- Hardcover: 544 pages
- Publisher: Bantam Press (1 May 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0593045580
- ISBN-13: 978-0593045589
- Product Dimensions: 17.5 x 10.7 x 4.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,178,843 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Standing Dead (The Stone Dance Of The Chameleon)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Scottish fantasy writer Ricardo Pinto returns with his eagerly awaited second book The Standing Dead, the follow up to his wonderful and critically acclaimed debut The Chosen.
The story picks up neatly where its predecessor ended and now finds Carnelian and Osidian, having escaped from Empress Ykoriana, held captive by one of the Earthsky tribes of the south plain--a captivity Carnelian grows to embrace along with the tribesmen and their ordered life. Meanwhile the fires of revenge are growing in Osidian and But the vampire-like Masters--whom the tribe refer to as "The Standing Dead" of the title--still inflict their terrible oppression on Carnelian's new-found home. But even more dangerous is the terrifying presence Carnelian himself has brought right to the Tribe's door.
Pinto's complex and beautifully written second fantasy is a book to be savoured and devoured slowly. He is immaculate in the detail of people, clothing, buildings and landscapes and purposely spends a lot of time introducing you to his intricately-imagined world. He continues to build the relationship between Carnelian and Osidian, a partnership that resonates with love and tenderness, but one that is also fraught with difficulties and the Masters are as loathesome and as frightening as ever. There are a lot timely lessons here on the persecution of those considered different or unwilling to conform to so-called majority law, but Pinto's story is not so black and white. Everyone is flawed to a point and their own convictions and motivations, no matter how worthy or distasteful, are as utterly convincing to us as they are to them.
Pinto writes beautifully and his prose is a refreshing antidote to much of the action-led fantasy that dominates the genre. This is a thoughtful, engrossing and dynamic piece of work that should establish Pinto as one of fantasy's most ambitious and creative exponents. If you aren't reading Pinto, you shouldn't be reading fantasy at all. --Jonathan Weir
Product Description
Escaping the clutches of the Empress Ykoriana, Carnelian and Osidian find themselves captives of a barbarian tribe from the southern plain. While Carnelian succumbs to the seasonal rhythm of tribal life, Osidian's lust for revenge deepens.
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First Sentence
Father, do you remember me telling you I had found a lover? Then I believed he was a divided sybling: at the election I discovered him to be Osidian Nephron. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Father, do you remember me telling you I had found a lover? Then I believed he was a divided sybling: at the election I discovered him to be Osidian Nephron. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Saved from the Empresse's assination attempt in the last minute, Carnelian and Osidian are leaving the Hidden Land with a group of plainsmen from the Earthsky. Osidian is deathly sick from mistreatment and the fact, that he's not going to be God-Emperor, but now only would become a bloodsacrifice at his brother's investment ceremony. Carnelian chooses to save him from this by following the plainsmain into a life of "babarisme". Carnelian finds himself suited for the life, while Osidian is only working to revenge his degradement.
This story is even more hard and grusome than the first book in the trilogy, at times it's almost not bearable to read. But also it is refreshing that there's no miracle solution to all the problems. Our hero is not on top of it all, but instead finds himself repeatingly cought in heartbreaking dilemmas.
The story is very full of details and greatly written, but a bit slow at times and agian you need determination to live through all that happens.
This story is even more hard and grusome than the first book in the trilogy, at times it's almost not bearable to read. But also it is refreshing that there's no miracle solution to all the problems. Our hero is not on top of it all, but instead finds himself repeatingly cought in heartbreaking dilemmas.
The story is very full of details and greatly written, but a bit slow at times and agian you need determination to live through all that happens.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
...I will be eternally glad that I read this wonderful novel. One word of warning, though. Buy the first one in the trilogy (The Chosen) and read it BEFORE you read this. Really. You'll curse yourself otherwise - and only have to go back and start again.
Ricardo Pinto has taken the brave, wise and extremely ambitious decision to throw Tolkein out of the window and start from scratch. Applause to him. It was worth it - everything about The Stone Dance of The Chameleon is original, beautfully crafted, complex, consistent and highly, highly readable. Stick with this author - he's one to watch.
I'm not going to start summarising the plot here because I couldn't do it justice and I'd only make a mess. Suffice to say that you're very, very, very unlikely to read a better-written, more moving, or more sophisticated fanasy novel this decade.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This laconically-paced sequel to 'The Chosen' picks up where the prior book left off -- or at least, as near enough as makes no difference. While the original book was ploddingly slow, this one is merely slow. Somehow through a breadth of narrative play and a simple interest in describing the facts, Mr. Pinto managed to keep me utterly engrossed for five hundred pages, in a book that I suspect is something of a sidebar to the overall tale.
I'm hoping that the next book is out soon! Finding this on Amazon.co.uk has been a godsend, as I'm in the United States, and it was a huge frustration when this book got pushed back another year from second publication date.
I'm hoping that the next book is out soon! Finding this on Amazon.co.uk has been a godsend, as I'm in the United States, and it was a huge frustration when this book got pushed back another year from second publication date.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Fantastic second novel.
In this second volume of Ricardo Pinto's Stone Dance of the Chameleon Trilogy, the action moves away from the primary location of the first novel. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Kamvision
can't wait for the third book to arrive
Amazing book from this Portuguese writter. The way he uses the same heroes but tottaly changes the landscape and direction of the book. Read more
Published 22 months ago by develin
Cliff Hanger
Standing Dead was a good followup to The Chosen and I found it gripping from start to finish with the cliff hanger ending of Carmelian screaming for the world that he had... Read more
Published on 3 Sep 2009 by R. Tuppen
Brilliantly conceived
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... Read more
Published on 26 Oct 2008 by Benjamin
An excellent follow-up to the first volume
The Standing Dead is the second volume of the Stone Dance of the Chameleon.
It is, in my opinion better than The Chosen (volume 1) The Chosen set the world scene but was on... Read more
It is, in my opinion better than The Chosen (volume 1) The Chosen set the world scene but was on... Read more
Published on 18 Sep 2003 by P. L. Orlowski
excellent - but another cliffhanger
Carnelian and Osidians true colours surface in this book. It shows that the way you are brought up influences what you become. It's a fantastic book. Read more
Published on 15 May 2002
Vile, nasty, merciless, artfully written
I can not say I enjoyed this book. It was an exercise in the worst of human relations and the vilest the human spirit has to offer. Just like the first book in the series. Read more
Published on 6 May 2002 by Todd Ellner
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