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Sovereign Stone #3
Journey Into the Void: The Sovereign Stone Trilogy
From acclaimed "New York Times" bestselling fantasists Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman comes the spellbinding conclusion to the epic adventure of wonder, courage, magic, and ambition that is the breathtaking world of the Sovereign Stone.
Over two hundred years have passed since the mystical Sovereign Stone was shattered and the world of Loerem faced its most dangerous test ever--the rise of the dark lord Dagnarus. But now Dagnarus has stirred from the Void and seeks the utter conquest of all Loerem. Leading a seemingly unstoppable horde of bestial, powerful minions and a host of insidious undead, Dagnarus captures mortal kingdom after mortal kingdom, until he stands before the very gates of New Vinnengael, as traitors within the city plot to yield the crown to the undead lord.
In the darkness and turmoil that follows, all heroes must first master their own fears and weaknesses before they can take up the fight to stop Dagnarus, and the company spreads across many lands to face many perils. Mortally wounded by a Blood-knife wielded by an undead Vrykyl knight, the Baron Shadamehr lies dying, and even the many skills of his beautiful, beloved Alise may not be able to save him. Others face desperate journeys through hostile lands and difficult tests of character. And, unsuspected, a deadly Vrykyl stalks the pecwae Bashae--and his precious burden, the human portion of the Sovereign Stone--through the streets of New Vinnengael.
Yet the gods have their own plans for this imperiled land, and drawn by an unknown call, the Dominion Lords head for the Portal of the Gods, the mystical, haunted site of Dagnarus's terrible treachery two hundred years beforehand. For if all the parts of the sundered Sovereign Stone can be reunited, the Dominion Lords can stop Dagnarus's unholy plans for domination. But one piece is still missing. . . .
As the past and present converge in a desperate race to determine the future, an unlikely hero will arise. A man who will become far more than he ever dreamed possible and who holds the fate of all Loerem in his hands. And to save Loerem he must venture into a realm of utter terror and darkness . . . into the very blackness of the Void itself.
Over two hundred years have passed since the mystical Sovereign Stone was shattered and the world of Loerem faced its most dangerous test ever--the rise of the dark lord Dagnarus. But now Dagnarus has stirred from the Void and seeks the utter conquest of all Loerem. Leading a seemingly unstoppable horde of bestial, powerful minions and a host of insidious undead, Dagnarus captures mortal kingdom after mortal kingdom, until he stands before the very gates of New Vinnengael, as traitors within the city plot to yield the crown to the undead lord.
In the darkness and turmoil that follows, all heroes must first master their own fears and weaknesses before they can take up the fight to stop Dagnarus, and the company spreads across many lands to face many perils. Mortally wounded by a Blood-knife wielded by an undead Vrykyl knight, the Baron Shadamehr lies dying, and even the many skills of his beautiful, beloved Alise may not be able to save him. Others face desperate journeys through hostile lands and difficult tests of character. And, unsuspected, a deadly Vrykyl stalks the pecwae Bashae--and his precious burden, the human portion of the Sovereign Stone--through the streets of New Vinnengael.
Yet the gods have their own plans for this imperiled land, and drawn by an unknown call, the Dominion Lords head for the Portal of the Gods, the mystical, haunted site of Dagnarus's terrible treachery two hundred years beforehand. For if all the parts of the sundered Sovereign Stone can be reunited, the Dominion Lords can stop Dagnarus's unholy plans for domination. But one piece is still missing. . . .
As the past and present converge in a desperate race to determine the future, an unlikely hero will arise. A man who will become far more than he ever dreamed possible and who holds the fate of all Loerem in his hands. And to save Loerem he must venture into a realm of utter terror and darkness . . . into the very blackness of the Void itself.
578 pages, Paperback
First published August 19, 2003
31 people are currently reading
920 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Weis
674 books5,800 followersMargaret Edith Weis is an American fantasy and science fiction author of dozens of novels and short stories. At TSR, Inc., she teamed with Tracy Hickman to create the Dragonlance role-playing game (RPG) world. She is founding CEO and owner of Sovereign Press, Inc and Margaret Weis Productions, licensing several popular television and movie franchises to make RPG series in addition to their own.
