The Iron Ring (Novel)

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfull TWIST
Review: This was a GREAT BOOK which I would recommend to anyone who Loves to read books by Lloyd Alexander. This book was exciting. It had it: war, treachery, magic, and of course love. This book was not too graphic or gory in its battle scenes and was just right in its magic parts which even included a talking monkey. Of course Lloyd Alexander spiced it up with a surprise ending. I would highly RECOMMEND this book! It is both very funny and very exciting.If you like Lloyd Alexander, this book is definitly for you. If you want to be sitting down for a while, get this book and find somewhere comfy to read because you won't be able to put it down.

Rating:
Summary: The Iron Ring is a fun adventure!
Review: This was my favorite book of 1997 and I can't help but feel like it was cheated out of awards. Here, you have a great story about Tamar, a young king, who loses a dice game to a strange visitor. Because he has lost the game, he has one year to travel to the other man's kingdom, where he fears he will lose his own life. It is on this journey that all of his adventures take place. This book has adventure, magic, and believable characters, while also providing a fast-paced story which will keep you reading just to find out what will happen next. I didn't want to put this book down and read it in one afternoon. I'm sure that any fantasy reader (including fans of the Harry Potter series) would find that this is a great book.

Rating:
Summary: This story deserves twenty stars!
Review: This was the best book I've read. I thought it was very good. After I read it, I looked for it everywhere in stores, but couldn't find it anywhere. Finally I found it! If you like stories of romance, enchantment, and humor, read this book!- ******************** - 20 stars!

Rating:
Summary: A highly unique story, that draws deeply on Indian mythology
Review: To say the least, this book is excellent, highly original, with fascinating characters. Though it's quite a long book, both times I've read it I've finished it in twenty-four hours or less. Lloyd Alexander has been one of my favorite authors for quite a while, so I was expecting quite a bit from this book, and I was not dissapointed. Combining the rich undertones of Indian mythology with usual fantasy flair, Lloyd Alexander really outdid himself here. In it, the young king Tamar sets out to find the mysterious King Jaya, to whom he inadvertantly pledged his life. Along the way, he gains a very colorful band of companions who include a bad tempered bird, a kind elephant, one of his old teachers, a mischevous monkey, plus a beautiful peasant girl Tamar falls instantly in love with. As they head on their journey it becomes apparant that it is largely a journey of self discovery as well, as each character has immense character development. One thing that annoyed me about this book was that it was not up to the authors usual standards of having plenty of strong female characters. (I will never forget Eilonwy, who made the intire Prydain chronicles for me) The only real main character who was even female was Mirri, and while she was clever and all, she wasn't that cool, and didn't even have a real part in the story except to be Tamar's love interest and sit and look pretty. I also felt that her relationship to Tamar was fairly groundless as well, especially at first. Sure, towards the end Tamar learns to love her for real reasons too, which is part of his development, but the intire basis of his feelings for her revolve around looks. Besides that though, this book was wonderful, and kept me rivited to it right to the end. (which isn't at all what you'd expect.) Also, this book is somewhat more gory than some of his other books, so I would recommend it more to the 12-15 age range than the 9-12 age range that most of Lloyd Alexander's books are written in. That's not to say that younger people wouldn't enjoy it also though, as long as they can handle the occational violence.

Rating:
Summary: The Iron Ring fascinated me.
Review: What a tale! I was spellbound. Each chapter teased me into the next. I could scarcely put the book down until I was finished. This book is also on audiocassettes, narrated with passion and emotion by Ron Keith. (The cassettes also help with the pronunciation of names and terms.) I am eager to read more books by Lloyd Alexander.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting yet lacking something
Review: While I enjoyed The Iron Ring I didn't think it was as good as other books by Lloyd Alexander. It is definitely interesting and spell binding, yet it seems to lack the usual flare of Alexander's other books. One of my favorite aspects of the book was how it really made a person think about certain issues, such as chivalry and honor.

Rating:
Summary: The Iron Ring
Review: With a hero like King Arthur it's no wonder Lloyd Alexander writes about a young king's adventures. The Iron Ring is one of the many beautifully written stories.
Tamar, the young king of Sundari, journeys to many places. Tamar faces death and wonder around every corner. When he plays a game like dice, he does not know how far the stakes will go. He loses his caste and honor, while realizing the world sees a lot of violence and he is just as important as anybody else. He learned much about the lives of other creatures. This is a good story about a king who learns much.
This is an outstandingly written novel. I liked every part of the story. There is heart pounding adventure and romance in it. When Tamar is hit in the head with a mace your heart is pounding. Did he live? Did he fulfill his task? It's also full of romance. Does Mirri the gopi, a cow maiden, choose Tamar. It's also full of action; there are many battle scenes. Out of ten this would definitely be a ten plus. I would recommend this book to any body.
Overall, the life of a young king and his adventures are very attention-grabbing. This is a book that all would enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: The Iron Ring
Review: With a hero like King Arthur it's no wonder Lloyd Alexander writes about a young king's adventures. The Iron Ring is one of the many beautifully written stories.
Tamar, the young king of Sundari, journeys to many places. Tamar faces death and wonder around every corner. When he plays a game like dice, he does not know how far the stakes will go. He loses his caste and honor, while realizing the world sees a lot of violence and he is just as important as anybody else. He learned much about the lives of other creatures. This is a good story about a king who learns much.
This is an outstandingly written novel. I liked every part of the story. There is heart pounding adventure and romance in it. When Tamar is hit in the head with a mace your heart is pounding. Did he live? Did he fulfill his task? It's also full of romance. Does Mirri the gopi, a cow maiden, choose Tamar. It's also full of action; there are many battle scenes. Out of ten this would definitely be a ten plus. I would recommend this book to any body.
Overall, the life of a young king and his adventures are very attention-grabbing. This is a book that all would enjoy.