Customer Reviews

STANDING DEAD, THE (Stone Dance of the Chameleon 2)

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

 

 

In 2000's highly acclaimed "The Chosen", debut author Pinto chose style over substance and vision over plot. And he did so with some brilliance. "The Chosen" was, summarily put, an intelligent and convincing (if somewhat gruesome) portrayal of an oligarchic and dominant master race - "The Chosen", or "Masters" - caught up in their internal feuds and machinations, whilst around them simple humanity suffered in their name in a world somewhat reminiscent of, say, old China.

The problem with "Chosen" was, however, both simple and profound: it had little or no plot. It was a wonderful - even grand - canvas, but it hardly moved an inch.

In "The Standing Dead" - the second part of what seems to be a trilogy - Pinto has had to face this drawback by attempting to to drive the story forwards. He's done so bravely, but with less than perfect results.

Essentially, the story in "Dead" takes off where "Chosen" left off: with Pinto's protagonist Carnelian, along with his new-found lover Osidian, being held captive by what turns out to be a simple bunch of slavers. On their way to cash in on their prize, the slavers are attacked by Tribesmen from the Outer Reach (a people dominated by the Chosen and forced to proffer a number of their childern as slaves regularly, but otherwise left generally unmolested). Carnelian and Osidian are then taken by the Tribesmen to their home - the Koppie - where Carnelian becomes enamoured of the local customs, whilst Osidian becomes an increasingly dominating and debilitating force in the local community, slowly destroying their (imagined) rural peace.

The rest of the story follows these lines - Carnelian's basic goodness and Osidian's essential decrepitude being portrayed in equally stark measure - without hardly a single twist (or even an occasional surprising insight) to enliven matters.

What this means is that, in terms of plot, "Dead" is basically a one-way street. You can see what's coming, then it comes. And then it comes again. And throughout, you find yourself wondering, with increasing puzzlement, why Carnelian (or anyone else you may care about, for that matter) doesn't simply *do* something, instead of letting all hell slowly settle around them.

Given "Chosen's" weakness (style over substance, vision over plot), this is not that surprising. Whilst Pinto does try to provide a better storyline this time round, he's still struggling. He's great at painting portraits, at depicting static visions - but he's still not good at action. In fact, he doesn't seem to understand the concept all that clearly: "Dead" hardly contains a character that seems alive - that appears capable of moment of his or her own accord. To put it another way: Pinto's moulding his cast to fit his vision, instead of allowing them to embody that vision themselves. And, more strongly than in "Chosen", the vision we're talking about is ultimately one of horror: this book doesn't end on a happy note, to say the least.

That ending, by the way, reminded me of a combination of "Heart of Darkness" and just about any good modern-day horror story you might like to come up with (Stephen King's Pet Semetary, for example). And it must be said that Pinto pulls this off with considerable skill; it is in the closing chapters that his undeniable writing skills combine with his subject material and he manages to create something very memorable.

Still, a capacity for convincing and intelligent horror is, in itself, perhaps insufficient for being a great fantasy author. And since Pinto has embarked on what can only be judged as an epic fantasy, he should be judged along those lines.

In my view, in "Dead", he is yet found wanting, despite obvious and enviable talents. Perhaps the next (and final) volume will re-address this, perhaps not. Assuming that it will conclude this story, it should, in any case, answer many questions.

A real departure from the first book, "The Chosen" I prefer the first one because it just strikes me as more evocative work. It is really interesting however to watch Carnelian torn between the desire for a peaceful life and Osidian Nephron and watch the desire for peace (for once) actually win out over his supposed love for Osidian.

This book deals a great deal with the subjects of love, ambition and disaster. Osidian is unable to accept that he, the God-Emperor elect, has been dethroned through betrayal. Carnelian begs him to accept a life among the "barbarians" but Osidian has other plans. Namely, forging the plainsmen into an army so he can retake his throne.

