin). The world Strauss creates is fascinating and unique, and she makes it seem very real. Also, Strauss's writing style is head and shoulders above most of what passes for fantasy writing these days. This was a great book, and I hope the author expands the series.

Bron, the man whom secret prophecy said would restore a balance between mindpower and handpower, vanished decades ago with the Stone - a powerful talisman through which the unfathomable energy and wholeness of the world can be approached by people with the Gift. Yet though the Stone is gone, much on the surface of the world of mindpower remains the same. The changes in the world since the loss of the Stone have been insidious. The theocracy of the Fortress still rules, maintaining an elaborate charade to keep the awareness of the Stone's loss from the masses. But constructions built with Gifts are beginning to fail across the world, and not even the ultra-conservative Reddened faction of the Arm of the Stone can stop the apparent unbinding of mindpower. The book expresses well about mankind's nature and destiny and avoids the obvious position of cheerleading magic and raspberry of technology. Thoughtful and resourceful, this reflectss humanity, posing hard questions and exposing weaknesses that we might yet, with no little difficulty, overcome. END

I thought Arm of the Stone was a terrific book, but this one felt rushed and ill-conceived. There was far too much time wasted on long, in-depth conversations in which psuedo-medievel men process their pain. Also, the author builds tension in several parts of the story, but lets it dissipate each time.

Victoria Strauss' powerful grasp of language and intelligent characterization elevates the troubled and overlong plot, but the whole book feels perfunctory, as though she wasn't interested in writing it.

I'll buy her next book the moment I see it on the shelf, but I won't be recommending this one.

Victoria's fist novel in this series was brilliant. This one,the second of the series, is equally brilliant. Although the pace ofthe novel is slower than the first one in the series, it carries on Victoria's brilliant series. She takes her knowledge of religion and crafts a very compelling story of intrigue, deceit, and hatred. Highly recommended.

It has also come to my attention that Victoria is working on a third installment of this series. I can't wait to see it.

Victoria Strauss has followed up her excellent The Arm of the Stone with an equally compelling sequel. If you haven't read Arm, don't worry - both books stand alone. This one features a complex female assassin character on whom the fate of the world depends. Strauss keeps readers guessing all the way through, and provides an unexpected and satisfying ending.

THIS WAS A WORTHY SEQUEL TO 'ARM OF THE STONE'. THE AUTHOR CREATES A WORLD AND PEOPLE THAT YOU WILL ENJOY COMPLETLY. I HOPE TO SEE MORE FROM THE AUTHOR!

I didn't know that this book was a sequel when I took it off the shelf, nor did I realise it when I read it. Magnificently crafted to be a stand-alone book, it immediately picks you up and takes you into the action. It is a well-crafted story, of an assassin girl, Cariad, who is led by the legacy of her departed father, who captured a mystical artifact known as the Stone. She is a member of an underground resistance group who fight against the oppression of the Guardians and their suborders.

The typical elements of a fantasy story are in here - hero is a part of a prophecy, item of mystical importance, love, danger, the final confrontation of good and evil. Strauss has intertwined these elements finely, but in truth, her story-writing skills are a little lacking.

There is a fair amount of emphasis on detail - but not where it counts. She explains the surroundings well, and the history, but leaves little to character development, especially in regards to the supporting characters.
Also, the climax of the story seemed rushed; it was over in a few pages. There was a lot of build-up, so the finale turned out to be a little anti-climatic, espeically as it was extremely predictable.

Not really a book for those die-hard hard-core fantasy lovers out there, but those of you who enjoy a simple read with a non-complex world, then Garden of the Stone is for you

I am rounding up the rating because until I got to this page I had not realized that this was the second book in a series. Strauss at least gets point for writing a sequel that stands so well on its own merits. I did not realize that this was the second book in a series, and never felt as though I were missing information. This said, I may have either liked it less or more than most of the readers because I have read out of order.

Cariad, a talented assassin who fights the tyranny of the Redenned, is waiting for the father who she has never met to return.

The way that Strauss approaches magic in the world is interesting. I like the tension between handpower and mindpower and the balance necessary between the two. The Garden of the Stone offers us an alternative way of viewing our own history-- a nice achievement for any fantasy novel.

Sometimes I lacked a feeling of freshness, and the pacing felt as though it could have been handled better. These are not major complaints, but kept me from experiencing the book as anything stronger than enjoyable.

Recommended, but unlike me you should probably read the books in the good order.

I've read both The Arm of the Stone and The Garden of the Stone, and found them to be exceptional fantasies. I couldn't put them down! They're not the run of the mill, dime a dozen, clone fantasies you usually wind up with when you go to the bookstore, with elves and quests and magic swords and cardboard characters and ridiculous dialogue. They're real novels, with interesting ideas, fascinating world building, and wonderful characters who come alive on the page and stay with you long after you're finished reading. Oh yes--and there's an exciting plot too. And lots of very cool magical stuff. I loved these books, and I hope Ms. Strauss writes more soon!