In 1999, Pyramid magazine named Weis one of The Millennium's Most Influential Persons, saying she and Hickman are "basically responsible for the entire gaming fiction genre". In 2002, she was inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame in part for Dragonlance.
In 1999, Pyramid magazine named Weis one of The Millennium's Most Influential Persons, saying she and Hickman are "basically responsible for the entire gaming fiction genre". In 2002, she was inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame in part for Dragonlance.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
November 10, 2010
It has been almost 10 years since I read the second installment of the Sovereign Stone trilogy. So, to return to Loerem was a treat. The darkness from the first two installments came back to mind. I thought that Weis and Hickman had done an excellent job of keeping the series quite dark. The story was interesting and was brought to a close. But I cannot say that it was done in the best manner. It felt as if the majority of the third installment continued to open up the story line rather than pulling the drawstrings together. And that would have been fine had there been another installment. Alas, the closure was abrupt. Really, it felt as if the authors were more focused on character development rather than story. For a great novel, you need both. Nevertheless, I enjoyed returning to Weis and Hickman's storytelling. I have been away far too long. My rating of 4 stars really has to do with the authors' credibility and not so much this novel. Solely rating the novel would have garnered it a 3. If I focused on all the editing errors...2.5.
November 15, 2024
Degna conclusione di una delle saghe fantasy che ho apprezzato di più. La scrittura è scorrevole e moderna, contrariamente a molti fantasy “classici”, senza però togliere perizia e dettagli alle descrizioni, il che rende lo stile profondamente evocativo senza risultare pesante da affrontare.
La trama è intricata e ricca di personaggi dei quali, talvolta, non è semplicissimo seguire le gesta, ma a tutti è data la giusta importanza e nessuna delle varie sottotrame si esaurisce senza trovare un epilogo sensato.
Continuo a pensare comunque che il primo dei tre volumi fosse quello maggiormente intriso di originalità e quello che mi ha entusiasmato di più; tuttavia sono molto contenta di essere riuscita (anche se con molta fatica) a recuperare i restanti due volumi della saga per finire la lettura. Se fosse ancora in commercio, lo consiglierei a tutti!
La trama è intricata e ricca di personaggi dei quali, talvolta, non è semplicissimo seguire le gesta, ma a tutti è data la giusta importanza e nessuna delle varie sottotrame si esaurisce senza trovare un epilogo sensato.
Continuo a pensare comunque che il primo dei tre volumi fosse quello maggiormente intriso di originalità e quello che mi ha entusiasmato di più; tuttavia sono molto contenta di essere riuscita (anche se con molta fatica) a recuperare i restanti due volumi della saga per finire la lettura. Se fosse ancora in commercio, lo consiglierei a tutti!
November 2, 2018
Does the pain ever end? One star.
September 22, 2016
Hoewel ik de trilogie wou uitlezen, heb ik er toch zeer lang (meer dan een jaar) over gedaan om Reis Voorbij Het Einde te lezen EN uit te lezen.
Om een lang verhaal kort te houden: De laatste hoofdstukken waren wel interessant om lezen, maar ik vond het einde, o.a. toen Dagnarus doodgestoken werd door K'let, een beetje dunnetjes. En ik ben blijkbaar niet de enige die dat vindt.
Precies of W&H hadden niet zoveel inspiratie meer en hebben er dan maar wat van gemaakt. Ook de dialogen waren niet meer zo hoogstaand. De trilogie heeft een open einde, en er kan dus zeker nog een vervolgtrilogie geschreven worden... moest men daar ooit tijd en goesting voor hebben.
Al bij al is De Verheven Steen een goeie trilogie, maar zeker niet het beste wat W&H al uit hun mouw, eh, pen, geschud hebben.
Om een lang verhaal kort te houden: De laatste hoofdstukken waren wel interessant om lezen, maar ik vond het einde, o.a. toen Dagnarus doodgestoken werd door K'let, een beetje dunnetjes. En ik ben blijkbaar niet de enige die dat vindt.
Precies of W&H hadden niet zoveel inspiratie meer en hebben er dan maar wat van gemaakt. Ook de dialogen waren niet meer zo hoogstaand. De trilogie heeft een open einde, en er kan dus zeker nog een vervolgtrilogie geschreven worden... moest men daar ooit tijd en goesting voor hebben.