An interesting novel, but I think I prefered the story of the Chosen of Osrakum to the story of Carnelian and Osidian living on the plains. No fault of the other, I simply prefered the first book, this book is still excellent!

If you're not the sort of fantasy reader who can read fantasy which includes a male-on-male romantic plotline written by a male author, as opposed to male-on-male romantic plotlines written by Mercedes Lackey or Marion Zimmer Bradley most specifically, DON'T BUY THIS.
Folks who enjoy Ellen Kushner would probably enjoy this series, as would folks who enjoy Storm Constantine: the author has a serious penchant for writing Good Fiction. If you aren't willing to cope with gay fantasy written by someone who can ACTUALLY WRITE (as opposed to all the soft-core porn tripe that gets passed off as gay fantasy), then DON'T BUY THIS.
Further, if you're not the sort of fantasy reader who enjoys fantasy that's about alternate worlds rather than magic, then DON'T BUY THIS.
If you fit all of the preceding qualifications and haven't read the first, BUY THE FIRST ONE FIRST, AND READ THE FIRST ONE FIRST. This is not a series that, I suspect, will be forgiving of starting in the middle.

As is typical of a fantasy trilogy, this is the middle of the action. There are rules to typical fantasy:
#1: Don't read it without reading the first.
#2: Don't expect what happens in it to be unresolved at the end, and don't expect the first's issues to be resolved at all or even addressed by the end of the second. The second book of a trilogy is about character development, not about plot advancement: it is thus, and ever has been since Tolkien.

Did I enjoy this book? Overall yes: I'm buying a copy here, despite having gotten a British hardcover of it a year ago, and despite having bought a copy of that for the friend who introduced me to the first book, as well.
If you aren't any of the people I said shouldn't pick this book up, you'll probably enjoy the heck out of it. But read the first book (The Chosen is its title) first. Read them sequentially.

I can't stress that enough.

What a pleasure is to read a book so well written. Pinto continues developing the world introduced in The Chosen with a
richness of atmosphere and characters that makes one savour every sentence as if it were delicious food. The plot and characters have the depth and complexity one only finds in series like Dune or Hyperion, and one can't help but caring for all of them. I highly recommend this book and the series. I can't wait for the third installment!

Masters Carnelian and the God-Emperor elect Osidian are lovers. However, the latter's enemies have slavers kidnap them. The duo is fortunate that the nomadic Ochre tribe rescue them on the dangerous Earthsky. Carnelian, who grew up outside the hedonistic capital of the Three Lands, Osrakum, adapts to the tribe's way of life and quickly becomes assimilated. On the other hand, Osidian is in a depression but also believes these wild wanderers are beneath him and fails to communicate with anyone except his lover.

As Osidian heals in mind and body, he becomes angry with those who betrayed him. He seeks vengeance and realizes this tribe is the first cannon fodder tool to succeed. Carnelian tries to talk him out of it as he enjoys his new lifestyle and just wants to live in peace. However, the charismatic Osidian begins rallying the impressionable young around his cause while Carnelian attempts to stop the rising tide.

As he did in his first book THE CHOSEN of the Stone Dance of the Chameleon trilogy, Ricardo Pinto paints an extremely complex world filled with deep social systems. The varying races and tribes seem so authentic and the Masters come across as the ruling God-like upper caste. Though it helps to read the first novel because the audience will have a greater understanding of the predicament that the lead couple face at the start, fans of violent barbaric fantasy that hides nothing will appreciate the middle endeavor.

Harriet Klausner

If the initial volume in Pinto's Stone Dance of the Chameleon trilogy presents us with a series of claustrophobic settings--from the ship's cabin in which Carnelian makes the first stage of his journey to Osrakum to the funerary jar he inhabits in the final pages of the novel, The Standing Dead takes us--thankfully--to the great outdoors. Here, in the tribal world of the Plainsmen, we see the realm of the Chosen from a new perspective. No longer glamorous, they are simply brutal, predatory rulers who exact an annual tribute of children to be used for slaves, soldiers, and a variety of other sordid purposes. The Plainsmen call them "the Standing Dead," because of the colossal statues that guard the site in Osrakum where the children are delivered into captivity, but the name resonates with meaning. For, as we saw in the first novel, the Chosen have in fact elected a kind of living death in order to secure and maintain their power.

