Rating: 
Summary: These other reviews must be for a different book.
Review: First of all let's just get it right out of the way, this book is graphically violent, sexually explicit, the story is not original, the writing is less than perfect...BUT...I loved this novel. I was totally and completely entertained, and the novel grabbed and kept my attention. When I read a novel, I don't sit there and think is this original, is this something new, how has this author ripped someone off; rather, I considered whether I realize I'm reading something and if I'm taken away and entertained. I was completely taken away from reality (remember that's why this is called the Fantasy genre), and entertained throughout. This is not Harry Potter, and definitely not for the Harry Potter readers. If you're expecting a light, happy, funny, kid focused novel stick with Harry and Dumbledore because this is definitely not a book for you. If instead you can handle dark, oftentimes graphic violence and explicit sexual situation with a story that will quickly capture your attention and beg you to keep reading then pick this one up and enjoy yourself. Give Newcomb a break, he's not Tolkien or George R.R. Martin and never pretends to be. I will say he's leaps and bounds above Goodkind (now if you want to complain read some of Goodkind's nonsense). I anxiously await reading Gates of Dawn.
Rating: 
Summary: I laughed, I cried
Review: Laughably poor storytelling propped upon no-more-than average writing. Overall a book so bad it represents the tragically poor standards of today's fantasy genre.
Rating:
Summary: The worst book ever written
Review: Put briefly, "The Fifth Sorceress" is yet another...Tolkien-clone fantasy of a quality closer to what we should expect from Charmin than from Del Rey. We get yet another reluctant hero teeming up with yet another wise old bearded wizard mentor to go on yet another quest for yet another magic doohickey to prevent yet another evil sorceress from destroying yet another world. Plot is worthy of a cheap Final Fantasy rip-off, characterization is pretty much nonexistent, world building is laughably stupid. Every detail, no matter how small, is clearly borrowed from more talented authors, and not even the slightest attempt is made too add anything of the author's own creation. Unless you're a [excited] twelve-year-old who believes that that reading about female torturers in black leather makes you more grown up, you'll soon find yourself praying that the bad guys will win and subject all the good guys to a quick beheading so that you could at least be spared more of their irritating self-righteous whining. It's not to be, sadly, and we instead get treated to yet another moronic ending where the bad guys capture the heroes and say "We could kill them, but hey let's leave them alive to taunt them a little longer, oops they pulled a trick and ruined our evil plans, darn." (I wish I could say I'm exaggerating about that, but I'm really not.) After that we get yet another epilogue where we're informed that yet another archvillain has just shown up, so it looks like we're going to need yet another sequel. Yawn. The fantasy genre really depresses me, so much so that I'm just about ready to quit. Fifty years ago, a genius named Tolkien wrote an unforgettable story about amazing characters struggling to defend their beautiful world against an overwhelming evil. But since then, the field has been flooded by pitiful hacks who think that their xeroxing of Tolkien's work qualifies them as near-geniuses. ... I am sick and tired of reading about villains who are roughly as scary as Snidley K. Whiplash. I am sick and tired of reading about battles where neither side seems to care whether they win or lose. I am sick and tired of authors who have the sort of attitude towards sex that you would normally associate with whiny seventh graders. I am sick and tired of writing that really just a slop heap of trite, boring descriptions and painfully bad dialgoue. Above all else, I am sick and tired of authors who don't have any desire to create work of their own, but instead merely want to spend their lives duplicating what someone else has done. While the fact that "The Fifth Sorceress" was a complete commercial flop that barely sold any copies in encouraging, I still don't hold much hope for seeing much good fantasy in the near future. Here's my advice: read Tolkien, skip the clones...
