Rating: 
Summary: Where Is The Next?
Review: I am a reader who has read countless thousands of SciFi books (wish I still had just the Ace books-but I digress)I TRULY ENJOYED THIS NOVEL! The author layed the ground work for the "plot" very well. She filled in the main characters, the hero, Dain, and his protagonist, the Crown Prince Gavril, with sufficent detail to make me feel that I knew them. She has also started to fill in the character of Alexeika and I found myself more and more involved till I had to finish the novel. I stayed up untill approximately 2:30 AM and did so. I can't remember any other novels of this ilk (and I include books by Robert Jordan and Simon R. Green and many others) that I enjoyed so thoroughly. This is fantasy at its best! If you can read, buy this book-you won't be disappointed!
Rating: 
Summary: Welcome to a land of danger, valor, betrayal, and courage.
Review: Hello --Thanks for showing interest in THE SWORD. It's the first volume in a new quasi-medieval fantasy trilogy of mine. It features a young warrior named Dain, and through the course of the trilogy he'll be coming to terms with not only his present hardships, but also his past and his future. Born a prince of Nether, Dain is more eldin than human. He is both orphaned and beggared early in life when his father, King Tobeszijian, loses the throne to an usurper. Living in exile, and for a time unaware of his true inheritance, Dain must struggle for acceptance wherever he goes. He finds a home of sorts among the knights of Thirst Hold in nearby Mandria. But there he meets his nemesis, Prince Gavril, a youth who is as arrogant and spoiled as Dain is kind and humble. Fostered to the chevard of Thirst for training as a knight, Gavril is more interested in dreams of war and conquest. He wants to find the magical Chalice, which has been lost ever since King Tobeszijian concealed it from his enemies. (And Tobeszijian's ghost guards it still.) Gavril thinks he can force Dain to use his special eldin abilities to locate the Chalice for him. But Dain is more concerned with a magical sword made for the king, a sword tainted with forbidden spells, a sword that will bring mortal danger to all who wield it. Additional characters include the beautiful maiden Pheresa, born to be Gavril's bride, yet destined to be loved by Dain. Brought to court, she is faced with numerous traps and intrigues from people determined to see her fail. Far away in Nether, the warrior-maiden Alexeika is daughter of a brave general committed to freeing Nether from its tyrant. But when Alexeika's father is slain in battle, she finds she cannot relinquish the fight, no matter the cost. Yet despite these conflicts, worse trouble is coming to overshadow the kingdoms. Dain and his companions must use all their courage to withstand the invasion of Nonkind demons. And when Dain finds himself accused of treason, he will be forced to risk both his life and his future to prevail. The second volume, THE RING, is scheduled for release around August 2000. Happy reading! Deborah Chester
Rating: 
Summary: Good read - where's the next
Review: Captivating story. Well rounded characters. Hard to put down. The biggest disappointment was that the next book is not out yet. At least it wasn't a total cliff-hanger, the book had a distinct ending.
Rating: 
Summary: Very disappointed
Review: "The Sword" got good reviews from several sources, and I am surprised and disappointed at how much I disagree with their opinions. I was only able to read 100 pages before I gave up in disgust. I feel that the writing has the over-done and over-emphasized qualities that are usually found (and expected) in second-rate romance novels. I found it especially disconcerting that the story doesn't even *start* to focus on the characters highlighted on the cover blurb until page 111. I am returning the book to the store I bought it from. I feel that it was such a waste of my time that I want my money back.
Rating:
Summary: Page turner
Review: Excellent book that makes you want to read more. In depth character development allows the reader to get pulled into the story. I can't wait to read the next books in the trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: It's great!
Review: This is actually the first book of a trilogy entitled "The Sword." The Ring and The Chalice will come later. This book is richly imagined, masterfully plotted, and superbly executed. It is not just good, it's George R. R. Martin good! There is some familiar ground here (after all, it's a fantasy) but there is also a great deal that is fresh. Exciting and highly recommended. If you are familiar with Ms. Chester's "Shadow" trilogy, then you know to expect great action scenes and lots of twists and turns. You'll find more of the same here, but even better! One minor complaint: this book would be better (in my opinion) as a one-volume 1200-page doorstopper fantasy rather than being spread out over the next 18 months (or whatever) in three volumes. A+++.
Rating:
Summary: Where Is The Next?
