Amazon.com: Queen Ferris: Book Two of the Stoneways Trilogy: S. C. Butler: Books

Review

"Reiffen's Choice will likely be a popular fantasy for years, or generations, to come."--SCIFi.com

Product Description

Reiffen, true heir to the kingdoms of Banking and Wayland, had lived his entire life quietly with his mother and best friends, Ferris and Avender. His days were filled with sailing, fishing with the talking seals, and trying to swipe as many extra maple candies as he could.

All that changed when the three Wizards snatched Reiffen away to their fortress in the north. There they offered Reiffen the twin gifts of power and immortality--if he helped them wrest control of Banking and Wayland away from his uncle, the usurper.

Although Reiffen's friends rescue him at great peril, Reiffen now decides to return to the Wizards knowing that he would never again be trusted in this old life--even his best friends would fear that the Wizards had “turned” him. He intends to fool the Wizards--gain their knowledge, find their weaknesses, and defeat them with their own weapons and regain the throne that is rightfully his. But Reiffen is forced to do terrible things to gain the Wizards' trust. Has he become as greedy, ambitious, and avaricious as the three Wizard brothers?

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Product Details

Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher: Tor Books (October 30, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0765314789
ISBN-13: 978-0765314789
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,032,406 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Inside This Book (learn more)

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
gray wizard, black wizard, traveling spell, lower dock, talking stone

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Prince Brizen, Prince Gerrit, Sir Worrel, Lady Breeanna, Sir Firnum, Sir Avender, Mother Norra, King Brannis, Mother Spinner, Duke Arrand, Baron Sevral, Lady Wellin, New Palace, White Wizard, Baron Backford, Old Palace, Watch Hill, Castle Backford, Backford Pool, Hero of the Stoneways, Princess Arenne, Sergeant Gribbs, White Pool, Blue Mountains, Home Guard

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	67% buy the item featured on this page: Queen Ferris: Book Two of the Stoneways Trilogy 4.9 out of 5 stars (7) $21.24
	17% buy The Magicians' Daughter: Book Three of the Stoneways Trilogy 4.7 out of 5 stars (3) $18.45
	16% buy Reiffen's Choice: Book One of the Stoneways Trilogy 4.5 out of 5 stars (13) $6.99

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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews

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4 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

4.9 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars strong Stoneway's saga, November 14, 2007

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

After the escapades with the three powerful wizards who gave him the selection between being their puppet or being their puppet because they planned to put him on the thrones of Wayland and Banking (see REIFFEN'S CHOICE). However Reiffen endured their abduction until he was rescued, but also knows for him to survive and keep the thrones that are rightfully his, he must face the enemy in their lair and find a way to defeat them. Thus, he decides to leave the comfort of friends Avender and Ferris and his mom to return to the malevolent wizards' home in Ussene. There he hopes to persuade them that his time with them has turned him to the dark.

However, the wizards did not become so powerful by being stupid. They demand Reiffen prove his conversion by performing some ugly tasks. He reluctantly agrees to misuse his power to perform nasty deeds although he fears his inner soul will become tainted forever.

Whereas the first book of the Stoneway's saga was more a coming of age tale starring a twelve years old sheltered boy, the second book is more a morality play that is relevant in the world today. Reiffen justifies his behavior of performing evil deeds as a means to achieve a worthy end. His choices are much more complex and potentially hurtful to others than he had to face in the previous tale as for the most part only he was directly impacted. Thus Reiffen is even a more complicated protagonist leading fans of all ages to enjoy his latest adventures.

Harriet Klausner

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Novel! Even better than the first!, January 1, 2009

By	Joshua Palmatier "Joshua B. Palmatier" (Binghamton, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Queen Ferris: Book Two of the Stoneways Trilogy (Mass Market Paperback)

Queen Ferris is the second book in friend and fellow author S.C. Butler's "The Stoneways Trilogy". In the first book, Reiffen's Choice, Reiffen is stolen by the Wizards in a plot to teach him magic and make him their puppet, since he is one of the (contested) heirs to the throne. Reiffen's two friends, Avender and Ferris, head off to rescue him . . . and succeed. But they weren't counting on Reiffen's choice.

Queen Ferris picks up almost immediately after the end of Reiffen's Choice. It's the story of how Reiffen learns how to use magic, while Avender and Ferris struggle to understand why he chose magic over them. It's also a story about the attempt by the Wizards to use Reiffen to seize control of the lands. If I say anything more than that, I'll end up spoiling some aspect of the plot of the book, so I'll stop there.

What I like about S.C. Butler's books is that he takes some of the tropes of the genre, sets you up to believe that the book is going to follow those tropes, and then at the end he turns those tropes on their head and does something completely different. For example (and because I know Sam, I know I'm not spoiling anything he hasn't tried to spoil himself numerous times), most people when reading that summary will think that Reiffen will eventually take back the contested throne and become King. That never happens. (I've read the third book already, and trust me, it never happens.) That's one of the minor tropes you might expect that gets turned on its head by Butler.

I thought that Queen Ferris was a strong book. I wanted to know how it was going to end, and couldn't predict where it was going at any stage of the reading. All three characters--Reiffen, Avender, and Ferris--play crucial rolls in the plot, and all of them have issues that they need to deal with, such as Reiffen's betrayal at the end of the first book. They all deal with their problems and responsibilities in different and believable--and sometimes not nice--ways.

And in the end, that's why these books work. The three main characters, friends at the beginning, are tested and they react like children and young adults would. These are being marketed as YA novels, and they are, but like the Harry Potter books, I think that the adult market will love them as well. I think the entire series is a nice bridge from the Harry Potter novels to Tolkein, covering the rough and tumble years in between the two age groups. I highly recommend them to all YA and adult fantasy readers.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good, September 18, 2008

By	Shawna Kennedy "Shawna Thomas" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a brilliant follow-up to Reiffin's Choice. Butler's world is as intriguing as it is believable. I can't wait to read the next.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars There's an old saying....
....about not judging a book by its cover. I have to admit, though, that the cover art was what caught my eye first. Read more

Published 9 months ago by Cinda M.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Continuation of the Stoneways Trilogy!
Queen Ferris by S.C. Butler is the second book of the new young adult fantasy series, The Stoneways Trilogy. Read more

Published 17 months ago by Michael A. Heald

5.0 out of 5 stars Three Cheers for Queen Ferris!
Having thoroughly enjoyed Reiffen's Choice, S.C. Butler's first book of the Stoneways Trilogy, I was thrilled to discover that Queen Ferris, the second book, stands up just as... Read more

Published 18 months ago by L. C. Ross

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow.
Everyone who loved Reiffen's Choice - rejoice, for Queen Ferris is here!

As is to be expected, the second book in the Stoneways Trilogy delivers adventure and humor... Read more

Published 19 months ago by Susan Jett

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