Journey into the Void: Volume Three of the Sovereign Stone Trilogy (Weis, Margaret) [Hardcover]

Margaret Weis (Author), Tracy Hickman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Weis, Margaret | Publication Date: August 19, 2003

From acclaimed New York Times bestselling fantasists Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman comes the spellbinding conclusion to the epic adventure of wonder, courage, magic, and ambition that is the breathtaking world of the Sovereign Stone.

Over two hundred years have passed since the mystical Sovereign Stone was shattered and the world of Loerem faced its most dangerous test ever -- the rise of the dark lord Dagnarus. But now Dagnarus has stirred from the Void and seeks the utter conquest of all Loerem. Leading a seemingly unstoppable horde of bestial, powerful minions and a host of insidious undead, Dagnarus captures mortal kingdom after mortal kingdom, until he stands before the very gates of New Vinnengael, as traitors within the city plot to yield the crown to the undead lord.

In the darkness and turmoil that follows, all heroes must first master their own fears and weaknesses before they can take up the fight to stop Dagnarus, and the company spreads across many lands to face many perils. Mortally wounded by a Blood-knife wielded by an undead Vrykyl knight, the Baron Shadamehr lies dying, and even the many skills of his beautiful, beloved Alise may not be able to save him. Others face desperate journeys through hostile lands and difficult tests of character. And, unsuspected, a deadly Vrykyl stalks the pecwae Bashae -- and his precious burden, the human portion of the Sovereign Stone -- through the streets of New Vinnengael.

Yet the gods have their own plans for this imperiled land, and drawn by an unknown call, the Dominion Lords head for the Portal of the Gods, the mystical, haunted site of Dagnarus’s terrible treachery two hundred years beforehand. For if all the parts of the sundered Sovereign Stone can be reunited, the Dominion Lords can stop Dagnarus’s unholy plans for domination. But one piece is still missing. . . .

As the past and present converge in a desperate race to determine the future, an unlikely hero will arise. A man who will become far more than he ever dreamed possible and who holds the fate of all Loerem in his hands. And to save Loerem he must venture into a realm of utter terror and darkness . . . into the very blackness of the Void itself.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In addition to a host of mostly likable characters and a fast-moving plot, dependable Dragonlance veterans Weis and Hickman provide plenty of neat stuff for the fantasy gamer (Blood-knives, magical jewels, agate-eyed diving sticks) in this highly satisfying conclusion to their epic trilogy. While echoing fantasy giants Tolkien, Eddings and Brooks, the authors infuse a standard quest plot (and rescue of a magical object) with their own insightful investigation into the fruits of war ("the terror within and the terror without"). Taking up where Guardians of the Lost (2001) left off, they follow the path of power-mad Dagnarus (aka Lord of the Void), who started making trouble 200 years earlier in Well of Darkness (2000). An obsessive abuser of outlawed Void Magic, Dagnarus not only summons Taan monsters from another world to do his bidding but also reanimates the dead into Vrykryls, "who maintain their unhallowed life by feeding on the souls of those they murder." Having destroyed his father's Old Vinnengael, Dagnarus takes over New Vinnengael, but what he wants most is the reunited Stone that will ensure his eternal reign on Earth. Perhaps mindful of the tender sensibilities of some younger readers, the authors don't overdo the violence. Style may not be their strong suit, but it's a testament to Weis and Hickman's storytelling skills that you can enjoy this book without having read the previous volumes.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The conclusion of the Sovereign Stone trilogy is its strongest volume. Dagnarus of the Void is confident that, with his Void power and the loyal Vrykyl, he can reign over New Vinnengael and the world thereafter. But he betrays a key ally, the warlike taan, and in the meantime the four Dominion Lords gather, each bearing his or her piece of the Sovereign Stone. Shadamehr for the humans, the Captain of Captains for the seafaring orcs, Wolfram the Unhorsed for the dwarves, and Damra for the elves converge on Old Vinnengael to confront Dagnarus amid its ruins. Concurrently, the stubborn old sorcerer Rigiswald guards the lords' backs, in company with Raven, the Trevinici warrior adopted into the ranks of the taan, whom he is slowly turning into allies of the lords and into a relatively civilized bunch. The many characters and settings slow the pacing as they enhance the world Weis and Hickman have built, but loyal readers may consider this the best of the duo's high fantasies to date. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Harper Voyager; 1 edition (August 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061051780
• ISBN-13: 978-0061051784
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #853,742 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Return of the Dominion Lords, October 19, 2003

