Rating: 
Summary: Like Floating Veils of Painfully Burning Light..
Review: I've just finished the book and have found myself alternately fascinated, horrified, and intrigued. Pinto has only begun to tell this story--which I assume will cover at least 2 more books--and thus things were somewhat slow to start. Saying this, however, the events which thrust the story ahead are not slow. I found the images painted by Pinto in this book both repellant, beautiful, horrific, yet transcendant. Yes, I'm into adjectives today I guess. His Chosen and their Hidden Land are creul as ice and just about as uncaring. The society he has commenced showing us is still a mystery in many respects as are the motivations and connections between characters. As a fan of more intricate scifi and fantasy this aspect of his writing didn't bother me. Actually I initially picked it up because of the main character's name, Carnelian, and because several reviewers apparently disliked it because the main character was gay. What drivel. I've read many many fantasy novels and scifi novels and only ONE other had truly "gay" characters. Thank god I could suffer through all those other straight characters I couldn't identify with huh? That's not the point. One relates to Carnelian because of his horror at the events around him. One relates to him because of his fear and loneliness. One relates to him because of his delight in another 'human' to share his terrifying life. Whatever. I am looking forward to seeing what Pinto comes up with in the next books. I would recommend George R.R. Martin, Robert Holdstock, Storm Constantine and Guy Gavriel Kay to you if you liked this book, or other intricate, beautiful fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: Impressive If Flawed Debut
Review: If "God is in the details," then "The Chosen" by Ricardo Pinto should be a reflection of divine inspiration. Lavishly detailed and descriptively realized, the author has imaginatively succeeded in creating a realm and society unlike any I have encountered in fantasy fiction, even though antecedents can be traced in the works of Mervyn Peake, Gene Wolfe, Michael Moorcock, Storm Constantine, or Steven Erikson. But perhaps no other author has as firmly, obsessively and inventively delineated his world as Ricardo Pinto.This is a realm ruled by a blood theocracy whose social structure is rigidly hieratic, and whose laws and customs are inflexible and cruel, existing upon a base of customs and traditions that are morally alien from our own, and in which the majority of society are seen as no more than cattle to be used or dispensed with as the ruling caste sees fit. With an absolute authoritarianism not seen since perhaps the Chin Dynasty of China, the Chosen preside over an ancient world that shifts between squalor and exotic beauty, a mix of the barbaric and the aesthetic almost so refined as to be ethereal. Most of the population inhabit a land brutal and grim in setting, reduced to virtual servitude, whereas their rulers, the Chosen, are cloistered within the mountain walls and sky mere of Osrakum, a holy city in which the ruling caste lives amid luxury and splendor, but are equally oppressed by the rigid society they have created, in which at any moment they may fall beneath the brooding, hidden and often arcane intrigues of an elaborate political and religious court system. Deity does not rest easy upon the shoulders of divine aristocracy. While Ricardo Pinto has lavished his world with incredible amounts of descriptive detail, creating what might be hailed a monumental and highly original feat of world-building, this has come at the expense of often subsuming his plot and characters within his description, descriptive detail dominating the novel's character development and storyline. This is not to say the latter do not exist, but they are in part buried beneath the architecture of Pinto's world, slowing the narrative pace and, for those dependent upon action to propel the narrative along, many I suspect will find this book slow slogging. However, there are decided rewards to wading through the vast amounts of descriptive detail---if no other the clarity of depiction in the world unfolding---and the society and religious motifs are firmly developed and intriguing. So also is the main protagonist, an individual who, while a member of the ruling caste, has been raised outside the sacred precincts, and is therefore alienated by much that he finds himself inheriting. This creates enough tension to sustain much of the seemingly excessive description, and by the end of the novel conflicts are propelling the novel swiftly forward, even if baldly manipulated by the book's cliff-hanging conclusion. Further, the author has displayed a certain boldness in wrapping his protagonist at the book's conclusion within a homosexual relationship: fantasy fiction is almost entirely dominated, after all, by manly men and women who are brave and beautiful, as well as decidedly white, and I suspect the gender blurring here will make many of the genre's more obvious audience somewhat uncomfortable. Whether this element will succeed in garnering what traditionally is a decidedly heterosexual and often male-dominated audience remains to be seen. But one must admire the courage shown by the author in taking the risk inherent in introducing this element to his narrative. As a heterosexual male, it raised issues of identification that are perhaps most succinctly addressed by an earlier reviewer who, as a gay man and reader of fantasy, has found himself perforce needing to identify and relate to characters whose sexuality and identification is expressed through traditional and decidedly heterosexual romanticism. This will obviously not be a book that will please everyone. At times the writing is obscure, losing itself within the labyrinths of its own description, and following an evolution that is doggedly and patiently rendered. Nonetheless, for those interested in exploring a detailed and fully realized world and society that is exotic even by the standards of fantasy and science fiction, and that is not in a rush to reveal its storyline or conflicts through the flash of wizardry or sword play, this novel offers many rewards to the patient, and is certainly one of the most impressive debuts I have encountered, irregardless of its flaws. And, should the author reign in his obsessive and impressive descriptive skills, the vast and fertile imagination shown here offers exciting prospects for the future.
