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The Chosen (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon, Book 1) Hardcover – March 16, 2000

by Ricardo Pinto (Author)

48 customer reviews

Book 1 of 3 in the Stone Dance of the Chameleon Series

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Young Carnelian has spent his entire life alone with his father, who years ago rejected the savage cruelty of the Masters of Osrakum and was sent into exile. But now a ship has come flying through the winter gales to shatter his quiet world. Three Masters disembark, and as they remove their masks of gold, Carnelian is awed by the light that seems to radiate from their skin. In formal conclave they beg Carnelian's father to return with them to Osrakum to oversee the election of a new God Emperor.

And so Carnelian begins to fulfill his destiny. Along his perilous journey to the Osrakum, he is forced to learn bitter lessons in bloodshed, power, intrigue, love, and treachery--and sets in motion the concluding events in a story four thousand years old.

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Ricardo Pinto's first novel opens a fantasy sequence titled "The Stone Dance of the Chameleon," exploring a complex and hierarchical empire with a vaguely Asian flavor. Young hero Carnelian journeys from his aristocratic father's remote, wintry house of exile to the heart of power--moving stage by stage from carefree family life to an imperial court dominated by unchangeable rituals that make the regimentation of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast seem like an anarchic free-for-all. This obsessiveness is reflected in ornate masks and formal clothing, growing more bizarrely exotic as travelers approach the center of the Guarded Land, and culminating in massive "robes" of precious woven metals built up on scaffolding, plus shoes that are virtually stilts. Masks are socially necessary because any commoner who sees the face of a Master (the immensely tall ruling class) must be blinded--as Carnelian learns to his horror after briefly forgetting to cover up. Far worse mutilations are commonplace. But even amid the poisoned splendors, suffocating protocols, and treachery of court life, there are tiny opportunities to break loose: our hero discovers illicit knowledge and a forbidden lover. Then, after the new God Emperor's election, there's disaster leading to a sudden cliffhanger ending. Full of rich imagery, haunting horror, and the slow-motion quality of dreams, this is a series to watch. --David Langford, Amazon.co.uk

From Publishers Weekly

The launch novel to debut author Pinto's epic fantasy trilogy begins with a fairly conventional tale about the coming of age of Carnelian Suth, a young aristocrat. Suth, who's been in exile (with his father) from his native land, returns to the Imperial capital of Osrakum when his father is called back to act as regent during a succession crisis. From there, Pinto, who's Portuguese but lives in Scotland, draws a luscious picture of a viciously hierarchical and decadent society and tells a complicated story involving a dowager empress, a set of twins, homosexuality, emperors, putsches and two lovers imprisoned in giant jars and left to await their execution. The novel takes readers on an extremely literate and detailed journey distinguished by Pinto's outstanding imagination, extensive research and excellent world-building. The book is full of memorable conceits--resident aristocrats always wear masks and body paint, for example, and court servants, deprived of every sense except touch, keep their records on strings of beads--but Pinto frequently seems to get so lost in his ornate world that he forgets he's telling a story. Still, an exceptionally fine 300-page novel lurks within the decorative flourishes of this 500-page-plus book. Agent, Victoria Hobbs. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Series: Stone Dance of the Chameleon (Book 1)
Hardcover: 512 pages
Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (March 16, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312872089
ISBN-13: 978-0312872083
Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.6 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
Average Customer Review: 48 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,969,000 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #22863 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Epic
- #45280 in Books > Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Books

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Teri Dluznieski

worth the patience it took to sink into the story!