The Standing Dead recounts the growing conflict between Carnelian and Osidian, as the latter begins the slow process of establishing the military base that will enable him to return to Osrakum and depose his twin brother. He sees the Plainsmen as barbarians who may be of use to him in this endeavor, while Carnelian sees them as fellow human beings, with whom he is prepared to live for the remainder of his life. This conflict makes The Standing Dead a different, more adult novel than its predecessor. If The Chosen was about discovery, the Standing Dead is about human decisions and their consequences. And the relationship between Carnelian and Osidian is complicated by presence of other characters who engage Carnelian's affection and love. It faces us, in other words, with dilemmas, and, in that sense, it is a more serious book.

On the other hand, it is longer than The Chosen and its sequence of events is less compelling--perhaps because the Plainsmen, being less weird, are also less interesting than the Chosen, for, in fiction, good, decent people often take second place to the monsters. Which is not to say that all the Plainsmen are good and decent. Pinto gives them their share of freckles. But Pinto--and Carnelian--employ them to establish the set of values they use in assembling their verdict against the Chosen. Thus, one cannot escape the sense that they are meant to stand for something, and that role tends to render them symbolic rather than real. (It is no accident that the unidentified story Carnelian was being told on page one of The Chosen was a Plainsman legend. If the Chosen are the embodiment of a lie, the Plainsmen are the soul of truth.)

Much as I enjoyed the book, I have to admit that Pinto could have achieved all he needed to achieve here in fewer pages. Creating a cultural setting may be important, but, unless you're writing utopian fiction, it should be secondary to the story, and here it often strikes me as Pinto's primary objective. Perhaps he simply enjoys doing this sort of thing too much for his own good. (It is dangerous to do something very well; you may not know when to stop.)

Admittedly, middle volumes are difficult to bring off. Beginnings have the advantage of newness; endings have all the parts you've been waiting to read; middles simply get you from A to B. (Or is it B to C?) But not only was I made a teeny-weeny bit uneasy by Pinto's special pleading for the Plainsmen; I also sensed something forced in his portrayal of Carnelian's emotions. If the narrator has to keep telling us what the protagonist is feeling, then perhaps he has failed to make the feelings obvious from the action the protagonist is experiencing. You should not have to tell anyone what a character feels at the sight of a murdered loved one. It should be obvious, if the love itself has been portrayed convincingly.

Still, I cannot deny the undoubted strength of the writing. Pinto creates a very different world from the one he created in The Chosen, and he does it with remarkable success. He imagines characters and settings that burn themselves into the imagination of the reader. But if I read The Chosen with eager anticipation for what was going to come next in the novel, I read The Standing Dead because I wanted to get to the final volume in the trilogy, where I suspected the really good stuff was lying in wait.

The Stone Dance of the Chameleon series has really caught my attention and impressed me. Even better: it has made me think, and is one of those books which has stuck with me even after I've put it down (putting this book in particular down, by the way, was quite difficult - I suffered many tired mornings at the office because of it!).
Before you read The Standing Dead, you have to read the first book in the series, The Chosen. I won't repeat the review I wrote for The Chosen, except to say that it started off sluggish, but I stuck with it and it picked up steam halfway through. By the time I finished it, I was thoroughly captured by the characters, the world, and the plot, and I luckily had book 2 (The Standing Dead) waiting for me on the shelf which I immediately began reading.
Personally, I did not find The Standing Dead slow at all, and I tore through it quite a bit faster than the first book. Unfortunately, I did not have the third book (The Third God) on the shelf waiting for me, and am currently (eagerly) waiting for it to arrive in the mail.