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent story
Review: I gave this book five stars because I loved reading it. That doesn't mean there aren't faults in the writing, there are. Newcombe has a tendency to dump information upon the reader using massive sections of dialogue. He will sometimes recap what characters should already know in his dialogue to tell the reader what he wants him/her to know instead of weaving it into the story via a scene... BUT: The Fifth Sorceress is an excellent story, and that's what really matters. Five stars for the story... I would give three stars for the writing itself if there had been such an option. Prince Tristan is well fleshed out as the hero. The wizard Wigg is also well drawn. I'm not as keen on the way Newcombe portrays the evil sorceresses, but hey, they're evil. I'm not supposed to like them! This book was well worth the money I paid. I've just bought the sequel called: The Gates of Dawn. I suggest you buy both books together to save time. You'll want to read the second book immediately you finish the first. I did, but had to wait a few days. Mark E. Cooper
Author of The Warrior Within (ISBN: 0954512200)
Rating:
Summary: Fear of a Bad Novel
Review: Unquestionably the worst fantasy novel I've ever had the misfortune to come across. Ponderous writing, shallow characters, and extended bouts of violence and torture that only reveal the author's love of cruelty render this unreadable. The only fantasy novel I've ever tossed in the trash. If you want "realistic" fantasy with adequate sex, violence and suffering, read Robin Hobb or George RR Martin instead.
Rating:
Summary: I dont understand what you are complaining about!
Review: This book surprised me on how i couldnt put it down!!! Fantasy is not on the top of my list of books to buy, but, this book I had to. When I first started reading it it was slow, but when i told myself that it could get better, it did!! This really caught my attention and kept me reading it all the way through. This fantasy is exciting and filled with action, yes there was major amounts of sex in it but that was apart of the story and it wouldnt of made it to publishing if i wasnt in it. For all of you who are complaining about the violence and the sex, i think that you need to stick to childrens books if it bothers you so much. This book was great and i cant wait to read the next one.
Rating: 
Summary: Really Tried Hard
Review: I am a huge fantasy fan, and I really try hard to finish every book I start, but this one I couldn't. I forced my way through the first 200 pages, then I started to skimming through the chapters to try and find something interesting. I then read the last chapter. The ideas weren't bad, and the R rated sex and violence didn't turn me off as it did others. Under the hand of another writer, this may have been a fun read. Mr. Newcomb may get better over time, but this book was just not captivating. The characters were not that appealing to me, and I felt zero connection to any of them. Also, the most annoying part is the fact that Mr. Newcomb feels the need to let you see every thought that goes through every characters head. So while two or more characters are having a conversation, they are also thinking various things, which makes things awkward for the reader. With a skilled writer, you don't need to have every thought written out for you. Some things are best left unsaid or said with things other than constant inner monologue
by every major and minor character.
Rating:
Summary: Painful. Just painful.
Review: I chose this book in hopes of finding a fix before the next George R.R. Martin is released. Needless to say, I was PAINFULLY disappointed. This book was nothing more than fantasy schlock written by an author who is way too entertained by overly graphic (and unecessary) violence. I would happily skip over the gore if there was a worth-while STORY buried in there. There's not. And I looked for it. Newcomb also has this INFURIATING HABIT of repeating the same literary descriptions over and over again (i.e., "the wizard, Wigg, raised his infamous left eyebrow in disgust/curiosity/scorn"). Please, let this one pass you by.
Rating:
Summary: Painfully predictable
Review: I've never felt compelled to write a review for Amazon.com, but with this book I felt I must. I started the book looking forward to what the author might have to say and less than 1/4 through the book I found myself predicting perfectly what would happen on the next page. I tried repeatedly to stop reading the book, but I had convinced myself that there must be more to the author and to the book than predictable plot twists. Unfortunately I was dead wrong. If you're 20+ years old, you've probably seen enough movies or read enough books to predict everything that would happen in this book. Do yourself a favor - spend the money on something else, like a good movie rental or a better book.
Rating:
Summary: Ok Let me give a few thoughts.
Review: To be honest, I am hardly a fan of the fantasy fiction. I hate elves, dwarves, and all that garbage simply because (and while yes I play D&D) I find most authors are tiresome and all try to be like the Lord of the Ring series. I see many fussing and moaning at how bad the book is. Yet it has to be a quality read for me to give it a thumbs up. I love Terry Goodkind, he is a wonderful author. To a lesser extent, I like Terry Brooks though he does try in many ways to create a Middle Earth kind of world and situation. Robert Newcomb's books are wonderful, simply awesome readings. The characters are realistic, they for me do not follow the steriotypical wizards, warriors, and villains. Instead the situation of a fantasy world is brought into a new and delightful consideration. The story itself is grand and pleasant to read, one jumps to read the next book. I wish one and all to give it a try, at least the first book. Try to step outside of JRRT's LotR's and into something new.
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