Rating: 
Summary: Book thinks hard, discovers nothing.
Review: Fancher's book suffers from its excess mental intrigue. While ordinarily a book uses people's thoughts to help readers become more engaged with its characters, this book tries to move its story along by throwing heaps of semi-relevant thoughts at its readers. Unsurprisingly, this leads to a very slow book with plenty of extraneous writing. Perhaps its most irritating facet lies in the continual mental posing of its three main characters, whose interests consist of mostly petty hatreds and fears that continually get rehashed just when it seems the dynamics of their relationship have moved on to a new stage.Other parts of this book are also pretty awful. When the oldest brother finally has his confrontation with his crazy aunt the verbal exchange between the two comes off as an argument between a couple of 8 year-old kids in the schoolyard. While I had no expectations of this book, somehow it still managed to really disappoint me. Very little about this book is worthy of praise as, added to the failures I have already mentioned, it fails to resolve any of the conflicts which drive the story and has absolutely no sense of closure at all. I give it two stars because it develops an interesting world and has a few moments that are actually engaging, enough that I finished reading the book despite its many, many failings.
Rating: 
Summary: Regency Science and Art Meet Somewhere Else
Review: Jane Fancher's RING OF LIGHNING is a promising start to a potentially thrilling trilogy. Not content to mine the usual territory found in today's fantasy novels, Fancher has come up with an interesting blend of historical fact, speculation, science, other-world theories and -- yes, the civilization draws great power from nature as found in ley lines, using it for power, transportation and industry. But developmentally, the land could be seen as a somewhere-else version of Regency England. Carriages are lightened by ley-powered balloons but drawn by animal power; medical advances are limited and not out of line with the kind of one-on-one warfare practiced; and politics wear a courtly smile on the sleeve but often have a poisoned dagger of the tongue lurking. Family relationships are vital here, and Fancher gives them a good, sometimes unsettling, very occasionally rather convoluted play. Three brothers stand as potential heirs to their grand great-aunt, who controls the tower and fascinating Rings that harness ley power -- science mixed with psychic skills. The old a combination of the harridan, raddled old Countess in Pushkin's QUEEN OF SPADES and an aged but unrepentant Lucrezia Borgia. That her poisons are of the mind, usually, doesn't mean they're any less compelling. She loves power and means to hold it as long as there is breath in her body and perhaps even after. And she can strike with all a snake's power and swiftness, as when she throws one of the brothers to hell and gone with her ill-used powers, out of the city and into terra incognita. The brothers themselves are an interesting trio - Deymio, Khyel and Nikki. Their mother and father are both dead, and we soon learn that their thoroughly confused psyches and between-bro relationships are very much due to dear old but not so dear Dad ... and that mother was as much a victim as they. Working out their destinies is uphill work, despite all the good will they may have. But then, aren't family troubles always the worst and hardest to negotiate? Within this setting of power, intrigue and policy, of communications between citystates and political bravos, there are unsettling hints of other powers at work -- and they may not be at all human ... A good read, a well-written book and a fine character study, RING OF LIGHTNING is for the thinking fantasy fan.
Rating:
Summary: Regency Science and Art Meet Somewhere Else
Review: Jane Fancher's RING OF LIGHNING is a promising start to a potentially thrilling trilogy. Not content to mine the usual territory found in today's fantasy novels, Fancher has come up with an interesting blend of historical fact, speculation, science, other-world theories and -- yes, the civilization draws great power from nature as found in ley lines, using it for power, transportation and industry. But developmentally, the land could be seen as a somewhere-else version of Regency England. Carriages are lightened by ley-powered balloons but drawn by animal power; medical advances are limited and not out of line with the kind of one-on-one warfare practiced; and politics wear a courtly smile on the sleeve but often have a poisoned dagger of the tongue lurking. Family relationships are vital here, and Fancher gives them a good, sometimes unsettling, very occasionally rather convoluted play. Three brothers stand as potential heirs to their grand great-aunt, who controls the tower and fascinating Rings that harness ley power -- science mixed with psychic skills. The old a combination of the harridan, raddled old Countess in Pushkin's QUEEN OF SPADES and an aged but unrepentant Lucrezia Borgia. That her poisons are of the mind, usually, doesn't mean they're any less compelling. She loves power and means to hold it as long as there is breath in her body and perhaps even after. And she can strike with all a snake's power and swiftness, as when she throws one of the brothers to hell and gone with her ill-used powers, out of the city and into terra incognita. The brothers themselves are an interesting trio - Deymio, Khyel and Nikki. Their mother and father are both dead, and we soon learn that their thoroughly confused psyches and between-bro relationships are very much due to dear old but not so dear Dad ... and that mother was as much a victim as they. Working out their destinies is uphill work, despite all the good will they may have. But then, aren't family troubles always the worst and hardest to negotiate? Within this setting of power, intrigue and policy, of communications between citystates and political bravos, there are unsettling hints of other powers at work -- and they may not be at all human ... A good read, a well-written book and a fine character study, RING OF LIGHTNING is for the thinking fantasy fan.
