Stone and the Flute, The

Rating:
Summary: Most underrated book of last century
Review: I own 5 copies of this book: two in German, two in Dutch, one in English. None of them is here in my room, they are where they should be: with people that don't know it. Through me over 30 people have come to read this novel, only one of them didn't it. This person is no longer a friend of mine...

Seriously, in my humble opinion this is the most warm, intricate, and underrated book of the last century. I have read almost every fantasy novel out there: The Stone and Flute surpasses them all (except for maybe George RR Martins work).

Publishers Weekly has never been more wrong in a review. I hope they will let another reviewer give this book a second chance. Maybe the novel was ahead of it's time, and it's easy to be put on the wrong leg by it's naieve language. Yes, it's written as a fairy-tale, but the sub-stories and deeper messages are magnificent and surpass every fairy-tale I know.

In my list of favorite books only Crime and Punishment, and Don Quichot rank higher. It's on par with George RR Martin (who I deem higher than even Tolkien).



Rating:
Summary: Book that changed my life
Review: I rescued this book off my best friend's shelf over a decade ago. It had been a gift to him the Christmas before and at the time it was almost the next Christmas. I remember seeing the cover and thinking that I like the imagery of it and wondered if the book was the same. It actually exceeded all my expecations....

I have since had almost all my friends read it and at some point in time they all considered it their favorite book they have ever read.

For me it was a truly beautiful story with a very rich and imagative world. It was almost an entire mythology. And yes the book is long and I know one friend who had some trouble with the first 100 or so pages, but in the end you will be very richly rewarded with one of the most beautifully written tapestries that literature has ever provided.

The book conveys several life lessons not in a preachy manner but since it covers the life of one character is shows you how he is changed by the lessons that life tries to teach you and how he grows as a person or fails to grow in some areas for much of the book, much like we all do in our own lives. I also want to echo the reader review comment made previously about how they are sad that they can never have that feeling when they first read the book again. For me it's been over 10 years since I read it and it still stays with me today. I have since re-read it once at a time of my life I thought I was missing the lessons that are in it to learn and it helped me again immensely.

I am sure some might have been lost in the transalation from German to English but this truly is one of those diamonds in the rough and deserves to be read and cherished by everyone.

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Book
Review: This is my favorite book. The only thing that I can say to prove how good it is, is that I was reading it in my living room, and when I put it down, I wasn't sure where I was for a few seconds. This happened in my living room in a house that I have lived in for 17 years. If this book isn't good, than I don't know what is.

Rating:
Summary: The Stone and the Flute
Review: This is my favorite fantasy book. It is a journey of a young man, named Listener, as he discovers the meaning of life and searches for the meaning of his magical stone. A fantastic and malevolent story you will remember for the rest of your life. Some things that I found captivating were Listener's attempt at reparation (voluntarily becoming a slave) for having had another persons tongue cut off, and also his mutating thought process when he was partially changed into an animal. His thoughts became so convincing that you become animalistic yourself; he just didn't understand for a time during this predicament. Hans Bemmann is a master at drawing the reader into the story to a different reality, yet believable because you are there. While Listener didn't accomplish everything he set out to do, the reader discovers that the journey and peace of mind is the important part. You also experience a lifetime with Listener. The book starts with his birth and ends with his death. It is rich with folklore and tradition, love and loss, greed and selflessness, and human prejudices and vices. It also makes you want to learn how to play the flute. It is fairly long, but well worth it.

Rating:
Summary: THIS BOOK IS GOOD; I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT
Review: This is one of my favorite fantasy books. It is a journey of a young man, named Listener, as he discovers the meaning of life and searches for the meaning of his magical stone. A fantastic and malevolent story you will remember for the rest of your life. Some things that I found captivating were Listener's attempt at reparation (voluntarily becoming a slave) for having had another persons tongue cut off, and also his mutating thought process when he was partially changed into an animal. His thoughts became so convincing that you become animalistic yourself; he just didn't understand for a time during this predicament. Hans Bemmann is a master at drawing the reader into the story to a different reality, yet believable because you are there. While Listener didn't accomplish everything he set out to do, the reader discovers that the journey and peace of mind is the important part. You also experience a lifetime with Listener. The book starts with his birth and ends with his death. It is rich with folklore and tradition, love and loss, greed and selflessness, and human prejudices and vices. It also makes you want to learn how to play the flute. It is fairly long, but well worth it.

Rating:
Summary: One of my all time favorites
Review: This is the most incredible fantasy book i have ever read. Ever read a book that changed your life/ I could honestly put this book on par with the Bible. Being more inclined to spiritualism than outright religion, books like these are shining epitomes of what modern literature should be like (but isn't). This books very childish naivete stands out against others of its ilk (The Farseer Trilogy or Wheel of Time). Anyone who has read it before probably knows what I mean- it's rich in plain, old fashioned symbolism, without the fleshy weight of mythological representation.

Rating:
Summary: An unsung masterpiece
Review: What can I tell you about this book? I find the fact that it is not as famous as Watership Down or the Lord of the Rings quite amazing. It has got a flavour of both, along with its own unique atmosphere, and is easily as good as either of those books.

It is a tale that starts in a deceptively simple manner like the great English and Germanic fairytales of old. Throughout the story are woven threads of history, tales and mythology, but unlike the lofty and learned history of Lord of the Rings the history of this story is always intimate.

There are so many meanings hidden in this book. Some of them are fairly obvious, but others lie deep and will need a re-reading to fully understand.

Its a story I originally found slow to warm to, as it has an unusual writing style, but after the first 50 pages I was drawn in. In its later books, particularily the third, it had become a life changing book for me.

The main character in this book is called Listener and he made many mistakes because he did not live up to his name. Don't make the same mistake. Pay attention and buy this book!

Rating:
Summary: So much like life, with applicable portions for everyone...
Review: When I read this book (checked out from my local library) when I was 10 years old, I thought that the characters and storyline were really great, very interesting and engaging, with fun (and sometimes scary) bits everywhere. It was an instant favorite for me, but other things caught my attention until...

...I was 15 when I re-read the book, and while I was still entertained by the story and characters, I began to see what was going on behind the scenes: the attraction of the stone and the symbolism thereof, the notion of power and control in the flute, and the almost stark duality of things in so many situations (the Riders and the "rest" of the world; the living and the Gray One; men and women; humans and animals; fear and courage; etc, etc, etc). It again became my favorite book. Again though, I became distracted with finishing high school, going to college, etc., until....

...I found a first-edition of The Stone and the Flute online in good condition. I jumped at the chance to read my own copy when it arrived, and being older (around 19, I think), the full meaning of the story began to sink into me. I think I've read it once a year since then (about 5 years ago), and each time I marvel at the richness of the story and the intense parallels I find between it and my own life. And anytime I feel myself getting down, getting depressed with life in general, I simply read the last twenty pages or so, and usually find myself in higher spirits. It is a very uplifting yet grounding book that feels like it has a balancing effect upon one's outlook and mood.

An "editorial review" from Publisher's Weekly calls The Stone and the Flute a "would - be German Lord of the Rings" that has "simple messages of brotherhood and ecology". I could not disagree more. I think that this book actually has far more character depth and development than Lord of the Rings has, mostly due to the each books' respective purpose: LOR was written to be a mythology (or the background to one), whereas the Stone and the Flute has a less grand yet no less worthy purpose to follow a boy/man through life, exposing his doubts, mistakes, strengths, faults, and ultimately, his humanity. Both books are wonderful reads, but neither is better or worse than the other; they're completely different in style, substance, and experience...