The Lightstone

I discovered this book by chance in a used bookstore. I had never heard of David Zindell and only bought this book because it was cheap and I was out of reading material. This turned out to be a wonderful book and I cannot believe that more has not been said about Mr Zindell's writing. I ordered the other two in this series this week and will have to wait several weeks to receive them from the UK. If you love epic fantasies, wonderful characters, human struggles with good and evil you will love this book! It is a complete book in iteself even though it is the first of a series of 4 ( 3 written and one in the works)! Read it!

In the land of Ea, wars are raging between the many kingdoms as its people allow old grievances to fester and mindlessly bicker amongst themselves. However a dark power is threatening to rule them all. Morjin, the fallen angel, seeks the Lightstone in order to release the Lord of Lies from his prison. King Kiritan of Alonia has called for a quest to find the Lightstone and, along with hundreds of other knights, nobles and would-be heros, the seventh son of King Shamesh of Mesh joins this mission. `The Lightstone' is the first part of the `Ea Cycle' and tells the journey of Valashu Elahad, son of King Shamesh, as he battles first to Tria in an attempt to join the quest and then on his path as he searches for the Lightstone. This is a complex tale filled with prophecy, magic and darkness. I found this book very easy to get into as straight away we are pulled into the innermost thoughts and emotions of the main character. We see him struggle to decide between his desire for something more exciting than palace life and his duties as a son of the King, even if he is only the last in a line of 7 brothers. The many characters he journeys with, and those who he meets along the way are diverse. The author manages to carefully blend relatable traits with a unique twist to make them highly interesting people to read about. They all exhibit weaknesses along with strengths - this forms a perfect base to work from because as we watch the story unfold they must overcome these weaknesses in order to succeed. David Zindell has created a rich fantasy world filled with many different people, customs and beliefs. His writing enhances these qualities by being descriptive and vivid without succumbing to overly complex and meaningless sentences. He uses minstrels' songs to provide the reader with history of the land as well as pieces of the Lightstone's prophecy. While most of these were very good, at times I groaned at seeing yet another verse and would have preferred the words to be plain dialogue instead. I loved how the story progressed in the first half of the book; there was always a level of excitement or anxiety as well as numerous surprises that I could not have anticipated. However the second half of the book slowed down and everything seemed to come too easily for the hero. I think that perhaps the author became too obsessed with detail and felt the need to write everything that happened rather than focus on the important sections. `The Lightstone' is part 1 of the book `The Ninth Kingdom' and it failed to have a proper ending which leads me to believe that it should probably have continued on with Part 2 in order to give a satisfactory conclusion. Overall a very good book set in a completely new and original fantasy world. I am going to overlook the slowness of the second half and read the next book to find out exactly how the seven gelstei are linked to the prophecy and the Lightstone. I only hope that the author can keep it pace up until the end.

Zindell takes the jump from sci fi epic to fantasy epic with mixed results. Fans of "Neverness" will encounter many familiar themes, and even some familiar characters. The hero is a bit like Mallory Ringess, but nicer and without the self-destructive streak. His chubby sidekick is Bardo all over again. This time they are questing for a magical object that will supposedly bring world peace. The book's biggest weakness is the plot, which feels too contrived, like a marathon game of "D & D." But then, Zindell seems to give a sly wink to the D & D crowd when he has his characters fight a dragon -- in a dungeon. There are also numerous references, both overt and covert, to heroic legends and fantasy classics like Gilgamesh, King Arthur, the Holy Grail, Tolkien, Ursula LeGuin, and probably many others. I started to wonder if Zindell didn't intend this book to be an homage or retelling of the heroic/fantasy genre itself. Overall, "The Lightstone" is an entertaining read, but I wish Zindell had spent even more time on the characters and their history and culture, which is where he truly shows himself to be a master storyteller.

This is a great book.One of the best fantasies i've ever read.The only thing Zindell is lacking now is popularity....this book easily equals great works by Jordan and Goodkind.I've just finished the second book The Lord of Lies....and it was great!.....Trust me u won't be disappointed.

I loved the way this story seems somehow tied into the universe of Requiem. There are parallels, but there are also differances. Zindells ability to create characters that you care about, tragedy, hope, and a world that you can almost reach out and touch amazes me. This book kept me up late into the night, night after night, until it was sadly over. I highly recommend it to anyone. Unfortunately Zindell has not gotten the popularity that i think he so very much deserves. Tolkien, look out.