Al bij al is De Verheven Steen een goeie trilogie, maar zeker niet het beste wat W&H al uit hun mouw, eh, pen, geschud hebben.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2019
Strong on characters, weak on plot, this book was enjoyable for the "moments in the lives" of the people that it portrayed, but little else.
Full spoiler review:
http://ossuslibrary.tripod.com/Bk_Fan...
Full spoiler review:
http://ossuslibrary.tripod.com/Bk_Fan...
August 24, 2017
.
This is definitely a worthwhile, fantasy, adventure that I enjoyed very much.
Would recommend!
This is definitely a worthwhile, fantasy, adventure that I enjoyed very much.
Would recommend!
September 20, 2025
Well I finally finished the series after picking up book 1 when it came out. My main complaint about this book in particular is that we spend a lot of time going over what already happened in book 2. I guess this is good if you read the books years apart, but it's annoying reading them back to back.
It has an ending that is quite a bit more than "They tried to save the world & x happened, the end" but still leaves me wanting more somehow. Maybe it's because I wanted to know more about the dragons? Or other aspects of the world that got left unexplored?
It has an ending that is quite a bit more than "They tried to save the world & x happened, the end" but still leaves me wanting more somehow. Maybe it's because I wanted to know more about the dragons? Or other aspects of the world that got left unexplored?
December 22, 2021
It is hard to rate these books, reread them because I read them many many years ago and certain snippets stuck with me. I really felt for some of these characters and wished I got more time with some and less with others and I did cry at one point but there was a lot of info dumping and repetition of stuff that had happened earlier. The ending seemed very rushed and contrived but i dont regret reading them
February 20, 2020
Reconozco con pesar que está última novela me ha costado terminarla.
Bastante lenta en muchas escenas y con historias paralelas que no aportan gran cosa a la trama, debo reconocer que me ha aburrido.
Ahora bien, el final de esta trilogía no puede ser más pobre.
No sé.... Esperaba mucho más.
Bastante lenta en muchas escenas y con historias paralelas que no aportan gran cosa a la trama, debo reconocer que me ha aburrido.
Ahora bien, el final de esta trilogía no puede ser más pobre.
No sé.... Esperaba mucho más.
February 16, 2021
The expected conclusion to the adventure trilogy. Similar quest cycle to LOTR. I liked book 3 better than the other two, but there were just too many trials with too many almost-fails concluding in a hard-to-follow climax.
February 5, 2025
A lacklustre conclusion and lots of recaps and scenes where characters explain to other characters what we just read. It was fine for earlier books in the series, but for the final book, it really was a waste of space.
September 28, 2017
Great series. A fun and enjoyable ride which kept me turning pages throughout. Highly recommended.
January 12, 2019
I feel sad that the journey have ended and happy that the end of it was satisfatory but i wouldn't mind coming back to the world of loerem someday.
January 26, 2021
Super spannend. Aber ein bisschen ein abrubtes Ende
February 16, 2021
A fitting ending
May 21, 2023
The final book in the trilogy finishes off the Sovereign Stone saga quite nicely.
May 9, 2025
My least favourite of the three books; an expected conclusion but overall enjoyed the Sovereign Stone trilogy.
3/5 stars ⭐️
3/5 stars ⭐️
November 21, 2014
Sometimes I wonder why the book titles I read could double for the state of our society today...
er...nevermind...
Journey Into the Void is the third and final book of the "Sovereign Stone" fantasy trilogy by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman. As I mentioned when I wrote about the second book, this trilogy is not part of the Dragonlance milieu but somewhat similar in that it is set in a D&D style world.
SPOILER ALERT: I don't normally do this but it sums up my feelings for the series so I have to mention it. I quite enjoyed the first book of the trilogy, especially the character of Gareth, the whipping boy, even though he ended up supporting the man who would become the great evil of the series. He, himself, committed all sort of evil acts and I guess I was hoping he would redeem himself at the end. He did put in an appearance but was not what I had hoped for, leaving the heroes of books 2 and 3 to save the day. Oh well. END SPOILER.
All in all this was a pretty good fantasy trilogy, especially if you enjoy the traditional fantasy setting. There are orcs and dwarves and elves and humans but they aren't always exactly as you might stereotypically expect those races to be. There are also some other creative races and sub races that all interact upon the stage. A fairly large cast of characters could have been confusing but I think the authors handled them well to avoid that. I also appreciated the magic system in use here, with the Dominion Lords and their magical armor. This won't go down as my all time favorite series but there is a lot to like about this set.
er...nevermind...
