Stone Prince (Paperback)

Prince Demnor and his Companion/beloved Kelahnus live in a rich world of intertwined, sometimes backstabbing families, where men and women stand as equals. There are no ladies, princesses, duchesses or queens here. Males and females both are referred to with what we consider masculine titles. Both Demnor and his younger sister Quindara are referred to as "Prince," and Demnor's betrothed, a woman named Isolde, is referred to as Lord Isolde, Earl of Essendale. The ruler of Branion, whether male or female, is the Aristok. How refreshing, to see a world where men and women are given the same opportunities and judged by what they accomplish, not their sex!

Characters are rich and elaborate, with both strengths and weaknesses focused on (and even exploited). Some readers have complained that Kelahnus "fails as a Companion," but please remember: he's only human! His key into the School of Companions was his beauty, after all, so it's no surprise that he's a bit vain. As for sleeping around, it's amazing what one can learn between the sheets, even from a simple stable boy. The fact that he can be defeated is not a mark of his worth as a Companion. Companions graduate from different classes, and just because he was at the top of his class does not mean that he's better than those at the top of other classes. Besides, his strong points are spying and the arts of pleasure, to which His Most Regal and Sacred Majesty, Demnor the Fifth, Aristok of Branion, Kormandeaux and Aquilliard, Gaspellier, Poitienne, Roland, Hereditary Earl of the Danelind Islands of Columba, Gracious Sovereign of the Triarchy, Most High Patron of the Knights of the Sword, Vessel of the Living Flame, will gladly testify! (Or, as Kelahnus calls him, Your Most Passionate Highness.)

As for the titles... Well, that's their way. Personally, I don't mind them, and I love how Fiona Patton includes the names of all the different countries and clans, not just a few main regions. If you can't keep up with them, then perhaps you should read something a little simpler that doesn't require as much thought or intelligence.

The sexual nature of Patton's writing is brilliant as well. Homosexuality and bisexuality are neither embraced nor condemned in the Branion series. Rather, they are simply accepted as a way of life, not raised above heterosexuality or considered improper. Most nobles have their own Companion, a person of the same sex who acts as an assassin, a spy, a bodyguard, and attends to their master's physical needs as well. Demnor and Kelahnus, his companion, just happen to be very deeply in love. And, while Demnor likes his wife, Lord Isolde, it's more as a friend and a fellow noble than as a wife and mother. They bear children together and enjoy each other's company, but Demnor's heart belongs to Kelahnus, and it's the Companion who warms the Aristok's bed at night. That's simply they way things are, and no one bats an eyelash or speaks out against it. If only our world could be so accepting! The nature of the Companion gender choice is most likely a simple one. It's impossible to get pregnant with someone of the same sex, so there is no need to worry about starting scandal if a child pops up where it shouldn't.

Patton's writing is rich in detail as well. Rather than glossing over important points, she elaborates upon them, making characters (even minor ones) all the richer and more enjoyable. Some may call Patton's writing dense, but for those with the intelligence to understand language that is quite a bit above the standard fantasy drivel and sap, The Stone Prince is the first key to a beautiful, bloody, and wholly satisfying adventure.

At a certain point I realized that the story did not appeal to me anymore, and I was not curious to know how it would end. So I put the book down (a year ago) and I haven't yet taken it up.

Well, I think that the story's weakness is the most serious fault in a fantasy book.
David Eddings' characters are one-dimensional and stereotyped, but at least his story has a grip on you.

Better if you choose something else by Lynn Flewelling, Robert Jordan, George Martin, Ann Bishop, C.S. Friedman, Terry Brooks...

In this world, all men and women are created equal. Women are fighters, earls, and princes' and can do anything that a man can. In this world, every royal person gets a Companion, who are trained to be assassins, bedmates, spies and are used to keep track of politics within the castle walls. The story introduces his companion, Kelahnus, a very pretty, fair and smart man, and you'd think that it'd be a simple love story, but it's not.

I liked Kelahnus at first because he seemed to be the only person in the book with a personality. But towards the middle of the book, I began to get seriously disappointed because Kelahnus fails as a Companion (in my opinion anyhow). He's trained as an assassin, yet he gets queasy and squeamish during a fight. He hides behind a statue as a woman kicks the bad guy's ass. Hell, he only gets a chance to fight twice in the book and he flakes in both of them. He hides in one battle, and gets his ass kicked by a girl in the other. Just how the heck did he graduate the top of his class in the Companion's Guild? Surely he learned more than just to warm Demnor's bed at night.

I read the book all the way to the end hoping that Patton would give Kelahnus a chance to redeem himself as a man, but he doesn't... I couldn't believe myself as I read the book and thought, "Forget this Kelahnus guy, Demnor. Just go with the finacee 'cause at least SHE can fight and protect you back in a battle." Which is really sad because the only reason why I picked this book was because it had a gay theme in it ^^;;

The writing style is very simplistic, that is, I've seen fiction written online that was better than this. The writing style is very... cheesy. You can see every romantic cliche in this one and it's so predicatable. A lot of sections seemed very uncessecary. I actually skipped paragraphs while reading because it was so dull. The writer switches around from Denmor's place to the enemy's place to write about them plotting, and then you get to read about the Companion's Guild talking and plotting as well, and you're just all over the place with this book and I personally don't like switching points of views because I would rather have just concentrated on Demnor or Kelahnus.

It was really hard for me to find things I liked about this book except for a few scenes between Demnor and Kelahnus.