Chris Bunch's The Empire Stone is an enjoyable fantasy romp with touches of occasional real darkness. Gambler and part-time thief Peirol is commissioned by an ill-tempered magician with an attractive daughter to find the Stone, an amulet of enormous power, and heads off into the unknown where his ready wit, and lack of most scruples, serve him well. This is the sort of plot which the reader knows is going to be a matter of one reasonably entertaining episode after another, and Bunch does not disappoint--strange cities, monsters, fights between slave-galleys, ill-judged sexual intrigues, the outwitting of local tyrants and the working of sinister magics all crop up sooner or later, and Peirol escapes by the narrowest of squeaks each time. Where this differs from the similar fantasies that were being written with almost equal slickness in the thirties is that Peirol's adventures are as liable to be sexual as not--and the women in his life are as self-willed as the men without being rendered automatically villainous. This is unsubtle entertainment with a reasonable amount of heart and brain. --Roz Kaveney

'Rich and convincing ... will leave you eagerly awaiting the next instalment'

'Slambang excitement, lusty action and military magic...fastpaced and ferocious'

'A vast and intricate tapestry woven by a writer who knows both history and war'

Legend has it the Empire Stone was larger than a fist and could light a path in the dark of the moon. Lost when the city of Thyone was destroyed, its secrets now lie buried. Peirol of the Moorlands, wading in debt, is forced to search for the long-lost gem, so beginning an amazing adventure.

Legend has it the Empire Stone was larger than a fist and could light a path in the dark of the moon. Lost when the city of Thyone was destroyed, its secrets now lie buried. Peirol of the Moorlands, wading in debt, is forced to search for the long-lost gem, so beginning an amazing adventure.

Chris Bunch is the co-author, with Allan Cole, of the Antero and Sten series, and author of the acclaimed fantasy series comprising THE SEER KING, THE DEMON KING and THE WARRIOR KING.

2001-07-03 A really good read

This book although very good is nowhere near as entertaining as the seer king trilogy. It tells the story of a dwarf seeking a gem for a wizard and his adventures along the way. I thought the ending was slightly lame so I give 3 stars.