The Ring (The Sword, the Ring, and the Chalice, Book 2) [Paperback]

Deborah Chester (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sword, Ring, and Chalice | Publication Date: August 1, 2000

A long-lost talismen helps a rebel princess and a half-elvin courtier realize the destiny that they share.

2nd in The Sword, the Ring, and the Chalice trilogy, following book one, The Sword

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Ace (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441007570
• ISBN-13: 978-0441007578
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #267,358 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Since beginning my professional career as a novelist in 1978, I've had over 35 books published, including Regency romances, young adult, science fiction, and fantasy. Some of my early science fiction was published under two pseudonyms -- Sean Dalton and Jay D. Blakeney. Currently I hold the John Crain Presidential Professorship at the University of Oklahoma, where I teach novel and short story writing in the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, August 4, 2000

By 

Bruce Amspacher - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ring (The Sword, the Ring, and the Chalice, Book 2) (Paperback)

Okay, fantasy fans, what are we going to do? The Robert Jordan series is absolutely creaking. Goodkind hasn't had a surprise in the last 3,000 pages. G. R. R. Martin takes a long time between books. Weis and Hickman are in rewrite, although still good. We've all read "Rhapsody" three times. This series is an excellent option for solving our problems. The battle scenes are superb, there are twists and surprises, and lots of conflict. Aside from the fact that every character seems to "flush red in the face" (or words to that effect) on every page, I thought this one was as great as "The Sword," which is unusual for the middle book of a trilogy. Recommended.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good fantasy series, May 24, 2002

By 

Farfalla (MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ring (The Sword, the Ring, and the Chalice, Book 2) (Paperback)

The Ring, the second book of Deborah Chester's The Sword, the Ring and the Chalice trilogy is an excelent book, expecially considering that is a middle book. The development of (Fal)Dain as he grows is excelent, and you really care about what happens to him. Gavril and the cardinal Noncire make excellent villains. The girls in the story however are not as fully drawn as the boys. Alexeika is still a sketch of a character, although a very cool one, and Princess Pheresa comes across as a spoiled, power hungry brat, except for the scene with her mother. You aren't sure whether you should like her or not, with me leaning toward not, especially after her ambitions are so clearly outlined in book one. Still, she doesn't deserve Prince Gavril. King Varence is another of those either or characters. Obviously, he has done a miserable job with his son, and I just can't like someone who lets their child get away with murder. Especailly when said child will one day be king.

The two protaganists, Dain and Alexeika, lead pretty miserable lives in their various places, and you want to cheer them on, even when they make poor decisions. - Dain makes more than his fair share. - By the end of book one, you really care about these two, and by the end of this book, you want them to finally meet, and why does it have to take so long? Alexeika is a much more likable character than Pheresa. Unfortunately, Dain hasn't met her yet, and he had the misfortune to fall in lust at first sight with Pheresa, which you know will cause yet more problems in book three.

I recomend this book, but read book one (The Sword) first.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars not quite as good as the first, but still worth it, March 1, 2002

By 

"legolas_arrowlord" (Middle Earth) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ring (The Sword, the Ring, and the Chalice, Book 2) (Paperback)

I was pleasantly surprised by the first book in this trilogy (The Sword), so I had high hopes for the second. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a let-down. This isn't to say that it wasn't a good book--which it was--but I didn't think it was up to the same standards as The Sword.

The Ring is a good follow-up to its predecessor in that it expands on many of the characters, Gavril & Pheresa in particular. Chester creates very vivid characters, and succeeds in forcing the reader to re-think their initial reactions. A good example of this is Pheresa, whom you may not like as much by the end (of course, that's assuming you liked her to begin with!). I still wanted to smack Gavril, but even with him there are times when I was undecided about his motives and real feelings. Dain & Alexeika continue to be likeable heroes, though I thought Dain seemed a little overly naive at times. Besides the characters, Ms Chester's action scenes continue to be excellent in pace and description.

So what exactly made me rate this book four stars? Well, partly because the story just wasn't long enough. The amount of character development and action just doesn't quite fit into the narrow span of time the story actually covers. Sometimes the characters' changes of feeling seemed a bit rushed, as if the author was trying to cram it all in an allowed word count. I wish that Ms Chester had written a longer book and extended the amount of time within the novel's world.

It's the subtle, almost intangible things in the book which made me rate it lower than The Sword, but still I lost myself in the world of Mandria and Nether. This is an enjoyable book, and I recommend it to anyone who likes fast-paced action fantasy.