My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Set in the same world as Elizabeth Bear’s Eternal Sky trilogy, The Stone in the Skull tells the story of the Lotus Kingdoms, where two separate rulers attempt to overcome dangerous omens and the threat of war to protect their people.

This was my first Elizabeth Bear novel and it certainly won’t be my last. I can’t say I’ve read anything so gorgeously written with a setting so brilliantly realized.

I wasn’t sure that this book was for me in the very beginning, but by the second chapter I was completely hooked. This chapter introduces Mrithuri, the ruling rajni of Sarathai-tia, in beautiful fashion. In this section and beyond, Bear infuses the narrative with colors, aromas, tastes, and the like. It’s a masterclass in how to appeal to the senses of the reader. This amount of detail further enriches a fascinating setting, where unique customs and the physical makeup of the world combine to form a finely woven tapestry of worldbuilding.

Although the Gage and the Dead Man are billed as the main characters, it’s really Mrithuri and Sayeh who steal the show. They are strong, regal leaders who care deeply about their reigns and their people. I moved slowly through their sections to better savor each moment of their beautiful storylines.

All in all, The Stone in the Skull is one of the best books I’ve read in a good long while. It is fresh, engaging, and was a joy to read. I look forward to the sequel and a return to this wonderful world.

Elizabeth Bear creates a complex world in The Stone in the Skull. There are different civilizations, different gods, different magics, different forms of life and different skies, all on the same planet. The story is good. It draws you in and slowly reveals secrets in a way that keeps you turning pages.

The book opens in Steles of the Sky with a brass man, The Gage, hauling pulling a ship over a mountain pass as it ported between rivers. The Gage is not really a man, anymore, and is so much more than a man in strength and intelligence. I liked him immediately. There was something about him, a sense of honesty and/or decency, that came through early in the book and never left. Traveling with The Gage is the Dead Man. He is not really dead. The name is a job title that related to his former profession. The Dead Man and The Gage have worked together for years and have a fondness for each other. This unique friendship formed, in my opinion, the spine of the story. Everything was some how related to the two friends.

The other main characters in the book live in the Lotus Kingdoms on the other side of the mountains that The Gage and the Dead Man were crossing. Several kingdoms, all related by blood and formerly one kingdom, jostle for power. The gods are different in the southern and the customs are different. Mrithuri, 24 years old and unmarried, rules one of the kingdoms. Her cousin and uncles circle her waiting for the first sign of weakness to steal her kingdom for themselves. Mrithuri, the Dead Man and The Gage are bound together, although they do not know each other, by the secret entrusted to the two friends to be delivered to Mrithuri’s kingdom.

The universe The Stone in the Skull takes place in is complex. I read the ARC in an ebook format. I think it would have been helpful to have access to basic maps, a glossary and maybe a cast of characters listing. Other readers may not have the same issue I did. I plan on rereading the book in a few months and I am sure it will flow better for me then.

The Stone in the Skull is the first in a planned trilogy. It does end with a cliffhanger. This is the second book by Elizabeth Bear I have read, the first being the fantastic Karen Memory. I recommend The Stone in the Skull for all fans of fantasy.

Hey my Bookish Friends! Look how AMAZING this cover is? It's literally one of the main reasons I requested it. This book was given to me from the publishers via NetGalley and I literally shrieked a little when I got the notification! I say shriek but I may have just gasped very loud. I'm not a shrieking kind of gal. haha. 

Anyways.. I gave this 4 Stars! Only gave it 4 for my own selfish reasons because I haven't read any of Bear's other fantasy novels and I want to now. A friend told me that this series is like a parallel to one of her other series so with that in mind, I just felt like I was missing something. 

Okay, onto my actual review of this glorious book.

I don't even know where to start. At first I was a little confused by what was going on, but I was quickly caught up. There is not a doubt in my mind that Elizabeth Bear pours her heart and soul into the world building for her novels because this one was unlike one I've read before. Absolutely loved that you could sense the authors love for her words and characters while reading this! There are four different POVs in this novel which I actually enjoyed because it wasn't overly exaggerated. I was never lost with these characters. It makes the reader respect them and follow the story line better. What I mean is that you aren't trying to figure out who is who and who is meant to do such-and-such. 

Very beautifully written and I honestly think I will come back to this novel after I find her other novels. I always love reading fantasy and Elizabeth Bear is now an author I truly want to read more from. 