Rating:
Summary: Not everything is what it seems....
Review: Not everything is what it seems in Jane Fancher's Ring of Lightning. The first point of views you experience is that of the oldest and the youngest Rhomandi brothers. Their thoughts give you two colored perceptions of their city and their middle brother, Mikhyel. However, as the story unfolds and you see their world through the eyes of other characters, your perceptions change. You find yourself sympathizing with Mikhyel. I found him becoming my favorite character in the book, followed closely by Dancer, the mysterious protege of Mother. And who is Mother? A creature who has taken an interest in the Rhomandi brothers. This is fantasy as it's meant to be written. No elves, no magic spells or wizards, no dragons. Just a character driven piece with attention to the small things that make you feel this place exists, these people exist.If you like CJ Cherryh, or Siege by Lynn Abbey, you'll like Jane's Ring series. Pick up the first book and you'll be hooked. Oh, and tell Mother I sent you!
Rating:
Summary: Rakshi bless used book stores!
Review: Rakshi being the god of whimsy and chance in the Dance of the Rings series, I must thank him repeatedly for leading me to this book. I've been told that it starts out a bit slowly, but the pages just flew by for me. Fancher does an amazing job of mixing strange creatures, an alien society, and realistic personal interactions. Deymio, Mikhyel, and Nikki are especially well-written, portraying brotherly love behind their strained relationship. Some scenes with Mother, a rather strange creature who deals with an even stranger substance (leythium) are foggy, but everything becomes more clear as the book continues, which is an added incentive to keep reading (as if any is needed). As soon as I finished Ring of Lightning, I logged onto Amazon and bought Ring of Intrigue (second book in Dance of the Rings). When Ring of Destiny came out in 1999, was I upstairs with my family for christmas...? Nope, I was down in the cold basement, on the computer, buying it at midnight! And, strange fanatic that I am, poor Mz. Fancher will probably be getting periodic e-mails from me if the next book doesn't come out soon... At any rate, I don't know how such a great book could avoid the bestsellers list, but I certainly enjoyed it and it will take an absolute literary Einstein, Galileo, and DaVinci rolled into one to write a series I like better!
Rating:
Summary: Rakshi bless used book stores!
Review: Rakshi being the god of whimsy and chance in the Dance of the Rings series, I must thank him repeatedly for leading me to this book. I've been told that it starts out a bit slowly, but the pages just flew by for me. Fancher does an amazing job of mixing strange creatures, an alien society, and realistic personal interactions. Deymio, Mikhyel, and Nikki are especially well-written, portraying brotherly love behind their strained relationship. Some scenes with Mother, a rather strange creature who deals with an even stranger substance (leythium) are foggy, but everything becomes more clear as the book continues, which is an added incentive to keep reading (as if any is needed). As soon as I finished Ring of Lightning, I logged onto Amazon and bought Ring of Intrigue (second book in Dance of the Rings). When Ring of Destiny came out in 1999, was I upstairs with my family for christmas...? Nope, I was down in the cold basement, on the computer, buying it at midnight! And, strange fanatic that I am, poor Mz. Fancher will probably be getting periodic e-mails from me if the next book doesn't come out soon... At any rate, I don't know how such a great book could avoid the bestsellers list, but I certainly enjoyed it and it will take an absolute literary Einstein, Galileo, and DaVinci rolled into one to write a series I like better!
Rating: 
Summary: Family Intrigue in Rhomatum
Review: Rhomatum/Mauritum seems like its going to be a fascinating world. The history of the two cities, the difference in philosophies of the Rings, the mysterious other races-- it's a good set-up. The exploration of the world happens through the eyes of the three brothers of the Rhomatum ruling family, driven by their conflicts with each other and with their Aunt (the villain of the piece). The book was a slow start, at least in part because the author seemed determined to get all the elements of the world in at once. While the interaction between the brothers is well-written and fresh, some of the plot points are rather hackneyed and the motivations of the other characters don't seem nearly as considered or complex. Despite the flaws, the book has a lot of potential, so really call it a 3+. I plan on reading the next.
