So, I just finished reading Ricardo Pinto’s Stone Dance of the Chameleon, after having the 'dope ID it for me from vague memories. Has anyone else read the whole thing? One thing that struck me was how different in tone each book was - the first book is full of wonder and awe-inspiring scenes, and some offhand cruelty; the second is one atrocity after another, and was probably the most emotionally draining thing I’ve ever read; the last was full of resignation, although it picked up at the end.
On the whole, I’m kind of staggered by the amount of detail put into the world - the story was pretty good (although I got REALLY sick of Osidian’s continuous Xanatos Gambits by the end of the second book, not to mention Carnelian’s complete lack of a spine), but the world was fucking fantastic. The Wise and their systems, the Master’s outfits, the sartlar… I’ve never read anything that really even came close to the world Pinto’s created. It’s simultaneously fascinating and horrific - I really want to read more about the Wise, and the Law-that-must-be-obeyed. Hell, I’d read a history book of the Three Lands, and that’s when you know an author’s done a good job world-building. I highly recommend it, although it is, definitely, a heavy read. When I started the second book, I got halfway through it in a day, and went to bed depressed. Fortunately, if you can get past that hump, the third book is less painful, if also less gripping (until the end).
ETA: Aaaaand, this should not be in Great Debates. Sorry, and please move?