August 13, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

this book sat around for quite a while before i finally cracked the spine. And it was a bit slow, getting started, before I really got hooked into the story. The book is well worth the patience though. once i had the thread, about 60 pages in... I read it in a few solid sittings, an was relieved to discover that this was book 1, and not ended. It very much felt like it was setting up a longer story-arc... based on imperial chinese culture at the height of its splendour.. isolated rulers, living in grandeur, masked and hidden away- even from their own servants.. for whom it is death to lay eyes upon the chosen, the lords. And a young boy, raised away from the intrigues of court, caught up in politics and power struggles- both within his family and within the court-- that he cannot conceive. but this is the beginning of adventure, not the story of a downfall... when he ends up being kidnapped, along with the rightful heir to the throne.. the child emperor... i think this is a world on the brink of change-- and I am looking forward to following the journey. i also like how it taps into social and environmental issues- which I think will be developed as the books continue!

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Lucas

Quality fantasy...but a bit slow

September 28, 2009

Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified Purchase

I'm not sure where to begin this review, especially since so much of what I will probably say has been said by others. So let me start here:

Yes, the first half of the book was especially slow, but I am glad I stuck with it, because the last half was significantly better.
That being said, Pinto (or the publisher) should have included more maps of the settings he used, as well as a glossary in the back. At times it could be confusing, and rather than rack my brain trying to make sure I had the layout of Osrakum straight in my head I would just forge ahead looking for plot development or character interaction, and I'm sure I missed a fair amount of detail.
Also, I'm just going to admit I bought this book because I love to see gay characters in fantasy books. It's my favorite genre and it is rare to see gay characters depicted at all, let alone taking center stage. Even more rare is what this book does - treat the homosexual romance as casually as any other author would treat a romance between heterosexuals. The character's gayness is not what the story is about, its just a part of it. Bravo on that.

Where the plot begins developing, about halfway through, is where the story really begins to pick up steam. It even ends on a great cliffhanger, although judging by the major dropoff in the number of Amazon reviews between books 1 and 2, I'm guessing a lot of people just imagined their own ending and moved on to other books.
Personally speaking, I'm glad I had book 2 on the shelf waiting for me, because I cracked its cover immediately after finishing the first.

There is actually a lot to be said about this book and for (or in some cases against) this book, but I'm not going to try and squeeze it all into this review, I'll just continue feeling like I'm forgetting something.

In a nutshell: yes, I recommend this book...with the advice that you are prepared for a slow beginning. It is worth it.

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Bordeaux Dogue

I would love to love this book, but

February 16, 2012

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

it is soo dense, so "artificially" difficult to get into, that I cannot give it more than an honnest 3 star review.( The prose is way more, unnecessarily, dense than Bakker's work in my opinion )

Don't get me wrong. This is a serious book, and it opens very interesting ( and as of now unexplored ) concepts. The world it wants to portray is surely a very interesting world ( from the glimpses one gets of it in this 700 pages 1st volume ) but not nearly enough for the promise one senses at the books beginning ( I hope the other volumes in the series shed some more light on Ricardo Pinto's world ).

My guess is that Ricardo Pinto has tried to put it all in this, his, dream, be it in complexity, in artistry, but also in his domain of the english language ( which, by the way, is impeccable ).

He surely has a lot to give ( and I will read the other books in the series ), but experience will surely hone his style, streamline his storytelling.

An author to follow, in any case, without a doubt.

2 people found this helpful

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April 5, 2005

Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified Purchase

Much of what has been already said about this book in the other reviews is very true, the praises and the criticisms.

This first instalment is quite long and one can sometimes complain about it: the plot is very intricate and slow, sometimes even painfully so: Very little happens, in fact: a young man travels back to his homecountry with his father and gets to know his land and his people.

Descriptions are elaborate, longish; the language is sometimes really difficult (even though I am not a native speaker I usually manage fairly well).
It is also true that Mr Pinto writes beautifully: his prose is baroque but intriguing, dialogues are always interesting, characterization is finely developed.

The world he creates is extremely original and lusciously monstrous: life is as exotic as it is cruel and, as soon as one can suspend disbelief, the charm of the fine deitails can be felt.

The main character is endearing, full of flaws AND gay; most of the others are bisexual but sexuality is not really an issue in this world.

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The Chosen (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon, Book 1) Hardcover – March 16, 2000

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