The Fire's Stone

This book reminded me so much of playing D&D with my friends, in that we didn't take it very seriously and I always loved watching them plan out the weirdest ways to solve problems. The plot is fine, very typical fantasy plot but what make the book great are the characters. Aaron, Darvish, and Chandra are so incredibly lovable and I loved watching them come to love each other. I even loved a lot of the very minor characters like Faharra and Shahin. A great read, and one that I would definitely re-read in the future.

This is the first Tanya Huff novel I've read and I loved it.

The one thing I love the best about many of Tanya Huff's books (this one included) is that she puts no barrier on love. You simply love whom you love. The world she creates is somewhat typical, but far from boring. Her cities each have a unique feel to them, and you can tell she did a damned good job of planning out each culture that plays a role. Best of all, and the reason this book took my highest mark, are the amazingly developed and never-endingly interesting characters. Tanya teases you with glimpses into each character's heads as she tosses the point of view around. She gives you enough to get a comfy feel for the characters and what makes her or him tick, but not so much that you loose a sense of wonder about what they'll do next. My favorite was Aaron, the thief with a past. *sigh* He's so dreamy. Aaron is a pale, lithe thief from a distant land who has a death grip on his own emotions. When the one person (an old female gem cutter) in Ischia he begins to trust in passes away he vows to steal her most prized work off the royal staff and adorn her tomb with it or die trying. Little did he know that this would end him in the arms of Darvish, third in line to the throne of Ischia. Prince Darvish is the spoiled son of a King, but he's third in line so he lives a life of no royal importance. Long ago he gave his life away to drinking and whoring, but when this beautiful thief lands on his balcony he begins to take a second look at how he's run his life. This introduces an interesting side story dealing with alcoholism and what happens when you go into withdrawal. We live day to day with Darvish has he battles cravings, madness, and fear all brought on by the lack of drink. For someone who reads tons of fantasy books I find it impressive that an author chose to tackle such a difficult topic. It was an original way to give the reader a nitty gritty look at a character's development. Chandra was a beautiful and strong heroine to add to the group. I completely adored the love/friendship triangle that existed between these three characters. And, what I find truly amazing, is that Tanya did not give in to writing a standard story and pairing up the prince and his betrothed to become friends and then lovers. You know, the "oh we hated each other's guts but now we love each other blah blah blah" line. Chandra wanted nothing to do with Prince Darvish from the get go as she has dedicated her life to wizardry and had no room for a relationship arranged or otherwise. But, at the end of the story when Chandra and Darvish have grown close to each other and do decide to marry, they only do it to solidify a truce between their countries. Chandra insists that Aaron come live with her and Darvish as she'd never dream of separating the two of them. No contrived love here! Chandra plays the part of mediator between Darvish who openly desires Aaron, and Aaron who can't quite come to terms with his feelings for Darvish. Her role is perfect. The plot may have

I love Aaron. He's mysterious, enigmatic and so darn quiet. His relationship with Darvish develops slowly and surely at just the right pace. Each not knowing what the other is thinking. I don't think even homophobics should be too critical, the romance is just too gentle. Chandra is however, one of the other main charactar, and she's quite pig-headed and stubbon at the beginning - most annoying. But she does become more favourable as the story goes on.Throughout all this, the plot of the story is woven in nicely. The sidelines...Darvish's drunkeness, all of them trying to prove something to their indvidual father (well, Dar and Chandra is)...is apart of and part of the story. The ending was a bit short, finishing off when you want it to continue. We can always hope there'll be a sequel. Bringing those same people into another adventure. The first of, and one of the first book I've read from Tanya Huff, has got me searching for her others, needless to say, now that I'm interested in her books, I can never find them. Maddening.

I love this book. Since the first time I read this story I enjoyed it, how the stone becomes missing in the first place and what they do to get it back. How Darvish comes into Aaron's life and Chandra's, how they are forced together to return it and the bonding that follows. All the characters mingle nicely. I have read it so many times that I now have to purchase another because I wore this one out. The characters could be put into any century. They intertwine so nicely. Aaron's true feelings finally come out towards Darvish and the reaction is wonderful. The story line keeps you going. The adventure keeps you on the edge of your seat. I don't want to go into too much detail to spoil the plot but Tanya can always write a wonderful story. I wish there was a sequel made on this on how they get along later and what happens to Chandra later with Aaron and Darvish. Maybe get them into another adventure. This book was too good to stop at one.

I read this book years ago, I was stunned and exhilerated. This is why I read fantasy and science fiction. So that the story can grab me and the characters can touch me. Tanya Huff has written one of my favorite novels of all time with Fire's Stone. I've re-read it, it was ruined, I re-bought it. If she ever decides to write about this world again, I will be the first in line for it. I am a true Tanya Huff devoté!