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Probably the best part of Stone & Sky by Z.S. Diamanti is that it is the story is not painfully long. At about 466 it is not small, but the important thing is that it doesn’t feel long. With other fantasy novels I’ve read, I felt like I was reading for an hour; and when I looked at my progress, I saw that I was only 4 percent complete. In the case of Stone & Sky, I could read for an hour and find that I was 10 percent complete. After each reading (or listening) session, I felt that I had made a dent in the novel. Also, the chapters were fairly short, allowing me to take breaks.
One thing that helped the book to feel “short” is that the words flowed. Every word seemed to flow into the next. It didn’t feel like there were pauses to think about what needed to happen next.
The novel lived up to its claim of being a “classic fantasy” novel. While additions/updates were made, such as the orcs largely being good people, I didn’t feel lost. I didn’t feel like I was reading some ancient text in a forgotten language. The world seemed familiar. It wasn’t filled with words or beings that were as alien to me as Ancient Greek.
The book felt like an old friend coming for a visit. I knew who they were and felt comfortable with them. I enjoyed reminiscing about old times but was excited to hear about their newest adventures.
I enjoyed that Diamanti didn’t spend hours describing the rugs in the Guardians’ base or go into a five hour lecture about the history of the gem that decorated the dwarves’ grand hall. Diamanti didn’t go on and on with his descriptions but wasn’t brief either. I could picture each setting and each character. Also, the battles didn’t go on and on.
The only real problem with the novel was Orin. He seemed…blank. The other characters I could picture. I could understand their personalities. Orin seemed to be…there. He didn’t speak much nor did he do much. He didn’t defeat any of the big bosses. He didn’t come charging in on his griffin to slay the beast. Most I knew about him was he was Pernden’s brother, and he kept going, “We need to get back to Whitestone!” It was odd. Orin is mentioned in the book’s description. Orin is the first character we meet, more or less. Yet, he seems to hang out in the background while the others battle the giant monsters. It seemed very much like he was the main character, but he faded into the background.
Orin’s strange status made the story interesting. It was like, “We’re focusing on the others before we get to him.” It was also like Orin was the reader. It reminded me of first-person video games or even The Legend of Zelda. Link doesn’t speak; he’s supposed to be a stand in for the player. It is also of note that Link is the protagonist yet the game isn’t called The Legend of Link. In fact, there is a joke about noobs calling Link “Zelda.”
It is odd. By all accounts, Orin should be the main character, but the story focuses on the thoughts and history of the other characters. The only hint we get that Orin is a main character is when the wizard tells him that his story isn’t finished.
Otherwise, the story is well written. The words flow and weave making the story exciting and quick. The characters are interesting and unique. You feel their sorrow; you feel their concerns.
I give it a 4.7/5. It lives up to the hype. It is a great book without massive amounts of gore and swearing.
Until the next wormhole…thanks for reading!
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