Rating: 
Summary: A lot of fun
Review: What I found so interesting about this book was the concept of a society recovering froma devastating war and technology being viewed as magic. When you think about it this is exactly what might happen if mankind were thown back into a dark age.I found the story wonderful and easy to follow and I loved the bits of humor the author put in. Everytime I put the book down I found myself coming back to it and turning a few more pages to see what would happen. Fantasy is my favorite genre and this book now is at or near the top of my list with such others as Robert Jordan and Tad Williams. If you're looking for something to keep you on the edge of your seat, this is it. The author's web site says the next book is coming out in December. I'm ordering my Christmas present now. Cheers.
Rating: 
Summary: The tilting tower
Review: I went down to the store to get a good book, wanted something to read, a few month since my last book.
When you buy a book, you want it to be good right, so you dont waste your time, right?
Ok, this one started out a little unsure, but i have seen it before, and it use to end in very good books.
The first chapters are good, the plot is not what you expect, how Mat get this ring. The characters are funny, so everything seems good so far...
BUT the book is falling!
It seems like the author lost his motivation and wanted it to end ASAP......
or his fiancee told him that fantasy are for children, so he changed the tale so you could reed it for people at the age of ten! If you want to drown in a good book, and feel the pull of the sofa, DONT BUY THIS ONE, or even borrow it, just a waste.
He is writing his second fantasy novel right now, i really hope that one has a better story and plot (for his sake).
Rating:
Summary: Excellent story!
Review: This guy is hands down one of the best story tellers I've ever read. The fighting is fantastic (probably because the author fences), the story moves along well, and there aren't the normal overused adjectives and adverbs you see in typical fantasy, and no chapter long descriptions of a dress a la Robert Jordan. I don't often give a book 5 stars, and I do so for different books for different reasons, but I give this one 5 stars because the author did exactly what he set out to do....create a fast paced book with plenty of action and just a plain good read.
Rating:
Summary: Fantabulous
Review: I loved the well developed characters and was totally pulled into the fantasy world that Mr. Graham created. The battle scenes just blew me away! I couldn't put the book down even though I had to get up in 4 hours to get to work! I found it a great book to curl up with and you'll no doubt, find yourself holding your breath through many of the entire chapters. Can hardly wait for the sequel!
Rating:
Summary: Bombs away! Great
Review: I picked up this book out of curisosity, thinking it was a Tolkien rip off. Okay, I was wrong. The Fifth Ring is a very different type of novel. Set 3000 in Earth's distant future, the survivors of an apocalyptic war now live in a mideval society. Mathew Lewin, the young hero wins a ring in a fencing tournament and suddenly finds himself thrust into conflict with Karas Duren. Duren, is the king of neighboring Alor Satar, and a complete monster who kills because it interests him. He also wants to unite the world under one rule--his. KNowing what the rings are, he sends a group of creatures called the Orlocks after Mathew. By far one of the most interesting characters Graham develops is Father Siward Thomas. This priest has a past, a really interesting past. Trust me on this. In fact, Father Thomas is as deadly as he is intelligent. There were some well placed bits of humor throught the book and a little romance between Mathew and Lara, which I enjoyed. Most fantasies are pretty hokey. Graham handled it just right. What really hooked me were the action scenes. Hands down, they're the best I've ever read. My judgement is that if Mitchell Graham's next books are as good as this one, we have the start of a major fantasy on our hands. The Fifth Ring is right at the top of my all-time list.
Rating: 
Summary: Great fantasy book
Review: I thought this was an excellent first book. I was really impressed by Graham's writing and imagination and think if the rest of the series continues as this first book did, we might have a supurb fantasy series on our hands. It isn't in the same leauge as Martin, Gemmell and Tolkien (my personall fav's) but so far Graham can definitly hold his own with Weiss, Feist, or Kearney. I thought the hero was very fleshed out and his enemy the King Duren as well. As far as villians go, he was a pretty good one. Also I like how the book wasn't bogged down in magic (not that that's not ok once in a while) but it had just the right element of it. He left alot of things open to explain in the next books as well (such as what happens to the owners of those rings and their civilization?) I won't say anything else for those who haven't read the book yet except, go get it. Today.
Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: I read this entire book through in one sitting and can't wait for the sequel. Mathew is an excellent character and Father Thomas, a priest with an interesting past, is a hoot. I love all the books that Robert jordan, Terry Goodkind, and George Martin have written, but THE FIFTH RING was every bit as good, if not better in some ways, particularly where any of the action/fight sequences are concerned. I was blown away by them. The book is written with style and humor and the few touches of romance that were thrown in were believably handled. This is definitely now on my list of top tens. Hurry up Mr. Graham, we're waiting.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!!
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was as fun a read as I have had in many years. Unfortunately, I have to take issue with a recent reviewer who said that Mathew is "boringly perfect." While everyone is entitled to their opinion, he apparently missed the fact that Mathew, the story's hero, commits a murder early on in the book and kicks off a "Le Miserable" theme that continues throughout the story. As a character, Mathew Lewin is also painfully shy, self-conscious, and gets seasick. Hardly, indications of perfection. The people author Graham writes about seem real and are fun, and intelligent. Father Thomas is, hands down, one of the best characters to come along in years. Comparisons with LOTR and other fantasy epics are enivitable, but entirely misplaced in this instance. Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series is a formidible work however, these two co-exist nicely. "The Fifth Ring" is quite unlike other fantasy books I have read. Yes, there are similar plot elements, but I was totally impressed with Mr. Graham's style and the quality of his writing. He obviously knows a lot about fencing and sailing ships and the book is presented in a easy to read, enjoyable manner. The typhoon sequence onboard the "Wave Dancer" was a knockout as was Mathew battle on the cliffs. According to the publisher this is the first book of a trilogy (the second is coming out in December), and frankly I'm going to have a hard time waiting for the next installment.
Rating:
Summary: What's next!?!
Review: I have told myself about a thousand times, so I'll tell it to you. This book is great! When I picked it up I didn't expect it to be so good.About the book itself. Stars out and you get a passive backround on whats been going on the past three-thousand years. Apperently mankind reached the pinnicle of civilization and for some reason or another destroyed itself. At the time the story is taking place all that is left of man's greatness are ruins and legends.Saying much more might spoil the story, which after reading for the fourth time din a week is still great. At the end of the book I get the impression that there may be a sequal to it. I sincerly hope it is half as good as the first book. I have dhigh hopes for Mitchell Graham and hope for a continuation of the first story.
Rating:
Summary: Unengaging.
Review: One who has already read the superior first novel of the Wheel of Time, "The Eye of the World" will find the path the main character, Matthew, takes very familiar. While the plot itself is not particularly derivative of that work, it mimics in ways that would be easy to avoid. Examples can be found in other less favorable reviews, and even they only skim the surface. But the story is what is most important, and so are the characters. The hero is boringly perfect. He never makes any mistakes when it counts, and his victories seem forgone conclusions by the end of the book. The villain, while technically being human, is systematically deprived of any redeeming, human characteristics. There is no romantic progress between the hero and his woman, because their relationship is serious by the time we meet her and it is never interrupted. Lastly, the author has an odd tendency to relate conversations during the course of the novel as having happened rather than describing them as they occur; perhaps to save time? It's obvious this book is for some people, judging by the five star reviews, but fellow fans of Jordan and Martin, do not reach so hastily for your wallet as I did.
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