The Stone of Authority
by Allan N. Packer
Series: The Stone Cycle #3
Published by Luminant Publications
Publication Date February 28, 2020
Genres: Fantasy
Written for: Adults
Synopsis:
The invasion is over, and the survivors of the shattered Rogandan army have straggled home. The people of Arvenon and the surrounding kingdoms are at peace. Or so they believe.
Little do they know that a new stone of power has emerged, controlled by a cruel tyrant bent on destruction. But King Agon of Rogand lusts after much more than conquest. He will settle for nothing less than unending power.
No armies are massing at the border. The kingdoms face a threat from within.
As chaos spreads, Will, Steffan, Essanda, and Arvenon’s other key defenders are each confronted with crisis. If any one of them stumbles, the kingdom will fall.
I would like to thank Allan N. Packer for giving me this copy of the book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.
Also in this series: The Stone of Knowing, The Cost of Knowing , The Seer
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The Stone Cycle saga continues as a man set on using it for evil discovers the Stone of Authority and its power. From battle to ambush to treachery and more, The Stone of Authority is full of action and intrigue. There are some elements of romance as several of the characters marry though this is not a romance.
Elena continued to amaze me in this story. She is not only beautiful, she is also wise and kind and compassionate, the very qualities that caused Thomas to fall deeply in love with her even when he had thought her to be hunchbacked and ugly. When placed in a situation in which she could have responded with hatred and anger, she chose instead to use empathy and gentleness to bring about results that were surprising to everyone.
I particularly appreciated the insight that even though Thomas and Elena viewed the same events surrounding the same person, they saw different facets. She viewed them through empathy and considered motives and extenuating circumstances while he viewed them as hard and fast facts. He learned such an important lesson through this.
I was glad to see so many of the characters I have come to know over the course of this series return. Yes, there are many to keep track of, which is the nature of this type of saga, but it wasn’t difficult to remember who they were. For readers who need help, there is a cast of characters section at the end of the book to assist. I was also pleased that the important events from the previous books were easy to recall, prompted as they were in this story. And gladly, the details provided about the events that had already taken place were just enough to jog my memory and not so much to seem like an attempt to re-tell the previous stories in their entirety!
While I’m anticipating seeing where things go next in The Stone Cycle saga, I am especially looking forward to learning the secret of Ennawi, Agon’s unusual servant. Because I am convinced there will be an amazing and surprising reveal!
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About Allan N. Packer
Allan Packer is an emerging author of epic fantasy. The Stone of Knowing and The Cost of Knowing are his first two novels.
Allan grew up surrounded by books and became an avid reader during his childhood. In his university years fantasy displaced science fiction as his favorite genre, thanks primarily to J. R. R. Tolkien. He later shared this love with his four children by reading The Lord of the Rings to them aloud – a three-month marathon he completed twice during their formative years.
Born in Australia, Allan has lived and worked on three continents, and spent one quarter of his working years abroad. Having worked as an IT professional throughout his career, he was first published as a technical author.
Today he lives with his wife in Adelaide, South Australia, near their children and a small but growing band of grandchildren.
Allan is currently working on the next installment in his series The Stone Cycle.
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