What do you think?
Rate this book
The Osserian Saga #3
The Commanding Stone
Gerin, King of Khedesh, has long since accepted the mantle of Amber Wizard—the first in a millennium—with all the terrible responsibility that accompanies it. He has prevented the dread wizard-king, Asankaru, from attaining the all-powerful Words of Making, but the enemy grows stronger by the day. And now Gerin must be resolute and pursue the secret of the Words at any and all cost. For a new foe has emerged in a furious race toward a magical artifact that can awaken and command monsters long thought dead. And nothing will survive the devastation wrought by dragon fire.
- GenresFantasyMagicEpic Fantasy
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
82 people want to read
About the author
David Forbes
5 books14 followersDavid Forbes lives near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with his wife and two children, a very talkative cat named Pumpkin, and a not-very-bright ferret named Hip-Hop who has yet to realize that you do not poop in room corners. He spends his days as a credit union marketing executive and dons his not-very-secret alternate persona of novelist during whatever little spare time he has left in the evenings, on weekends, vacations, and the occasional holiday.
Forbes (this is me writing in the third person. For those of you who’ve always wondered who writes the author’s bios for books, the secret is now out of the bag) is the author of the bestselling epic fantasy series THE OSSERIAN SAGA, published by HarperCollins, as well as the mainstream novel LIFE LINE.
He is currently working on a young adult trilogy called THE LOST GARDEN, about a teenage girl named Abbey Howard who finds herself pursued by an immortal empress who believes Abbey is a threat to her immortality. Abbey finds protection in the arms of the new kid in school, hunky Caleb Powell. He and his family are secretly witches who protect ordinary people from the very real monsters that go bump in the night. The individual titles of each book are THE SAPPHIRE EYE, THE BLACK FLAME, and THE WHITE ROSE. He’s also preparing an urban fantasy novel called THE RUTHLESS DEAD, about a half-angel security consultant who’s marked for possession by an ancient Greek vampire.
More information about all of these titles can be found at the author’s website, www.davidforbes.net.
Forbes (this is me writing in the third person. For those of you who’ve always wondered who writes the author’s bios for books, the secret is now out of the bag) is the author of the bestselling epic fantasy series THE OSSERIAN SAGA, published by HarperCollins, as well as the mainstream novel LIFE LINE.
He is currently working on a young adult trilogy called THE LOST GARDEN, about a teenage girl named Abbey Howard who finds herself pursued by an immortal empress who believes Abbey is a threat to her immortality. Abbey finds protection in the arms of the new kid in school, hunky Caleb Powell. He and his family are secretly witches who protect ordinary people from the very real monsters that go bump in the night. The individual titles of each book are THE SAPPHIRE EYE, THE BLACK FLAME, and THE WHITE ROSE. He’s also preparing an urban fantasy novel called THE RUTHLESS DEAD, about a half-angel security consultant who’s marked for possession by an ancient Greek vampire.
More information about all of these titles can be found at the author’s website, www.davidforbes.net.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 3, 2015
I really wanted to love these books. I read one,two, and three...not for pleasure but more of stubbornness and a hope that it would get better.
It is very doubtful that I would continue the series unless I was desperate or bored.
As always, this is my opinion only. Please try the book for yourself and make your own choice. It just might be your next favorite even if it wasn't mine.
It is very doubtful that I would continue the series unless I was desperate or bored.
As always, this is my opinion only. Please try the book for yourself and make your own choice. It just might be your next favorite even if it wasn't mine.
July 26, 2022
Each new fantasy novel by David Forbes is better than his last. This third, and final, novel of his Osserian trilogy I enjoyed very much. The only let down probably had more to do with HaperCollins than the author. This book series was clearly meant to continue on. That being said, it was still an entertaining read.
THE CHARACTERS.
4 OUT OF 5 STARS
I can finally say all the characters can stand on their own and are mostly likeable. Gerin, while not my favorite, is a hero I began to root for. The others, as in my previous reviews, I enjoyed learning more and more about. I was a tad disappointed Therain wasn’t featured as much in this one as he had been in book 2 but we still got to visit him briefly a few times. I also enjoyed and had hoped to get to know Nyene more in future books. I still think the book (and book series as a whole) struggled on the villian(s). Overall though, I’ve really grown to enjoy the characters created.
THE WORLD BUILDING.
3.5 OUT OF 5 STARS
I actually hesitated to even include this for this review. There really wasn’t a lot of descriptive world building in this one that jumps to mind. The towers and they’re short chapter long journey had some geographical and architectural mentions but otherwise I can’t recall anything specific. Again, Mr. Forbes was short and sweet with his world building. As someone who tends to glaze over when reading pages of descriptive minutiae I appreciated his presentation.
