Rating: 
Summary: Dragon down van Lustbader's appeal
Review: I loved the (early) Nicholas Linnear novels (starting with "The Ninja"), but turned from them as my tastes changed.I bought TROFD out of my previous respect for van Lustbader, only to find that too much had changed in his writing. This novel has credibility holes through which a road train could fit - not the least of which is the interbreeding of aliens with (presumably,) humans. Dual hearts and a multiplicity of stomachs seem to have been tossed-in purely for the sake of novelty. Oh, and the aliens' circulatory system isn't even heme-based... Combine this with creatures bearing strange names and precious little description, and speech patterns that require the reader to constantly check the guide in the rear of the book, and enjoyment goes out the window. I simply put this book down after struggling through over half of it, the pain of continuing outweighing my determination and the memory of van Lustbader's early works. There is nothing wrong with the scope of the book - and it might well be as broad as that of Dune, but the big difference is that Dune was understandable, and made so by Herbert's intelligent use of detail. Like Dune, the story seems to hinge on the machinations of a few, and the central characters eventually gaining control over their own destiny. But there the similarities end.
Rating:
Summary: Blech. First fantasy book I've hated in ages.
Review: I usually read all the way through any book I purchase, even if it's not all that great, because there are moments of brilliance. I even read the interminably dull latter books in Katherine Kerr's series for those 20-30 good pages per book. This... just sucks. The author's addicted to unneeded descriptive words. It can't just be a uniform, it has to be poorly worded 10 adjective uniform stressing that this isn't a 'normal' uniform, but an ALIEN SPACEMAN'S uniform. All in all, he seems to be too busy shoving "THIS FANTASY NOVEL HAS SCI-FI IN IT TOO" in your face. It interrupts the flow of the story too much, and the prose is pretty awkward even without that. It's the sort of book I'd expect to see from a vanity press, not a quality publisher like Tor. The plot seems to be a poor takeoff of dune, the wheel of time, and a few others, but I'm not really far enough into it to say for sure. And I doubt I will be. I know now why it was in hardcover for 3 bucks at B&N. I should have bought a venti chai instead. It would have left a better taste in my mouth.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: If you want fantasy from EVL, stick to his Sunset Warrior Series. EVL started out as a fantasy author before writing popular fiction such as his Ninja books. Initially I was glad to see TROFD but it isn't a very good fantasy book and in to comparison to the Sunset Warrior series, it [is]like a black hole. Find his earlier fantasy work in a used book store and don't bother with TROFD.
Rating:
Summary: And this was PUBLISHED?!
Review: Lustbader takes an intriguing idea and a decent story and ruins it with some of the worst writing I've seen in years. We're subjected to heavy-handed exposition, stilted, unbelievable dialog (REGENT'S SON'S FRIEND TO REGENT'S SON: "Your father is the second of the Ashera dynasty and you will succeed him, and your son will succeed you." REGENT'S SON: "Yes, Kurgan, and now that you've told me a fact I know perfectly well, the reader knows it too!"), abrubt, distracting point-of-view changes, bad TV sci-fi melodrama, and characters who do things convenient to the plot, rather than what someone would really do in those circumstances. Say, for example, the girl who's rescued from a rapist, then hangs around to watch rapist and rescuer do battle. Duh! And then one of the main characters changes from a male V'ornn, the conquering race, to a female Kundalan, one of the conquered people. The guy evinces convincing initial horror at the transformation, then promptly assumes the behaviors and values of a Kundalan girl, with a few token flashes of his old personality sprinkled in here and there. I mean, really, where's the conflict and torment such a catastrophic change would create in a person? What we end up with is not a dominant male imprisoned in a slave-girl's body, but instead two different characters! I tried really hard to read the whole book, but had all I could stand after plowing through half of it. I'm disappointed that a reputable publisher like Tor would inflict this kind of dreck on readers. Surely there are plenty of writers out there who not only can tell a good story, but who also know their craft. After 30 years of reading fantasy, can the genre have come to this?
Rating: 
Summary: A Masterpiece of World-Building!
Review: One of the signs of a great writer is the ability to write something totally different from what you are familar with.Lustbader the man who wrote so thrilling Nicholas Linnear ninja books returns to fantasy in this lavish epic fantasy series called the Pearl. He takes us to the world of Kundalan where it's inhabitants have been enslaved for over a century by the brutal offworld empire of the V'ornn.The Kundalan people who use traditional sorcery and religion see their society undermined from within by evil forces who seek to stop their use of magic.The only hope they have is prophecy of a messiah, The Dar Sala-at who is the only person who can wield the magic powerful enough to save their world! I was totally immersed in this epic saga! Lustbader's world-building skills are tremendous as he takes you step by step into his wondrous world in a story that is equal parts Dune and Wheel of Time.You will watch as scenes of machivellian intrigues among the ruling V'ornn and religious Kundalann people as betrayal and treachery are the norms of this war-torn planet.And you will be shocked by the sinister powers of Gyrgon, the mysterious rulers of the V'ornn.
