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The Ea Cycle #1
The Lightstone
On the island continent of Ea, Morjin, immortal fallen angel and Lord of Lies, seeks to enslave the entire world, but can be destroyed by a legendary Lightstone. Valashu Elahad, the seventh and youngest Valeri prince of Mesh takes faithful Maram on a quest and discovers truths about friendship, courage, and love.
464 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
April 30, 2021
I'm mainly reading this epic fantasy series because the author wrote one of my absolute favorite epic SF series of all time and there just isn't enough of his works to go around. In other words, I simply needed more.
Of course, I don't mind epic fantasies at all so this was kind of a no-brainer.
First off, it has all the earmarks of the genre, with special emphasis on nods to the fantasy fields in general. A pretty standard Quest, some new-age ideas, and serious surface-nods to Lord of the Rings, David Eddings, and even WoT. I was even chortling at the idea that Harry Potter got a tiny nod, too, but it was the hark-harkback to the Silmarillion that really charmed me.
That's not to say that it was only good for the worldbuilding. I enjoyed everyone in the holy-grail quest and couldn't help but compare it happily to The Witcher, but this, of course, had a much straighter line to follow. As anyone might expect with a Quest, there may be many, many stops along the way, but the core rarely gets totally derailed.
I enjoyed it all. Simple, dire, and I got a kick out of all the characters. Fun, but not the best epic fantasy I've ever read, either. I appreciate it for its inclusions rather than how original it is.
Was it close to his other series? No. A few cool nods to the idea that they might all be on an alien world after traveling the stars, but this does not have anything of the scope of Requiem for Homo Sapiens.
Of course, I don't mind epic fantasies at all so this was kind of a no-brainer.
First off, it has all the earmarks of the genre, with special emphasis on nods to the fantasy fields in general. A pretty standard Quest, some new-age ideas, and serious surface-nods to Lord of the Rings, David Eddings, and even WoT. I was even chortling at the idea that Harry Potter got a tiny nod, too, but it was the hark-harkback to the Silmarillion that really charmed me.
That's not to say that it was only good for the worldbuilding. I enjoyed everyone in the holy-grail quest and couldn't help but compare it happily to The Witcher, but this, of course, had a much straighter line to follow. As anyone might expect with a Quest, there may be many, many stops along the way, but the core rarely gets totally derailed.
I enjoyed it all. Simple, dire, and I got a kick out of all the characters. Fun, but not the best epic fantasy I've ever read, either. I appreciate it for its inclusions rather than how original it is.
Was it close to his other series? No. A few cool nods to the idea that they might all be on an alien world after traveling the stars, but this does not have anything of the scope of Requiem for Homo Sapiens.
November 21, 2022
Echt mooie high-fantasy, leest goed door. Niet erg innovatief, maar dat hoeft ook niet. Wat het doet, doet het erg goed.
Erg mooie, ingewikkelde, worldbuilding. Daar hou ik erg van, moet wel maar net je ding zijn. Op sommige plaatsen is het best poëtisch, wat ik ook erg mooi vind. Hoe het gevecht tussen goed en kwaad is weergeven, is erg klassiek gedaan, maar voelt niet cliche. Ik vind het echt een top-boek.
Erg mooie, ingewikkelde, worldbuilding. Daar hou ik erg van, moet wel maar net je ding zijn. Op sommige plaatsen is het best poëtisch, wat ik ook erg mooi vind. Hoe het gevecht tussen goed en kwaad is weergeven, is erg klassiek gedaan, maar voelt niet cliche. Ik vind het echt een top-boek.
May 19, 2010
This book is a mixture of Lord of the Rings + the Grail Quest with a smattering of Harry Potter and the light buddhism the author threw into his Neverness books. While this may sound an unfair way to start a review, there is a strong sense of "I've seen this all before" throughout the whole book, in some cases to the extent that you can predict what's next. Whether this is due to common myth archetypes and situations or due to this being extremely derivative is up to the reader. But there is some very interesting writing here, even with the Deja Vu.
