Rating: 
Summary: Good stuff!
Review: The story is well written and well told. The world is large, complex and carefully thought out. The logic is very good. Its a breath of fresh air after the cardboard cut-out fantasy drivel over the past several years. I think we've finally found someone who surpasses Tolkien...and you have a good idea as to how high that praise actually is. No other book I have ever read that captured my imagination the way 'Keeper Martin's Tale' did mine. Utterly compelling and so well thought out you will at times wonder if you aren't reading an account of something that actually happened rather than fantasy fiction. I think perhaps this novel has garnered more praise than any I can remember in recent memory and I can think of no other novel that deserves it more. This kind of storytelling goes way beyond what you've read before, but in a totally different way. It's not Jordan, Goodkind or Brooks. Sorry if this offends fans of the previous authors but going from one of their books to 'Keeper Martin's Tale' is like graduating. There's a huge difference between their styles and Stanek's. Also, the magic described in this book is different. So to recap, if you are interested in a truly superior fantasy experience, then I say that "Keeper Martin's Tale" is the one and only starting point for you. Again, high praise, but once you've read it, you'll know just how true it is. Enjoy!
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Summary: An epic novel!
Review: The author is brilliant. The book is well thought out and pieced together wonderfully. Definitely a must buy!
Rating: 
Summary: I've Been Had.
Review: There is something fishy going on here. This is nowhere near a 5-star book. The writing is extremely amateurish, with awkward phrasing, stilted language, and grammatical errors throughout. The style seems more suited for the 9- to 12-year-old crowd than adults... Save your money and skip this poorly-written book.
Rating:
Summary: Is it just me, or what?
Review: After reading some of the reviews of this book I was really excited about it and couldn't wait to order it. Even though it cost over twice as much as the other books I normally read, I thought it would be worth it. I had recently read "The Scions of Shanarra" series by Terry Brooks and had previously read "The Sword of Shanarra" series and was looking forward to an exciting fantasy adventure.To make a long story short, I made it to page 200 after a lot of effort to make myself continue reading. I kept thinking that the book "Dune" doesn't really get going for a while so maybe this one is going to get better. Not really! The plot and the character's motivations are incomprehensable, the characters are flat which makes it difficult to care about any of them. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think so.
Rating:
Summary: Like slipping into a wonderful dream...
Review: I enjoyed this book. The story draws you in. You meet wonderful new friends. You explore a fascinating world. You follow the many twists and turns in the story, getting deeper and deeping into the action and excitement. I can't think of any book I've read lately that was as good.
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Summary: My eyes were glued....
Review: I have to say from beginning to end this book was just phenominal. I couldn't stop reading it. I loved all the characters because they all seemed to have their own personality. This is definately a book I recommend to all my friends.
Rating:
Summary: Phenomenal
Review: This isn't your ordinary fantasy book. It's filled with mystery and intrigue. I just fell in love with all the characters, they are deep and dark and we learn many different things that help us see the characters in different light. RUIN MIST has many plots which makes it such an interesting place to visit. The pages keep turning and turning. I just couldn't put it down.
Rating: 
Summary: Just the beginning
Review: There aren't that many books that I can sit down, read it and actually be interested in, but I could not put down Keeper Martin's Tale. Each page made me think "What is going to happen next?" So I kept reading page after page and this was very rare because I dont usually like to read. I think this book is an excellent one and I hope that all of you who read it enjoy it too. For those who have said this book is very under-rated I agree, this was my first book by the author and I wish I found him earlier as I would have enjoyed reading a lot more. Keeper Martin's Tale is about a world in turmoil. It is the story of the kingdoms and the reaches. The kingdoms are lands of men. The reaches are lands of elves. Elves and men have been enemies for centuries. Now elves need the help of men to stop a great war that will sweep the lands of both. I was thoroughly impressed with this, the first of the Ruin Mist novels. I think that this is a great book and the only book I can think of that surpasses it is Kingdom Alliance, also in the Ruin Mist series.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating and suspenseful story!
Review: This is the book that made me a Robert Stanek fan. However, I must admit to not understanding the reading order. Officially the books publishing order is Keeper Martin's Tale, Elf Queen's Quest, Kingdom Alliance, Fields Of Honor, Mark Of The Dragon. I think a better reading order is Keeper Martin's Tale, Kingdom Alliance, Fields Of Honor, Mark Of The Dragon, Elf Queen's Quest that's what it says on most of the fan sites and even on the Robert Stanek boards.
In this first of the series, author Robert Stanek introducs us to his world of the Ruin Mist. Ruin Mist is a multiverse with three parallel realms. At the start most of the action place in the kingdoms and the reaches. The kingdoms are the lands of men. The reaches are the lands of the elves. The one cool thing about Elf Queen's Quest (if you read it last you won't know this) is that is has a most exceelent introduction to under earth and Ril Akh Arr in particular.
The cast of characters is big at the start and grows as the story grows. At the start the cast is mainly the members of the royal House of Alder: Adrina, Valam, Delinna (Midori you'd have to read Heroes and Legends or Elf Queen's Quest to know the truth of it), Andrew, Alexandria, Calyin. The House of Tyr'anth headed by Jarom is at odds with the House of Alder. Martin Braddabaggon, Jacob Froendga, Yi Duardin, and others help round out the cast. In the reaches the cast is equally as large there's Queen Mother, queen of the East Reach elves, King Mark, king of the west Reach elves who are at war with each other, Seth, Gala, Liyan, Everrelle, and many others.
Even though this is the first book in a series, Robert Stanek succeeds in building a fascinating and suspenseful story. Unlike many first books, this one is much more than mere introduction and character development. I found this to be a gripping and fascinating story. I await the release of the Fields Of Honor and Mark Of The Dragon. I can not wait until both are out to continue this great story.
Rating:
Summary: Not your average fantasy
Review: Picked this up after Chainfire, it's an exceptional read! One thing its not is your average fantasy. Robert Stanek breaks the rules, creates some cool new standards for the genre, and exceeded my expectations.
Keeper martin's tale is the story of the kingdoms and the elves of the reaches. In the kingdoms the great families and kings fight for power. In the reaches an ancient evil returns and for the first time elves are at war with elves. Over all a well-paced, well-written and remarkable fantasy novel.
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