Rating:
Summary: lush, intriguing, Dune-like
Review: Many readers who have reviewed this book have complained that it is boring, but I did not find this to be the case. Instead, I found myself continually drawn to the book, snatching time to read it on the bus, during my break at work, even in line at the bank. The Chosen is a novel for those who don't require constant action, who are just as interested in the surroundings and culture of a fictional world as they are in the story. Other reviewers have complained about the density and complexity of detail, but to truly understand the plight of the protagonist and those around him, one must understand the structure of the world he is living in. In this way, the novel is much like Frank Herbert's Dune or the works of Samuel R. Delany, in particular Stars In My Pocket Like Grains of Sand and Dhalgren. So, this novel is not for those who like their fantasy novels with lots of swords, sorcery, and battles. But if you enjoy a novel with imagery that will continually tug at you, then check this out.
Rating:
Summary: lush, intriguing, Dune-like
Review: Many readers who have reviewed this book have complained that it is boring, but I did not find this to be the case. Instead, I found myself continually drawn to the book, snatching time to read it on the bus, during my break at work, even in line at the bank. The Chosen is a novel for those who don't require constant action, who are just as interested in the surroundings and culture of a fictional world as they are in the story. Other reviewers have complained about the density and complexity of detail, but to truly understand the plight of the protagonist and those around him, one must understand the structure of the world he is living in. In this way, the novel is much like Frank Herbert's Dune or the works of Samuel R. Delany, in particular Stars In My Pocket Like Grains of Sand and Dhalgren. So, this novel is not for those who like their fantasy novels with lots of swords, sorcery, and battles. But if you enjoy a novel with imagery that will continually tug at you, then check this out.
Rating: 
Summary: Well-written, fascinating... but not for me.
Review: Pinto does an amazing job of describing this alien and bazaar world. He takes you to an alien place, full of dangerous beauty and court intrigue and describes it in painstaking detail. You will experience a land of strict social castes; you will taste the horror of the lesser born as they realize they are dealing with the Chosen. What you will not experience is anything close to a compelling story! Beautifully depicted, almost Tolkien like, the Chosen is lacking in a real plot, believable character development and any action. In an attempt to stretch out a simple case of court intrigue this book is light on movement and long on prose. Although I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Carnelian and his father, the other characters were flat and predictable. Carnie's brother and personal slave, Tain, could have been used much more effectively. The cliff hanger ending was unexpected, but also forced. I got the impression that the author did not know how to end this story and simply stopped. I have no desire to find out what happens to our "hero" as he simply got what he deserved in the end. I awarded two stars only because of the thought and detail that Pinto put into the Three Lands, otherwise a clear single star.
