Rating: 
Summary: Starts slow but ends strong
Review: The first part of the book seems a little detached...it isn't until the second part of the book begins that I found the book to have some real merit. The Sword take a traditional fantasy approach with eldin (elves), humans and dwarves, though the author does add her own twist to how these races mingle and what powers they utilize.She does a good job of bringing out the personalities of her characters, though they were sometimes RIGID in their roles and therefore somewhat predictable in their reactions to circumstances. And the author's use of religion and race as a force to drive the characters into a storyline was interesting, though not overly done. Don't get me wrong, the book is great, I just saw some minor things that bugged me just a little. And I did like the spin of the overall story enough to purchase the next book in the sequel. A good one to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty average. 2 1/2 stars if I could
Review: Hmmm. Eh. Nothing special, but not terrible. My biggest pet peeve in all of fantasy is that the writer not use the all together too familiar plot of device of the orphan boy and the foster/guardian. Sadly, Chester uses that same plot device. Although she tries to make up for writing the same fantasy as 1000 other books, the best I can say is that the book was marginal. The men where whiny and the chicks were like men, except they didn't like to have sex. Imagine that--a feminist movement in fantasy where the writer is empowering the women and swiping away the manhood of her characters. The main character, Dain, is a whiner and a malcontent, and I didn't like him. Dain's friend acts like a high school girl, constantly feeling insecure. Did I mention the evil prince who is the same age as Dain that is opposing Dain's interests? Yup. Actually, the evil prince is a pretty well done character, although a familiar one, that adds far more to the mix than does the protaganist Dain. Even given the foregoing, there was a story to tell here, but just not by Chester, or at least through her portrayal of whiny me.
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't get past first chapter
Review: It's very possible that the plot and character development are first-rate. I wouldn't know, because I couldn't get past the inferior writing. My guess is that much of the problem lies in an editor who couldn't be bothered to edit the cliches and repeated words (the king is "disgusted" two sentences after he says something "in disgust"). I was actually stuck in a car for nine hours when I picked this up, and chose to stare out the window instead. The only reason I'm not giving it one star is because it seemed to have potential as far as the plot.
Rating:
Summary: Alien Chronicles Without the Aliens
Review: Deborah Chester had already shown with the Alien Chronicles that she is a talented writer, worthy of the attention of all discerning fantasy and science fiction writers. The Sword shows that Alien Chronicles was not a fluke, that she is a writer to be sought out and read whenever and wherever possible. Why? There are so many reasons, including plots full of just the right amount of twists, turns, and surprises. Settings described in full, lush detail without crossing into Jordanesque filibustering. An invented world that feels real at all levels. And, above all, characters that are so fully fleshed out they often seem more alive than your friends and co-workers. The criticisms levied against The Sword are fair, to a point. Chester's prose, viewed objectively, can be too florid. While I enjoyed the opening part, there was a desire to see her get on with it; it rarely generates enthusiasm to keep tragedy impending for over one hundred pages. The plot and characters seem to be lifted from the Alien Chronicles, with, for example, Dain substituting for Ampris and Gavril for Israi. Yet, all in all, Chester succeeds in drawing the reader in, and once you're in it's impossible to get out.
Rating:
Summary: Yawn
Review: Story summary: Some guy wanders around aimlessly as his destiny leads him to be king of a county he knows nothing about. Meanwhile many of his friends and enemies are killed by demons. I've read about 500 sci-fi / fantasy books and while this wouldn't make it into my worst 100 list, its damn close. After having read all 3 books, my impression is that they were written based on watching a couple King Arthur movies and the cartoon version of The Hobbit. The magic goes back and forth between being powerful and weak, depending on which is more convenient. The main character decides to reclaim his father's throne because its his destiny, but he couldn't care less about the country or its people because he's never been there and the only person he met from there was a real jerk! His faithful sidekick only gets mentioned when someone is needed to ask a stupid question or make a blatantly obvious observation. The main characters are very unsympathetic as they make random decisions based on reasoning like "I've never been wrong before, so while this looks like an extremely stupid thing to do it will turn out to be the right thing" Huh? (That isn't an exact quote from the book, but close enough.) The only reason I finished the whole series is that I was hoping it would be bad enough to make it into my "worst" list. But unfortunately it isn't really awful, its just predictable and extremely boring.
Rating:
Summary: Good
Review: The Sword is a novel to pass the time. It is the first of a trilogy. The Ring is next. The Chalice last. I've read all three.
Rating:
Summary: A pretty good book from Chester!
Review: I've read quite a number of fantasy novels and this one is pretty good. Within the first three chapters I was hooked. I couldn't put it away even to get a good nights sleep. I can't wait to get the other books. I recomend this series to any new or old reader of fantasy books.
Rating:
Summary: An good looking new series
Review: Before King Tobesjinean knows it, he is betrayed. His brother has usurped the floor, his wife has been struck with disease, the holy items that his religion worships have been stolen and replaced by false idols, and his kind, the eldin are wanted dead in his own country. The King is shocked but once he manages to calm down he knows he must do something to protect his two children, the prince and princess but in saving them he may lose his life. Years later Dain, is an eldin who lives in the forest with his sister. After the death of his sister and guardian Dain doesn't know where to go. That is, until he almost is killed by the crown prince and heir to the thrown, Prince Gavril. His life is saved by a mysterious man, who through later circumstances, he ends up living in. But no matter how hard he tries, Dain knows that he is not only not wanted, but hated by everyone around him for having eldin blood in his veins. But Dain will soon learn that he has more in his veins than just eldin blood, a more powerful blood. There are many flaws in this book. The heroine who we see on the cover doesn't come into play into the end of the book, it took me forever to get into it (considering the first 100 pages of this book could have been summed up in a quater of the length), and it's predictable. But still I enjoyed it. The main characters were very well crafted (especially Dain, Gavril and Alexida) I just wish I got to see more of some of them. I'll read the rest of the books in the series because I'm eager to see what happens. I recommend this easy reading book to fans of fantasy that are looking for something new. I can't wait to see what happens next!
Rating:
Summary: Fantasy worth reading!
Review: I admit that I am picky about the authors and stories I will read. I am always suspicious purchasing a book by an unknown author. However, I got a wonderful surprise in this book. The story is engrossing and the characters are well written. Although some would say the "prologue" of the story was unneeded, I found that it added a sense of familiarity with the characters. By knowing what happened with King Tobezjian, I couldn't wait to see how Dain came to find out what his destiny would be. My only complaint would be that the main antagonist, Prince Gavril is SO well written, that I found myself hating him almost too much to pay attention to the rest of the story. I can't wait to read the other two books and find out if he gets what is coming to him. Oh, and keep this in mind. Though many with the title of Prince are in no relation to the king, often writers will use the title to portray a land where monarchy is given through bloodshed. While the king's descendants are princes and princesses, descendeds of kings who had lost the throne would also retain the title of Prince or Princess. So, the titles fall through the generations, even if the family was not the ruling one. Historical accuracy has nothing do with it.
Rating:
Summary: Best pridictable book written...
Review: Yes it is predictable... but not much suprises me these days. It is very well written. You will kill all three books inside of one week-- easy. After reading that Jordan drivel, who can possibly complain about a slightly predictable book? You can't go wrong with this one...
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