About the story itself: this is the continuation of the story of Carnelian and Osidian, after being kidnapped. I don't want to ruin anything - but the kidnapping, and being forced to live in exile, has serious effects on both of them and on their relationship. Carnelian seems to want to move on with life and start over somewhere, while Osidian develops a powerful obsession with the idea of revenge. Many people will get wrapped up in Osidian's plans, and become pawns in his plotting. There are a LOT of innocent (and not-so-innocent) bystanders here. Be prepared for graphic and disturbing gore.

It almost seems like we are helplessly watching events unfold through Carnelian's eyes. You want to be on Osidian's side, but over the course of the story you see him slowly go further and further off the deep end until he is a completely different person. One of the main strengths of this book are its characters. They are very, very real characters in very screwed up situations.
Anyhow, fantastic series. One I would highly recommend (with the advice that you a prepared for a dark story)

Kidnapped to be buried alive a matter of days before Osidian is to become God Emperor, he and Carnelian are unwittingly reprieved, only to be destined to be sold into slavery as trophies. But even from that fate they are rescued only to become captive of the Plainsmen of Earthsky

To effect their own escape the Plainsmen plan to leave the two Masters behind as a decoy, but in a snap decision Carnelian pleads with them that they take him and Osidian with them. As they struggle for survival finding a circuitous route to Earthsky, with Osidian ever weakening with fever, Carnelian becomes drawn to his captors and is prepared to make his way with them, but will Osidian, if he survives, so readily accept such a fate?

Above all it is the character Carnelian who makes the story so compelling; young as he is, his strong sense of loyalty, love and compassion, and his vulnerability cannot fail to win the reader's heart. It is those very qualities that make the dilemma of his situation so difficult, and the restraints he imposes on his growing relation with Fern especially touching.

An enthralling sequel to the Chosen and perhaps even more captivating and more readily accessible, The Standing Dead is a brilliantly conceived story. Pinto creates a fantastic and vividly portrayed prehistoric landscape, an environment at times luxuriantly rich in flora and fauna, but at other times arid and unbearably hot. The suffering Plainsmen lead a tribal life rich with its own customs; it is not surprising that Carnelian is drawn to theses close knit people as he sees the suffering the domination of the Masters causes. But it is not long before Carnelian realises that he may be the cause of something even worse, the very downfall of everything here he has come to cherish.

I loved Pinto's first novel, The Chosen, but was somewhat disappointed with the sequel. The world he has created is vibrant, interesting, and extensive... possibly too extensive as the plot seemed to drag somewhat in order to expand the readers view of the world. Overall it was an enjoyable read and I do hope to see a third (and final?) installment to the series.

The story is written from the point of view of Carnelian, a rather unusually gentle member of the Chosen, a race of tall, ghostly white, imperialistic rulers, believed by the "lesser" races to be immortal angels. Unlike his peers, Carnelian fails at the ruthlessness and power hungry antics of his fellows. His lover, Osidian, is destined to be God Emperor of the kingdom, a master of war and manipulation... you sometimes wonder how the two found any attraction to each other.

The reader follows Carnelian through his struggle to keep his precious love alive, only to find that his lover has changed and so might have his feelings.

The romantic play is fairly minimal as the characters are largely concerned with staying alive among the "lesser" slave races their kind have kept subservient for hundreds of years.

The personality differences are interesting, as Carnelian seeks to make a home in his new situation, only to have Osidian threaten to destroy it all, for what should he care for these servants.

The book doesn't so much end as it leaves the reader with the next major challenge Carnelian and Osidian must face. I was disappointed to see that the sequel came out in 2003 and a third installment has yet to be released... leaving me wondering if the story will get on to an ending, or if it will lapse into forgetfulness.

Not much more I can add here that I didn't already said in my review of The Chosen. My only complaint at this point is how long I'm having to wait for the third and final book.

I see from Amazon UK that the new release date is March 2007. I have to wait another year???? It better be good. After all this delaying the third book better wrap up everything perfectly! So, Ricardo, much pressure yet?