Deborah Chester must bring out # 3. The first two are both incredible works of literature. I can't wait for the next incredible book! P.S.-Beat Israi down, Ampris!

Hello, my name is Eric. I have not read this 3rd book yet and I will soon. But till then, I think that this 3rd should be just as good as the first 2. I feel that Deborag Chester is doing a FANTASTIC job of creating a new enviroment for the readers. I don't get to read to often and really would like to. But when I get my hands on these books I can't seem to set them down, I start with 5 pages and realize that I have been reading for quite some time now. By the time I actualy set the book down to get some water or something I have read at least 40 pages. The book is fantastic. I would have to say this is my favorite book yet. If there were to be a movie of this, I would be first in line to see it. To make a movie of something like this would be quite hard though I would belive. She is so imaginative that our own technology could not keep up. :)

Anyhow, in simple words. "THE BOOK IS GREAT"

Thank you Deborah Chester for writing such a wonderfull story and I hope to keep reading more from this author.

Ok, I absolutely love this book. I can't tell you why, but I just adore the story. It's one of those books you can't put down and you really just wish you were living it with them, in the heroine's place, with the guy, and you finish the book with a silly grin on your face. The dialogue is slightly cheesy sometimes and you pretty much know what's going to happen, but it's worth the ride. One of those guilty little pleasures. I'm not crazy about the title, makes it sound like a Harlequin romance novel, which it isn't. Read it, it's great fun.

Better than the first in the trilogy, I read this book in two sittings. This book focuses on both Ampris and the Sri-Kaa, but I found myself growing bored with the scenes of palace intrigue which interrupt the more-compelling Ampris story line. The Viis empire starts to fall apart towards the end of this end of this novel, setting the stage for an exciting conclusion in the third book. My only other complaints are that the rescue scene at the end of the book felt rather contrived, and that too many scenes are left without detail, where depictions of gore and trauma would have made for a more vivid picture, at the risk of making the book unsuitable for younger readers.

The Alien Chronicles by Deborah Chester are among the finest books I have ever read. The journey that the characters undergo is so epic and far-reaching that once you experience them, you will feel as though you have lived an entire life within this alien universe. The characters are well-defined, rich and provocative. The story itself is so much more than what it seems to be. Even though those living within these tales are fantasy species with abnormal customs, they are so unbelievably human. The trilogy revolves around the quest for freedom. The abiru -- a race of slaves who possess no rights whatsoever -- are considered greatly lesser than their Viis superiors. They are beaten, sold and killed at the whim of their owners, echoing the horror of our own history of human slavery. The oppression of the Viis leads to in-fighting and betrayal amongst the abiru, making it nearly immpossible to trust another untouchable. But even amongst this reign of distrust lies the hope of long-lasting, beautiful frienships -- as demonstrated by the wily Kelth thief (Elrabin) and the lovely and powerful Auron pet/gladiator (Ampris). The bond that develops between them is almost instantaneous even though it takes Elrabin years to realize how much Ampris means to him. They share a sort of unrequited platonic love. Unrequited in that it's not what they say to each other but what they do for each other. There are also strong antagonists, from the fear driven mad-gladiator Ylea to the tempermental spoiled sri-Kaa Israi (whose ascension to power is far from pretty). She is such a fantastically written villian that you will find yourself wanting to jump inside the book and slap her silly. The decisions she and those before her make in regards to the abiru are often times disturbing and haunting. (The period Ampris spends in the medical testing facility of Vaas Vess is particularly horrifying.) In summation, this book she be heralded as so much more than dime store science/fiction. It should be placed among books such as 1984 and Animal Farm. I know I will be recommending this book to everyone I meet henceforth. Even those who would never think of picking up a science fiction novel. Deborah Chester should be lauded immensely.