Valashu is a prince and the seventh son of a a king of a small mountain territory constantly warring with his neighbors. Valashu has a vision, and agrees to join a quest for a powerful artifact, the Lightstone, that was lost centuries ago. He assembles a ragtag bunch of friends for this quest, and is hunted by the Dark Lord who wishes the Lightstone for his own purposes. In summary, it is cliched, but Zindell does some interesting things with it. First off, Valashu is an empath. His blessing/curse of empathy is so extreme that each time he kills someone, he shares in the cold despair of their death; enough that he swears to never kill again, and ends up breaking that vow over and over. The novel is written in the first person, so there's an emphasis on internal states, feelings, and growing awareness of things happening.
There are some things familar, for better or worse, for fans of Zindell's work. The hero's best friend is named Maram, but he might as well be Bardo II. Valashu is Danlo, particularly Danlo in the Wild. This may put some people off, but it works in this circumstance.
Beyond all these criticisms, there's an excellent, well-written book here. If you can get beyond the "cliches" in the plot and the ever present sense of deja vu, there's alot of enjoyment to be had.
Valashu is a prince and the seventh son of a a king of a small mountain territory constantly warring with his neighbors. Valashu has a vision, and agrees to join a quest for a powerful artifact, the Lightstone, that was lost centuries ago. He assembles a ragtag bunch of friends for this quest, and is hunted by the Dark Lord who wishes the Lightstone for his own purposes. In summary, it is cliched, but Zindell does some interesting things with it. First off, Valashu is an empath. His blessing/curse of empathy is so extreme that each time he kills someone, he shares in the cold despair of their death; enough that he swears to never kill again, and ends up breaking that vow over and over. The novel is written in the first person, so there's an emphasis on internal states, feelings, and growing awareness of things happening.
There are some things familar, for better or worse, for fans of Zindell's work. The hero's best friend is named Maram, but he might as well be Bardo II. Valashu is Danlo, particularly Danlo in the Wild. This may put some people off, but it works in this circumstance.
Beyond all these criticisms, there's an excellent, well-written book here. If you can get beyond the "cliches" in the plot and the ever present sense of deja vu, there's alot of enjoyment to be had.
April 18, 2016
Many years ago, when my husband and I had only just met, he told me of a book series he'd just read, which had impressed him more than any other. This series was the Requiem for Homo Sapiens series by David Zindell.
He gave me them to read, and I understood why he'd been so impressed. The writing was beautiful. The story rich and detailed. A fantastic read all round.
So, when Zindell released a fantasy series, I pounced! While I love sci-fi, I prefer fantasy, and this really did not disappoint. There were some parallels with Requiem... and with many other tales too (King Arthur springs to mind!), but it is told with a grace that is all its own.
I'd been meaning to re-read the novels for a long time, and am glad I've finally gotten 'round to doing just that!
He gave me them to read, and I understood why he'd been so impressed. The writing was beautiful. The story rich and detailed. A fantastic read all round.
So, when Zindell released a fantasy series, I pounced! While I love sci-fi, I prefer fantasy, and this really did not disappoint. There were some parallels with Requiem... and with many other tales too (King Arthur springs to mind!), but it is told with a grace that is all its own.
I'd been meaning to re-read the novels for a long time, and am glad I've finally gotten 'round to doing just that!
August 7, 2007
I really enjoyed Zindell's previous books and waited a long time for this to come out in paperback, only to be very disappointed.
The first 100 pages were painfully boring as the book sets up very slowly, but it does get easier to read. Unfortunately it doesn't get better.
The book is a blatent mix of other fantasy books: the main character has a lightning bolt scar and an empathic link to the villain; the heroes quest for a magical cup (or grail) and get a magic sword from the "Lady of the Lake"; the group of travelers is accosted in the woods by what closely resembles elves; the magic system is based on gemstones, similar to R.A. Salvatore's Demon Wars books.
What's left is some paper-thin characters and motivation, with barely room for the metaphysical discussions that were the hallmark of his earlier work. Notably, there does seem to be some connection to his sci-fi series as apparently this world has origins in the stars and the concept of "shaida" resurfaces, along with some other references (the name of the ship, for example).
The book ends in the middle of the quest, in an odd place that feels unfinished, but that must be the result of this being a longer book cut in two.
I think I'll look for a cheap/paperback copy of the next book, just because I enjoyed the author's previous work so much and he deserves the opportunity to redeem himself, but this isn't a book I can recommend to anyone.
