The Chosen - Stone Dance of the Chameleon 01 (87 page)

THE STANDING DEAD Stone Dance of the Chameleon Volume II by Ricardo Pinto

'The groundbreaking
Stone Dance of the Chameleon
trilogy
...
is that rarest of things — a deeply original fantasy'
SFX

In desperation, the Ruling Lord Suth searches within the sacred walls of Osrakum for Carnelian, his son, and Osidian, the God Emperor elect. He suspects the Empress Ykoriana is behind their disappearance and knows that if they are not found soon it is her other son, Osidian's brother Molochitte, who will rule — with fearful consequences for the Three Lands.

Captive of the tribes of the Earthsky, Carnelian is - for the moment - safe. Succumbing readily to the seasonal rhythms of tribal life, he is convinced by unexpected discoveries that it is fate that has brought him there. He grows to love these simple people and hopes for sanctuary among them. But the dark forces
Carnelian
helped unleash in Osrakum begin to cast their shadow over his adopted home. He is witness to the awful oppression that the Masters — whom the tribesmen call the Standing Dead - have been inflicting on them for millennia. But even more terrible is the presence
Carnelian
has unwittingly brought with him. Potent and terrifying, it threatens everything he now holds dear in this new-found world.

With
The Standing Dead,
Ricardo Pinto gives us a tumultuous new chapter in the acclaimed
Stone Dance of the Chameleon
trilogy and confirms his place as one of fantasy's most singular and literate voices.

'Panoramic, riveting and stimulating
...
a majestically structured and vivid piece of fantasy writing'
Starlog

'Beautifully written . . . challengmgly complicated . . . highly original . . . brilliantly realised . . . totally believable'
SFX

A Bantam Paperback 0 553 81285 8