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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)

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This item: The Chosen (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon) by Ricardo Pinto
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
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The Standing Dead (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon) by Ricardo Pinto
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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: 374,280 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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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.

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	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
	14% buy The Standing Dead (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon) 4.5 out of 5 stars (8) �6.99
	8% buy The Third God (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon) 4.3 out of 5 stars (3) �13.49
	2% buy The Darkness That Comes Before: Prince of Nothing, Book 1 4.1 out of 5 stars (26) �5.97

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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)

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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

By	"burningissy" - See all my reviews

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.

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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.

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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!

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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 1 month 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 17 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

› See all 42 customer reviews...

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