Customer Reviews

Dance Of Rings 02 Ring Of Destiny

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

No, I take that back - Asimov's discussions at least deal with interesting subject matter. This book doesn't even do that; all it has to offer is page after page of small talk - and if you go to lots of parties or other social gatherings you know how boring that gets.

Which is really a pity, because the first two books in Fancher's series were quite intriguing. But in this, the third book, the bottom just drops out of the story. In fact, there is no story.

There's supposed to be a fourth book, and I might buy that to see if Fancher can come back from this debacle.

I highly recommend reading this series, especially if you like character driven stories that are angsty and kind of dark.

I don't know what more to say without ruining the story, except I would have liked more graphic details of Mikhyel's childhood but I thought Mrs. Fancher did a wonderful job at slowly reveling pieces of Mikhyel's past.

Just read the books and judge for yourself. ^_^

Ms. Fancher's book, "Ring of Destiny", is superb. Some who have reviewed the book have been concerned about the length. This I do not understand. What is the hurry? Is it a race? In the case of a book as good as this, the only draw back is that it has to end at all. In fact, you are fortunate because (if you haven't already) you can buy the entire triology and read from one book right into the next, without stopping. I recommend it. The complexity and growth of her characters, like the development of her plot, unfolds with majestic beauty. I've read a lot books, cotton candy books that can be devoured in a single sitting; Ms. Fancher's books are much more. They are a full-course, gourmet meal that leaves a lasting satisfaction.

The originality of the world Jane S. Fancher has created for this series alone would make it stand out, but most remarkable are the deep characterizations and the masterful pacing she provides to tell the story of the Brothers Rhomandi. I loved this series! The brothers are so real, and their relationships with each other so complex, and little is what it seems -- there's a surprise around every turn - right to the last.

Ring of Destiny wraps up this complex and engaging story in a satisfying way, tying up the many threads introduced in the first two books (including a few I didn't realize were threads when I first read them.)

I won't give details, because much of the enjoyment of this story comes from the surprise of discovery.

Start with Ring of Lightning, and then read Ring of Intrigue if you haven't. This book could possibly stand alone, but you'd be missing a heck of a lot of wonderful storytelling!

I was looking forward to a conclustion of this series with this book. My heart sank when I saw how thick the book was and when I then saw there was a 4th book coming...

Then I started reading the book. With this installment the author seems to have lost her sense of balance with story telling. Most of this book (3/4) seems to be about Mikhyel and his tangled relationships. In the end I gave up on this book. I got sick of reading about the great Mikheyl, because what I actually enjoyed about the first 2 books was the sense of balance and growth of all the three brothers Mikheyl, Deymoran and Nikki.

I won't be reading any more of this series. It's been a real dissapointment because it started out so well and now it's just rambling. What ever happended to a well written TRILOGY?? It's a rare beast these days.

With the battle of the Ringmasters over, the series' main characters take stock, of some of the elements that featured in Lightning and Intrigue. In Rhomatum, Kiyrstin and Lidye, both pregnant, slug it out regarding their personal difficulties, what to do about the incomplete ring complement following the battle, and who is really in charge of them. And in a soldiers' camp situated close to a newly developing node between Rhomatum and Khoratum are the three Rhomandi brothers, and Ganfrion. Here, on a minor level, we have the explanation of what happened to Deymorin's horse Ringer. And on a somewhat more dramatic level we learn the true nature of Dancer, only hinted at during the close of Lightning.

Dancer is a development, which, in less sensitive hands could have become as dubious as her descriptions of the physicality of sex could have degenerated into fluffy. For Dancer is a Child of Rakshi, a 'Tweener, with three personalities: androgynous, male, and female. And to complicate matters further, Dancer and Mikhyel are now lovers. Mikhyel's problem is how to reconcile himself and his associates, perhaps the long suffering Nethaalye in particular, to the idea of such a union, whilst Dancer's is one of coming to terms with the notion that in Mikhyel's frame of reference Dancer is a freak of nature, not the creature of purity that Mother encouraged Dancer to believe in.

Jane Fancher's skill, with this potential hell-brew, is well demonstrated by the following line from the scene in which Mikhyel and Dancer are intimates. 'Temorii's hands sought the sensitive instrument of loving that had gone suddenly silent, a gently teasing touch that brought Mikhyel easily back to the music....' (Temorii is Dancer's female side). I thought that was so nicely done, unlike so many others' attempts at such.

These matters take up approximately the first half of the book. From there we move quickly onto Rhomatum, where Mikhyel busies himself in, post-battle, legalities in order to stabilise the Rhomatum web inclusive of potential others from the recent fall out. Deymorin takes charge of casting the replacement Giephaetum/Shatum and Khoratum/Persitum rings, and discovers his talent for ringspinning, which might usurp Lidye's hold. And Nikeanor's eighteenth birthday comes around, a time of celebration Lidye intends to use to reinforce her own grasp on power.

The final section with its defeat of their old adversary, rom Maurii, and the birth of the three brothers' babies is a conclusion of the story so far. But there's plenty to keep the series spinning on.

I read fairly widely in this genre, and feel, after reading all three, so far, of this series, that these books are one of the truly worthwhile additions to the field, in terms of quality of writing, development of character, world building, and originality of themes. They're definitely worth any serious fantasy fan's dollars.

Although this is not the worst book I have ever read, I found it very disapointing. The first two books were wonderful, they presented a beleivable set of brothers living in an interesting world, but I could not get past the first couple hundred pages of this book because it was so bad.The focus on Mikhyel didn't bother me until it came to all that Temorii/Thyerri ( ). When it came to that point, I tried to press on, hoping that the story would be salvaged by the end , but i found i couldn't handle it any more. I closed that book and have never opened it.

Another character driven book-my personal favorite! I got the advantage of reading it before the final edits and could see the changes Jane made. It was the gold thread through the tapestry! Plote threads from the first two were tied up and more questions were raised. And we finally get to see some of the action from Ganfrion's point of view! Congrats, Jane! You've left me wanting more!

I laughed when I saw Amazon lists the book as having 'only' 544 pages. I wish. The book weighs in at over 700 pages, of which roughly half should have been cut. The first 200 pages are filled with characters endlessly remembering events of the last book. At first I was pleased to have my memory refreshed, but after about 50 pages of this, I was getting really annoyed. The next 200 pages actually moved the plot along, but at a snails pace. It wasn't until around page 400 that the story really began and the remainder of the book was good. I don't know if the waste in this book is the result of a self-indulgent writer who can't bare to leave out anything she has written or if the editor/publisher insisted that the book be this size - but the results are disappointing. It was odd that the author choose to focus almost exclusively on Mickel. What made the previous books so interesting was the many different storylines. Yet in this, the largest installment, none of the characters have any part at all accept as minor roles in Mikhel's tale. I have been eargerly awaiting in what was supposed to be the conclusion of a triology, but the inside of the book lists yet another book and of course this book in no way concluded much of anything. Saddly, this book was not worth the wait.

'Ring..' can essentially be divided into two halves. The first 300+ pages is filled with musings and arguments over the gender of a character and reflections on the events of book two. Very slow moving. The second half jumps into the flow of the story and is much easier to read.

I haven't yet read the previous two books in the series (though I plan to) so it took me over 100 pages to begin to understand anything in this book. I can't stress this highly enough. Start with the first book.

This is exceptionally well-written and is an original take on the normally staid field of epic fantasy. A very refreshing read. Fancher spends a lot of time developing her characters so that by the end I felt well acquainted with each of them. I look forward to a fourth book.