Product Description

All new deluxe edition for 2005! This edition replaces the standard edition and has the same price/ISBN. Features deluxe maps, 20 lavish illustrations, guide to the characters, and more.

Readers everywhere are discovering the works of Robert Stanek. Robert's books are published in over 20 countries around the world and beginning in 2005 the first of many translations will be published.

The epic adventure continues! Unleash the power of your imagination and enter a world you've never dreamed existed! Best-selling author Robert Stanek delivers an epic fantasy adventure that will open your mind and your heart.

Perfect for the young and the young at heart! The Kingdoms & The Elves Of The Reaches Book 2 is a refreshingly unique fantastic adventure where its only limits are the limits of your imagination.

Inside, you'll discover the breathtaking world of Ruin Mist where the mystical and the magical abound, and you'll fall in love with three heroes: a boy who would become a mage, a princess who is fleeing a dying kingdom, and a warrior elf who undertakes an epic journey.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #561489 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Review
Dramatic illustrations draw the reader into the Tolkienesque world of Ruin Mist, plunged into darkness after a Great War five hundred years past. Blaming magic for their demise, the Kings of Men have decreed that all things magical be destroyed. Yet despite their efforts, the magical Dark Lord is slowly returning to power. Another bloody battle is foreshadowed for Ruin Mist when Adrina, the spoiled and lonely princess of Imtal, is visited by a mysterious woman who predicts Adrina's ghastly future. Meanwhile in the kingdom of Elves, Seth, devoted First of the Red Order of the Queen Mother Elf, is sent on a journey across the Great Sea to prevent war. Stuck somewhere in the middle is Vilmos, a young magical boy-who-would-be-mage, abducted for his own safety by a Yoda-like guide named Xith. All three journey to an unknown fate against treacherous and sometimes supernatural foes. Stanek augments the beginning of this complex tale with illustrations that are sure to attract fans of graphic novels and classic Tolkien alike-the only weakness in the illustrations is their scarcity. Stanek will likely draw a cult following, but his work is not for the novice fantasy reader. A complicated glossary at the end includes twenty-two pages of "People, Places, and Things in Ruin Mist," complete with geographical references, family lineages, and extraordinary sketches. Despite the sophisticated plot, however, this cliffhanger guarantees fans, and those fans will be ready to wield their swords against the Dark Lord in Stanek's next installment. -- VOYA, February 1, 2007 review of The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches

From the Publisher
Discover the word-of-mouth favorites! Readers around the world are discovering Robert Stanek and Ruin Mist. Now in this deluxe edition of the top-selling title, you can get the ultimate Ruin Mist experience. Distinctive cover art features the wizard Xith, deluxe maps help you explore the realms, lavish illustrations bring the author's words to life, a guide to the characters provides additional background and helps you unravel the secrets of Ruin Mist.

From the Author
I adapted The Kingdoms & The Elves Of The Reaches Book 2 for my young readers. This book is the completion of Keeper Martin's Tale, which was started with The Kingdoms & The Elves Of The Reaches Book 1.

Customer Reviews

Worth your time...
This is the book that made me a Kingdoms fan. I think if I had stopped at book One, I wouldn't be such a fan, but as I continued on in the series it got better and getter and I was glad I kept going. Plus I was drawn into the story more and more as it went. I loved how this book continues from where the first one left off, especially how the story all comes together.

Stanek's books are powerful and original. The characters are wonderfully portrayed, and the plot lines though complex are easy to follow. If you haven't read the Kingdoms books yet you are missing out on the best fantasy in years.

The adventure continues...
My 12 yr. old son absolutely loves this book and so do I! Everyone who says Robert Stanek is a gifted story-teller is right on. His characters are fully developed and even minor ones are drawn with detail to give their personalities a lasting impression. But what I liked most of all is the complex storyline that Stanek weaves with skill so that a 4 volume epic story of action, adventure, mystery and intrigue is easy to follow. The pieces from the 4 volumes come together in ways you never imagine. You see, hear, taste, and smell everything! It is as if you are standing inside one of the orbs of power and are inside the story watching the events unfold. Plus Stanek is one of those rare authors who can tell a detailed story and keep it moving at a good pace.

The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches #2 continues the epic story of the kingdoms of men and the elves of the reaches. It tells the continuing story of Adrina from Imtal, Great Kingdom, Vilmos Tabborath from one of the minor kingdoms, and Seth from Leklorall, East Reach. Adrina is the third daughter of the king. She is saddened by the loss of her mother and doesn't see the world as it is. In the first book, her desires and awakening to the world around her cost her dearly, and now she must deal with the consequences of those desires.

Vilmos's future looks as dark and bleak as Adrina's. The powerful, dark magic has awakened within him, and as magic is outlawed in the lands his powers puts himself and everyone around him at great danger. There are those in the lands who would kill him because of his magic and there are those in the lands who would capture him and use him because of his magic. Seth is the leader of the Red Brotherhood of the Elves. He is the queen's sworn protector but the queen assigned him the task of returning to the lands of men. In a time when men and elves are mortal enemies, the journey across the great sea should perhaps have been the easiest part of his journey, but things did not work out that way. Now Seth must struggle to stay alive and to keep his fellow elves alive while trying to keep his oath to his queen.

Highly recommended. You'll want to have all four books on hand.

The magic continues
I'm a fan of quality children's writing. Stanek's original book in the series was exquisite. I was completely surprised and thrilled. The second book is again wonderful. The author weaves a unique story that is compelling, strong and quite extraordinary. So far, I've found 5 books in the series: Kingdoms and the Elves Books 1, 2 and 3, and Elf Queen and the King Books 1 and 2. I've read Kingdoms and the Elves 1 and 2 and Elf Queen and the King 1 and 2. The author has a wonderful approach and the plots are able to surprise (even me). It was great to not get the same formula over and over as many other children's books tend to do. The books, though set an a fantasy world, do deal with emotions and the characters each have their own charm. One of the issues a character is dealing with in the book is the death of her mother. The message is clear: It's okay to grieve and sometimes, the healing process can take a long time. Writing about such deep feelings and emotions in a careful way that respects children and their real concerns, provides them with a forum to relate with their own fears and anxieties.

And Adrina is only one of the many bright and wonderful characters in these stories. Your children will have plenty to cheer about for sure (and you may as well). In the books, you'll find elves, dark creatures, and all the stuff of dreams (and nightmares). The author takes us to a dream world in many powerfully painted scenes where the boy Vilmos must battle an inner darkness. I suppose some of this might be misinterpreted by some parents, but the writing is so good and the underlying lessons are there to put things in perspective. Kids love when they can identify with the heroes, and they love it when the heroes are children like them.

The second book doesn't disappoint. In fact, it makes me love the story even more. I highly recommend buying these terrific books. Read them with your children if you have any reservations