Even a small stone creates big ripplesIn the kingdom of Arvenon, young Thomas Stablehand stumbles upon an unusual stone. Suddenly able to read the thoughts and intents of others, his life sours as he eagerly indulges his curiosity. But dangerous enemies seek the stone.With overwhelming forces attacking the kingdom, Thomas has nowhere to turn except to his friend Will Prentis, a born leader who … Prentis, a born leader who has seized his opportunity to command. To thwart the invaders, Will leads a small band on a perilous quest. Fearing exposure, Thomas flees with him.
As Thomas struggles to unravel the enigma of the stone, Will must outwit a relentless adversary whose true purpose remains a mystery.
Staying alive is a formidable challenge. Defeating their enemies seems an impossible dream.
Note: The Stone of Knowing is not a standalone book–the saga continues and concludes in The Cost of Knowing, book two of The Stone Cycle.
The Stone Cycle reading order
- The Stone of Knowing (Book One)
- The Cost of Knowing (Book Two)
- The Rending (A novelette length prequel to The Cost of Knowing) – subscribe to my mailing list at my website for a free copy
The Seer (a novelette prequel to The Stone of Knowing) is also available. It is a standalone story that can be read independently of other books in the series.more
I volunteered to receive a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. I’m an avid fantasy fan, and the premise of the novel intrigued me: a stone which confers to its owner the ability to see others’ true motives and thoughts. In the afterword, Mr. Packer describes that the plot developed organically as a bedtime story for his children, and that is the sense you get reading it—that someone is recounting a Tolkienesque tale fraught with perilous journeys and savage combat. At times, pages go by without any dialogue. This may be off-putting to some readers, but I don’t mind this style, especially since Packer masterfully pens plenty of action scenes and develops some fascinating secondary characters. In fact, I found myself far more intrigued with the protagonist’s companions than with the main character himself throughout much of the book. The ending of the novel left many unresolved questions—I’m glad I don’t have to wait to read the prequel/sequel. I definitely want to learn more about this mysterious stone!
A stone that allows the bearer to know the thoughts of others. . .
When I received the invitation to review The Stone of Knowing, I was intrigued. And seeing that Allan Packer is a debut author had me jumping at this opportunity. I can say unreservedly that I am thrilled that I did.
He may be newly published, however his writing is quite accomplished. The language he uses is rich and colorful. The plot was very interesting with many twists and turns. The characters were very well developed. I was invested from the very start.
There are a number of principal characters. Thomas Stablehand, the finder of the stone and a master at working with horses. Will, a soldier. Rufe, another soldier. Vangellis, the monk. Stefan, the king. Elbruhe. . . Each one plays a significant role in this saga.
Thomas and Will are the primary characters. Thomas is actually a fairly typical teenage male, making choices that have far-reaching implications. Shortly after discovering the stone, he made some very poor choices that caused pain and grief to those around him and to himself.
Will was my favorite character. He was the very definition of bravery – not because he wasn’t fearful but because of how he responded to the fear. With great determination and fortitude, he rose above his circumstances and truly embodied the description “mighty man of valor”. One of the best scenes in the story, if not the best, was when he was a captive – his bravery and his quick thinking had a stunning result.
While I was still at the beginning of the book, the author contacted me to see if I had finished reading yet, curious as to my thoughts. Here is what I told him:
According to my Kindle, I’m at 33%. So far, I’m mad at Tom, intrigued by Rufe and love Will!
I’m certainly enjoying it so far. I’m very curious about why the stone only works sometimes. Depending on what I make for dinner, I may be able to finish it tonight. Maybe. Hopefully.
I’m certainly invested. If only my job didn’t interfere with my reading!
Your writing style is great! And I love that you aren’t afraid to use multi-syllabic words.
The enemy encroaching on the land is evil and very dangerous. Thus the tone of the story is somber and there is much talk of battles. Despite this, there is humor (I laughed out loud at the encounter with the bear!) and hope is injected in such a way as to keep it from being dark. The battle scenes are kept from being gruesome and yet provided enough detail to allow me to follow what was going on.
Years ago I read the series The Dragon King Trilogy by Stephen P. Lawhead. At the time, I didn’t have thousands of books on my Kindle (or even a Kindle!) and therefore I tended to read the ones I liked over and over. I probably read these books twenty times, maybe more. The Stone of Knowing reminded me very much of the style that I recall from those readings.
The second book of the series, The Cost of Knowing, will be releasing at the end of March this year. So there is not a long wait for the sequel. I am very excited to continue the series and encourage any fantasy lovers to read this one now so you are ready.
My full review can be found at http://amongthereads.net/the-stone-of-knowing-by-allan-packer-book-review-preview/
I love a good coming of age / coming to (magical) power tale, and Allan Packer’s The Stone of Knowing (The Stone Cycle Book 1) is most definitely that. Young Thomas Stablehand is a great leading character, and he and the rest of the cast of characters were very well done. Similarly, care was taken in the world-crafting of the kingdom of Arvenon, and in plot development (though my one criticism is that I’d have far preferred at least a satisfying “Happily Enough for Now” even if it’s too soon for a true HEA). But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises. The book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, and it is easy to highly recommend. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in this series.