Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't put it down...
Review: The Fifth Sorceress is an inspired, uniquely creative fantasy that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. Rich in characters and emotionally wrought, dynamic action blends with thoughtful insights into human failings and the ultimate power of goodness and love.I am puzzled by other reviews that suggest sexist overtones that simply are not there. Quite the opposite, the characterization of beautiful, intelligent sorceresses that have evil intentions, was clever and added an originality that is missing in other stories of this genre. The strengh, fortitude, and quiet dignity of the other women such as Morganna and Shailiha, was refreshing and added warmth and a nice balance to the cold, calculating ways of the sorceresses. Add to this the wizard, Wigg, who is touchingly fallible and the loyalty and steadfastness of the dwarf, Geldon, and you have a fantasy that entices the imagination, keeping the reader engaged and wondering where the next plot twist will lead. After finishing this well-written novel, I found myself smiling, anxious to see where this talented new author will lead us next.
Rating: 
Summary: A very good story !
Review: I saw it at B&N and baught it right away, after the first 100 pages i was enamored. I couldn't put it down, and one of the best parts is, IT HARDLY EVER SLOWES DOWN !! The Creativity involed in the makeing of this book will almost make you gasp. The characters have well defined depth and give you a sense of what it's really like. There is a hint of sexist in the work, but then again, if you read "The mists of avalon" which i thought was an AMAZING book, it also has a hint of being sexist. Anyway, It's a great story and a WONDERFUL read. I reco it to everyone i know. The only reason i didn't give it 5 stars is because the Wigg (aka the big time wizard) Is also identical to gandalf in personality. Don't let that stop you though, it's work the 20 bucks !
Rating: 
Summary: Disgusted
Review: If you enjoy reading about murder, rape, genocide and torture then this book is for you. I have read fantasy novel for almost 30 years and have never felt so thoroughly disgusted with a book.
The novel is interesting at first and had a good initial concept but it fails after that. It is seems as if the author had to fill a required number of pages and didn't know what to put in besides more mind numbing violence and the constant taunting between the two main warriors from each side. How many times do you want to read one taunting the other about raping his mother and friend?
Forget about character developement. Except for the main character for good pretty much everyone else is dead about 25% into the book. Much of the premise of this book is pretty lame.
For instance, once the military force for order is wiped out of course the citizens sink into debauchery.
It is pity that another author with more talent and vision couldn't have written this book. The cover states "The Epic Fantasy Novel Of The Year". I think not.
Rating:
Summary: TRULY A FIVE STAR START TO A GREAT NEW SERIES
Review: I read a lot of epic fantasy and I think that Robert Newcomb is definitely one of the freshest voices to come along in a long time. Yes, there are a lot of very good fantasy writers out there right now but there are very few fantasy writers that are able to tell a big, complicated story and create a mythology that is both unique and universal. There are exceptions to the rule but it is not a surprise that a lot of the major epic fantasy writers of the moment did other things in life before setting pen to paper. Terry Brooks was a lawyer. Tad Williams was in to radio broadcasting and worked for Apple. Terry Goodkind was a wildlife artist. It is clear that Mr. Newcomb also brings a lot of life experience to this work. And he keeps it all fun and entertaining. I agree with the folks giving this novel five stars. This is a great read with larger than life characters and a very inventive author. I believe Robert Newcomb is here to stay and the genre is enriched by his presence. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Heralds the beginning of another awesome fantasy epic
Review: I picked this book up after seeing the massive advertising campaign that Del Rey was throwing around for this new author. I had hopes that it would even be half as good as the publisher claimed. I was well rewarded. Del Rey makes the claim up front of similarities between Robert Newcomb and Terry Goodkind, and for once those kind of claims bear out. Newcomb has created his own unique world, with characters that I found to be highly believable, characters that are "flawed" as the now popular saying goes, but are still heroic. Through all of this Newcomb creates a feel, an atmosphere to his work which is very "Goodkindian", while still being unique unto himself. Some of the negative reviews here are preposterous, of course the book has a few rough edges, after all it is the first novel that Robert Newcomb has ever written, but his writing improves with every chapter, which is also very similar to Goodkind. As far as some of the other comments go about being sexist and what not, all Robert Newcomb has done is reverse the tables, instead of the "Dark Lord" we have the "Dark Sorceresses", instead of evil men pillaging and raping, we have evil women doing it. According to some of the reviewers here it seems ok when men are evil and participate in despicable acts, but when women do it, the author and his world are sexist. To me, this adds uniqueness to Newcomb's world, and there are many times where he stresses that women are not evil, and that not even all Sorceresses are evil, just the ones who at this time are the most powerful Sorceresses in the world. As far as the violence within the book, there is certainly no more than you would find in a Jordan, Goodkind, or Martin book, and indeed if you do not like their works, or are too faint of heart for it, then you should not read Newcomb, after all, on the inside front cover, Del Rey compares him to Goodkind, and I find that Goodkind is far more descriptive of not only violence, but depravity as well. Truthfully after only one book, I appreciate Newcomb more than I do Goodkind. I get the same feel out of Newcomb, yet he writes with more control than does Goodkind. It is obvious from the beginning that Newcomb has a plan for his series, and is well aware of where it is going, whereas Goodkind, by his own admission writes as he goes along with little pre-planning. Over time I think that Newcomb and The Chronicles of Blood and Stone as his series is called, will rise to grander heights than that of Goodkind's Sword of Truth. I finished The Fifth Sorceress in two days, and as soon as I finished the final sentence, I was impatient for the next book in the series. I can only hope that it will come quickly enough.
