The Sword

Dain, the part-eldin (elvin) boy, has spent his life living with a dwarf, hiding in the forest from enemy dwarven clans, and running from the evil Nonkind. When he obtains a place at Thirst Hold, he continues to be treated as an outsider pagan and is often abused. But Dain is the son of a king, and he has a destiny to fulfill.I thought this would be another cliche novel, same story we've read time and time again. But as I found to my delight, it's not, and, after finishing it, I'm eagerly looking forward to "The Ring." "The Sword" is very unique, with a wonderfully defined protagonist (Dain) whom you'll admire and want to yell at during many parts of the story. The characters are all believable; each one has many facets to him or herself.You also get a nice look at Alexeika, a strong young woman, who is mentioned on the back of the book. I'd hoped to read more about her, but the brief peeks are enough to make anyone want to know more about her and Dain.Anyone who enjoys such authors as Tolkein, Robert Jordan, Terry Goodkind, Terry Brooks, or George R R Martin will enjoy this book.

"The Sword" is a wonderful start to an awesome trilogy! Debroah Chester brings her fantasy world alive, with lovable character, magic, and well developed plot. Characters are well-devloped, and you feel everything they do, and sometimes want to yell at them for making the wrong decision or being too naive. The Sword starts out tell you the story of King Tobeszijian of Nether, and how, after his wife Queen Nariesse dies, is forced to abandon his two children, Princess Thia (4 years old)and Prince Faldain (2 years old), to live with the dwarves after his 1/2 brother Muncel takes Tobeszijian's throne. 15 years later, you meet you with a teenage boy named Dain, and learn all the things he has to go through being 3/4 eld (like an elf). He must face a lot of prejudice, and prove that eld are the same as any other human. Along the way he makes friends and enemies, and learns to weild a sword, and to become a knight. The book will then change to a different character named Alexieka. You are told the story of how her father dies in a battle against the King Muncel, trying to take the throne form him so he will stop decimating the land of Nether, and until the lost Prince Faldian of Nether can be found. As the book continues you learn of the terrifying creatures called Nonkind, and the Believers who control them in the city of Gant. You learn abou the history of this fasinating land, and how religion controls a lot of what people do. This is not, by any means, a religious book, the people's religion is totally made up, but it is interesting to see how their religion affects the people. Example: People don't like eld because they have a pagan regligion, and are cabable of performing magic, both of which are against the Writ of the Circle. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy, or just a good story. The two sequels are just as good, if not better than the first, and the end of The Sword will leave you wanting to know what happens to Dain, and all the other characters.

I almost didn't buy this book because it sounded fairly predictable. The kingdom taken over by the king's brother, the heir to the throne misplaced for years, and a sword that only the heir can weild. Let's face it: except for the part about the sword, even Disney's done a version of this tale.While the basic plot may be familiar, the story is so much more than that. The characters are believable and the story is well written. The author offers plenty of detail to set the scene, but not so much that you begin to yawn over it. And while I have a good idea of how the trilogy will probably end, based on this book I expect the rest of the journey to be filled with the unexpected as well.

Having never read anything by Ms. Chester, I was a bit hesitant to pick up this book. The back cover review was quite intruiging, therefore I chose to try it out. Let us just say that I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of "The Ring". Although it took quite some time to actually meet the main characters of the series, the background information you are given leading up to your first meeting with an "adult" Dain, gives you a much greater understanding of what he is to face in the future. It also explains, quite engagingly, why he has no clue as to his true identity and role in the future politics of his homeland. In meeting Alex, I (especially as I am female) found myself being completely drawn into her struggle to keep her father's dream alive of defeating the evil Nobility against the resignation and depression of the "army" she has grown up and fought with. I look forward to the plot's twists and turns within which Dain and Alex will come together to defeat what is thought to be undefeatable.

I am a reader who has read countless thousands of SciFi books (wish I still had just the Ace books-but I digress)I TRULY ENJOYED THIS NOVEL! The author layed the ground work for the "plot" very well. She filled in the main characters, the hero, Dain, and his protagonist, the Crown Prince Gavril, with sufficent detail to make me feel that I knew them. She has also started to fill in the character of Alexeika and I found myself more and more involved till I had to finish the novel. I stayed up untill approximately 2:30 AM and did so. I can't remember any other novels of this ilk (and I include books by Robert Jordan and Simon R. Green and many others) that I enjoyed so thoroughly. This is fantasy at its best! If you can read, buy this book-you won't be disappointed!