Customer Reviews

Through Stone and Sea: A Novel of the Noble Dead

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When Wynn returned from her adventures with Magiere, Leesil, and Chap, her guild quickly confiscated her texts and journals from her travels. Now, with the company of Chane and Shade, Wynn goes in search of the ancient texts, taking them to the heart of dwarven territory. But a dangerous enemy follows them, searching for something amidst the texts. Wynn's search will take them into the dwarves Underworld, a place kept secret for a reason.

The Hendees have continued their complex world-building of the Noble Dead series to incorporate dwarves and their unique and fascinating culture. And once again, we follow Wynn on another suspenseful adventure. Chane has joined her, constantly battling his hunger and undead nature to kill. Both characters continue to grow and develop, along with their trust for each other. Shade, the daughter of Chap, is an incredible character as well. Even though she's a wolf and doesn't speak with words, Shade can speak with images and memories that Wynn is able to decipher.

In this latest installment of the Noble Dead saga, incredible world-building and intriguing characters are the best part of this quest-like fantasy. But there's still plenty of suspense, danger, mystery, and surprising revelations. The Hendees never fail to deliver quality, captivating stories that always impress. This series remains one of my all-time favorites, and one I always recommend.

I loved the first series of these books and couldn't put them down. The second series which is based on Wynn is very boring and I had to fight with myself to pick it up to read. I hope the other books bring back Magiere, Leesil and Chap because the books really need them! I don't think I can clearly recommend these books at this time unless the following books bring the characters from the first series back in. BORING!

I have read and enjoyed all of the books in this series but am disappointed with the direction the authors have taken. i have become so accustomed to magerie and lessil that having this offshoot with wyhn and chane just throws me. the authors were going strong with the story line of finding and protecting the orb and figuring out the past history and what is now happening and trying to tie it altogether. then with the last two books they go off on a tangent with barely mentioning magerie and lessil. all i can say is i hope the authors come back to thoes two and soon.

I really enjoyed the initial Noble Dead series - great characters, interesting villains and cool story.
With this series you take the top 3 characters and push the mediocre side kicks to the forefront, then eliminate the main bad guy (his side kick become one of the main good guys) and make the main bad guy basically mist with limited thought, background and unknown motivation. And what you have is boring.

(SPOILER ALERT) But wait there's more. The first book is good guys try to beat bad guy from getting to some books and kill the bad guy in the end. In Through Stone and Sea you find out they DIDN'T kill the bad guy and this story line is the good guys try to beat bad guy from getting to some books and kill the bad guy in the end (new city). BUT WAIT HE'S STILL ALIVE. Why do I have a feeling book 3 in this series will be the same rehash of the first two. You know what I won't know because I won't be reading it.

Supporting characters in this book. Mean dwarf lady who won't see reason. Mean lady who won't see reason. And some even less interesting supporting cast. Even the dog is weaker in the novels.

I like their writing style but the content is just so weak in this series I just can't see moving forward with it unless the real main characters come back. FYI I think everyone agrees the best thing in a story is a great bad guy - mist that barely thinks is not a good bad guy. Those mini-chapters put me to sleep.

If you were ok with the first book in this series you'll like this one less. No progress. No sense of completion for either side. Ho hum.

Like the reviewer below me here, this is one of my all-time favorite series, and I think if anything . . . the writing just keeps getting better.

I liked Wynn and Chane from their first entrances "on screen" back in THIEF OF LIVES, so I was pleased when the Hendees announced that these two characters were getting their own trilogy. But this is a saga, so these books simply build upon the larger story, and I read on Barb's blog that she and JC have just signed on for three more books after this trilogy--to continue the saga. I'm hoping Magiere, Leesil, and Chap will return.

But THROUGH STONE AND SEA is a wonderful novel. Again, the writing is just top notch. The main characters are deep and complex, and even the side characters jump off the page as "real." I was so interested to see how the entire culture of the dwarves was developed here, and I haven't read any other fantasy novels that take place in a dwarven city, so this was new ground for me--and it was quite fun.

My only possible criticism--or maybe caution--would be that until this novel, I think any reader could have picked up one of the books in the series and understood the overall arc of the larger plot developing. As this novel is the eighth in the series, I'm not sure someone could come in at this point and understand everything without having read a few of the previous books.

But it's still an amazing and entertaining read.

i've been reading the noble dead books for several years. this branch of the series continues to entertain.you receive enough information about past adventures, characters and the basic premise to read this book without reading the previous books. however you will be drawn to find out what happened before and what's to come...

things are finally picking up with wynn. i know the last novel got frustrating at times but this one kick-starts the adventure again!

Wynn Hygeorht returned to the Guild of Sagecraft in Calm Seatt expecting a heroine's welcome due to the copies she made of arcane texts written by vampires during the time of the Forgotten History and the Great War, millennia ago. Instead of being one of the translators, she is ignored as the highest rank of scholars rejects her thesis that Noble Dead Vampires exist (see In Shade and Shadow).

The Guild Scholars continue to translate the incredible find while also sending them to be copied at selected scriptoriums. Two sages go to pick up the work, but are murdered. The belief is that the Stonewalker dwarves are behind the assassinations and thefts. Wynn, accompanied by the Noble Dead Chane and Shade the elven wolf, as both feel a deep heart felt need to keep her safe, treks to the mountain stronghold of the legendary Stonewalkers. There waits them someone from her past, when she quested with Leesil the half human elf and Magiere the half mortal vampire, who has resurfaced from what the heroine and her then allies thought were the permanent grave.

Stone and Sea is a fascinating entry in the Wynn Noble Dead quest fantasy. The heroine is terrific as she goes on her latest escapades; but is relatively simple compared to Chane and even to a degree Shade. The fast-paced story line grips fans who will relish this super entry that is an adventure unto itself yet sets in motion the next "wynning" exploit.

Harriet Klausner

I never thought it would be possible to build a complete story on Wynn & Chane. The hendee made it happen.

I really enjoyed this book. The story did drag a little in the middle, but i am looking forward toward the next installment.