Rating:
Summary: don't bother
Review: since everyone else has provided a synopsis of this book, i won't bore you with another one. and boring it would be. in a word, this book is [bad]. newcomb leads you by your nose down a previously well trodden path complete with shallow characters and an amazingly anticlimatic and trite ending. the main character is a 30-year-old man who has the maturity and personality of a 12 year old. he's also the only character that the author makes any attempt to add any depth to at all. i really can't recommend this book because for the well-read, this book is the equivalent of pop-music.
Rating:
Summary: great fantasy
Review: Over three centuries ago, the malevolent Coven nearly destroyed Eutracia. However, the kingdom's wizards managed to defeat the evil sorceresses. The victory resulted in exile of the surviving sorceresses across the vast ocean to Parthalon, the ban on female magic practitioners within the realm, and required vows by male applicators to remain on the side of the light. Plotting vengeance and final destruction of their enemies, the sorceresses begin a diabolical plot to obliterate Eutracia and its magical do-gooders through the regal line. They plan to abduct Princess Shailiha so that a special doomsday machine incantation can be completed that will result in either their victory or the end of the planet. Only her brother Prince Tristan and his advisor Wigg the wizard stand in the way of the sorceresses' success. THE FIFTH SORCERESS is clearly one of the top three fantasy tales of the year. The story line is typical good vs. evil epic with the forces of the light led by a reluctant hero and his wise advisory wizard while their opponents will stop at nothing including global destruction to gain victory. However, Wigg, whose advice does not always work, makes the tale as he misinterprets things leading to unfortunate calamity and even when he is on target things can still go wrong in a Murphy sort of way. Thus, the quest becomes real as the audience never knows what will succeed or fail even whether Tristan will win the day. This novel heralds a tremendous new force in the genre as Robert Newcomb casts quite a spell on the audience. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Greatly Disappointed
Review: I picked up this book when I saw emblazoned on the cover "Epic Fantasy of the Year". Now that's saying something. But I have to say I was greatly disappointed in this first book by a seemingly promising author. He has taken the all of the fun and wonder out of epic fantasy, and made it into a dark and dreary realm where I doubt many people will want to linger. I thought the setup, where the sorceresses were exiled, had promise, but it quickly degenerated into a war between the sexes, and a very nasty one at that. The scene where the sorceresses' army invades our hero's homeland is gratuitious, far beyond what I feel had to be there to get the point across. And the connection that was made between the coven's lust for violence and their sexuality was just too much. So much could have been done with this novel, it certainly had potential and other people may find it complusively readable, but it wallows in depravity, and it is not something I'll be reading again anytime soon.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible!
Review: The Fifth Sorceress is a must read for anyone that enjoys a truly captivating story with intense characters that you'll both love and hate. Even someone that has never read a book in this genre is bound to be thrilled with the story, characters, and the imagination and descriptive talent of this author. I am troubled by the customer review "Derivative and sexist, July 30, 2002". I was stunned by this title and the comments attempting to validate it (claims that I must suspect are generated by some external motive) for they are absurd. I cannot comprehend how any rational person reading a work of fiction could make these conclusions. I must assume they are the result of an over-active imagination or someone that read ONLY the dust jacket and managed to make these wild conclusions. This is a terrific read. I can't say enough good things about this story and this new author. I strongly recommend this book and think this author will be entertaining us for many years to come.
Rating: 
Summary: Overhyped and a little misogynistic
Review: I got an email from Del Rey a little while ago absolutely slathering over this book, and so I ordered it right away. What a mistake. The book has its good points--it is written fairly well and the ends tie up. But the story is not particularly original, dispite the hype. and can even be downright boring in places. In addition, and worst, there is an undercurrent of "men are good, women are evil" that the author may not mean or mean to reveal, but it is there nonetheless. It is a bit insulting to gush as much as the publisher has over this book, comparing it to Terry Goodkind and the like. It's not exciting or original enough for all the hype. It's ok. I suggest the library or waiting for the paperback.
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