The Ring of Eman Vath

by Hal Emerson

The land of Aeon has been at peace for a hundred years, and towns and cities prosper. There is a new, just king in the city of Caelron, and the Sorev Ael of Var Athel keep the dangers of the Wilds at bay. But when an ancient artifact is found and brought through Dunlow, a fleet of ships with black sails invades in the dead of night, leaving hundreds dead. The land of Aeon is left reeling, and the lives of three young people are changed forever.

Genres: Fantasy

469 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 31, 2015

About the author

Hal Emerson is the author of eleven books, including the award-winning Exile Trilogy beginning with The Prince of Ravens. He is a graduate of UCLA with a BA in theatre, where he studied Shakespeare, Chekhov, and the Greek and Roman Classics. He also has an MBA from UC Berkeley.

Some of his favorite books and series include East of Eden, The Brothers Karamazov, The Lord of the Rings, and The Wheel of Time. As a young reader, he was particularly inspired by The Chronicles of Prydain, and he is an avid Harry Potter fan.

He still believes in the Oxford comma, and he has seen every Robin Williams movie.

Reviews

[Irenaeus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have now read two of Hal Emerson's series starters, and they're the equivalent of fantasy comfort food. They are kind of the sort of thing you can read and finish when you really don't feel much like reading, they draw you in, they give you some nice characters and an ending with familiar tropes, and they don't do much else.

I thought this one was far better than The Exile, if a little less emotionally charged. We had three stock characters: the farm girl who has magical powers, the fighting rebel with bloodlust, and a young thief who has a secretly noble parentage.

The execution of it is fine, if the exposition is a little long. Perfectly readable, in the top echelon of self published books in terms of writing. There's no reason writing-wise this couldn't be traditionally published, but the content is reminiscent of early Sanderson, about twenty years back in terms of topical trends. I will probably pick up another Emerson book if I can't figure out what to read in the future, but it's still a little too stodgy for my liking.

[Mishe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emerson has created a vivd world. I found the magic system to be well crafted and unique (at least it felt that way to me.) In AmyQuinn, Emerson has created a strong female protagonist, who pulls the reader into the world. For my own tastes the story gives a little too much backstory in the beginning chapters -- however, I prefer to be dropped into the world to understand it all later along the way. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to continue on in the series.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Really Good!

One of the best fantasies I’ve read, and I really hope the series continues just as wonderfully. Great characters, woven together with fascinating plot currents and deep strands of history—it’s just excellent work. Thank you, Hal Emerson! This was a real treat, and I hope you’re writing the next of many more!

[Elaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A most fulfilling read! A variety of characters populate this tale and I knew connections would be made as it progressed, and the author didn’t disappoint on that score. Add to that a mysterious ring, loads of magic, many battles at sea and on land, and I could not stop reading. Satisfying indeed!

[Debra H. Wruble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

Well written story about sorcery, dragons, magic and healing in a long ago world. Evil is trying to overtake the world, but fate brings together the people needed to overcome. Wonderful reading

[Chris Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this story. Loved the characters, love the style of the writing. I would gladly give it a 5*, except for the amount of typos in the digital version. Mis-spelled words, missing words, extra words and incorrect words. I am in book 2 currently and the problems still persist. It's a shame. However, unless the storyline changes for the worst I will continue to read the series and enjoy it.

[Olivia Bauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

While necessary, the only downside was the clear feeling of character development at the start. That being said, the characters are extremely dynamic and fun to follow. I loved how each individual character's storyline wove into the overarching narrative. Really great read, looking forward to the next in the series!

[Jessica Gorman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Outstanding

An outstanding novel with elements beyond the confining linguistics of most other novels. The characters are constantly changing, growing, making it intriguing throughout.