The Arm of the Stone

by Victoria Strauss

Long ago, when the worlds were one... 

So begins the Tale, the ancestral legend Bron's family has guarded for a thousand years. Once they were the keepers of the Stone, the most sacred and coveted object on earth, from which all the powers of Mind are drawn. But when the conflict between Mind and Hand split the worlds apart, the Stone was seized by an ambitious sorcerer. To keep the new world from contamination, he established rigid Limits circumscribing what kinds of tools might be made and what kinds of knowledge might be pursued--laws brutally enforced by a group of Guardians known as the Arm of the Stone.

For ten centuries Bron's family has lived in exile, concealing the secret of its heritage. But when Bron's brother invents a new type of plow--a heresy for which there can be no pardon--the Arm of the Stone reaches in once again to tear them apart. Fleeing for his life, Bron vows revenge. He can see only one way to strike the Guardians down--by becoming a Guardian himself. But Bron does not realize how much his years within the Order will change him. Nor does he anticipate the hatred of a powerful enemy, or the love of a beautiful young Guardian named Liliane...whose mission is to destroy him.

This book was so compelling that I put everything else aside and read it. It is a really brilliant novel...a most unusual and fascinating novel, exceedingly well done.
- Anne McCaffrey

Involving fantasy...treated with unusual depth.
- Locus

THE ARM OF THE STONE is an intelligent, fascinating novel...the complicated politics and social structure of this world give it a depth most fantasy novels lack.
- SF Site

A rich story about human nature, this fantasy is a thought-provoking page-turner. The characters are deeply etched, and the plot turns are credible yet arresting. The author doesn't need arcane words or obscure descriptions to further the tale. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
- Kliatt

- A Science Fiction Book Club Alternate/Editor's Choice for August 1998 -