The characters come alive on through the pages of the epic saga:the twin sisters, Giyan and Batta who's destinies with the Dar Sala-at will put them at odds with each other.Eleusis Ashera, the kind-hearted V'ornn regent who's forward thinking policies for the planet seals his doom.The evil Wennn Stogggul, Ashera's most hated rival on the planet.and last but not least, Annon Ashera, Eleusis son, who's transformation will will decide the fate of this world!So pick up this book and be prepare to enter a realm of adventure, romance and intrigue that you will never forget!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Over a century ago, the vicious V'ornn conquered the peaceful Kundala as the military superiority and the amoral ability to kill overwhelmed the more spiritual people. Brutally enslaved by their conquerors, the Kundala cannot understand why the Goddess Miina abandoned them. The younger Kundala are leaving the ancient beliefs for a new religion as the V'ornn force their culture on the losers with little counter absorption. Unlike their drones, the V'ornn leadership covet whatever is hidden inside the Kundalan Storehouse where they expect all sorts of sorcery secrets to be found, including eternal life. However they need to find the RING OF FIVE DRAGONS to open the door to the mystical storehouse. If they succeed, will the V'ornn obtain their desires, will they set in motion a doomsday scenario destroying everyone, or will they inadvertently begin the fulfilling of a prophecy that forecasts a Kundalan freedom fighter leading a resistance? When the RING OF FIVE DRAGONS concentrates on the social interactions and upheavals between the two distinct societies, the novel is a superior fantasy tale. That part of the story line is incredibly insightful as it feels like the German blitzkrieg of Europe, especially when the bellicose V'ornn impact the culture of the pastoral Kundalan. When the story line returns to traditional epic fantasy, it retains its high level of quality and remains a fun to read adventure, but the plot is not any different from some of the other well-written genre tales. Eric Van Lustbader has written a fabulous book that fantasy readers will find entertaining and insightful, but could have been a cultural milestone if it stayed the interrelationship course. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: A NEW BEGINING
Review: Pretty interesting storyline...tons of plot twists, not very predictable all the time, and a handful of surprises...defiently looking forward to the next book to see what happens to Annon..
Rating:
Summary: Refreshingly different!
Review: Ring is a refreshingly different entry in the fantasy sweepstakes with Lustbader breaking away from the stereotyped battle between a group of innocents and an imprisoned "Dark One" aided by a band of apostates. For one, the scale of this series is galactic. The drama is played out on a single planet, but the key protagonists come from different star systems and in fact are ethnically very different. On one hand are the peaceful, almost passive Kundalan and on the other hand the aggressive, oppressive V'ornn. The V'ornn, as part of their history, have warred with and eradicated numerous other planets at the bidding of their mysterious technomage lords the Gyrgon. V'ornn society is male dominated and strictly stratified into merchants, warriors, workers and women. The Gyrgon themselves are a kind of super-caste who direct the actions of the V'ornn in a quest for an unknown goal. This quest has brought V'ornn and Gyrgon to Kundala where they oppress the peaceful Kundalan in a savage campaign of suppression. The Kundalan, unable to resist the superior might of the V'ornn, are driven to questioning the old gods and traditions of Kundala, which kept them prosperous and happy, yet were of no avail in the face of the V'ornn assault. Into this long dark night of the Kundalan soul comes a prophesied savior who may be able to restore the balance. That is the bare bones of the plot; however Lustbader brings a number of innovations that make this story special. First, the world of Kundala and the lifestyles of Kundalan and V'ornn are very well depicted, so much so that the reader can easily picture the scenes. Second, in keeping with some of his earlier writings, Lustbader brings a large dollop of mysticism to Ring. The blend of religion and sorcery is very well handled and the mystic element shapes the story. Third, social interactions within and across boundaries are very well painted. For all their external differences, the politics, lusts and feuds of V'ornn, Gyrgon and Kundalan alike are eminently human! For a change, women do play a more than ornamental role and in fact the unusual male-female dichotomy of its main protagonist should make future volumes very interesting indeed. And make no mistake, there will be more volumes! This book is just the setting of the stage (in fact it's ending hangs in the air) and the main story is yet to develop. A very promising first volume of a possible series (though of course this is really not Lustbader's fantasy debut - remember the excellent Sunset Warrior trilogy). Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A Little More Creativity Would Have Helped
Review: Science Fiction stories are stories where one must be able to enjoy through imagination without forcing one to do it. In the case of this book, it was very hard for me to enjoy it because of what I believe the author's lack of creativity in naming certain places and characters. For example, "Borobudur" is actually a temple in the island of Java in Indonesia. If I want to read anything about Indonesia, then I'd read a book about Indonesia. The author could have been more creative in naming the places in his universe. Another flaw is "Ramahan" - tell me this is not a rendition from the "Ramadhan", one of the key events that the Muslims celebrate each year? Finally, and this is the one that made me drop the book - is the name "Miiina" (Sorry if I added more "i" in the name). Anybody ever read "Dragons of the Fallen Sun" or "Dragons of the Lost Star" by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman? One of the main characters in this series is a girl called Mina. Since "Dragons of the Fallen Sun" came out before this book, can someone convince me that he did not just use the same name and added a couple of "i"s to the name? I don't think so. Overall, had he been more creative with his naming scheme, I may rate this book more, but otherwise I'll stick with my opinion on this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Eric van Lackluster
Review: The book has many good points and the story moves along at a fairly good pace. However, the author's choice of the names and vocabulary do nothing to add to the story, in fact his invented words deter from the enjoyment of reading the book. We, the readers, are aware of the fact that the story does not take place on earth by the reference to five moons and the physical description of the conquering race without the jawbreaking names. The most disappointing part of the whole book was the ending. The reader knows it is going to happen, you are running out of pages, but then it happens and you have to go back several pages and read it again to see if you missed anything, because it didn't really end it just sort of... stops.
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