By 

Arthur W. Jordin (Smyrna, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Journey into the Void: Volume Three of the Sovereign Stone Trilogy (Weis, Margaret) (Hardcover)

Journey Into the Void is the third novel in the Sovereign Stone Trilogy, following Guardians of the Lost. In the previous volume, Wolfram has brought Ranessa to the monastery on Dragon Mountain, where her real mother brings out the dragon in her. Dagnarus and his army of ten thousand taan come through the Tromek Portal and invade the Vinnengaelean Empire. Baron Shadamehr flees to New Vinnengael with Damra, Griffith, Jessan, Bashae, and the Grandmother. There they find the king has been murdered and Shakur the Vrykyl has replaced the young Prince Hirav. Shadamehr discovers the Vrykyl's identity the hard way; he is gravely injured by Shakur and has to escape through a fifth floor window.

In this novel, Damra and Griffith travel invisibly to the harbor and contact the Orken captain waiting for Shadamehr. The baron, Alise and Jessan go to cover in a nearby tavern. Alise determines that Shadamehr is dying from a blood knive wound. Since she in unable to use Earth magic after her use of Void magic, Alise sends Jessan to fetch Ulaf to cure the baron with his magic. However, the baron is fading fast, so she uses Void magic to transfer some of her life force to Shadamehr to counteract the wound and almost dies herself.

Ulaf finds the missing pecwae in the company of a Vrykyl and takes them to the Tubby Tabby. Jessan joins them there and then the Grandmother whaps the Vrykyl with her stick, forcing him to show his true aspect; in the ensuing havoc, Bashae is mortally wounded and Jessan is injured.

They flee back to the tavern where Alise and Shadamehr are hiding and find her close to death, but the baron conscious and much improved. However, Bashae is dying, so he gives the human piece of the Sovereign stone to Shadamehr and the baron takes it this time. The Grandmother drapes her skirt, with its bells and magic stones, over Alise and she quickly recovers from the Void magic.

The baron sends Ulaf to get Rigiswald and travel to Krammes. Jessan and the Grandmother agree to travel with Ulaf at least part of the way, for they are taking home the body of Bashae. Shadmehr and Alise venture through the sewers to reach the Orken ship. They reach the Orken with little difficulty, other than the stench and one puzzling encounter with some taan, and soon sail off to Krammes.

This novel is one dire encounter after another. Other characters, including Ravenstrike the Trevinici, Fenella the dwarf girl, the Orken Captain of Captains, and K'let the taan Vrykyl, have their moments of glory, but the final encounter is between Dagnarus and the Sovereign Stone within the Portal of the Gods.

Recommended for Weis and Hickman fans and anyone else who enjoys tales of magical quests.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Weis and Hickman Do It Again..., January 5, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Journey into the Void: Volume Three of the Sovereign Stone Trilogy (Weis, Margaret) (Hardcover)

I'm a die-hard Dragonlance Legends and War of Souls fan (the only perfect novels they have written). I am also a Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman fan in general, mainly because of those two great trilogies. So, of course I had to read the Stone books.

The first book, I thought, was great. Book two kinda sloped off a bit, but Shadamehr's character stole the spotlight. Book three seemed like it was going to be excellent throughout. I really found myself wanting to reach the end. But, much to my fear, I found that Weis and Hickman have a pattern that they simply cannot break. Such as what happened with the Dragonlance Chronicles and the Death Gate Cycle (which would probably be my favorite series of all time: excellent characters, an unbelivable set of worlds, and a driving plot), the ending was awful. Absolutely awful. There's this huge build up throughout the entire novel, only to be followed by one of their greatest let downs ever. The ending is so craptacular, it made me wonder if they wrote the ending with 10 minutes left before a deadline with the help of a child. This totally ruined the entire experience and the three years I spent on this trilogy waiting for each book to come out. Read it if you want an ending, but be warned, its poorly done.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, But..., November 9, 2003

By 

elvenc "elvenc" (The netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Journey into the Void: Volume Three of the Sovereign Stone Trilogy (Weis, Margaret) (Hardcover)

The book starts where the second ended and continues with the same fast paced action and character development the second one delt with. The end however is very dissapointing, after the great journey to get to it, a big drop awaits you... Even though i liked the book alot the end made me think that they (weis & hickman) were running out of time and ambition to finish this trilogy the way they started it. The bizzare and unfit epilouge sums it up... which is a shame... I still give it 4 stars because of the great journey. which had everything you could ever want out of a good fantasy.