Customer Reviews

Fires Stone

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Fire's Stone transcends my expectation and I am very pleased to have acquired this out-of-print fantasy from Amazon market place. The plot and magic is there but it is the 3 main characters and their relationship with each other that truly shines. Aaron, Darvish and Chandra are definitely not stereotypes. They have depth and they are unique, convincing and vividly alive. My favorite is Aaron, the thief tormented by his past. I found myself caring about what happen to this enigmatic character next. The relationship development between Aaron and Darvish is beautifully conceived and emotionally rewarding. Chandra's role as their sometimes buffer and mediator provide some humorous moments. My only regret is that there is no sequel and Fire's Stone definitely cries for one. This is one book which should not be out of print!

It's the characters and their relationships that make this book such a treasure. The plot of this story is pretty standard. A magical stone is stolen, and has to be retrieved to save a city from destruction by a volcano. Interesting idea, but no big deal.

But there are three gorgeous principals involved - a prince, third in line to the throne, and therefore superfluous to everybody, a thief, and a young woman from another country, who is also the most powerful wizard around. The prince has lived a life of self-indulgent drinking and womanizing ('manizing', too). The thief comes from a culture where men who love other men get burnt at the stake. He watched his father flog his (female) beloved to death, and has built up walls around his mind to protect him from caring. His courage and skill and coldness have made him the best thief in the city. The wizard is still feeling her way into her skills, and the more subtle skill of understanding other human beings.

She gets betrothed to the prince, but as a wizard is forbidden to love or make love. So she ups sticks from her faraway country (where she is the heir apparent) to tell the prince so.

The thief, meanwhile, falls into the prince's hands. For reasons the prince doesn't quite understand, he keeps the thief away from the royal torturers, and saves his life. The thief makes it abundantly clear that he is not interested in a relationship (too much pain, terror of tenderness, visions of blackened corpses on stakes). The wizard watches these two, knowing the inevitable, and sighs "men!". They all get sent off to find the stolen fire's stone.

The inevitable happens. The prince realises that the thief is real, and has real feelings, and that he matters more than anybody else he has known. The thief comes to terms with his own emotions, gradually breaking down his walls, and learning to love again. And the wizard, who's been lonely and friendless, realises that she's made two best friends. The changing relationships are beautifully, skilfully and convincingly developed. The sub-themes and sub-plots are well done, too, particularly the thief's friendship with an irreverent old lady.

There's no explicit sex, but there is something much more subversive: heartwarming, selfless love and affection, between all three.

A lovely tale - to be read when you're feeling depressed about the awfulness of the world, and the selfishness of the rich and powerful. You'll wander round for hours afterwards with a glad smile. A sequel please!

This book's plot is pretty average. Three strangers meet up and set out on a quest to retrieve a stolen magical object. What made this book enjoyable was the three main characters. Aaron is a runaway prince turned thief. Darvish is a drunken prince who turns out to be a pretty decent guy after he drys up a bit. Chandra is a princess who's not happy about her betrothal to Darvish because all she wants to do is wizard about. The characters are all pretty likeable and well developed for such a small book. If you are looking for a decent but light fantasy story with a bit of slash thrown in then this is a good choice.

I'd read Tanya's "Blood" series and enjoyed them. I was worried that her work in fantasy would be a disappointment. I was happy to find that I was worrying needlessly.
Tanya writes characters that you can be interested in; whose flaws are just as interesting as their merits. The plot follows the quest formula, a mage, a warrior and a theif - but the participants aren't your typical stereotypes.
Worth the read for any fan of fantasy.

This book is a great read when you just want to relax and escape. It has interesting characters, a terrific, flawlessly executed setting, humor and romance. I also happen to like the way Huff treats gay/lesbian themes. It's not the focus of the story, but it's there and it's real.
There were one or two scenes that I thought were a bit melodramatic, which keep me from giving a full five stars, but this isn't a life changing sort of novel. It's an exceptional action adventure story, nothing more, nothing less. It earned it's place on my list of "comfort reading" and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a good story, and dosen't mind same sex love.

Everything you could ever want.....rich characterization, an intricate plot, fast paced action, romance, it is all waiting here in Fire's Stone. All of Tanya's talent seems to be encapsulated in this incredible book. With deftness, she takes the reader through an incredible magical journey....that just happens to be the journey of three very different people, bound on a quest...to adventure and adulthood... oh, and to save a kingdom from destruction, too!

This is probably the fifth or sixth book I have read by Tanya Huff and she is definitely an author I would highly recommend. I really liked the characters in this, especially Darvish (despite his drunkenness in the beginning). Though the growing relationship and feelings between Aaron and Darvish made me a little uncomfortable (I would rather have had Darvish lusting after Chandra instead of Aaron) I didn't let it put me off and had a hard time putting the book down in order to do the necessary everyday chores that need to be done. Tanya Huff does a wonderful job of showing what friendship and true caring is all about. I hope she does come up with a sequel to this, but if not anything else she does come up with will be very good without a doubt. You can't really go wrong with one of her books.

I love Aaron. He's mysterious, enigmatic and so darn quiet. His relationship with Darvish develops slowly and surely at just the right pace. Each not knowing what the other is thinking. I don't think even homophobics should be too critical, the romance is just too gentle. Chandra is however, one of the other main charactar, and she's quite pig-headed and stubbon at the beginning - most annoying. But she does become more favourable as the story goes on.

Throughout all this, the plot of the story is woven in nicely. The sidelines...Darvish's drunkeness, all of them trying to prove something to their indvidual father (well, Dar and Chandra is)...is apart of and part of the story. The ending was a bit short, finishing off when you want it to continue. We can always hope there'll be a sequel. Bringing those same people into another adventure.

The first of, and one of the first book I've read from Tanya Huff, has got me searching for her others, needless to say, now that I'm interested in her books, I can never find them. Maddening.

I love this book. Since the first time I read this story I enjoyed it, how the stone becomes missing in the first place and what they do to get it back. How Darvish comes into Aaron's life and Chandra's, how they are forced together to return it and the bonding that follows. All the characters mingle nicely. I have read it so many times that I now have to purchase another because I wore this one out. The characters could be put into any century. They intertwine so nicely. Aaron's true feelings finally come out towards Darvish and the reaction is wonderful. The story line keeps you going. The adventure keeps you on the edge of your seat. I don't want to go into too much detail to spoil the plot but Tanya can always write a wonderful story. I wish there was a sequel made on this on how they get along later and what happens to Chandra later with Aaron and Darvish. Maybe get them into another adventure. This book was too good to stop at one.

I first read this book years ago, and have re-read it too many times to count since then. It was the first Tanya Huff book that I've read and it has led me on to read quite a few of her other books.

The story develops quite well; at first I disliked Darvish (as did many other characters in the story), he was almost always drunk and very promiscuous, but the author soon brings us to the realization of why he acted the way he did and as the story went on, his "true" character came out. I admired his courage in the face of overwhelming odds.

Aaron's character is mysterious and remains mysterious for most of the book - which stimulates one's curiousity, since you get the idea that you'll never know everything about him - so many secrets. Chandra was okay too, definitely powerful as a wizard, yet trying so hard to win her father's love. Her part in the developing romance between Darvish and Aaron added to the humour in the book and she was sometimes the buffer they needed.

Even though the characters were so different, they worked well together and by the end of the story, there was a solid friendship. I particularly enjoyed the plot because it was emotive, but not overdone. There were side plots, but they did not detract from the story. I highly recommend this book.