I was reading the golden one when I thought crosses my mind. Would Elrabin meet Ampris in the arena? But as I read the second I found that untrue. My question is, in book number one it says Elrabin was sold to the Utar Dan gladitory school. How did he end up a servant for Sir Galard and the blues? That's my only question. Otherwise both books are great! I can't put them down. In Homeroom, Language Arts. You name it I read it there. Hopefully after the trilogy you will keep writing your amazing and wonderful Alien Chronicles

I'm 13, so when I start a book, I get to page 200 or so and I get bored with it. (The Vampire Lestat, Christine, Watchers...) But then I found this book, started reading it, I COULD NOT stop. I laughed, I cried, I LOVED it! I only wish I had found and read the first two, The Golden One and The Crimson claw first. I actually fought with my mom about not having enough time to read "Ampris." when I was at school. I read it every chance I got. It was like living in another world, inside the world that not many people know. I told my friend to read it and she said she wasn't interested in those kind of books and it's not even a book, see? It's too real to be called a book. I was depressed when I finished page 458, (I love those kind of endings, but it was so sad...) I can't wait to read the others. By the way, I just have to say I really liked Nashmarl.

This is the BEST series i've ever read. As an avid STAR WARS fan, i stumbled across previews from The Golden One and The Crimson Claw. Immediately, i was hooked and began searching to find them. When i finally got my hands on The Golden One, i couldn't put it down, and BEGGED my dad forever to order The Crimson Claw. Finally i got The Crystal Eye. This has been the BEST series i have ever read, and thats outta hundreds of books! I just wanna know what happens to Ampris' half-Viis cubs, Nashmarl and Foloth. Deborah, pleeeeeeeeeeeze write a sequel! we all wanna know what happens!

I am the self-aclaimed youngest fan of Deborah Chesters! At 13 I've just recently finished the Alien Chronicles Trilogy. The ending was extremly powerful. And wrote in such a way that other authors should learn from it. This trilogy didn't capture my attention at first. I picked up the first book repeatly, but never bought it. Untill one day...Then I was hooked. I soon found the second book and finished it in under 2 days! This was certainly a wonderful trilogy, and I wondered as I digested the ending...

Did you get any of these parts from the story of Moses? The small similarities are amazing... 1. The pharoah swept up and killed in a collapsed wave. And Israi killed in a collasped jumpgate. 2. Moses only seeing the promised land once. Ampris only seeing it once. 3. Moses died on a hill overlooking the promised land. Ampris was buried on a hill overlooking the landing spot...

Coincidence only? This was certainly as great and well written series! And I await hopefully for a sequel. Maybe telling about Foloth and Nashmarl and their maturity. Or anthor reincarnation of Nithlived? Another threat from the Viis? Or humans?

The possibities are endless, and if Deborah reads this I sure hope she choices one and makes a sequal!

Wonderfully crafted storytelling. This novel tells the story of two principle characters, Ampris and Elrabin - Ampris being the real focus. Both characters are members of subjugated species within the Viis empire. Ampris' early years are pampered, while Elrabin's are impoverished. Yet fate brings them together. However, they are not united till the very end.

The great strength of this book is the character development. All of the characters' thoughts and actions develop naturally from their circumstances and backgrounds. Deborah Chester has done a wonderful job of creating three dimensional, and believable, characters. Additionally, when a crisis develops, the characters' responses, and the story line, remain believable. Ms. Chester never relied on tricks or unlikely interventions to rescue a character in distress.

The main flaw of the book is that it ends with a cliffhanger. The story is no where near completing the story line. I grant that given Ms. Chester's richly detailed telling, 344 pages are just not enough to get us there - but I want resolution. I've read that book two in not due to be published until October - I can't wait. To her credit, Ms. Chester does provide some resolution. We see Ampris' character develop, through experience, the psychology that will bring her to greatness and we see how she and Elrabin will be thrust together. But, I don't want to wait nine months to find out what happens next.

All in all, I recommend Alien Chronicles The Golden One without reservation.

