Mitchell Graham, The Emerald Cavern

I thought this was a marvelous book. Mitchell Graham is a fine story teller that will hook you from the start and not let go. He nearly ruined my holiday season, because I kept coming back to see what woudld happen next.

The principal characters of Mathew, Lara, Father Thomas, Collin, Gawl, and the very interesting Teanna d'Elso all make a reappearance. You'll find their interactions both fun and complex at the same time.

I read another review that called The Fifth Ring Series one of the best to come along in years and I would have to completely agree.

Wonderfully done.

I became a Mitchell Graham fan after reading The Fifth Ring. This new installment in his trilogy is a well-paced and interesting follow-up to the first. I felt the author went into the characters in greater depth as he did the political atmosphere Mathew and friends find themselves in.

This is an important point to remember. Not everything in Graham's world comes out of a cookie cutter. Sennia is a very different place from Elgaria, and as such there are different customs and morals. This is part of Graham's genius and it make sense. Italy is a different country from England and you wouldn't expect things to me the same there.

I found The Emerald Cavern to be a charming book that I would have no trouble recommending.

I got to read an advance copy of Mitchell Graham's Emerald Cavern which is the sequel to "The Fifth Ring." While some of the charm of the original is missing, this was a very enjoyable book, filled with action and likable characters and set against a complicated geopolitical background.

The interesting thing to me was the maturing of both the characters and the political interplay in Graham's world, nevertheless there is still a lot here to keep fantasy lovers smiling.

In all honsety I felt the first book was definitely better, but I would have no problem recommending "The Emerald Cavern" as a worthy sequel. It was fun to read and kept my interest all the way through.

It's simply going to kill me now having to wait for the last installment.

To be perfectly honest, I have been waiting for this book since THE FIFTH RING came out eleven months ago. I wasn't disappointed in any way. This is a slam-bang action book with a murder mystery thrown in.

The fact that the setting is in a fantasy genre only added to the overall experience. Graham is one very talented author who can do more with a simple declarative sentence than Jordan, Goodkind, and Brooks put together.

What he is able to evoke in his dialogue is simply top notch. The style is closer to Hemmingway than to Tolkien. There are a number of themes running through THE EMERALD CAVERN which make it ideal for both adult and young readers at the same time. Such concepts as morality, coming of age, and the sanctity of the law are all dealt with deftly.

I was tremendously pleased to be able to review the advance copy I was sent and can't wait for the conclusion of this exciting trilogy. It is absolutely one of the best to come along in years and years.

Mathew Lewin, hero of "The Fifth Ring," has come to Sennia seeking haven. Shortly after he arrives things start to go awry. Two priests are murdered under seemingly impossible circumstances, and a pair of stone statues come to life and try to kill him.

There are battles and sword fights to make even the most hardened fantasy lover smile and hold their breath.

This is a fast paced book that marks a slight departure for author Graham. Some of the charm of "The Fifth Ring" is gone, but his deeper exploration of the characters more than makes up for it. Consistent witht he first book, Graham is the best writer of action scenes out there.

The novel won't win the Pulitizer Prize for great literature, but it should definitely win something for a wonderfully fun story.

This was a great read and a worthy sequel to Graham's first book. It could be read as a stand-alone, but it would definitely make the overall experience more enjoyable if it were read in conjunction with "The Fifth Ring."

Audiences are going to have a hard time waiting for the conclusion of this exciting trilogy.

The Emerald Cavern

Mitchell Graham

Eos, Jan 2004, $7.99, 455 pp.

ISBN 006050676x

Nobody knows much about the Ancients except that their minds were so powerful that they had the mental ability to change energy into matter. However with all their power they still ended up destroying themselves. All that is left of them are some ancient ruins and eight rose gold rings that give the wearer the ability to use their minds in ways similar to the ancients. Thanks to the rose gold ring that Matthew Lewin wore, he was able to stop Karas Duren and his minions, the Orlocks, from conquering his country.

Matthew is in Sennia where King Gaul and his counterpart in Elgaria try to keep the ring wearer out of jail for killing the man who murdered his father. While at the palace, statues come to life and try to kill Matthew. He reasons that an unknown enemy has a ring and his fears are confirmed when the ring the church was guarding turns up missing. When traitors to the crown plan to overthrow the king, the only hope to see justice prevail rests on Matthew's shoulders, a burden that would break a lesser man.

Matthew has matured from the time he first used the ring to stop a war (see THE FIFTH RING). His current trials and tribulations in THE EMERALD CAVERN make him even stronger and wiser than he was before he reached Sennia. There is plenty of action but author Mitchell Graham doesn't ignore his characters. They are well-developed and easily understood, heroes and villains alike. It is going to be hard to wait for the next book in this trilogy because there are questions the audience wants answered now. Mr. Graham is a superb storyteller with a colorful imagination.

Harriet Klausner