Rating:
Summary: Fantasy book in a realistic economic setting
Review: The first paragraph of this book is a forewarning that history is a recording of two steps away from the facts through a narrow perspective. And wow does this book throw bunch of perspectives into your face. Okay, maybe just three, and then four by the end, but I have never read a book where you really get into the eyes and mind of the focal characters. Most 3rd person narrations skims the ego and id of the various characters but in Ring of Lightning you are privy to their thoughts, angsts, anger, helplessness, desperations, uncertainties, suspicions, and deepest regrets. The story is of three brothers who are political heirs to a powerful city and its satellites. The two eldest, Deymorin and Mikhyel, are estranged while both loving the youngest brother, Nikaenor, to the point of suffocation. The story starts out told from the perspectives of Deymorin who view Mikhyel as prudish, priggish, and puppet of their great aunt, the powerful "ringmaster" whom the city depends upon to control the "leys", a source of energy aka oil/electricity. Mikhyel has essentially raised Nikaenor since their parent?s death. Both Deymorin and Mikhyel can't see Nikaenor beyond as a child and treats him so despite his protest. Nikaenor loves both Deymorin and Mikhyel and tries to be peacemaker between them, desperate for a "family." When their great aunt decides that none of the brothers would make adequate "ringmasters" she takes a different course of action and thus setting into motion of point of no return for the brothers; either they work together or be permanently splintered from one another. We are then allowed into Mikhyel's perspectives which are devastating and sad. Ring of Lightning is essentially a character study of all three brothers and their relationship to one another. It is rather intense. Right now I'm having a difficult time finding the sequel Ring of Intrigue. I can't wait to read the continuing saga of the brothers and the feisty Kiyrstin, her impromtu assassination attempt is one of the funniest I've read. Still, I have a sinking feeling that the author is far from done when it comes to Mikhyel's emotional pain.
Rating:
Summary: Fantasy book in a realistic economic setting
Review: The first paragraph of this book is a forewarning that history is a recording of two steps away from the facts through a narrow perspective. And wow does this book throw bunch of perspectives into your face. Okay, maybe just three, and then four by the end, but I have never read a book where you really get into the eyes and mind of the focal characters. Most 3rd person narrations skims the ego and id of the various characters but in Ring of Lightning you are privy to their thoughts, angsts, anger, helplessness, desperations, uncertainties, suspicions, and deepest regrets. The story is of three brothers who are political heirs to a powerful city and its satellites. The two eldest, Deymorin and Mikhyel, are estranged while both loving the youngest brother, Nikaenor, to the point of suffocation. The story starts out told from the perspectives of Deymorin who view Mikhyel as prudish, priggish, and puppet of their great aunt, the powerful "ringmaster" whom the city depends upon to control the "leys", a source of energy aka oil/electricity. Mikhyel has essentially raised Nikaenor since their parent?s death. Both Deymorin and Mikhyel can't see Nikaenor beyond as a child and treats him so despite his protest. Nikaenor loves both Deymorin and Mikhyel and tries to be peacemaker between them, desperate for a "family." When their great aunt decides that none of the brothers would make adequate "ringmasters" she takes a different course of action and thus setting into motion of point of no return for the brothers; either they work together or be permanently splintered from one another. We are then allowed into Mikhyel's perspectives which are devastating and sad. Ring of Lightning is essentially a character study of all three brothers and their relationship to one another. It is rather intense. Right now I'm having a difficult time finding the sequel Ring of Intrigue. I can't wait to read the continuing saga of the brothers and the feisty Kiyrstin, her impromtu assassination attempt is one of the funniest I've read. Still, I have a sinking feeling that the author is far from done when it comes to Mikhyel's emotional pain.
Rating:
Summary: Really doesn't live up to potential
Review: The Ring of Lightning was built on a potentially good premise- a dysfunctional family using Rings of Power to remain in command. Unfortunately this potential is largely squandered in the book's fluffy and unexciting subplots and lack of a coherent vision. The portrayal of character relationships among the Rhomandi is the best part of the book. The rest of the plot doesn't have much to it, including an unexciting subplot about a 'leythium' creature (leythium is an electricity-like energy that is the basis of the Ring's power). The deux ex machine ending also disappointed. All in all, there are much better fantasy books to read (eg LOTR, EarthSea series, His Dark Materials by Pullman). You could possibly buy this book, but don't expect too much.
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