Review: I am a reader who has read countless thousands of SciFi books (wish I still had just the Ace books-but I digress)I TRULY ENJOYED THIS NOVEL! The author layed the ground work for the "plot" very well. She filled in the main characters, the hero, Dain, and his protagonist, the Crown Prince Gavril, with sufficent detail to make me feel that I knew them. She has also started to fill in the character of Alexeika and I found myself more and more involved till I had to finish the novel. I stayed up untill approximately 2:30 AM and did so. I can't remember any other novels of this ilk (and I include books by Robert Jordan and Simon R. Green and many others) that I enjoyed so thoroughly. This is fantasy at its best! If you can read, buy this book-you won't be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: Gold or Garbage?
Review: First off the series as a whole is very entertaining. The main characters were very likable, or hate-able depending on which one you are talking about. Over all a good series. The plot was pretty shallow, a cliche boy from nothing is really a king thing, and has been stomped into the ground by fantasy writers in the last few years. I really cannot tell you why i liked this book so much, it was not original by any means; the typical journey of a fantasy novel, same hero you have read about in countless books before and the same basic plot that i mentioned above. But other than it's shortcomings a delightfully read. i would highly recomend this book for young adults and fantasy readers who don't have an entertaining read at the time. it is no 'Song of Ice and Fire' but still i must give it four stars for shear entertainment value. The best way to describe this series is like a mediocre movie that you just really enjoyed, nothing special but worth checking out.
Rating: 
Summary: Quintessential B-grade sword-n'-sorcery
Review: _The Sword_ is the first of a high-fantasy trilogy and is little more than a prologue for whatever follows. What I mean by that is this: in terms of actual plot development, very little happens here. Each paperback in this trilogy is about 400 pages long (1200 total), so this could easily have been a 2-book saga with little to no impact on its quality. As for the story itself ... There are some books you can read when you're tired, some you can't, and some that just make you tired. At its best, this book falls into the first category; at its worst, in the third. The writing is clear but rough and unremarkable (much more telling than showing, especially where character emotions are concerned, not one clever simile or metaphor), while the plot is uneven and filled with numerous, extended chase and fight sequences that create a sense of deja vu. (Other reviews here describe the plot, so I won't, except to express complete disappointment with the climax, in which the hero saves the day not through his own talents but through, not just one, but two instances of deus ex machina.) Two sub-plot threads are interspersed with the main one; however, the female protagonists in those receive so little stage-time that one can only hope their actions will actually mean something later in the trilogy. The book's one strength is its ability to keep you wanting to know what happens next, which is certainly a literary virtue. However, few to none of the other ones (style, plausibility, insight, etc.) are present here. I strongly recommend _A Game of Thrones_ by George Martin or _The Briar King_ by Greg Keyes instead of this (though this one does contain a lesser degree of sexual content, if not violence, than those very fine tales). That said, if you're looking for a fantasy book to distract yourself during a long plane ride, this one would probably work. 2-1/2 disappointed stars.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly engrossing.
Review: I must admit, the reason I bought this book is because I have a thing for elves (or in this case, elds). The idea of an elf who was a main character was particularly appealing to me and so I stumbled upon this charming little novel. The Sword has the classic fanstasy novel plot: poor, outcast, farmer boy accidentally comes upon his true destiny and ends up saving the world. However, I have never minded these plots and Deborah Chester pulls the cliche off with enough elegance that the book is engrossing from start to finish. Beginning the book with the story of Dain's father (who's name I won't even try to spell) was a well done touch. It was refreshing to have Dain's past be only a mystery to him, as opposed to the reader, because we all know very well, whether told or not that Dain is going to somehow be important. Dain himself was a compelling character, and I found myself becoming increasing furious at the way he was treated by humans, especially Prince Gavril. Prince Gavril, by the way, is a wonderful villain, and Dain responds realistically and in the end, heroically, to Gavril's constant torment. Dain, is his struggles and occasional lapses of logic, comes accross as very compelling. He is a teenage boy, albiet a noble, long lost prince, but still a teenage boy, and Chester does a magnificent job at portraying him as such. The fantasy world that Chester created is for the most part, complete in it's detail and well thought through. My only complaint is that there is no map. I found myself looking, on more than one occasion, in the back and front of the book for something in which I could get my bearings. Chester clearly put a great deal of work into the people, beasts, and customs of her world, but not so much into her geography. It was little distracting. Whatever my complaints, though, I could not put The Sword down. It was a quick read for me and I enjoyed nearly every minute of it. I find myself looking forward to reading the continuation of the series. I will definatly be buying those.
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