The Stone of Alexandria

by Lleu Christopher

The fate of the world hinges on a battle over a mysterious magical Stone forged in ancient times.

456 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2000

Reviews

[M.J. Sewall · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were many great concepts and ideas in this book, but they got muddled by clunky dialogue, and a vast cast of characters that left me feeling connected to none of them. There were also plot threads and new characters that appeared late in the book that just got in the way. Some specific problems: the hero’s “mentor” is a useless jerk throughout that neither helps him, or has much of a point. Even his character’s payoff at the end left me feeling blah. Overall, there was a lack of tension in the plot – yes, everyone was looking for the stone, but there were no tight scrapes, chases, standoffs – even the body/time jumping didn’t add any tension. No one had any idea what the stone did (nearly) the entire book – I mean, nobody. Why did they all want it so bad? Never answered – it was simply the “McGuffin” which never felt powerful, until the climax – which felt rushed. The political intrigue subplot was useless, the love triangle fell flat – no one cared what happened to Jane, including Jane. There was a baffling switching of locations (west coast from east coast) which seemed needless. The only black character in the book was a generic, threatening thug. Really, the hero falls asleep when he was supposed to call the kidnappers? Then the kidnappers don’t care? Boring exposition and useless name/identity changes muddied the plot, slowed down the story. Phrases like “A wise decision to take” and “laughed out loud as if genuinely amused” left me shaking my head. With the teased history, concepts and ideas, I wanted to love this book. Mostly, I just wanted it to end.  

[Marcela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

The idea for the story was impressive but the story was difficult to get into. Not really my first choice for a book, but it was interesting.