THE PLOT
3.5 OUT OF 5 STARS
This is where the book was both enjoyable yet confusing/frustrating at places.
* The Villain Conundrum.
* Book 1: Villain is angry ghost
* Book 2: Villain is army bent on converting world to their beliefs
* Book 3: Boy who commands dragons at behest of evil guy
All 3 books do mention the Adversary that’s manifesting in the world but we still haven’t met him after 3 books.
* Book 1. Nothing from The Amber Wizard is really prudent or necessary to book 2 and 3. The only takeaways are: Gerin is a Wizard and a sizable list of characters introduced. I can only assume Forbes would’ve tied book one more into the story in future books (such as Reshel’s new religious cult, the tribal groups that rallied against the kingdom the disappeared from the story completely, etc.)
- Therain’s Sudden Gift. This seemed so random and unprovoked that it’s ridiculous. It just so “happens” to manifest when he suddenly needs it?
- Claressa’s Betrayal
CONCLUSION.
This could’ve really turned into something had the author and/or publisher finished out the series. So much was left unresolved and incomplete. The story was finally engaging to a point it became hard to put down. I hope in the future we can get a final novel to wrap everything up but not all things in life have a clean ending.
Stay nerdy my friends!
THE CHARACTERS.
4 OUT OF 5 STARS
I can finally say all the characters can stand on their own and are mostly likeable. Gerin, while not my favorite, is a hero I began to root for. The others, as in my previous reviews, I enjoyed learning more and more about. I was a tad disappointed Therain wasn’t featured as much in this one as he had been in book 2 but we still got to visit him briefly a few times. I also enjoyed and had hoped to get to know Nyene more in future books. I still think the book (and book series as a whole) struggled on the villian(s). Overall though, I’ve really grown to enjoy the characters created.
THE WORLD BUILDING.
3.5 OUT OF 5 STARS
I actually hesitated to even include this for this review. There really wasn’t a lot of descriptive world building in this one that jumps to mind. The towers and they’re short chapter long journey had some geographical and architectural mentions but otherwise I can’t recall anything specific. Again, Mr. Forbes was short and sweet with his world building. As someone who tends to glaze over when reading pages of descriptive minutiae I appreciated his presentation.
THE PLOT
3.5 OUT OF 5 STARS
This is where the book was both enjoyable yet confusing/frustrating at places.
* The Villain Conundrum.
* Book 1: Villain is angry ghost
* Book 2: Villain is army bent on converting world to their beliefs
* Book 3: Boy who commands dragons at behest of evil guy
All 3 books do mention the Adversary that’s manifesting in the world but we still haven’t met him after 3 books.
* Book 1. Nothing from The Amber Wizard is really prudent or necessary to book 2 and 3. The only takeaways are: Gerin is a Wizard and a sizable list of characters introduced. I can only assume Forbes would’ve tied book one more into the story in future books (such as Reshel’s new religious cult, the tribal groups that rallied against the kingdom the disappeared from the story completely, etc.)
- Therain’s Sudden Gift. This seemed so random and unprovoked that it’s ridiculous. It just so “happens” to manifest when he suddenly needs it?
- Claressa’s Betrayal
CONCLUSION.
This could’ve really turned into something had the author and/or publisher finished out the series. So much was left unresolved and incomplete. The story was finally engaging to a point it became hard to put down. I hope in the future we can get a final novel to wrap everything up but not all things in life have a clean ending.
Stay nerdy my friends!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2013
I thought this was meant to be a trilogy and I was proven wrong. What a let down. Since there really is no greater character development or any great character to remain and the writing style is simply too poor for my taste I decided to stop reading (as in skipping paragraphs just to get to the point) this "series" with this book. It's a waste of money to buy it. It doesn't even have good covers.
May 18, 2020
Always feel cheated when I read a series only to find that the author has never bothered to complete it
February 6, 2025
A worthy addition to the series
Other characters conveniently coming into magic powers? Give them something interesting to do? It was a fun read but I think the series will be judged on how it ends. I found some of the characterization a tad simplistic. Nevertheless a fun story that kept me going. Hence the stars.
Other characters conveniently coming into magic powers? Give them something interesting to do? It was a fun read but I think the series will be judged on how it ends. I found some of the characterization a tad simplistic. Nevertheless a fun story that kept me going. Hence the stars.
December 27, 2022
The third book in a n-book series (where n is any number greather than three). Unfortunately the writer called it quits after this book. He didn't even give an outline of how he planned to have the storyline go from here.
