Book Two in the epic trilogy 'The Stone Dance Of The Chameleon'.
In desperation, the Ruling Lord Suth searches within the sacred walls of Osrakum for Carnelian, his son, and Osidian, the God Emperor elect. He suspects the Empress Ykoriana is behind their disappearance and knows that if they are not found soon it is her other son, Osidian's brother Molochite, who will rule - with fearful consequences for the Three Lands.
Captive among the tribes of the Earthsky, Carnelian is - for the moment - safe, and succumbs readily to the seasonal rhythms of tribal life. Unexpected discoveries convince him that it is fate that has brought him there. He grows to love these simple people and hopes for sanctuary among them.
But the dark forces Carnelian helped unleash in Osrakum begin to cast their shadow over his adopted tribe. He is witness to the awful oppression that the Masters - whom the tribesmen call the Standing Dead - have been inflicting on them for millennia. But even more terrible is the presence Carnelian has unwittingly brought with him. Potent and terrifying, it threatens everything he now holds dear in this new-found world.
With 'The Standing Dead', the sequel to his acclaimed first novel 'The Chosen', Ricardo Pinto gives us a tumultuous new chapter in the 'Stone Dance Of The Chameleon' trilogy and confirms his place as one of fantasy's most singular and literate voices.
