Guardians of the Lost (Sovereign Stone Trilogy, Book 2) [Hardcover]

Margaret Weis (Author), Tracy Hickman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sovereign Stone Trilogy | Publication Date: November 13, 2001

Two centuries have passed since a piece of the Sovereign Stone -- the portion belonging to the humans of Loerem -- was lost. Now few on this world shared by many antagonistic races remember it ever existed. But there is one who can never forget: Gustav, a human Dominion Lord, who has made it his life's work to find the missing sacred artifact.Success, however, costs Gustav dearly. Having at long last recovered the magical relic, he is set upon by a black knight -- a dark servant of the immortal Vrykyl lord Dagnarus -- and is struck a mortal blow. But before he dies, the brave Dominion Lord passes the Stone on to Bashae, a pecwae youth, who agrees to carry it to safety, unaware of the power of the object in his possession...or the hideous strength and bloodthirsty determination of the evil forces who would wrest it from him.And, with the quest of an unsuspecting boy, the battle for the future of Loerem begins -- a conflict that will ensnare dwarf, human, elf, and orken beings, as Dagnarus launches terrible war from the blackest depths of the Void. Monsters are his army and treachery his most powerful weapon, as the insidious lord ably stokes the long-smoldering fires of animosity that divide the races, creating traitors and villains at every turning, who abet the havoc his demonic minions intend to wreak.But his foes know all too well the grim price of submission, as heroes emerge from unlikely corners to deny Dagnarus the awesome powers of the Stone. A gruff dwarf seeking riches; the mad daughter of a Trevenici chief; a cunning and beautiful elven Dominion Lord; an imprisoned warrior; an old woman powerful in pecwae magic; Bashae's friend Jessan, who unwittingly carries doom in his pocket; as well as young Bashae himself, who will be tested to the limits of endurance and discover a strength beyond his years, are all players in the epic clash of malevolence versus right.Yet ultimately the destiny of an embattled world rests on unlikely shoulders. For there is one who passed the trials of the gods, yet rejected the mantle of Dominion Lord -- an enigma whose motives are unknown even to those closest to him, and who now must bear the great onus of salvation...or dire defeat.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bestsellers Weis and Hickman (Dragonlance series, etc.) deliver a solid tale peopled by familiar figures (some of whom are Not What They Seem) in the second volume of their latest fantasy trilogy. Two hundred years after the action in Well of Darkness, the world of Loerem (conceived by fantasy artist Larry Elmore, who provides the stunning jacket art work) is plunged into war. Old hatreds and new combine with the struggle to recover all the pieces of the Sovereign Stone to uproot the characters, sending them running across lands turned hostile. While much of the work fits the classic fantasy quest tradition, the authors do manage to impart some subtle differences, such as basing cultural traits and the magic used by each race (human, elf, dwarf, ork) upon an unusual associated element. (Orks are the water race and rule the seas, while the fire-using dwarves are master horse riders.) Dagnarus, Lord of the Void, is also not the quintessential outsider that most evil overlords tend to be. Instead, he's a Mordred figure, struggling to claim what he believes is his inheritance. In places the narrative turns expository, in order to aid readers wishing to role-play in the setting. Elsewhere, the collaboration reveals its seams, as when the same object is repeatedly given two names (blood knife/bone knife) or when a long-separated elven wife and husband immediately separate after embracing, "for elves consider public displays of affection to be boorish and intrusive." The target audience, college-age readers and their teenage kin, should be well satisfied. (Nov. 20)Forecast: As with the authors' Dragonlance books, the associated role-playing game is sure to swell sales for the novel and vice versa.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

When Sir Gustav recovers a portion of the long-lost Sovereign Stone, he hopes that its reunion with its companion stones will bring humans, elves, dwarves, and orken together to battle the forces of the Void. A group of unlikely individuals, including a young barbarian and his traveling companion, one of the diminutive race of pecwae, undertakes the quest to bring the magical treasure to its rightful place as vicious monsters pursue them across the landscape. In this sequel to Well of Darkness, best-selling fantasy authors Weis and Hickman again demonstrate their uncanny ability to create meticulously detailed imaginary worlds peopled with complex and vital characters. For most fantasy collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Harper Voyager; 1st edition (November 13, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061051799
• ISBN-13: 978-0061051791
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,442,068 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Book 2 keeps up the pace, June 4, 2002

By 

Preston Hunt "presto88" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Guardians of the Lost (Sovereign Stone Trilogy, Book 2) (Hardcover)

Guardians of the Lost keeps up the pace introduced in the first book of the trilogy. Freed from having to build a new world from scratch for the reader, the authors can devote their pages more to new plot and the resulting story flows much better. The book is a very quick read, and at times I almost feel guilty for sucking down this fantasy mind candy, but there is enough creativity in there to keep things honorable. My only complaint is that for a book that purports that good and evil exist in balanced harmony, the bad guys sure seem a lot more powerful than the good guys. As one example, consider the fact that the Vrykrl can communicate with each other over any distance by using their blood knives, whereas the Dominion Lords have no comparable skill. This small complaint is not enough to keep me from yearning for the publication of the third book, however!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exciting epic fantasy adventure, November 18, 2001

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Guardians of the Lost (Sovereign Stone Trilogy, Book 2) (Hardcover)

On Loerem, Gustav the knight feels the danger as he enters the magic field of a burial mound. There he sees the dying Dominion Lord surrounded by "guardians". The bakh-Lord has the Sovereign Stone, a magical stone everyone wants to possess, but it was lost for a couple of centuries. Gustav manages to work his way past each guardian until he reaches the Dominion Lord. Gustav takes the magical artifact, but leaves behind a non-magical ring that contains the love he shares with his beloved.

Gustav is knocked unconscious in battle and consequently his segment of the Sovereign Stone has resurfaced. The news leads to war among the varying races. Every person in power or wannabees whether they are magical or royal want to gain possession of the powerful artifact or at least the part that Gustav found. Alliances are broken and old hatreds and bias enflame the world with little hope for peace.

GUARDIANS OF THE LOST, volume two of the Sovereign Stone trilogy, is an exciting epic fantasy adventure. The story line is fast paced and the charcaters fully developed since the readers can easily delineate the different species due to reasonable distinct traits. Fans of role-playing games will especially relish this novel that mirrors the game it comes from, but other readers might object to sidebars that embellish playing rather than perusing. Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman have written an engaging tale that the role-playing crowd will find most enlightening.

Harriet Klausner

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Series gets even better in the second installment, August 25, 2004

By 

Jason S Robinson (Ft. Worth) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Guardians of the Lost: Volume Two of the Sovereign Stone Trilogy (Mass Market Paperback)

The first book in this series was very well done and in this second book, the series gets even better. The danger to the realm is much more dire than in the first book as Dagnarus now has an army plus numerous Vykrls at his command. But in typical fantasy tradition there are always heroes to rise to the challenge and defend their land. The characters in this book are very well written and a few even infuse the book with a little humour, something lacking in the first book.

All in all this is a really good book and I can't wait to read the third and final book in this series.