The Fifth Ring

by Mitchell Graham

In the first volume of a fantasy trilogy, young Mathew Lewin's remarkable fencing skills win him a beautiful but terrifying prize - a magical ring with the power to enslave an entire world. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060506512
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Harper Voyager
• Length: 528 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.8" x 1.1" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

A Great Book

"The Fifth Ring" is a great book in many ways. The characters are alive and the world is rich in detail.I truly enjoyed the story. It wa sfast paced and hooked me from the get go. The females are not as interesting or as colorful as the males, but there is lots of room for them to grow in the sequels. Being a writer myself, the highest compliment I can give a book is when I put down my own stuff to read someone else's work. That's what happened here.What are you waiting for? Go get this book now and enjoy!

Excellent

There are a few things I can say about this book. First, I really enjoyed it and read it quickly. Mitchell Graham's style is smooth, polished and flows well. Second,it has very little nothing to do with the Lord of the Rings except in the broadest sense. There is magic of a sort, but it's based on a machine the Ancients created. There is a dark lord and the tale is an epi, but that's where it ends. One of the best things about THE FIFTH RING is the detailed world-building --really excellent. Another is the interesting relationships between characters. They're fun and enjoyable.Several things I liked a lot were the touches of humor (very well placed) and the fight scenes. If there's a writer out there who can do it better than Graham (he's a champion fencer himself) I've yet to meet them. I'd have no trouble strongly recommending this book to anyone.

Top Honors

I've been reading fantasy books since I was a kid and was blown away by this one. The humor was a hoot and the soaring action scenes are just amazing. I'd also have to say everything about the story worked really well from the characters' friendships to the villians.The plot isn't anything new, but it was fun and enjoyable to read. The only problem is that it's a trilogy and I have to figure out a way to hold my breath until the next installment. According to the publisher that will be in December.I couldn't find any negatives in new author Graham's work and can recommend it without reservation

entertaining but compromised

The Fifth Ring is a fun read. Its pacing is fast and the sparse dialogue and storytelling aids the flow. Perhaps most intriguing is the book's premise: a boy finds a magical ring that gives him powers -- but instead of being truly magical -- and thus not needing explanation -- the ring is actually a remnant of high technology from a civilization lost eons ago in an apocalyptic war. Furthering this premise is Graham's admirable attempt to make the ring scientifically limited. The wielder of a ring can only manipulate energy, and is limited by his knowledge of the physical world. There are many examples provided in the book, but the incident where King Karas's sister kills a man by stopping his heart illustrates the concept well: not only did the sister have to know what a heart looked like, she also had to understand how it functioned. She stops the man's heart by imagining the heart and then constricting its major valves. Unfortunately, this great concept was carried only halfheartedly and Graham dropped science for plot device.

As Good as Potter

My dad got me this book for my birthday and I really loved it. I love science fiction and fantasy and this was one of the best ones I have ever read. The Harry Potter books are my currently favorite, but this is a close second. I actually think that it's just as good in about every way.The bad guy in this story is named Karas Duren and he'll give you the creeps. He is a mass murderer, who doesn't like the sight of blood.I thought all of the main characters were excellent too and I loved the battles.