The first 100 pages were painfully boring as the book sets up very slowly, but it does get easier to read. Unfortunately it doesn't get better.
The book is a blatent mix of other fantasy books: the main character has a lightning bolt scar and an empathic link to the villain; the heroes quest for a magical cup (or grail) and get a magic sword from the "Lady of the Lake"; the group of travelers is accosted in the woods by what closely resembles elves; the magic system is based on gemstones, similar to R.A. Salvatore's Demon Wars books.
What's left is some paper-thin characters and motivation, with barely room for the metaphysical discussions that were the hallmark of his earlier work. Notably, there does seem to be some connection to his sci-fi series as apparently this world has origins in the stars and the concept of "shaida" resurfaces, along with some other references (the name of the ship, for example).
The book ends in the middle of the quest, in an odd place that feels unfinished, but that must be the result of this being a longer book cut in two.
I think I'll look for a cheap/paperback copy of the next book, just because I enjoyed the author's previous work so much and he deserves the opportunity to redeem himself, but this isn't a book I can recommend to anyone.
October 2, 2013
Seventh son Valashu Elahad, narrator, recites poems and too well-proven adages from his father and grandfather "the enemy of my enemy may not be my friend". Val senses emotions, feels the pain of others dying - too much too often too boring - so sets off on a quest with two companions to bring peace to the land of Ea, threatened by immortal conqueror Morjin aka Red Dragon, Lord of Lies. A mythical golden cup of gold gelstei "Lightstone" will bring "the sacred light". Maram is fat, lusty, lazy, seems friends only because by chance they save each other's lives. Old Master Juwain is a scholar, healer, of an academic monk-like Brotherhood. Lots of strange spelling, prophecies, odes. Yawn.
I skipped ahead. They don't trust Kane "brilliant black eyes and bold face bones of my people .. accent strange, .. snowy white hair cropped close .. moved like much younger" than 40 p 132, but he offers his help. Somewhere, they pick up Atara, a beautiful love for Val. In a forest infested with giant ticks and leeches, a shape-shifting hard-shelled bear also tries to suck their blood, Meliadus, son of Morjin. At the Island of Swans temple, a lovely Lady of the Lake bestows Val with the Sword of Light. At the last, still they continue "eastward, toward the great rising sun" p 397. Plus many appendices: heraldry, glossary.
I skipped ahead. They don't trust Kane "brilliant black eyes and bold face bones of my people .. accent strange, .. snowy white hair cropped close .. moved like much younger" than 40 p 132, but he offers his help. Somewhere, they pick up Atara, a beautiful love for Val. In a forest infested with giant ticks and leeches, a shape-shifting hard-shelled bear also tries to suck their blood, Meliadus, son of Morjin. At the Island of Swans temple, a lovely Lady of the Lake bestows Val with the Sword of Light. At the last, still they continue "eastward, toward the great rising sun" p 397. Plus many appendices: heraldry, glossary.
November 23, 2017
I originally got this as an Advance Reader Copy from a friend who worked in a bookstore, a fair few months before it was published. I have to admit that it sat on my bookshelf for a couple of weeks before I finally picked it up and began reading. Wow! What a fantastic book. I was immersed from the beginning and to my mind at least, so compelling were Zindell's character descriptions that I found myself initially despising the cowardly (dare I say, wimpish) Valashu in the first chapter, only to cheer him on as the book (and indeed series) progressed and he became a truly legendary hero. Although you could argue that the Ea Cycle is a variation of the typical fantasy journey, for me it remains one of my favourites, with fantastic character depth and progression, as well as superb landscapes and situations. As a result, I made sure that I got every one in the series on the day it was published in New Zealand and I'm not going to say how sad I was when halfway through the last book, I actually realised that the adventure was coming to an end. Well done David Zindell!
May 6, 2025
I first stumbled across this book in middle school and very quickly, I was immersed in it. The worldbuilding is impressive, filled with rich lore, beautiful prose and peppered with philosophical wisdom that spurs one to contemplate life. This book (and the entire EaCycle series) accompanied me throughout one of the darkest periods in my life, whisking me off to a fantastical faraway land. Till this day, it remains a source of comfort, like a warm blanket on a cold winter night. Truly, a timeless beloved read.
