The Garden of the Stone

by Victoria Strauss

Book Overview

At the heart of the Fortress lay the Garden. At the heart of the Garden lay the Stone. It was a living entity of power beyond understanding-not even by the men who had used its energies to control the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• ISBN: 073940654X
• ISBN13: 9780739406540
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Avon-Eos
• Length: 485 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Best fantasies I've read in a long time

I've read both The Arm of the Stone and The Garden of the Stone, and found them to be exceptional fantasies. I couldn't put them down! They're not the run of the mill, dime a dozen, clone fantasies you usually wind up with when you go to the bookstore, with elves and quests and magic swords and cardboard characters and ridiculous dialogue. They're real novels, with interesting ideas, fascinating world building, and wonderful characters who come alive on the page and stay with you long after you're finished reading. Oh yes--and there's an exciting plot too. And lots of very cool magical stuff. I loved these books, and I hope Ms. Strauss writes more soon!

A brilliant sequel.

Victoria's fist novel in this series was brilliant. This one,the second of the series, is equally brilliant. Although the pace ofthe novel is slower than the first one in the series, it carries on Victoria's brilliant series. She takes her knowledge of religion and crafts a very compelling story of intrigue, deceit, and hatred. Highly recommended.It has also come to my attention that Victoria is working on a third installment of this series. I can't wait to see it.

Riveting fantasy about repression and redemption

I bought The Garden of the Stone not knowing there was a previous book in the series (the publisher doesn't exactly let you know). But I didn't feel cheated, because Garden really does stand alone. The backstory is included as a flashback, in a way that doesn't interrupt the flow of the plot, and in fact adds to it. Garden is a rarity--a fantasy novel with an exciting plot that nevertheless is carried by its powerfully-drawn characters (I especially loved Orrin). The world Strauss creates is fascinating and unique, and she makes it seem very real. Also, Strauss's writing style is head and shoulders above most of what passes for fantasy writing these days. This was a great book, and I hope the author expands the series.

Just as good as the first one

The Garden of the Stone has it all--a fast paced and exciting plot, fascinating world building, and excellent characters. No cardboard heroes here--the characters are so real you feel they're people you could actually meet. The book tells two stories, of Cariad, a skilled assassin on a secret mission to kill her father's greatest enemy, and Konstant, who is sent from a world of magic into a world of technology to find a man (the hero of The Arm of the Stone, the previous book in the series) who is the focus of an important prophecy. The two stories interrelate, but remain separate until the final chapters, when Strauss brings them beautifully together. Endings are often a problem in fantasy--the author runs out of steam or ideas, and all you're left with is a big so what." Not here. The climax of The Garden of the Stone is surprising and satisfying.I don't agree with the person who said this book doesn't stand alone. Ms. Strauss does a good job of including the action of volume 1, and though some characters from the previous book return, there are many new ones, and the story takes place in different settings. But it is a sequel, after all, so I would recommend reading the Arm of the Stone first, because it gives a better context for Garden, and also because the two books work so well together.

Excellent reading; will keep you up all night.

Victoria Strauss has followed up her excellent The Arm of the Stone with an equally compelling sequel. If you haven't read Arm, don't worry - both books stand alone. This one features a complex female assassin character on whom the fate of the world depends. Strauss keeps readers guessing all the way through, and provides an unexpected and satisfying ending.