Reign of Shadows (The Ruby Throne Trilogy, Book 1) [Paperback]

Deborah Chester (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ruby Throne | Publication Date: June 1, 1996

Not wishing to follow his healer father's footsteps, Caelan works on his magic skills instead and finds his fate intertwined with that of Elandra, who is also pursuing a private destiny in the shadow of her spoiled sister.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Ace (June 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441003400
• ISBN-13: 978-0441003402
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,316,363 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Healer or Warrior? A woman of destiny or servant?, February 28, 2004

By 

K. Maxwell "katmax1" (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reign of Shadows (The Ruby Throne Trilogy, Book 1) (Paperback)

Caelan E'Non is the son if his lands most renowned healer. He is expected to follow his fathers profession and is sent to school to learn the healing arts. The only problem is that Caelan has no interest in becoming a healer. Much to his father's horror it is war, weapons and the army that is his true interest, and a life choice that his father is prepared to thwart at any cost.

For Caelan his wishes are about to come true, but in a horrifying way he never anticipated. It will lead him to the heart of evil that lays at the centre of the Emperor Kostimon's empire. However, this is not just Caelan's story it is also the story of Elandra. The daughter of one of the empire's great nobles, she has been bought up little better than a servant in her own household, only to find that she has a "destiny" - one that does not appeal to her at all!

This is an enjoyable first instalment to the Ruby Throne Trilogy. It ends on a dark note, but it will be interesting to see how the paths of the main characters cross each other in book 2, because there is no mistaking this for anything other than an introductory novel for a story far from finished. And don't let the dragons on the covers of these books fool you, they feature only in a very small way in the book.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book! I'll definitely buy the next in the series., October 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Reign of Shadows (The Ruby Throne Trilogy, Book 1) (Paperback)

A good read. Characters are well developed and likeable. Storyline moves and is enjoyable to follow. Author doesn't make you wade through pages and pages of description to get to the story. This is Fantasy with an edge. The characters in this book are not blessed with wizards or warriors who take them by the hand and train them for greatness. Instead, they are pretty much thrown to the wolves in learn or die situations. There are no fairies or elves in this book, but there is magic, situations dire and ultimately an evil villain in league with dark forces to be vanquished. What more could you ask for.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice, September 8, 2005

By 

Ron (Jersey) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Reign of Shadows (The Ruby Throne Trilogy, Book 1) (Paperback)

I thought this was a well paced and interesting read. I enjoyed both the male and female lead characters. There is nothing incredible about the story, but if you enjoy a solid fantasy story, this one is for you. I enjoyed the entire Ruby Throne Trilogy as well as her followup trilogy The Sword, The Ring, and the Chalice. Some of her current work seems to lean more toward a romance novel then fantasy for my taste. These first books are gems.