November 15, 2013
It was just getting more interesting and it just ended!
The "Lightstone" introduced me to another world with great history and magnificent places. Our protagonist was a kind, brave man it kinda reminded me of Aragorn!
The "Lightstone" introduced me to another world with great history and magnificent places. Our protagonist was a kind, brave man it kinda reminded me of Aragorn!
December 22, 2021
This reminds me a lot of reading Le Morte de Arthur. In both good and bad ways.
It's epic in scale, and mythic-feeling. The writing has a sort of poetry to it that fits the theme, and I enjoy reading it.
It's also kind of lame from the standpoint of modern plotted stories. Our Heroes decide to Go On A Quest, and then they just sort of mill around hoping something quest-like will happen to them. Very much like the knights of the Round Table in Arthur. Which isn't nearly as ludicrous as the fact that something always does happen. There's no real coherent story here. They are destined by prophecy to be 7 people with 7 magic stones who find the holy grail. And that being the case, no matter what they do, and through no directed effort of their own, they trip over people and magic stones until they add up to 7. And then they wander into and back out of the highly-defended stronghold of the enemy, getting through presumably because they are fated to, as otherwise it makes no sense whatsoever. And then they go and stop a war by saying "Stop! Or I shall say Stop a second time!"... and everyone just decides to listen to them because magic.
You never believe any of the dialog, or most of the action, comes from real people, any more than Sir Gawain feels like a real person in reading Malory. These are good myths, just not really great stories.
It's epic in scale, and mythic-feeling. The writing has a sort of poetry to it that fits the theme, and I enjoy reading it.
It's also kind of lame from the standpoint of modern plotted stories. Our Heroes decide to Go On A Quest, and then they just sort of mill around hoping something quest-like will happen to them. Very much like the knights of the Round Table in Arthur. Which isn't nearly as ludicrous as the fact that something always does happen. There's no real coherent story here. They are destined by prophecy to be 7 people with 7 magic stones who find the holy grail. And that being the case, no matter what they do, and through no directed effort of their own, they trip over people and magic stones until they add up to 7. And then they wander into and back out of the highly-defended stronghold of the enemy, getting through presumably because they are fated to, as otherwise it makes no sense whatsoever. And then they go and stop a war by saying "Stop! Or I shall say Stop a second time!"... and everyone just decides to listen to them because magic.
You never believe any of the dialog, or most of the action, comes from real people, any more than Sir Gawain feels like a real person in reading Malory. These are good myths, just not really great stories.
May 22, 2018
If you take Lord of the Rings mash it together with Arthurian Legend and then throw in Tinkerbell this is what you get.
April 21, 2019
Old wossname sure is wordy. He can’t turn his head without going into a two-page reverie about the sun glinting on the mountaintops, or some such. Quite dull.
July 30, 2018
I read part one and two as a teenager, now about fifteen years ago. I think that if I bought part three today, I could dive right into it without feeling lost.
Whether or not that's a good thing is up for debate.
Though the book is nicely written, it's impossible to overstate just how much of a cliché it is. There is hardly a single original thought to be found in Zindell's writing. It's the Hero's Journey in a high-fantasy setting all over again, and almost every story element or plot twist can be traced back to The Lord of the Rings, or the myths of King Arthur, Lucifer, and Prometheus. The world of Ea is immersive and magical, but certainly not nuanced, as few characters exist on a different ethical plane other than "angelic good" or "pure evil".
That said, it's by no means a bad book for those who just want to lose themselves in a fantasy epic, provided that you have a high tolerance for clichés.
Whether or not that's a good thing is up for debate.
Though the book is nicely written, it's impossible to overstate just how much of a cliché it is. There is hardly a single original thought to be found in Zindell's writing. It's the Hero's Journey in a high-fantasy setting all over again, and almost every story element or plot twist can be traced back to The Lord of the Rings, or the myths of King Arthur, Lucifer, and Prometheus. The world of Ea is immersive and magical, but certainly not nuanced, as few characters exist on a different ethical plane other than "angelic good" or "pure evil".
That said, it's by no means a bad book for those who just want to lose themselves in a fantasy epic, provided that you have a high tolerance for clichés.
