The chameleon's stone circle
The stone circle of the chameleon (original title The Stone Dance of the Chameleon ) is a fantasy romance trilogy by the author Ricardo Pinto . Two of the three volumes have so far been published in German.
Volumes
- The Chosen. Bantam, London 1999, ISBN 0-553-50581-5 . German: The chosen ones. Translated by Wolfgang Krege . Klett-Cotta , Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-608-93241-0 .
- The Standing Dead. Bantam, London 2003, ISBN 0-553-81285-8 . German The outcasts. Translated by Wolfgang Krege. Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-608-93242-9 .
- The Third God. Bantam, London 2009, ISBN 978-0-593-05051-4 .
Place of action
The chameleon's stone circle tells of a world called "The Three Lands". This includes the “barbarian land”, the “guarded land”, which is shielded from the outside world in the middle of the barbarian land, and “Osrakum”, the heart of the guarded land. As a geological feature of the Three Lands, it should be mentioned that iron does not occur naturally in this world, it only gets here through impacted meteorites . The common material used is bronze . Precious and semi-precious stones as well as gold are valuable and are used in large quantities by the chosen ones, but their value does not come close to iron.
The residents
In the Three Lands there is a strict blood hierarchy consisting of the “elect” with the “twin gods” at their head, the “Marumaga”, the common people and the “Sartlar”.
The twin gods
It was they who created the Three Lands and their people. Since their death, the twin gods have been chosen again and again from the children of a god emperor and brought back to life in them through the “apotheosis”, a ritual in which the parts of human blood are eliminated and converted into pure Ichor .
The chosen ones
They represent the top of the hierarchy as they are considered descendants of the twin gods. They differ from other people in their blood, which, mixed with human blood, still contains the pure Ichor of the gods. The chosen people are called “masters” and are only allowed to reveal themselves to them through a mask. If one of the people manages to see her face, he will be severely punished. The chosen ones are without exception all of radiant beauty and exceed the other people in their size considerably.
Marumaga
They are the children of a chosen one, but they have an ordinary parent and are therefore closer to the people than to the elect.
The common people
It is considered by the elect as their slaves and also treated accordingly. In the so-called “meat tribute” part of their children is given to the chosen ones and thus becomes their “house people”.
Sartlar
They are viewed not only as sub-humans, but much more as animals. They are required to do the jobs that are too difficult and painful for even the common people.
language
In addition to the "common language" that everyone in the Three Lands can use, the chosen ones communicate through a sign language or speak "Quya".
font
It is written in so-called "glyphs". They represent a pictorial writing , similar to the Egyptian hieroglyphs , in which the Quya is transferred in pictures.
Plot of the first volume of the trilogy
The protagonist of the trilogy is the carnelian, 14 years old at the beginning of the story, who grows up in exile with his father, the master Suth Sarder (English Sardian), far from the guarded land. Suth Sarder, who governs his people relatively generously, conscientiously instructs Carnelian in the laws and customs of the elect, but by his mildness protects him from the real horror that reigns in the rest of the country. When a ship arrives one day and three masters set foot on the island, Carnelian is quickly overtaken by the cruel reality. Their leader, an elderly chosen one, named Aurum, brings Suth Sarder, to the surprise of Carnelian, to leave the island with some of the house people and return to the Guarded Land. The occasion is the imminent demise of the twin gods and the election of the new candidate.
Web links
- Ricardo Pinto's website with content on the trilogy