If you love Fantasy books then I highly recommend this one to you!

Much Love,

DauntlessReading

I recently finished "The Stone in the Skull" by Elizabeth Bear. I had not read any of the prior books set in this world (Eternal Sky Series). The author is very vivid in her descriptions of the landscapes and the world she is creating. This series is entitled "The Lotus Kingdoms". It is a fantasy realm similar to what I would describe as an ancient India. In these Lotus Kingdoms, there are Raja and Rajni. However, the Rajni rule in name only until either they marry or have a male heir. Don't be fooled into thinking that the Rajni are women you can push around. They are very capable leaders in their own right. We are also introduced to a Gage, an automaton, and a Dead Man, a mercenary. The Gage was human at one time and through an alchemical process was transformed into a mechanical being capable of independent thought and possessing great physical strength and longevity., The gage's companion, the Dead Man, was a soldier for a Caliph who history we do not know but is apparently no longer with us. He is loyal but cautious and revers his Scholar-God. He conceals his face behind a veil. This makes him mysterious and a more imposing figure. The novel opens with the Gage and the Dead Man on a mission to deliver a message and a package to the Rajni of one of the Lotus Kingdoms. There are many dangers on the mountains roads and they travel by Iceboat on ice, roads and rivers. There are hostile forces at work in the Lotus Kingdoms and the augeries are not favorable. There is something simmering beneath surface and it is waiting to emerge. The tension builds up to the very end of the book but unfortunately, we have to wait for the next volume to see how things unfold. I really enjoyed the world that Elizabeth Bear creates. I could visualize in splendid detail the courts of the two Rajni and the world in which they live. I look forward to reading the second volume.

Ahoy there me mateys! I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .

the stone in the skull (Elizabeth Bear)

Title: the stone and the skull

Author: Elizabeth Bear

Publisher: Macmillian-Tor/Forge

Publication Date: TOMORROW!! (hardback/e-book)

ISBN: 978-0765380135

Source: NetGalley

The first and only book I have read up to this point by Elizabeth Bear was karen memory way back in the days before I had a blog. And I adored it. So when I heard she was releasing the first book in a new trilogy I just had to have it. I starting reading this one in me bunk as day was turning to dusk and I didn't finish it until night was turning into dawn. No sleep for me! But it was so worth it. The book completely and utterly fit me mood in that moment. I do so love when that happens.

The story starts out with two people in a caravan trying to get to their destination in order to deliver the message of utmost importance entrusted to them. One is a brass automaton who once was human. The other is a human called the Dead Man who was a body guard for a ruler who no longer exists. I adored their friendship. Later add in an odd priest and many highly unique strong female rulers. Plus light politics, intrigue and fantastic character relationships.

The beginning was an explosive entry into the world and while the pace slowed a little after that, I was obviously engrossed. The world building is fantastic, the characters are extremely diverse, and I couldn't guess many of the plot twists. The relationships between characters stood out for me and I loved getting further hints into backstories and motivations as I read. The only small quibble that I had was there were some insta-lust-ish relationships and a sex scene that was rather abrupt and unnecessary. I didn't hate it but would have preferred these things to have been removed or handled differently. That said I would recommend this book to fantasy readers and am keeping details of plot on the down low so readers can make their own journeys into the Lotus Kingdoms. I certainly will be reading the next book in the trilogy. I just don't want to have to wait so long.

So lastly . . .

Thank you Macmillian-Tor/Forge!

Netgalley's website has this to say about the novel:

Hugo Award–winning author Elizabeth Bear returns to her critically acclaimed epic fantasy world of the Eternal Sky with a brand new trilogy.

The Stone in the Skull, the first volume in her new trilogy, takes readers over the dangerous mountain passes of the Steles of the Sky and south into the Lotus Kingdoms.

The Gage is a brass automaton created by a wizard of Messaline around the core of a human being. His wizard is long dead, and he works as a mercenary. He is carrying a message from a the most powerful sorcerer of Messaline to the Rajni of the Lotus Kingdom. With him is The Dead Man, a bitter survivor of the body guard of the deposed Uthman Caliphate, protecting the message and the Gage. They are friends, of a peculiar sort.

They are walking into a dynastic war between the rulers of the shattered bits of a once great Empire.

To visit the author’s website go to:

Elizabeth Bear – Author

To buy the novel go to:

the stone in the skull - Book

To add to Goodreads go to:

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