I was captured by the story and read the entire book in just a few sittings. I liked the way that the characters were introduced and developed, and enjoyed the contrasts between the rich and leisurely lifestyles of the ruling race with the utter filth and disgust that the subservient races could never escape. There is a George Orwell slant to the story, with the underlying message that absolute power corrupts absolutely. I look forward to justice being served in the next two books. I did not know that the remaining books in the trilogy had not yet been written, and I was not happy to learn that I would have to wait several months for the next book. I wish that I had waited until all the books were in print before I started reading The Golden One. I do like the author's style of writing, and commend her on her ability to tell an interesting and captivating story. I strongly recommend this book, but would advise that you wait until all three books are in print before you get started. I hate having to wait for the rest of the story!

My theory is you can read the summary by Amazon so I only write about what I liked. I usually read books but I recently drove from Alaska to Virginia. I picked this up at my local bookstore while looking for audiobooks for my trip. Now a lot of audiobooks are one person reading the book cover to cover. But this one was fully dramatized which means different people play different characters and awesome sound effects. The story was excellent, it leaves you wondering about and waiting for part two. The full darmatization definitely helped it out also. As most other reviewers said, its not much like Star Wars but nontheless is a great addition to the sci-fi/fantasy genre. If you'd rather see the movie than read the book, this is a great edition. But I'm sure the book is just as good for those of you that enjoy reading.

I read the summary on the back of the book and was greatly interested so I bought it. When I actually sat down and read it I found that it could not hold my attention. The plot was a really good one but the characters lacked depth and I just couldn't picture in my mind that these people were real (which is what I do with any good book). The only reason I finished the book was because I wanted to know what happened. Unfortunately, I discoverd that this was just the first book with more to follow. My advice would be to go to the library instead of buying it.

This was reminiscent of the movie Gladiator at the latter half of the book so if you liked the movie you will like this book.

I found this to be a captivating novel. The female character was my favorite, being a woman myself. Elandra fights to survive in this whole triology. The story is intelligent and extremely creative, a perfect fantasy. The plot makes sense and though the next two books are not quite as good as the first they all still make a good read. I would recommend this book to any sci-fi/fantasy reader though I would warn that I found myself skipping through the chapters of the male character in order to get back to Elandra.

Jordan who? Deborah Chester has succeeded in demonstrating that a gripping, enjoyable fantasy story does not require ten volumes and ten thousand pages. Throughout The Sword, The Ring, and The Chalice, Chester brings a whole world to life with settings and people that seem sometimes all too real, and with a pacing that never slacked. Reading Chester has finally turned me off from Robert Jordan; I no longer see the point of investing three weeks in the next Wheel of Time book when I can have much more enjoyable fantasy at less than a third of the time cost.

As for The Chalice itself, the conclusion to the series was not as pat as I had feared, although complaints that it was too pat are not without merit. While some of the other criticisms are also understandable, one of the most frustrating aspects of The Chalice is arguably one of its strengths - it is impossible to completely like either of the two main characters because they each keep engaging in self-destructive behavior. When Dain and Alexeika were each young and new to their situations (i.e., in the first two books), it was easier to forgive their faults. By The Chalice, one simply wanted to slap each of them a half dozen times, which speaks highly of Chester's ability to get the reader involved. No flat, one-dimensional "hero is always good" here.

One could also complain about the sometimes too-clever prose, and a mildly annoying attempt to create a medieval-type dialogue (I hate it when characters say "nay" as if they were horses), but the complaints are minor in comparison with a story that keeps the reader turning pages, and often has the heart racing. This is a series that is well worth the read, and one that is worth revisiting from time to time.

Though I would not consider "The Sword, the Ring, and the Chalice" a top-shelf series as far as fantasy trilogies go, I would place it no lower than the second tier. It was placed in a world that is well-drawn and believable, as fantasy worlds go. It had characters you could get close to - heroes you liked and villains that you liked to dislike. My major complaint with the series is that Prince Gavril didn't get nearly what he deserved. It had a romantic interest, though not overly sappy.

It didn't make it as an epic in my book because, even though it was an enjoyable read, it was too easy. Even though there were points of conflict and everything did not go 100% smoothly 100% of the time, you never felt that at any point the story was going to stray too far from the predictable ending. Other than Pheresa's desire to be a queen at all cost, there were no real moral dilemma's raised or philosophical questions to ponder.