Journey Into the Void is the third and final book of the "Sovereign Stone" fantasy trilogy by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman. As I mentioned when I wrote about the second book, this trilogy is not part of the Dragonlance milieu but somewhat similar in that it is set in a D&D style world.
SPOILER ALERT: I don't normally do this but it sums up my feelings for the series so I have to mention it. I quite enjoyed the first book of the trilogy, especially the character of Gareth, the whipping boy, even though he ended up supporting the man who would become the great evil of the series. He, himself, committed all sort of evil acts and I guess I was hoping he would redeem himself at the end. He did put in an appearance but was not what I had hoped for, leaving the heroes of books 2 and 3 to save the day. Oh well. END SPOILER.
All in all this was a pretty good fantasy trilogy, especially if you enjoy the traditional fantasy setting. There are orcs and dwarves and elves and humans but they aren't always exactly as you might stereotypically expect those races to be. There are also some other creative races and sub races that all interact upon the stage. A fairly large cast of characters could have been confusing but I think the authors handled them well to avoid that. I also appreciated the magic system in use here, with the Dominion Lords and their magical armor. This won't go down as my all time favorite series but there is a lot to like about this set.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2016
I really wasn't sure about this trilogy when I first started reading it, but perseverance payed off. I'm quite satisfied by the way events panned out. This series is full of great characters and locations, and the twists taken on the usually stereotypical fantasy races (elves, dwarves, orcs/orks, halflings) are refreshing.
If I had one complaint, it's that the final leg of the journey feels very rushed. Weis and Hickman spent so much time developing this world, and in the end it all just felt like it was dropped in favor of reaching a resolution.
Perhaps my real problem is that this is it for Loerem - unless I can track down a copy of the game this is based on (and find people willing to play it), there are no more stories. And that's a shame, because I have a feeling that more tales of this world could have been great.
If I had one complaint, it's that the final leg of the journey feels very rushed. Weis and Hickman spent so much time developing this world, and in the end it all just felt like it was dropped in favor of reaching a resolution.
Perhaps my real problem is that this is it for Loerem - unless I can track down a copy of the game this is based on (and find people willing to play it), there are no more stories. And that's a shame, because I have a feeling that more tales of this world could have been great.
May 2, 2021
3.0 out of 5 stars
Leaning Towards 2 Stars Because of Ending
February 15, 2004
For the most part, I found this book to be much more engrossing than the other two. However, throughout it, I was worried about what the authors were going to do for the ending. I was right to worry. Essentially, Weis/Hickman just took a mechanistic approach to getting the ending done. Everyone in the book seems to have the same idea for winning the game: get to a certain place and do a certain thing. The only difference being the interpretation they put on things. And that's what happened. Basically, we have multiple paths leading, linearly, to the same point. I had hoped that the point would expand out to a big knot with twists and turns, plots and fights. But, unfortunately, it didn't happen. Everyone gets where they're going, waives their respective hands in the air, does the obvious, and, presto-chango, it's done. Phizzle. That, plus the constant introduction and subsequent dropping of various ***main*** characters throughout the book, makes it quite a let-down. In general, a decent trilogy. But, especially because of the ending, nothing to write home to Mom about.
Leaning Towards 2 Stars Because of Ending
February 15, 2004
For the most part, I found this book to be much more engrossing than the other two. However, throughout it, I was worried about what the authors were going to do for the ending. I was right to worry. Essentially, Weis/Hickman just took a mechanistic approach to getting the ending done. Everyone in the book seems to have the same idea for winning the game: get to a certain place and do a certain thing. The only difference being the interpretation they put on things. And that's what happened. Basically, we have multiple paths leading, linearly, to the same point. I had hoped that the point would expand out to a big knot with twists and turns, plots and fights. But, unfortunately, it didn't happen. Everyone gets where they're going, waives their respective hands in the air, does the obvious, and, presto-chango, it's done. Phizzle. That, plus the constant introduction and subsequent dropping of various ***main*** characters throughout the book, makes it quite a let-down. In general, a decent trilogy. But, especially because of the ending, nothing to write home to Mom about.
