Black Jade (Book 3 Of The Ea Cycle)

Description:
The third book in the Ea Cycle, BLACK JADE is as rich as Tolkien and as magical as the Arthurian myths Valashu Elahad rescued the Lightstone from the dark hell of the enemy's own city, only to have his triumph overturned. Once more the Lord of Lies has the sacred gem in his possession and its power is invincible. Val burns with shame. Treachery surrounds him. His only hope is the Black Jade that lies buried in the heart of a cursed and blighted forest, forgotten since the War of the Stone. Through this, the greatest black gelstei ever created, Val will seek to understand the darkness inside himself so that he can use evil to fight evil. If he does not, the world will fall into final corruption as the Dark Universe of the Lord of Lies. In either case, evil prevails. But Val must risk everything, even his soul. The stakes are too high for anything less. Val is the Guardian of the Lightstone until a new master is made known, that person who will rightfully wield its power. Should Val find the sacred gem and take it for himself, he will become a new Red Dragon, only mightier and more terrible than the Lord of Lies.

Review:
'Every so often a novel comes along that threatens to redefine its genre. The Lightstone is such a novel ! Zindell re-imagines the epic on a grand scale ! The Lightstone shines brightly ' DREAMWATCH 'David Zindell's words are like magic, which manage to capture the tiniest nuances of his landscapes and characters and bring them to life ! If you want something that will make you think, that touches on elements of spirituality and philosophy and the fine lines between good and evil then The Lightstone is a winner' WHSMITH.CO.UK Praise for Neverness: 'Zindell makes you think' New Scientist 'Philip K. Dick would have been proud to conjure up such philiosophies' Manchester Evening News 'A thick, lush, vivid, panoramic view of evolved humans in an evolving universe far in the future' Twilight Zone 'Neverness streaked across the firmament as one of the great romantic epics of modern sf! in The Broken God Zindell's combination of adventure, metaphysics, and intellectual debate works marvellously, leaving you ready for more.' Locus 'The ideas are hard sf with philosophical undertones, and the story is compelling. Zindell makes you think' New Scientist on The Wild

Author Biography:
David Zindell's short story Shanidar was a prize-winning entry in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future contest. He was nominated for the 'best new writer' Hugo Award in 1986. Gene Wolfe declared Zindell as 'one of the finest talents to appear since Kim Stanley Robinson and William Gibson -- perhaps the finest.' His first novel, Neverness, was published to great acclaim.