Which makes this a giant waste of time.
Which makes this a giant waste of time.
May 16, 2015
The cover and back blurb of the book are what drew me in. I love good sci-fi/fantasy stories. I had not read the first two books of the series, but figured I would seek them out if this, the third book, was a good read.
Briefly: In a time of magic and feudal societies, a great force from another land and dimension is poised to overwhelm and destroy life in the country of Osseria. Gerin Atreyano, King of Khedesh and Amber Wizard, may be the key to routing this assault and saving his known world. It is an epic task, one which will be complicated by a lone man who knows little of it, but who has stumbled upon an artifact that gives him power beyond his wildest imagination.
[Spoiler Alert: Don’t read this next part if you plan to read the book!]
Tolkein-esque map aside, the opening hook was good. It introduced what I presumed was going to be the lead character, Tyne Fedron. The story line was solid. It held my interest. But…the further I read, the more frustrated I became. A case of excessive backstory created most of this frustration. Between the legacies of assorted historical figures, battles, settlements, discoveries, etc. I almost felt as if I were reading the Bible instead of a fantasy novel. I don’t mean to sound unkind, but it was impossible to ignore. A certain amount of backstory is necessary, and when slipped in at key moments, adds greatly to the reader’s understanding. Unfortunately, there were a lot of instances where the background information was superfluous and did not move the plot forward – it seemed to exist for its own sake. The other main irritant was the role of Tyne, the character who started off this whole book. He was built up in such a manner as to suggest that he was going to be a rough, rather nasty anti-hero who would later be redeemed, yet he all but disappeared for long stretches. It becomes obvious that Gerin is the true protagonist. Tyne is in a position to change the balance of power in both worlds, yet he fades into an afterthought that resurfaces near the end. The story of the dragons was worthy of far more detail. Indeed, from the start of the book, I assumed they would be a large part of the story. They really weren’t, though, and Tyne remained bizarre and unlikeable.
All that aside, I still might read the first two books -- to find out more about this world, but I’m not overly motivated. I hope they do not have the same issues. Forbes is a genuinely good storyteller who needs more developmental editing to be a really great storyteller.
Briefly: In a time of magic and feudal societies, a great force from another land and dimension is poised to overwhelm and destroy life in the country of Osseria. Gerin Atreyano, King of Khedesh and Amber Wizard, may be the key to routing this assault and saving his known world. It is an epic task, one which will be complicated by a lone man who knows little of it, but who has stumbled upon an artifact that gives him power beyond his wildest imagination.
[Spoiler Alert: Don’t read this next part if you plan to read the book!]
Tolkein-esque map aside, the opening hook was good. It introduced what I presumed was going to be the lead character, Tyne Fedron. The story line was solid. It held my interest. But…the further I read, the more frustrated I became. A case of excessive backstory created most of this frustration. Between the legacies of assorted historical figures, battles, settlements, discoveries, etc. I almost felt as if I were reading the Bible instead of a fantasy novel. I don’t mean to sound unkind, but it was impossible to ignore. A certain amount of backstory is necessary, and when slipped in at key moments, adds greatly to the reader’s understanding. Unfortunately, there were a lot of instances where the background information was superfluous and did not move the plot forward – it seemed to exist for its own sake. The other main irritant was the role of Tyne, the character who started off this whole book. He was built up in such a manner as to suggest that he was going to be a rough, rather nasty anti-hero who would later be redeemed, yet he all but disappeared for long stretches. It becomes obvious that Gerin is the true protagonist. Tyne is in a position to change the balance of power in both worlds, yet he fades into an afterthought that resurfaces near the end. The story of the dragons was worthy of far more detail. Indeed, from the start of the book, I assumed they would be a large part of the story. They really weren’t, though, and Tyne remained bizarre and unlikeable.
All that aside, I still might read the first two books -- to find out more about this world, but I’m not overly motivated. I hope they do not have the same issues. Forbes is a genuinely good storyteller who needs more developmental editing to be a really great storyteller.
September 16, 2010
The 3rd book in the series and I'm beginning to get a taste of the Epic-ness of this saga. However there is just something that holds it back from being one of the great series (e.g. Sword of Truth, Malazan, The Wheel of Time, etc.) However that said if David keeps writing this series I will keep reading.
June 19, 2010
Good enough read by itself, didn't move the main story on much though!
August 6, 2010
This was fairly entertaining, but I felt the character development and worldbuilding were both a bit lacking.
May 21, 2012
This was a really great book, they just keep getting better. I just found out that there will not be a fourth which is a great shame.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews