Synopsis
The first novel in a fantasy trilogy, this book recounts the adventures of Carnelian. He is taken away from his own race of majestic but cruel beings called the Masters, through his fathers' self-imposed exile. Years later a chance is given for Carnelian to return, but not without adventure.
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Review
Ricardo Pinto's first novel opens a fantasy sequence titled "The Stone Dance of the Chameleon", exploring a complex and hierarchical empire with a vaguely Oriental flavour. Young hero Carnelian journeys from his aristocratic father's remote, wintry house of exile to the heart of power--moving stage by stage from carefree family life to an imperial court dominated by unchangeable rituals that make the regimentation of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast seem like an anarchic free-for-all. This obsessiveness is reflected in ornate masks and formal clothing, growing more bizarrely exotic as travellers approach the centre of the Guarded Land and culminating in massive "robes" of woven precious metals built up on scaffolding, plus shoes that are virtually stilts. Masks are socially necessary because any commoner who sees the face of a Master (the immensely tall ruling class) must be blinded--as Carnelian learns to his horror after briefly forgetting to cover up. Far worse mutilations are commonplace. But even amid the poisoned splendours, suffocating protocols and treachery of court life, there are tiny opportunities to break loose: our hero discovers illicit knowledge and a forbidden lover. Then, after the new God Emperor's election, there's disaster leading to a sudden cliffhanger ending. Full of rich imagery, haunting horror and the slow-motion quality of dreams, this is a series to watch. --David Langford
Review
"'Outstanding...Pinto is blazing a trail where others, no doubt, will follow'" (Amanda Foreman)
"'Pinto writes with an almost Donaldsonian/Feistian grip'" (Anne McCaffrey)
"'Boldly conceived and intelligently written...lingers in the memory like a strange and disturbing dream'" (Interzone)
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The Chosen: Bk. 1 (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon)
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The Chosen
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ISBN 10: 0593041712
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The Chosen
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ISBN 13: 9780593041710
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The Chosen Book One Of The Stone Dance Of The Chameleon
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Bantam Press, London, ET AL, 1999
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The Chosen Book One of the Stone Dance of the Chameleon Trilogy
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The Chosen Book One of the Stone Dance of the Chameleon Trilogy
Published by
Bantam Press, London, 1999
ISBN 10: 0593041712
ISBN 13: 9780593041710
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The Chosen Book One of the Stone Dance of the Chameleon Trilogy
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Bantam 1999 First Edition First Printing, 1999
ISBN 10: 0593041712
ISBN 13: 9780593041710
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Condition: Very Good. Bantam 1999 First Edition First Printing Corners a little creased and rubbed and page edges lightly marked - Good to Very Good Uncorrected Book Proof ''. the Commonwealth of the Three Lands. its heart, Osrakum. Here the society of the Masters. men who rule with savage cruelty. Soon after Carnelian is born, his father is exiled. Years later. Three Masters. beg Carnelian's father to return. to oversee the election of a new God Emperor. and sets in motion the concluding events in a story four thousand years old. ''. Book. Seller Inventory # 121943
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