The Stone Dance of the Chameleon
Encyclopedia
The Stone Dance of the Chameleon is a fantasy trilogy by Ricardo Pinto
. It consists of The Chosen
(1999), The Standing Dead
(2003) and The Third God
(2009).
The chameleon is the sign of the house of Suth of which the leading character is a son. Additionally, the Stone Dance of the Chameleon itself is a megalithic stone circle
, an embodiment of ancient law and the social structure of the Three Lands, the imperial polity in which these novels are set. It is a slave-owning
civilisation of bizarre customs and dazzling beauty, in which the keynotes are an obsession with blood (lineage as well as sacrifice
) and the casual exercise of cruelty. The Chosen
are this world's narcissistic
, ruthless hereditary nobility
, and the entire enterprise of society exists to sustain them in their sybaritic, self-indulgent lives. The protagonist Carnelian
is a member of this aristocracy
, though brought up at a sufficient remove from it as to find its discovery as repellent and fascinating by turns as the reader.
As the series opens, Carnelian must journey with his father Sard
ian to Osrakum, ritual capital of the Commonwealth, at the difficult occasion of the imminent death of the current God Emperor
and subsequent election
of his successor from among the Chosen; an individual who will embody the Twins, the double deity
of their theology
. This duoform divinity represents the dark (stormy) and green (vegetal) aspects of the rain
equation
upon which the success of the harvest and hence the fabric of society hang. To this end, the Chosen of the Imperial House have bred selectively with females predisposed to produce male monozygotic twins; for each double candidacy, while resulting in successful apotheosis
for one child, condemns the other to death
at his brother's coronation.
Ricardo Pinto
Ricardo Pinto is a computer game programmer and fantasy author.His family moved to London when he was six and then to Dundee in Scotland. In 1979, he commenced a degree in Mathematics at the University of Dundee. In 1983, he moved to London to work as a programmer writing computer games...
. It consists of The Chosen
The Chosen (Ricardo Pinto)
The Chosen is a fantasy novel by Ricardo Pinto, and also his first novel. It is the first part of the series, The Stone Dance of the Chameleon. A 2000 Locus poll ranked it 14th in the Best First Novel category....
(1999), The Standing Dead
The Standing Dead
The Standing Dead is a fantasy novel by Ricardo Pinto. It is the second part of the The Stone Dance of the Chameleon series. Published first in May 2002 by Bantam Press....
(2003) and The Third God
The Third God
The Third God is a fantasy novel by Ricardo Pinto. It is the third part of the The Stone Dance of the Chameleon series. Published first in 2009 by Bantam Press...
(2009).
The chameleon is the sign of the house of Suth of which the leading character is a son. Additionally, the Stone Dance of the Chameleon itself is a megalithic stone circle
Stone circle
A stone circle is a monument of standing stones arranged in a circle. Such monuments have been constructed across the world throughout history for many different reasons....
, an embodiment of ancient law and the social structure of the Three Lands, the imperial polity in which these novels are set. It is a slave-owning
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
civilisation of bizarre customs and dazzling beauty, in which the keynotes are an obsession with blood (lineage as well as sacrifice
Sacrifice
Sacrifice is the offering of food, objects or the lives of animals or people to God or the gods as an act of propitiation or worship.While sacrifice often implies ritual killing, the term offering can be used for bloodless sacrifices of cereal food or artifacts...
) and the casual exercise of cruelty. The Chosen
The Chosen
The Chosen may refer to:*The Chosen , a novel by Ricardo Pinto*The Chosen , a novel by Chaim Potok**The Chosen , a 1981 film based on Potok's novel*The Chosen , a novel by L. J. Smith...
are this world's narcissistic
Narcissism
Narcissism is a term with a wide range of meanings, depending on whether it is used to describe a central concept of psychoanalytic theory, a mental illness, a social or cultural problem, or simply a personality trait...
, ruthless hereditary nobility
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
, and the entire enterprise of society exists to sustain them in their sybaritic, self-indulgent lives. The protagonist Carnelian
Carnelian
Carnelian is a brownish-red mineral which is commonly used as a semi-precious gemstone. Similar to carnelian is sard, which is generally harder and darker...
is a member of this aristocracy
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
, though brought up at a sufficient remove from it as to find its discovery as repellent and fascinating by turns as the reader.
As the series opens, Carnelian must journey with his father Sard
SARD
is a Japanese tuning company and racing team from Toyota, Aichi, mainly competing in the Super GT series and specialising in Toyota tuning parts.-History:...
ian to Osrakum, ritual capital of the Commonwealth, at the difficult occasion of the imminent death of the current God Emperor
Theocracy
Theocracy is a form of organization in which the official policy is to be governed by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided, or simply pursuant to the doctrine of a particular religious sect or religion....
and subsequent election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
of his successor from among the Chosen; an individual who will embody the Twins, the double deity
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
of their theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
. This duoform divinity represents the dark (stormy) and green (vegetal) aspects of the rain
Rain
Rain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to non-liquid kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. Rain requires the presence of a thick layer of the atmosphere to have temperatures above the melting point of water near and above the Earth's surface...
equation
Equation
An equation is a mathematical statement that asserts the equality of two expressions. In modern notation, this is written by placing the expressions on either side of an equals sign , for examplex + 3 = 5\,asserts that x+3 is equal to 5...
upon which the success of the harvest and hence the fabric of society hang. To this end, the Chosen of the Imperial House have bred selectively with females predisposed to produce male monozygotic twins; for each double candidacy, while resulting in successful apotheosis
Apotheosis
Apotheosis is the glorification of a subject to divine level. The term has meanings in theology, where it refers to a belief, and in art, where it refers to a genre.In theology, the term apotheosis refers to the idea that an individual has been raised to godlike stature...
for one child, condemns the other to death
Human sacrifice
Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more human beings as part of a religious ritual . Its typology closely parallels the various practices of ritual slaughter of animals and of religious sacrifice in general. Human sacrifice has been practised in various cultures throughout history...
at his brother's coronation.
External links
- Stone Dance of the Chameleon at the Internet Book List
- http://www.ricardopinto.com