The Seeing Stone

Rating:
Summary: A Great First book in a Great Trilogy
Review: (4.5 stars). I picked this book up because of its interesting cover and because that Ive never read a King Arthur book before. But this is no Sword in The Stone. Its that and more. Its about a boy Arthur "Who was and will be" He is the king and he isnt. Confusing? It'll all be explained once you read the book - which I highly advise. Its about a young boy named Oliver who is given a magic stone made of Fire and Ice from Merlin. Inside the stone he sees another story with him as the main character.
The book is filled with interesting characters. Some you hate some you love. It has lots of conflict and hidden secrets. It is exactly 100 chapters all of which are personal journals written by Arthur. I recomend this book to everyone. It is a great start to a new trilogy. And the second is just as - if even more - promising. And the third one has been released in England. So you can order it on Amazon.co.uk (the UK amazon). But if it dont want to pay the shipping charges it will come out soon enough! Once again - buy this book and you wont be sorry you did. Great if you like Arthur books or even if you dont!

Rating:
Summary: The Seeing Stone
Review: I really like this book because it made me feel like I was there.
Also, the author is a really good writer which makes it even better. So, maybe it's not full of suspense, but I like that because it makes it seem more realistic.
Overall, I like it, and I like "At the Crossing Place" even better.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Look at King Arthur Legend
Review: I wasn't sure I would like this book, becauase i knew it didn't actually take place in Camelot with those characters. But I am very glad I read it. This book was written differently than other books I've read, and had very good details. I couldn't wait for Arthur to use the Seeing Stone again, because i had to find out what would happen to Ygerna.
I think everyone will like this book. I was afraid to finish it, because I didn't want it to end!

Rating:
Summary: Unimpressive
Review: I've been on a bit of an Arthurian reading binge, and this one in particular looked like an interesting telling, possibly a counterpoint to TH White's "The Sword in the Stone" which was historically hideous but a read of great fun. This one, however, can't be described as fun -- or even very good -- by any stretch. Imaginative, yet flat.

Arthur de Caldicot is a teenage boy living on a rather sickly manor in Wales, whose diary this book supposedly is. (Is it just me, or are the pages kind of thick?) His father's friend Merlin gives him a piece of stone (hence, the title) that gives Arthur flashes of times past--of another Arthur, son of Uther Pendragon, whose life as the "once and future king" was eerily similar to Arthur'as own.

Why are they so similar? What is the meaning of this? What is the present Arthur's destiny, is it linked to the man who was so like him in prior eras? These questions are partly addressed in this book (since it's a trilogy, this book really cannot stand alone) amid a bog of historical details, and the resolution just doesn't feel satisfying to me.

This sort of storyline was the reason I read this in the first place. It's imaginative, intelligent, has never been done in such a manner before, and definitely deserving of a look. The problem is that the author doesn't flesh out his prose or characters well. He TELLS rather than SHOWING. I know this is a diary, first-person format but it is possible to have Arthur describe things well.

Characterizations are all kinda flat. I didn't really feel drawn into any of the characters present. In addition, the parade of historical facts, politics, and interactions are impressive. Perhaps a little TOO impressive. Historical accuracy should never bog down a book, and details should not overwhelm the plot and characterizations. He does create some intriguing new descriptive terms -- not dumb ones.

Another problem is Oliver, the priest. He's a big walking cliche of Roman-Catholic priests, unbending, pampered, snooty and self-righteous; he does, of course, spout Catholic doctrine that is carefully twisted into a half-lie. (Frankly I found Arthur's thoughts about him more than a little nasty and self-righteous as well) Crossley-Holland appears to be unaware that this particular nasty little cliche only detracts from the plot. (I wonder, how long will it be before we see nasty, stuck-up, pampered DRUIDS in these Arthurian books? It would only be fair)

Overall, I recommend this book only if you're a devourer of all things Arthurian. I rate it two stars for the intriguingly original concept and the historical accuracy. For a nasty cliche and flat characters, I detract two stars from my initial rating. I hope the next two books are better.

Rating:
Summary: WOW!!!!!
Review: The novel The Seeing Stone (Arthur Trilogy, Book One)
by Kevin Crossley-Holland was one of the most amazing that I have ever read. Just recently I read the harry potter series and since then have been waiting for another series of its quality and detail to come out, and this book completely went up to and over the level that harry potter was written at. If you like history, adventure, or even love in an novel, do yoursel a favor and buy this book. You will be extremely happy with this purchase.

Rating:
Summary: Arthur and the Seeing Stone
Review: This book is extremely confusing and boring at times, but if you get into this book it can be very interesting. The basic summary of it is Arthur is a thirteen year old boy who dreams of going into service . He is the son of a knight . His father disagrees and says he should wait until he is older until he goes into service. Merlin a mysterious wizard who is friends with Arthur's father,gives Arthur a stone rough on one side and smooth on the other . Arthur wonders what the stone does . Merlin says he must find out himself if he does not know . Arthur soon finds he can see the future with his stone . He sees his year old brother die . He also sees himself and two dragons come out and attack each other . Arthur grows and finds more about his soon to be life . It ends with not much of an ending . It leaves alot of questions open for the second book . I am probably not going to read the second book, but I will read more about King Arthur .

Rating:
Summary: The Seeing Stone: Sure to be a Favorite
Review: This book starts out with a boy that is very confused about what or who he is. Aurthur de Caldicot also has a special friend that has been seen many times before in other King Aurthur stories, Merlin. Merlin give Aurthur a seeing stone which starts to make the story a lot more interesting.

Before the stone was given I was kind of bored and didn't understand how this had any tie-in with King Aurthur, but when you first experience the magic of the Seeing Stone you become a lot more intrigued. This book is worth buying in my opinion and I'm looking forward to reading the next two.

Rating:
Summary: An Engaging Read
Review: This book was cleverly written and was engaging to read. It is separated into short chapters, which are each akin to short bursts of thinking on the protagonist's part. Crossley-Holland successfully portrays a maturing boy with concerns about his future, the class system of the time, and his tail bone, which he believes is growing.

As part of a trilogy, this book is promising. However, it takes a while for the action to begin, and the seeing stone of the title is not employed until nearly half way through the book. The book will be found more interesting by those who have a good knowledge of the original Arturinian legends, since they will be more able to see the parallels between his life and the Arthur of this series'.

Overall, this book is enjoyable and the series is promising.