or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
78 used & new from £0.01
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Chosen (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon)
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

The Chosen (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon) (Paperback)

by Ricardo Pinto (Author)
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £5.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £2.00 (25%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 3 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Wednesday, November 18? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
9 new from £3.50 67 used from £0.01 2 collectible from £0.99
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover (First Edition) 17 used & new from £0.01

Frequently Bought Together

The Chosen (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon) + The Standing Dead (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon) + The Third God (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon)
Price For All Three: £26.46

Show availability and delivery details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Standing Dead (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon)

The Standing Dead (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon)

by Ricardo Pinto
4.5 out of 5 stars (8)  £6.99
The Third God (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon)

The Third God (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon)

by Ricardo Pinto
4.3 out of 5 stars (3)  £13.48
Nights of Villjamur (Legends of the Red Sun 1)

Nights of Villjamur (Legends of the Red Sun 1)

by Mark Charan Newton
4.2 out of 5 stars (20)  £10.16
The Way of Shadows: Night Angel Trilogy Book 1

The Way of Shadows: Night Angel Trilogy Book 1

by Brent Weeks
4.2 out of 5 stars (36)  £4.95
Shadow's Return (Nightrunner)

Shadow's Return (Nightrunner)

by Lynn Flewelling
3.6 out of 5 stars (5)  £5.25
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 718 pages
  • Publisher: Bantam Books; New edition edition (1 Jan 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0553505815
  • ISBN-13: 978-0553505818
  • Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 10.2 x 5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 415,363 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk 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 Oriental flavour. 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 travellers approach the centre of the Guarded Land and culminating in massive "robes" of woven precious 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 splendours, 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


Product Description

The first novel in a trilogy, this book recounts the adventures of Carnelian. He is taken away from his own race of majestic but cruel beings called the Masters, due to his father's self-imposed exile. Years later, through bitter winter gales, a great black ship arrives to shatter his world.
See all Product Description

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(2)
(2)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Chosen (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon)
75% buy the item featured on this page:
The Chosen (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon) 3.6 out of 5 stars (42)
£5.99
The Standing Dead (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon)
14% buy
The Standing Dead (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon) 4.5 out of 5 stars (8)
£6.99
The Third God (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon)
8% buy
The Third God (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon) 4.3 out of 5 stars (3)
£13.48
The Darkness That Comes Before: Prince of Nothing, Book 1
2% buy
The Darkness That Comes Before: Prince of Nothing, Book 1 4.1 out of 5 stars (26)
£5.96
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

42 Reviews
5 star:
 (15)
4 star:
 (11)
3 star:
 (6)
2 star:
 (5)
1 star:
 (5)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.6 out of 5 stars (42 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Its the little things, 26 Jun 2004
The story kept me hooked even though I had to put it down for a week (outside reasons) but it was the little things that where intresting, links with the the pre-conquest cultures of central/southern American , the use of lingistic terms and a pre iron age socity that is obsessed with genetics, gave an archaeology student so many moments of joy. Plus the departure from the standard straight love story and the lack of good and bad guys.

but the ending is... , thank the twins its a trilogy.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating & compellingly strange, 13 Dec 2000
By A Customer
If you are after fast flowing fights this probably isn't for you. It follows the son of an exiled "Master" through his family's journey back to their homeland to aid in the election of the new God Emperor. It deals with him facing the ever growing strictness imposed by this strange culture that he is supposed to follow... and he gets dragged into the election process of the new ruler.

Ricardo Pinto likes to add a lot of detail to the surroundings, I've seen this criticised by people but I found it a nice touch as it creates a world in which the adventures live rather than just the story and nothing else.

I bought this one on a business trip when I forgot to pick up my Robert Jordan book...this one was so compelling that it took precedent. That's saying a lot as once I start a WoT book I generally don't let anything distract me till it's finished.

I'm looking forward to the next volume of this series very much.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Abolutely stunning. Fantasy has matured at last!, 15 Mar 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The Chosen (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon) (Hardcover)
Finally not the standard 'evil-dark-necromancer-wants-to-destroy-world-and-kid-saves-the-day-with-hidden-magic-talent'-bad-Tolkien-imitation we see so often, but mature, detailed, beautifully writen fantasy about a strange, cruel, but convincing world. As good as Tolkien, as strong als Mervyn Peake, but the quality is uniquelly Pinto. Stunning detailed world, strong characters and no fluffy elves. If you want a book that goes beyond conventional fantasy, read this!
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Boring
Lets clear up a few things about this book. The authors imagination is incredible, he can the world in which these characters live in to life in a fashion that so many other... Read more
Published 2 months ago by K. Bourouba

4.0 out of 5 stars An engaging fantasy
Carnelian is one of the chosen, a race of masters who consider the people they rule over to be so inferior they treat them as slaves, who can be mutilated and killed for even the... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Blackhorse47

4.0 out of 5 stars Difficult to decide just how good this one is...
Despite having finished The Chosen, I am left with a feeling of indecision. I just can't seem to decide whether I thought it was good, or just okay. Read more
Published 9 months ago by xenofan

5.0 out of 5 stars The Worst Book Ever Written by Man or Beast
I started reading this as a serious exercise in the anthropology of industrial decline and the Scottish imagination and ended up dipping into it for laughs. Read more
Published 9 months ago by COMMON SENSE

5.0 out of 5 stars Imaginative and different
Briefly: Carnelian and his father, a Ruling Lord, live in exile on a remote island with their household of slaves and lower caste relations. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Benjamin

3.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant but Soooo slow
This book is truly original, other-worldly, disturbing, haunting and beautifully written.

So a great book then? well not quite. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Mr. A. I. Harrison

5.0 out of 5 stars Imaginative and enthralling
I love this book and can't understand some of the less eager reviews, this book is great and I just had to say it. Obviously it is a matter of personal taste. Read more
Published on 9 April 2007 by S. Pritchatd

1.0 out of 5 stars A real slog which did not get any better and was not worth it.
I had picked this book up while on holiday and based on the reviews was expecting something special. Read more
Published on 5 Feb 2007 by pmcro1

1.0 out of 5 stars Its the little things
The story kept me hooked even though I had to put it down for a week (outside reasons) but it was the little things that where intresting, links with the the pre-conquest cultures... Read more
Published on 26 Jun 2004 by burningissy

3.0 out of 5 stars Not really sure what I think of this one
I honestly don't quite know what to make of this book. It's very well written, and the world that the author has invented is one of the most original I have ever come across in... Read more
Published on 18 Feb 2004

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject








i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.