The Arm of the Stone
by
Victoria Strauss

Avon, April 1998, 426 pp.
ISBN: 0-380-79751-8

Genre: Fantasy
Reviewed: 11/30/1998

Reviewed by: Conan Tigard

Book Cover

Excerpt

With the sixth lash Serle cried out at last, an awful ragged sound. 

Bron knew what the loss of control must cost his brother. The lash fell again; again, Serle cried out.

With that second cry, the pressure in Bron’s head broke. Deep inside him in the darkest spaces of his secret self, something arrowed forward. His barriers yielded like shredded cloth. The thing tore through the layers of his consciousness, flooding his mind and body as if he were no more than an empty vessel. Still it swelled, like an endless breath, until he was no longer able to hold it and it exploded outward, a cataclysmic burst that almost took his consciousness with it, a tidal wave of power sweeping irresistibly over the crowd, the square, the entire village.

Time stopped. Every living thing was frozen. All but Bron.

Synopsis

Bron is a descendent of a family that used to be extremely powerful; for they possessed the Stone--the most powerful object in the world. Then...the Stone was taken and the world was divided under two different ways of life; one of the mind and the other of the hand. Bron’s brother becomes a Violator. Bron witnesses his punishment, sees his family murdered and the town slain. He makes a vow that the Arm of the Stone will fall at his hands.

The story then follows Bron’s rise from a Novice at the Fortress to him becoming a Roundhead, and finally to him becoming a man of power. Although, his philosophy changes during his years in the Fortress, but he still has only one purpose. The other main character is a girl named Liliane, a Heartsensor. They meet early on in the book and their destinies soon become entwined.

The Arm of the Stone is a fantasy novel written by Victoria Strauss.

Review

I really like The Arm of the Stone. I became very attached to the main character, Bron, and wished to see him succeed in this quest. Be warned, this is not one of those happy little fantasy tales with elves and dwarves.

This is a story of a young man growing up in a totally oppressive world that would seem to parallel a time in European history; the Spanish Inquisition. The Arm of the Stone is so powerful that no person in the world of Mindpower is allowed to vary from what is written. No changes or advancements are allowed to be made, well, at least not many. And the Guardians, the enforcers of the Limits are cruel and unforgiving.

There are not very many happy moments in this book . . . but, to tell the truth…they aren’t needed. The book moves at an excellent pace and there are no slow parts. The characters are well developed and believable.

The only thing I didn’t like was the cover of the book. But don’t let the cover fool you . . . The Arm of the Stone is an excellent book. If there is a sequel, and I am hoping that there is . . . it will definitely be on my reading list.

I rated this book a 9 out of 10.