A little more meat on the bones would have made this a more memorable series, but even given that, it was fun to read and a series I would recommend to most any fan of fantasy, particularly those just becoming familiar with the genre.

I have read all three of the books in The Sword, The Ring, and The Chalice. They are just breath taking. The only regret that I have is the ending seems to soon, not unless Ms. Chester is going to continue the story in another book or series? I hope that she will consitter continueing the story about Dain and Alexieka, I would love to see if they rebuild Nether.

The triology makes for a nice week of reading and is quite well written. Unfortunately, it does have a couple flaws, which are neglectable if one seeks only entertainment (see below).

Conclusion:
I usually turn off my brain and simply enjoy a story when reading fantasy. For me, a story needs to be gripping, seem real and make me want to not put the book down. Chester delivers those things for sure. The main characters are well developed, the side characters neglected and quickly killed. Sometimes, unimportant things are described in great detail just to never surface again. A love story between the two main characters is somewhat crammed into the last pages: The heroine's affections for the good guy are mentioned and well developed throughout the series, but he's going for some other chick all the time. His sudden decision to dump the other chick and take the heroine instead is unprepared, unexplained, seems unlikely and leaves a sour aftertaste which spoils the closing chapter. It's not exactly an unforgettable series; one can read the books again in a couple of years and pretend it was the first time. I enjoyed the series and - within the frame of the restrictions mentioned before - I do recommend it.

The flaws:
Flaw No. 1: The first 100 pages of the first book drag on and do not really have relevance, it's just an extended prelude about how the father of our hero screws up big time. The triology is actually more thrilling (I'd imagine) if one simply skips the beginning and reads this "prelude" afterwards.
Flaw No. 2: The author obviously does not know or not care about the historically correct meaning and status of aristocratic titels. There's a bunch a princes running around who are neither heir to the throne nor related to any king. That bugged me a little, as it is somewhat confusing.
Flaw No. 3: Our hero rises to high status in various steps. Each step he makes by saving the life of his respective superior: A huntsman to begin with, then a lord, then a prince, then the king. When there's no one else to save, cause there's no one above the king, it turns out our hero's of royal blood himself (which the reader assumed all along but that's a different story). It's somewhat too simple cause one quickly figures out that soon the next situation in which he'll save a life will come up in order to push the story along. Most of these live-saving-situations are quite unlikely, so if one prefers stuff that is thought through, logically sound and "thick" story-telling (like Tolkien), this is not your series. It's comparable to Goodkind's books: Extremely grave danger and a way too simple solution.

I am a reader who has read countless thousands of SciFi books (wish I still had just the Ace books-but I digress)I TRULY ENJOYED THIS NOVEL! The author layed the ground work for the "plot" very well. She filled in the main characters, the hero, Dain, and his protagonist, the Crown Prince Gavril, with sufficent detail to make me feel that I knew them. She has also started to fill in the character of Alexeika and I found myself more and more involved till I had to finish the novel. I stayed up untill approximately 2:30 AM and did so. I can't remember any other novels of this ilk (and I include books by Robert Jordan and Simon R. Green and many others) that I enjoyed so thoroughly. This is fantasy at its best! If you can read, buy this book-you won't be disappointed!

I am a great fan of fantasy stories. After reading many of them, I have learned that what marks a fantasy story is its originality, what makes one fantasy novel different from all of the others? So many stories follow the simple pattern of -- boy goes on adventure --> meets beautiful girl --> falls instantly in love with her --> defeats antagonist -- they live happily ever after. This makes for a very boring story.

However, this trilogy was not like that! It was VERY unpredictable, which is only one reason why I gave it 5 stars. Another important part of a story is its characters. The characters in this story were extremely well developed, you could see how they were shaped by different experiences. Most of them had many different sides, ALMOST no one was really good or really bad. Even Alexeika and Dain had their weak points.

