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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
There is simply no other author like David Zindell, 6 Oct 2001
If you have never read David Zindell, this is a good place to start - without a doubt, the Lightstone is the most accessible of his books. Diehard Zindell fans may be a bit disappointed - if only because it is not quite as intensely personal and philosophical as the Neverness books.Neverness and its sequel trilogy, A Requiem for Homo Sapiens (comprised of The Broken God, The Wild and War in Heaven), are simply incomparable to anything out there - the only books I can think of off-hand that come even remotely close, in my opinion, are Frank Herbert's Dune and Gene Wolfe's New Sun books. No other author that I have read creates a gestalt like Zindell does: One of piercing philosophical inquiry, seering personal exploration, and inspiring perhaps the most important element of any story - a deep sense of wonder. In many regards, the Lightstone succeeds in all of that. Many of the ideas and characters have obvious parallels to the Neverness books - but I wouldn't go so far as to say they are merely paler versions (although a few times I found the obvious similarities somewhat distracting); instead, Zindell is expressing many of the same archetypes yet within the context of a fantasy world, one in which magic is technology. The first book of the Ea Cycle can be read like any of the 'huge fantasy epics' - but it is so much more, blending fantasy with philosophy, spirituality, and the pure joy of ideas.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best epic fantasies I've ever read, 21 Sep 2001
By A Customer
The Lightstone is quite simply one of the finest epics I've ever read: grand in scale and style and theme, beautifully written and building to a phenomenal finale. If you love high fantasy like Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and Silmarillion, and you like to delve into the world's myths and legends, then the combination of sweeping cosmology and world-building and the glorious romance of the grail-style quest that Zindell brings to The Lightstone will strike many resonant chords for you. His characters are strong and distinctive; there are lovely touches of humour throughout, and the emotional range of the book is as grand as the landscape the action inhabits. I can't recommend it highly enough...
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Epic fantasy with a twist - be prepared to think, 3 Oct 2002
With Neverness and the Requeim for Homo Sapiens sequence, David Zindell explored many themes - friendship, the nature of humanity, religion, godhood and the purpose of life itself. In the Lightstone trilogy, he tackles these subjects again but using fantasy, rather than science fiction, as his vehicle.
In much the same way as Gene Wolfe was criticised for the similarities between the Book of the New Sun and the Long Sun novels, Zindell seems to repeat many of his previous ideas, and even characters, in this new book. The Ieldra, a hero who vows to never to take a life, a sense-enhancing poison, the lustful fat friend, the use of "wi" to denote "son of" and even the Danladi plain will all be familiar to some readers. A knowing use of previous archetypes hinting at hidden depth or a lack of originality? Ultimately, I think the former, and certainly it is a brave author who attempts to write a "classical" epic fantasy (ultimate evil servant, holy grail, subsequent quest for said grail, impending apocalyptic war) with a warrior hero who vows never to kill again in the first chapter. Foe this reason alone, the Lightstone gets 4 stars and a recommendation to read it. It loses a point for the writing, which at times I find slow. Yes, it can be hard to make philosphy fun, but at times Zindell can make a chapter sing; at others he drones. If you're a fan of the Belgariad and the Sword of Truth, you may well be disappointed; if you persevere, you may be better for it.
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