The Garden of the Stone

The Stone Duology #2

by Victoria Strauss

In order to save the kingdom, Cariad--daughter of a messiah figure and a skilled empath and assassin in her own right--must penetrate the "Fortress" and do battle with Jolyon, her father's greatest enemy

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction

496 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

I'm the author of nine novels for adults and young adults, including the Stone duology ("The Arm of the Stone" and "The Garden of the Stone"); the Way of Arata duology ("The Burning Land" and "The Awakened City"); and "Passion Blue" and "Color Song," a pair of historical novels for teens. I've reviewed books for SF Site, Black Gate, and Fantasy magazine, and my articles on writing and how to get published have appeared in Writer’s Digest and elsewhere. In 2006, I served as a judge for the World Fantasy Awards.

I'm an active member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), and co-founder, with Ann Crispin, of Writer Beware, a publishing industry watchdog group that warns about literary schemes and scams. I maintain the Writer Beware website, blog, and Facebook pages, and I was honored with the SFWA Service Award in 2009.

Reviews

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It was a living entity of power beyond understanding-not even by the men who had used its energies to control the unGifted masses, ever since the wrenching cataclysm that shattered the union of Hand and Mind and split the world centuries ago. Then came Bron, his arrival long foretold, destined to restore the balance between Hand and Mind. But Bron had other plans. He stole the Stone...and vanished."
An introduction to a most facinating and original fantasy. Ms. Strauss is that rare writer who is able to both finely draw characters and plot as well as create a unique atmosphere, which draws the reader immediately into the World she has created. A novel to not only be read- but savored!! For fans of Fantasy AS WELL AS ANYONE WHO ENJOYS A GOOD STORY- VERY WELL TOLD!
A JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB MUST READ

RICK FRIEDMAN
FOUNDER
THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB

[Juan Sanmiguel · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this pre industrial world telepaths rule non telepaths. Years earlier Bron stole the Stone an object of power from the garden of the Fortress and disappeared. In his absence his enemy Jolyon has risen in power. Cariad, Bron's daughter, and Konstant infiltrate the Fortress to find what happened to Bron and discover the source of Jolyon power. This is the second in series but Strausss does a good job explaining the backstory. This world is thoroughly explored particularly the relationship between the telepaths and non telepaths. One can also see an interesting contrast when Konstant finds himself in world of non telepaths.

[Conan Tigard · Rating 2 out of 5]

waited a long time for The Garden of the Stone to come out. I really liked the first book and had high hopes for this one. Plus, the praise on the back of the book was by two of my favorite authors. But as I read the story, I did not find myself bonding with either Caraid or Konstant, the main characters. I really didn’t care for either of them. Although, over time I did get to like them a little, I didn’t find either of them very likeable characters. And Bron doesn’t really play a very large part of this story.

I also had a couple of problems with the storytelling. First…it was extremely slow. Very little action, except for 20 pages near the end of the story, caused me not to get really involved with the story. Secondly, I found this to be what I call a “descriptive” story. Most of the story is a description. There is very little talking in this story by the character. Personally, I like a lot of talking. For these two reasons, I struggled to read this story.

I hope that if there is a third book in this series that it moves along a little faster and is not so descriptive.

I rated this book a 5 out of 10.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Garden of the Stone was sent to me as a goodreads first read. It was signed by Vicki Strauss.
This was a very enjoyable book. I hadn't read the first in the series but didn't need to- this one stood alone just fine. The action and pace were good. The main character was deep and had realistic and interesting flaws. At the beginning of the story, she knows she will live to see her father in the Garden. What she fails to understand is that, because of this prophecy, she will rush into danger, not realizing that she would meet her father a changed woman. Not necessarily for the worst, but different.
My only problem with the book was that the villain's character was not realized enough. I would have liked to see some of his point of view. The rest of the characters were fully realized and understanding a bit more about why he was the way he was would have rounded out the story better.
Overall, a recommended read.

[Jean V. Naggar Literary · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A superior and original novel.” --Publishers Weekly, starred review

“A powerful tale of repression, rebellion, and prophecy.” --Locus

“Straus has created a complex plot filled with action, suspense, intrigue, and romance. Rich characterizations and vivid settings combine in a story that readers will relish...Highly recommended for serious readers of fantasy.” --Kliatt

“I couldn't stop reading this wonderful novel.” --Kate Elliott, author of Cold Magic

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of those rare sequels that is more interesting than its predecessor and shows that the author has grown as a writer. The main character's faith in prophecy and arrogance leads to situations that require her to reevaluate her life.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book, better than the first one about the dad. Loved the themes around the love interest guy - in a world ruled by people with psychic powers, he had none, but used his brain to fight them and the system...

[Magdelanye · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is marvelous and deep and the third volume awaits to be written.

[Punk]

Phoenix Pick free book of the month for January. DRM-free.