The Granite Shield (Branion series, Book 3)

by Fiona Patton

Galactic Spectrum Award nomination - Locus Recommended Reading List - Epic fantasy series with character-driven intrigue and spectacular magic Marsellus was the rightful ruler of Branion, by virtue of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0886778425
• Release Date: June 1999
• Publisher: DAW
• Length: 528 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.8" x 1.4" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

Ah, the Branion series. :)

If you've read other books in the Branion series and enjoyed them, then you're most likely going to enjoy this one, too (surprise!). You've got the Living Flame, Essus, the infamous "gender-free" society, hotheaded red-heads ... what more couldja want? :)The development of relationships in this book - and all Fiona Patton's Branion books - is appealing. In The Granite Shield, I'd say the most interesting (and most focused upon) is the relationship between the two main characters, a pair of (half-)brothers with intertwined destinies. Another fascinating feature in the series is the conflict/relationship between Essus and the Living Flame. In this particular book, you get an interesting vantage point into that relationship through the eyes of a powerful seer.As one reader noted, you probably won't see any great reason to choose one "side" over another ... and I think that's part of what Fiona Patton does very, very well. She doesn't give you a "good guys triumphing over the bad guys" plot - instead, you get what I'd call a more realistic view of conflict.

The Incredible World of Fiona Patton

This review is actually for all three of Fiona Patton's books, since it's hard to consider them separately, since FP does such an amazing job of blending history and story backwards in time and space. The Stone Price lacks some of the sophistication of concepts and writing that her latter books have, although in other ways it is the best of the three, especially in terms of gay relationships (in Granite Shield there are few prominant long-term gay relationships, and in Painter Knight, one of the guys is dead, which puts a damper on things). Granite Shield excells in setting the scene for a lot of the Triarctic/Essusiate conflict, as well explaining the hints about Gwyneth's more rebellious past in the events to come. The only problem I had with this book was that, even by FP's standards, this was an extremely dense read, and the names and titles were enough to make your head spin without careful attention to who-goes-where-and-why.Painter Knight is, of the three, the best blend of the two most attractive aspects of the universe--the romanticism of Stone Prince, and the politics of Granite Shield--but I think it makes a poor first read in the universe; too much is assumed, and the death of a major character 20 pages in (and of a family as prone to tempermentalism and misunderstanding as the DeMarians) tends to distract the reader from the action, which requires a clear head to follow.Finally, a word on the gender politics of the books; in this universe, bisexuality is the norm, unquestioned, and gay relationships are uncompromisingly as common as straight ones, with stigma attached to neither--very refreshing, especially when combined with the completely non-gender-bias of the universe. Many fantasy universes that preach gender equality have a "aren't we liberal, look how liberal we are" quality to them; FP doesn't even bother to justify her equality, and simply makes it a non-issue. It just *is,* and even titles such as Prince, Abbot, Knight, Duke, and so forth are non-gender specific; you're as likely to have Duke Kassandra as Prince Demnor, for example. When I finished these books, it took a minute to remember where I was, and how much our world is different from FP's, and when I did remember, I almost cried. We've got a long way to go.All in all: five stars, each and every one, each with different strengths and weaknesses. I thoroughly enjoyed all these books, and can't wait for the next one. Strongly recommended! :)

Fantasy of a high caliber.

Superbly written and plotted. The characters are engrossing and develop fully through the story. A most excellent read! Highly recommended.

Excellent in all areas, a wonderful work that kept me hooked

Fionna Patton has done an excellent job once again. After reading "The Stone Prince", I could not wait to find more works by her. I was easily pulled into the world of the characters, and found myself reading for hours. The book is filled with all the components that make for an excellent story that anyone can enjoy, whether you like fantasy or not.

entertaining

I highly recomand the book to any fantasy reader and anyone else. This book is even better than the Stone Prince with complex characters and great storyline. The events are fast paced and ever fascinating.This book is about religious conflicts between the Essusian and the Triach which is the Living Flame housed in each of Aristok of Branion. The storyline begins at a time when of Essusian kings who, for the past 150 years, has denied the Living Flame inside them which gives them the right and power to rule Branion. The present monarch, Marsellus DeMarian is another DeMarian Aristok who has denied the Flame. So now, Llewellynne ap Rowena, the fighting Prince and a Seer in the neighboring kingdom of Gwyneth was given a vision by the Flame which instructs her bearing the first child of the Aristok, a child who is willing vassel of the Living Flame and who can lead the Triarctic forces back to victory in Branion. Thus, Llewllynne succeeds in her mission and gives birth to a son named Rhys, who grew up, together with his brother Llewen (Llewllynne's son with her husband) to wrestle back the power of the land.