Finally, I would recommend this book to everyone, young girls, boys, adults, adolescents, etc. I can only hope that Deborah Chester continues to write books about this world of Nether.

I enjoyed the first book in this series. The primary characters were young and energetic, irresponsible, but maturing. This book (The Ring), though, and the final book (The Chalice) were a dissapointment to me. The leading character, a maturing king, never seem to mature at all except in size, and I was confused to why others in the story would support his rise to power. Many of the emotions were lost to me as I watched powerful leaders of armys follow, what I considered to be, a relatively shallow and petty "would be king" with powerful weapons.
I do believe the author is a gifted writer. In many ways, though, this series gave me the same feeling as the Clan of the Cave Bears series, where I lost touch with the rational of the characters after the first book and started skipping pages just to get through.

The Ring, the second book of Deborah Chester's The Sword, the Ring and the Chalice trilogy is an excelent book, expecially considering that is a middle book. The development of (Fal)Dain as he grows is excelent, and you really care about what happens to him. Gavril and the cardinal Noncire make excellent villains. The girls in the story however are not as fully drawn as the boys. Alexeika is still a sketch of a character, although a very cool one, and Princess Pheresa comes across as a spoiled, power hungry brat, except for the scene with her mother. You aren't sure whether you should like her or not, with me leaning toward not, especially after her ambitions are so clearly outlined in book one. Still, she doesn't deserve Prince Gavril. King Varence is another of those either or characters. Obviously, he has done a miserable job with his son, and I just can't like someone who lets their child get away with murder. Especailly when said child will one day be king.

The two protaganists, Dain and Alexeika, lead pretty miserable lives in their various places, and you want to cheer them on, even when they make poor decisions. - Dain makes more than his fair share. - By the end of book one, you really care about these two, and by the end of this book, you want them to finally meet, and why does it have to take so long? Alexeika is a much more likable character than Pheresa. Unfortunately, Dain hasn't met her yet, and he had the misfortune to fall in lust at first sight with Pheresa, which you know will cause yet more problems in book three.

I recomend this book, but read book one (The Sword) first.

I was pleasantly surprised by the first book in this trilogy (The Sword), so I had high hopes for the second. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a let-down. This isn't to say that it wasn't a good book--which it was--but I didn't think it was up to the same standards as The Sword.

The Ring is a good follow-up to its predecessor in that it expands on many of the characters, Gavril & Pheresa in particular. Chester creates very vivid characters, and succeeds in forcing the reader to re-think their initial reactions. A good example of this is Pheresa, whom you may not like as much by the end (of course, that's assuming you liked her to begin with!). I still wanted to smack Gavril, but even with him there are times when I was undecided about his motives and real feelings. Dain & Alexeika continue to be likeable heroes, though I thought Dain seemed a little overly naive at times. Besides the characters, Ms Chester's action scenes continue to be excellent in pace and description.

So what exactly made me rate this book four stars? Well, partly because the story just wasn't long enough. The amount of character development and action just doesn't quite fit into the narrow span of time the story actually covers. Sometimes the characters' changes of feeling seemed a bit rushed, as if the author was trying to cram it all in an allowed word count. I wish that Ms Chester had written a longer book and extended the amount of time within the novel's world.

It's the subtle, almost intangible things in the book which made me rate it lower than The Sword, but still I lost myself in the world of Mandria and Nether. This is an enjoyable book, and I recommend it to anyone who likes fast-paced action fantasy.

The first book is better than this one. It was a good read but I was hoping for more after the first. The characters in the story are flimsy, not reallife and the plot is predictable. If you liked the first book then I recommend that you buy the second in order to see what is going to happen. However I would not recommend that you buy the third book. I do not have the third and I do not expect to buy it in the future either.

It was not as good as the first one... but a great book just the same. I love fantasies and this was surely one. The characters are enough to fall in love with and the story... although somewhat predictable... was thrilling and creative. Excellant.

I love this trilogy. Deborah Chester makes you feel all the feelings the characters in the book feel. Deborah Chester has yet to disappoint me.