February 5, 2011
I read this years ago now, and I'm am still itching to read the next book.
This story was so easy to fall into, it's a mixture of the legend of the grail, and I thought the Arthurian legend also. It's kind of like they are living out our legends from Earth, on there own world Ea? You're introduced to the main character at the very beginning of the story, and you feel for him instantly. He is the seventh son of a King, but is not recognized as a prince, as you have to earn your station, you are not just merely born into it. This concept I liked. He sets out with two other companions on the quest for The Lightstone, and the party grows along the way, and the quest continues. I don't want to give too much away so I won't say anything else other then Zindell does a wonderful job of making you enjoy the company of all the characters involved. That's one thing that I look for and love in a story, you have to be able to connect/care for/enjoy the characters who are in it. He does this so well.
At the very end of the copy that I have, it gives you a prelude to Zindell's book, The Silver Sword. I read the first two pages of this, (not wanting to get too into it because I still don't have this book yet) and it is a continuation of where The Lightstone ends. But, when you look at the book orders online, the second book of the Saga is called The Lord Of Lies. I'm pretty sure the The Silver Sword is supposed to be the sequel, that is the order that I am going to read it in anyway. If anyone could clear this up for me would be greatly appreciated =)
This story was so easy to fall into, it's a mixture of the legend of the grail, and I thought the Arthurian legend also. It's kind of like they are living out our legends from Earth, on there own world Ea? You're introduced to the main character at the very beginning of the story, and you feel for him instantly. He is the seventh son of a King, but is not recognized as a prince, as you have to earn your station, you are not just merely born into it. This concept I liked. He sets out with two other companions on the quest for The Lightstone, and the party grows along the way, and the quest continues. I don't want to give too much away so I won't say anything else other then Zindell does a wonderful job of making you enjoy the company of all the characters involved. That's one thing that I look for and love in a story, you have to be able to connect/care for/enjoy the characters who are in it. He does this so well.
At the very end of the copy that I have, it gives you a prelude to Zindell's book, The Silver Sword. I read the first two pages of this, (not wanting to get too into it because I still don't have this book yet) and it is a continuation of where The Lightstone ends. But, when you look at the book orders online, the second book of the Saga is called The Lord Of Lies. I'm pretty sure the The Silver Sword is supposed to be the sequel, that is the order that I am going to read it in anyway. If anyone could clear this up for me would be greatly appreciated =)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2008
Wow. This book was intensely boring.
Because the world needed another bad Grail quest rip-off. It can't even wrap up the story in its 500-odd pages. I was only still reading at that point to see if the end would be worth it, and then it was "to be continued!" It felt like the first part of an RPG. First we collect the party members, then we collect each person's special power, then we get the Master Sword.
Oh, and if the description of the main character makes me burst out laughing on the subway, then immediately check the publication date, that doesn't bode well for any "serious" book.
Because the world needed another bad Grail quest rip-off. It can't even wrap up the story in its 500-odd pages. I was only still reading at that point to see if the end would be worth it, and then it was "to be continued!" It felt like the first part of an RPG. First we collect the party members, then we collect each person's special power, then we get the Master Sword.
Oh, and if the description of the main character makes me burst out laughing on the subway, then immediately check the publication date, that doesn't bode well for any "serious" book.
December 14, 2010
I found this book to be a lot of borrowed themes and ideas from other books. It sucked. I would not recommend this book to anyone. Ever. This book is just another one of those Let's go on a quest book. So unoriginal.
March 28, 2009
I don't know... this one kind of bored me... and, seriously, the main character had a lightning bolt scar on his forehead--can we say Harry Potter?!!!!
Want to read
October 30, 2010Mentioned in Writing the Breakout Novel.
August 5, 2011
I gave up after chapter 5. Yawn
October 4, 2011
Slow to start, but gets more interesting as progresses. Some characterizations too thin and alot of plot elements very common in the fantasy questing traditions, but I'll give the sequel a try.
May 17, 2012
I was really in the mood for this book, so I pushed through it. It really was very Lotr-esque.But not. I was in the mood for the quest template so I had moment of pleasure, but really ehh.
Read
September 27, 20078.8 out of 10 : historical sci-fic. story
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