Rating: 
Summary: A Brilliant Story About Nothing
Review: Pinto does an amazing job of describing this alien and bazaar world. He takes you to an alien place, full of dangerous beauty and court intrigue and describes it in painstaking detail. You will experience a land of strict social castes; you will taste the horror of the lesser born as they realize they are dealing with the Chosen. What you will not experience is anything close to a compelling story! Beautifully depicted, almost Tolkien like, the Chosen is lacking in a real plot, believable character development and any action. In an attempt to stretch out a simple case of court intrigue this book is light on movement and long on prose. Although I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Carnelian and his father, the other characters were flat and predictable. Carnie's brother and personal slave, Tain, could have been used much more effectively. The cliff hanger ending was unexpected, but also forced. I got the impression that the author did not know how to end this story and simply stopped. I have no desire to find out what happens to our "hero" as he simply got what he deserved in the end. I awarded two stars only because of the thought and detail that Pinto put into the Three Lands, otherwise a clear single star.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating, Strange, Incredibly Compelling
Review: Pinto has created a very strange universe, but the further I read, the more compelling I found it. Near the end I couldn't put it down, and by the end, I found myself scrambling like an addict to locate a sequel I could consume (no sequel has yet published as of the time of this writing). I re-read the last 1/3 of the book again and again before I finally put it down. It's a strange, new sub-genre of fantasy, which I find difficult to define or label, but I absolutely loved it. Months later I still crave more. I highly recommend it to anyone open-minded enough to explore new roads in fantasy fiction. I can't wait for more from Mr. Pinto.
Rating:
Summary: Professor Challenger revisited
Review: ricardo Pinto must be a avid reader of Conan Doyle because his new novel seems to be based upon the geology of the Lost World. Even dinosaurs are in this alternative world. Apart from this its a very inventive fiction, with engaging characters. the cruelty seems to complement a barbaric society which is based on a slightly classical roman society which was beset by some gruesome disease, perhaps the plague, the wild changes this society took is fascinating to read for instance the bandaging for the masters when they venture out form their domain. the quarantine for the "fleshly thithe". Other components seem less clear, especially the savants which are insulated from every perception by a cruel method which seeems not altogether possible. Somewhere in the middle of the book it is said that the power balance is such that the god-emperor is never to be allowed outside the inner domain of the crater. At the end of this instalment he is about to do that! I almost cant wait for the sequel, so read what happens next.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, but...
Review: Ricardo Pinto's first novel has quite a bit going for it. Pinto is definitely a talent to watch: he was a gift for painting word-pictures that I have seldom seen equalled, and the world he has created is vivid and very different from the usual scene. But this is not a perfect book, and it doesn't really deserve some of the hyperbolic reviews it has received. Pinto really needs to work on his plotting. Like other reviewers have mentioned, this book can be excruciatingly slow in places, with the entire book taking place either on the road (in one of the slowest journeys I've read) or waiting for the big election. The problem is that the plot doesn't really develop much over these stretches; instead, Pinto concentrates on painting his picture of Chosen society. Like some other reviwers, I felt that at times he went a bit too far with piling on one brutal scene after another. I don't mind brutality, but only if it advances the plot. After a few hundred pages, the violence in this book began to see gratuitous. As for the characters and the story itself. The world is so interesting and so intricately crafted that you can't help but wonder about the origins of the society, and some of the characters are interesting. I liked both Carnelian and his lover (personally I thought that sub-plot was handled rather well, and was a pleasant change from the endless waiting that made up the rest of the book), and was intrigued by some of the minor characters like the Empress and Carnelian's father. But unfortunately Pinto doesn't do a very convincing job with his characters' motivations. Also, the plot undermines the story a bit. After all the mystery, the history behind Carnelian's father, the empress, and the emperor is somewhat anticlimactic. And the sudden cliffhanger ending - perhaps the most shameless set-up for a sequel I can remember - doesn't fit the rest of the book. That said, if Pinto improves his pace and devotes more time to plot and character development and less time to painting bloody pictures, the sequel should be quite good. I would recommend this book, but only with a disclaimer.
Rating:
Summary: "Gay" is a relative word.
Review: Some of the reviewers here have objections to the fact that Carnelian, the main character, seems to be "gay". I think such a view is a total misinterpretation. In the world described in this magnificent novel, there are no such concepts as "gay" and "straight". None of the characters in the novel sees anything "wrong" with the love affair, and nobody is the least surprised. It is also strongly hinted, that Carnelian's father, when young, had exactly the same type of love affair with the God-Emperor himself, and this this was basically the reason for his self-imposed exile. The people in this world simply do not view sexuality in the same manner as people in our world. And perhaps the author has some further susprises up his sleeve? I, for one, hope so!
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