January 4, 2009
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this trilogy. I bought the first book on a lark to get an autographed copy at a con. usually I have a hard time getting into Weis and hickman's work. I usually don't find the characters relateable and the books seem slow paced.
What a difference in this trilogy! The story was well paced and I found myself eager to turn the page to see what happened next. This series gave me a lot of late nights. The characters were also very well drawn. No single character stands out as a main hero in the work. Thebook is filled with anti-heroes, reluctant heroes, villains and sympathetic villains. At the end I'm not sure if I consider Dagnarus (one of teh few characters to appear in all 3 books) to be a true villain. I found myself empathizing with him throughout the work.
I stringly recommend you pick up this series.
What a difference in this trilogy! The story was well paced and I found myself eager to turn the page to see what happened next. This series gave me a lot of late nights. The characters were also very well drawn. No single character stands out as a main hero in the work. Thebook is filled with anti-heroes, reluctant heroes, villains and sympathetic villains. At the end I'm not sure if I consider Dagnarus (one of teh few characters to appear in all 3 books) to be a true villain. I found myself empathizing with him throughout the work.
I stringly recommend you pick up this series.
banned
February 13, 2017I read this book (and it's precursors) some time ago, and while I remember enjoying the general story, I recall also being bothered by the rape and sexual content that was going on in these books.
I admit it - I thought the authors did a good job of showing that satisfying your lusts for various selfish things doesn't end up very well, and I appreciated that. All I'm saying is that some of those lusts still bother me, even years later.
I did get a little exasperated with the underlying borrowed structure of some things, such as there only being five colors of dragons - which rang strongly of D&D and Dragonlance. I would have liked a little more originality here, but whatever. It worked. There were some more original concepts going on, as well, so I can't complain very loudly.
Recommended for somewhat more mature audiences.
I admit it - I thought the authors did a good job of showing that satisfying your lusts for various selfish things doesn't end up very well, and I appreciated that. All I'm saying is that some of those lusts still bother me, even years later.
I did get a little exasperated with the underlying borrowed structure of some things, such as there only being five colors of dragons - which rang strongly of D&D and Dragonlance. I would have liked a little more originality here, but whatever. It worked. There were some more original concepts going on, as well, so I can't complain very loudly.
Recommended for somewhat more mature audiences.
March 2, 2009
Sam and I finished reading the final book in this trilogy. It was a realistic ending if not entirely satisfying to someone who likes a little more of the fairy tale. As with the previous two books in this series, the bad guys weren't always easy to hate and the good guys often came with a lot of warts. Dagnarus is ultimately conquered as the Lord of the Void, but not without a lot of turmoil. It seems unlikely that Loerem will ever be the same again.
October 4, 2009
This book is more linear than the previous two and the pacing is not as smooth, but most likely because it was trying to tie all the loose ends and culminate in a single event. The irony of the ending and what was written in the epilogue is the true message of the trilogy. Many readers did not take that message of irony well or simply could not appreciate it. I found the ending a really good match to how it all started and how futile and strangely repetitive and familiar life could be.
March 31, 2019
Too many convenient plot devices...
I'm glad the epilogue ended the story. Otherwise, I would have been tempted to buy another book.
WAY took many convenient plot devices and plot twists that straighten themselves after two pages.
The stories of Tanis Half Elven and Tasslehoff are apparently long away.
I'm glad the epilogue ended the story. Otherwise, I would have been tempted to buy another book.
WAY took many convenient plot devices and plot twists that straighten themselves after two pages.
The stories of Tanis Half Elven and Tasslehoff are apparently long away.
February 17, 2015
A good ending to this series. I believe the first two books were better, but it always seems authors invent strange ways to end an epic novel. No matter I highly recommend this series to any fantasy reader. Enjoy.
July 20, 2015
I wish the other two books were as good as this one. Unfortunately you have to get through the first two to know what's going on in this one but at least it was worth reading the other two books for.
June 5, 2008
This was my favorite of the series. I guess I liked seeing everything worked out. And I really like Silwyth in this book.
September 5, 2008
A quality ending to an entertaining series.
June 8, 2009
Good world building, but poor characterization far too often, and a poorly constructed plot. Might have worked better as two trilogies.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews