Win a signed copy of Stonewiser: The Lament of the Stone
- 10 February 2011
- Gerard Wood
The Lament of the Stone, the third and final chapter in Dora Machado’s refreshingly original Stonewiser series, will be available from 28 February 2011. We’ve followed the development of this fantasy series with great interest since the first novel, The Heart of the Stone, landed on our desk for review back in 2008. It's not often that a debut novel grabs our attention as fully as this one did, and it's been particularly satisfying to watch the first and second novels garner praise and a number of awards, including the 2009 Benjamin Franklin Award for best Debut Novel.
Through the generosity of Mermaid Press and Dora Machado, we have three signed copies of Stonewiser: The Lament of the Stone to give away. All you need to do for a chance to get a copy is send us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your name and postal address by 28 February 2011. If you want Dora to personalise a message, be sure to let us know (otherwise she'll simply sign the book). The signed books will go to the first three names selected randomly on 1 March.
If you're unfamiliar with the series, this is what we had to say about Dora Machado's writing when we reviewed The Call of the Stone:
"A strength of Machado's fantasy is the realism with which people and situations are handled... Machado achieves a furious forward motion in her writing by refusing to allow her characters to control situations. Their understanding of events, situations and people is almost always incomplete and no matter how careful the planning, events unfold unpredictably... it's testament to the author's commitment to a grim and gritty realism that she appears to refuse to resolve the story's complexity by resorting to a simplistic idealism... For all its magic and wonder, Machado's fantasy is not escapist, and despite the humour and elements of romance it's not for the faint-hearted. There's a commitment to reality in these pages that makes for grim and yet satisfying reading... ultimately this is intelligent, thought-provoking and entertaining fiction.”
You can read our reviews of the first two novels here:Stonewiser: The Heart of the Stone
Stonewiser: The Call of the Stone
as well as an interview with Dora.
And look out for our review of Stonewiser: The Lament of the Stone in coming weeks. In the meantime, here are some words from the marketing machine about the new novel:
Stonewiser: The Lament of the Stone is the final chapter of Machado’s award-winning trilogy. It chronicles the journey of Sariah, a young and gifted stonewiser, banished from her homeland and on the run from certain death. Sariah’s journey comes full circle as she and Kael, the rebel leader who loves her, challenge the stones, defy the goddess Meliahs, and confront their cursed fates. As the war escalates and the rot ravages the Goodlands, Sariah and Kael are chasing after a stolen child. The child, who has been taken by the Guild's most powerful ruler, is said to be the only one capable of bringing peace to a land in chaos. He is also their son. He is in the hands of a deceitful enemy who has fled to the mysterious ruler Treodes, a rival deity with unfathomable powers pledged to destroy the goddess and eradicate stonewising from the world. What ensues is an epic tale, full of peril, romance, and drama.
Through Stonewiser: The Lament of the Stone, a rebellion rises throughout the Goodlands and Sariah becomes a symbol of hope for a people who have been divided by prejudice and enslavement. While confronting the evil around her, Sariah epitomises the pursuit of good, the embodiment of truth, and the symbol of hope for a world that lies in shambles, not so different from our own. Only by embracing her destiny does she stand a chance to save her child and her world.
More than just a fast-paced fantasy adventure, Stonewiser: The Lament of the Stone offers searing commentary on humanity’s infamous weaknesses presented against an evocative background of humanity’s enduring strengths – courage, perseverance, and hope. Sariah challenges the accepted truth when she realises it is a lie, just as we are called to question what the media and society present to us as facts. Instead of following the Guild blindly, she flees only to discover a world beyond the stones and the challenges this new reality poses. Like Sariah, readers can either choose to ignore the truth, or they can choose to interpret and acknowledge the injustices that so often go unnoticed.
The third and final book in the Stonewiser Series has arrived, bringing Dora Machado’s epic fantasy adventure to a close. Following the incredible success of Stonewiser: The Heart of the Stone, winner of the 2009 Benjamin Franklin Award for best Debut Novel in all genres and 2009 ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year Finalist, and Stonewiser: The Call of the Stone, Winner of the 2010 IPPY Gold Medal in Science Fiction/Fantasy and ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year Finalist, Stonewiser: The Lament of the Stone enchants the reader with a spell-binding combination of action, adventure, intrigue, and romance that only Machado can deliver.
1 March 2011: Winners of the competition
Congratulations to:
- Len (Ontario)
- Roy (Buffalo, MN)
- Gus (Dessau, Germany)
Over the years we’ve received a lot of novels for review, an...
Congratulations to the four winners of our Stonewiser: The C...
SFFMedia congratulates Dora Machado on the nomination of her...
Through the generosity of Mermaid Press and Dora Machado we ...
Stonewiser: The Call of the Stone is the second volume in ...
Dora Machado’s debut novel, Stonewiser: The Heart of the Sto...
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