Amidst the massacre he helped bring about, Carnelian is now desperate to find a way to avoid more carnage. His spurned lover Osidian—seeking revenge and determined to win back his stolen throne—has deliberately stoked the wrath of the Masters who rule the world from its center, Osrakum. Osidian's actions threaten to overturn the repressive order of the Commonwealth, and Carnelian soon learns that he and those he loves are inextricably enmeshed in the terrible power game of the Masters. If he is to survive, he has no choice but to stand with Osidian in defiance of the invincible power of the Masters. In his struggle, Carnelian will unleash apocalyptic forces that will bring his world to a reckoning none could have foreseen, though it has been simmering for 4,000 years.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
This concluding volume in Pinto's debut trilogy (after 2003's The Standing Dead) continues the life story of Carnelian Suth as he and his lover, Osidian, leave their exile in the barbarian lands of the Earthsky and race toward an apocalyptic confrontation with the God Emperor in Osrakum. Never using one word when three will do, Pinto evokes a vaguely West Asian mystique amid the tale of the decline of an imperial oligarchy. The narrative, however, gets lost in its own heft, leaving the reader struggling to keep track of characters, understand created words and hunt for shreds of plot. Powerful themes of love and loss dominate Carnelian's tale, but deadpan delivery, a myopic focus on one character, repetitious introspection and lengthy exposition turn a potentially gripping story into a snooze. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"Boldly conceived and intelligently written . . . lingers in the memory like a strange and disturbing dream." —Interzone
"A remarkable feast which I avidly consumed." —Dennis L. McKiernan, author, The Eye of the Hunter
"Outstanding . . . a new kind of writing . . . Pinto is blazing a trail where others, no doubt, will follow." —Amanda Foreman, author, The Duchess
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A remarkable epic,
By
This review is from: The Third God (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon) (Hardcover)
Picking up from The Standing Dead, The Third God finds Aurum, now exiled, in in the Earthsky wreaking havoc and seeking to capture Osidian to return him to Osrakum where he will meet his fate. Osidian however intends returning to Osrakum to a very different destiny, a triumphant return to claim from his usurping brother what he sees as rightfully his. Carnelian now sees his only way forward is to aid his former lover Osidian in his battle, his hope is to avert any reprisals by the Chosen against his beloved Plainsmen. So it is, along with Fern, Poppy and Krow and an assorted army of Plainsmen, Marula and Sartlar that Osidian and Carnelian begin their struggle to return to Osrakum. In the face of overwhelming odds, and not without a few setbacks they slowly claim one victory after another; yet they have still not encountered the defending forces of Osrakum or Molochite's scheming. Nor do they know what role the Wise will play in the outworking of events.
Driven by dreams he does not always fully understand yet feels certain foretell that they will succeed, Carnelian fights alongside Osidian. Throughout Carnelian is torn between his hope of saving those he loves and serving as Osidian's ally and accomplice in his seemingly malicious and relentless carnage. Despite all that Osidian has done it is clear he still has some affection for him, but he struggles to avoid resuming the relationship they once enjoyed, despite Fern seeming ever more distant and cold toward him, any hope of the longed for intimacy with him seeming now lost. To add to his worries Carnelian fears what effects their assault may be having on his family in Osrakum. Despite its length, The Third God never for one moment wanes in its attention grabbing narrative; from the drama of the battles to the intimacy of relationships, from the squalor and degradation of the slaughter to the the order and grandeur of Osrakum, the fascinating minutiae and intricacy of the plot always encouraging careful reading. There is certainly much sanguinary coagulation, along with assorted other bodily fluids and excretions, through which Carnelian and the others sometimes literally have to wade; in addition to the often graphic carnage and mutilation; but as we eventually learn some of the history of The Three Lands we gain some understanding. A remarkable epic that moves relentlessly forward, there are times when the story seems on the verge of falling into a clichéd delaying diversion, but it never does, on each occasion it surprises with a new twist that advances the plot. The characters are appealing, including the precocious young Poppy, Fern and his torment resigning himself to what seems the inevitable; Osidian despite his ruthlessness it is hard not to feel something for; and Carnelian above all, his love and compassion and selflessness; and one has to keep remind oneself that these latter two are themselves still little more than youths. Set in this vividly described imaginary world of dragons and pre-historic creatures and vegetation, and rigidly divided peoples, intelligently written, this is a most captivating and rewarding story that builds to a very satisfying conclusion, I enjoyed every word of The Third God.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mixed Feelings,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Third God (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon) (Hardcover)
I wanted to love this book. When the package arrived in the mail, I was so excited, I probably spent a good 10 minutes examining the artwork on the cover alone, which is beautiful, by the way.
I had loved what happened in the later half of the first book, loved the entire second book, and expected...ultimately, too much from the third book. Third God has two redeeming qualities: One, Pinto has a way with words. He is very prosaic, he uses words eloquently, paints pictures with them. Two, I was happy with what became of the characters, the way the story wrapped up. Nothing left me unsatisfied there. So what went wrong? If it weren't for the strength of the two positive qualities listed above, I would give this book 3 stars. How do I put it? Okay, here: It was SO. SLOW. At times, just page after page after page of floating in a boat down a river and oh, look at the landscape. Why is it that in this book, with the largest battles of all, the plot absolutely dragged so much? What was missing? Honestly, I can't put my finger on it. Maybe my expectations were high. I started to recommend this series to a friend of mine...and after getting into the Third God, had to second guess that decision. So to anyone reading this on Amazon, I can only give a lukewarm recommendation of this series. But with that being said, this author is incredibly talented, the stuff reads almost like poetry. I will buy and read anything he publishes.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fitting conclusion to the most original Fantasy trilogy I have found in 40 years,
By Looks4Books (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Third God (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon) (Hardcover)
The only word I can come up with, unoriginal as it may be, is AWESOME! So often, I am left unsatisfied with that last book in a Fantasy series that started out so promisingly. How often have you adored the first book only to find your love affair waning as the next installments come your way? For me, it has been mostly the norm.
Not this time! When I first read The Chosen, I was blown away by the opulence and originality of this new world Pinto created. Absolutely stunning settings, extreme dualities and characters that are unforgetable. My brain had no trouble at all forming the pictures of Osrakum and the Earthsky. Fortunately by the time I started reading the series, The Standing Dead was already out and it was as good or even better. When The Third God took so long in coming, I thought...uh...oh... But the wait was definitely worth it. All the important plot lines are resolved, the character growth continues and we have a satisfying conclusion. Beware that this is definitely not a stand alone read. You must read the previous volumes to get the full breadth of this wonderful and original epic. I hear that Ricardo Pinto is working on a new book and I can't wait to see what new world he is going to create for us next! Please, please, don't let us wait as long as we had to wait for The Third God. The Stone Dance of the Chameleon is my favourite Fantasy series ever! I doubt that it will ever be anything else. I'm just sad it's over. But it will be reread countless times!
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