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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating and different--not your run-of-the-mill fantasy, 26 Aug 1998
By A Customer
This book was recommended to me by a friend. I must admit I didn't expect much from the cover art and the uninformative back cover blurb, but I found myself very pleasantly surprised and pleased by this book. It's a real page-turner, with thought-provoking concepts, a fully-realized world, and a gripping plot. The author's take on the prophecy that drives a good part of the action is interesting and unusual. I read the whole thing in two nights--and I usually take a week or more to finish a book. I have to say that I was surprised to see the comments of a couple of the reviewers below--that there wasn't enough character development over the course of the book, or the characters weren't fully realized. In my opinion, the characterizations are one of the best things about this book. The main characters are real, believable people, who change and grow over the course of the narrative. The hero's story--in which he starts with a dream of revenge, becomes seduced by the philosophy of those he wants to revenge himself against, and ultimately moves beyond both views to find an entirely new perspective--is especially finely-realized. In sum: highly recommended!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful and original : six stars, 6 April 2008
This is the story of Bron, the last scion of an ancient family, still telling the tale of its loss a thousand years ago, when its greatest treasure was taken from it and put to use to hold the human race in check. It's the story of Liliane, a woman seeking power in a world dominated by men. It's the story of an all-powerful Order, the Guardians who control minds and enforce their arbitrary laws absolutely. And above all, it's the story of the Stone, the heart of the world, Bron's desire, Liliane's master, the greatest prize there is.
Victoria Strauss has done something very rare here, taking a vast range of the conventions of fantasy literature, from Wolfram von Eschenbach's Grail to the 'avenging son of a dying house' theme, and achieving something totally new with them. Bron is no sword and sorcery hero; his childish vow, to regain the Stone his ancestor lost, is put aside in favour of something far more subtle, far more dangerous in its intent, taking him to the very heart of the regime he has sworn to overthrow.
Strauss's Mindpower is not the usual deus ex machina way to get oneself out of trouble, but an integral part of the plot, which she does not abandon when it might make life easier to do so. Liliane's heartsensing, the reading of emotion rather than conscious thought, makes this is a plausible world; we are dealing with real knowledge of how the human mind works, rather than just another fantasy convention.
The ultimate fascination for me was the Guardians themselves. Imagine the Spanish Inquisition with the power to read minds, to seek out heterodoxy not only in belief, but in thoughts and actions, down to making a plough of an incorrect length. At times, reading this made me feel physically sick with fear.
My only misgiving with the book is the ending. The Arm of the Stone just doesn't finish the story; it's not simply that there are a couple of loose ends left to tie a sequel to, but that you want to phone the publishers to make sure you're not missing some pages. Plan on buying the sequel, The Garden of the Stone, at the same time, because you won't want to delay finding out what happens next.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Kept me up all night, 17 Jun 1999
By A Customer
A gripping story which takes a standard fantasy story - the hero's quest for some stolen magic artifact - and makes it new. Lots of unexpected twists. I was especially intrigued by the world which Strauss created. The story is told from two points of view - one male and one female. Both characters are fully realized, complex people with conflicting goals.Read it just for kicks and you won't be disappointed - but thoughtful readers will also find lots to ponder here. Highly recommended.
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